The Place One Holland Village is the hottest new dining spot in the west right now and Ginkyo By Kinki is one new restaurant which opened just last month, in addition to Fireplace by Bedrock. By the people behind Kinki Restaurant + Bar, Ginkyo by Kinki is a modern Japanese bistro inspired by the Icho Matsuri ‘Ginkgo Festival’ in Tokyo, and is designed as a space where every day is a festival of flavours and friendship. It is a casual setting with a bar counter where you can have drinks and small bites, a main dining hall and pets-friendly outdoor seats. 

The Food As compared to Kinki Restaurant + Bar, the food at Ginkyo by Kinki injects more global flavours in the Japanese dishes where prices are also comparatively more accessible. There are also a series of cocktails to choose from, so it is also quite a nice spot to order some drinks to go along with the food.

I started with the Uni, Caviar, Ikura (S$22) which is exclusive to Ginkyō. It is a medley of fresh Japanese seafood such as negitoro, uni and ikura along with Magnum Opus Oscietra caviar and gold flakes. 

An interesting dish I had was Ginkyō’s version of the Italian arancini in the form of Kimchi Onigiri Arancini (S$14). The deep-fried kimchi rice is filled with gorgonzola, then wrapped in seaweed, and served with kimchi aioli for an extra kick of spice. 

Truffle Fat Wings (S$19) up next is a different take on chicken wings where the wings here are stuffed with truffle rice, edamame, yakitori tare, lemon wedge, and microgreens. The truffle taste is not too overpowering, and I especially love the flavour of the Niigata Koshihikari rice used here. 

I am always up for ceviche and the Peruvian Swordfish Ceviche (S$19) here is served with crispy rice crackers made from deep-fried Vietnamese rice paper. It is a citrusy and refreshing dish as a sharing item where the swordfish is tossed with citrus, tomato, fig, salsa, coriander, avocado, Japanese cucumber and shallots. 

The Best of Toyosu Market (S$52, top up S$4 for an onsen egg and S$17 for Hokkaido Uni) is probably the best option to savour the freshness of the sashimi from Japan. You get an assortment of tuna belly, salmon, flounder, yellow tail, striped jack, scallop, Magnum Opus Oscietra caviar, Kita-sanriku ikura, shaved truffle, pickled ginger, hanaho flower, and microgreens on Niigata Koshihikari sushi rice. To luxe it up, there is an option to add on Tokujo grade Uni. 

My favourite dish though, is the Okonomi-Rosti (S$30), where the crisp Russet potatoes are delicious along with shredded cabbages, chopped scallop and sliced bacon. It is topped with mentaiko sauce, bonito flakes, and shredded nori and I thought that this dish is quite an ingenious combination of Japanese Okonomiyaki and Swiss Rosti. So good! 

Rants Nothing in particular.

Will I Return Again? Overall, Ginkyo by Kinki is a nice spot for a relaxed dining spot in Holland Village. I enjoyed most of the Japanese dishes with Asian elements here, which also goes quite well with the cocktails. This is one restaurant which is best enjoyed with a small group of friends as the dishes are great for sharing.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservations instantly at Ginkyo by Kinki here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Ginkyo by Kinki 
7 Holland Village Way 
#03-01 to 04, One Holland Village 
Singapore 275748 
Tel: +65 9337 7451 

Opening Hours 
Lunch 
Mondays to Saturdays: 11.30pm to 2.30pm (last order 2pm) 

Dinner 
Mondays to Thursdays & Sundays: 5pm to 10pm (last order 9.30pm) 
Fridays to Saturdays: 5pm to 10.30pm (last order food: 9.45pm, last order drinks: 10pm) 

Ranted by The Ranter