Bincho Boss Brings Modern Japanese To Little Bourke Street
Melbourne has no shortage of Japanese restaurants, but that doesn’t keep me from getting excited about any new venture that falls under that umbrella. From Japanese-inspired cafes to katsu shops to yakitori dens, we’ve seen lots of new openings this year. One of the latest is Bincho Boss, a contemporary izakaya-style eatery on Little Bourke Street in the CBD.
Bincho Boss
The name comes from Binchō-tan, a traditional charcoal cooking method used in Japan. I also like to think that the name is a play on the Spanish word pintxo (or pincho). The two terms not only sound similar but also have similar definitions - Pintxos are small snacks and Izayakas tend to specialise in small, fixed-price dishes.
But Bincho Boss is not like your traditional Izakaya. It’s a more contemporary adaptation suited to an Australian palate. The menu features local produce and slightly Western spins on Japanese dishes, from cauliflower salad with butter beans, black garlic, sesame and parmesan to nasu dengaku with smoked duck to buttery udon noodles topped with vegetables and kombu.
A must-try dish is the housemade tofu, which at first taste is soft and sweet like custard, followed up by a beautiful contrast of umami. It can be made without roe upon request.
The green tea brownies are also worth a try. They’re more like fudge than brownies - Each bite is decadent and delicious and would be nicely balanced by one of the many sakes available at Bincho Boss. For something less traditional, there is also an assortment of Japanese-inspired cocktails on offer.
Bincho Boss is open for both lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday.
Melbourne has no shortage of Japanese restaurants, but that doesn’t keep me from getting excited about any new venture that falls under that umbrella. From Japanese-inspired cafes to katsu shops to yakitori dens, we’ve seen lots of new openings this year. One of the latest is Bincho Boss, a contemporary izakaya-style eatery on Little Bourke Street in the CBD.
