The coop has turned 10 this year!

There's more than one wall mural in the bar, but I unfortunately only had space for one in this article. 

Neon Pigeon is celebrating its 10th anniversary, first opening up at Keong Siak in 2015 and then moving to Carpenter Street in 2020. Neon Pigeon is famous for its dark interior, neon lights, sake shots and more - paying tribute to the dining soul of Tokyo with a bold and modern take on the izakaya. 

For the month of March, Neon Pigeon has hosted weekly guest shifts. This time, we were invited to attend the guest shift by The SG Tavern, opened by none other than Shingo Gokan, who has been steadily building a craft cocktail empire within Japan and abroad as well as his own line of shochu. The SG Tavern takes inspiration from the 19 young samurai who went abroad during the isolationist period of Japan and reflected their journeys and pit stops around Asia and the UK. 

This guest shift saw Beverage Director of the SG Group Yuya Nagamime and Chef Atsushi Furukawa in action behind the bar and the kitchen at - let's get to tasting their special menu!

Trying our first dish of the evening;

Tako Wasabi

Octopus, Avocado, Wasabi, Seaweed, Cacao

Zesty, sour and a great combination of vinegary sweetness. The tako is on the leaner side, which held up against the marinate well, not losing its sweet seafood flavour. The wasabi also packs just the right amount of punch but doesn't flare up your palate - enough to give am invigorating peppery kick before bowing out. Also the cacao nibs add such a great texture to the dish! Great appetizer to start things off. 

Golden Drop

Kakubin Whisky, Golden Berry, Osmanthus, Yellow Chartreuse, Ylang ylang

A deep, honey like muskiness that perfumes the palate. The osmanthus takes a backseat here where it normally is the highlight of a cocktail, and instead the other floral flavours like ylang ylang take the centre stage. It's very balanced on the sweetness and carries it an oriental apothecary sort of floral honey sweetness that reminds me of sweet herbal brews and jellies, all in a refreshing format that isn't cloying at the slightest. Amongst all the cocktails of the menu, this one definitely appeals more to the sweet-tooth. 

Edo Noir

Roku Sakura Bloom Gin, Noble Rot Grape, Cold Brew Coffee, Japanese Fernet

A serious, mean espresso martini. You get the usual gin and coffee flavours, but there is once again a muskiness that coats the palate. The fernet then corms through, adding a dark chocolate mint flavour that is deeply herbal and compliments the coffee. Texturally, there is a minty coolness on the palate that's very subtle, and at the same time, a slight astringency that coats the walls of your mouth that seem to highlight that coffee flavour even more. Those who like their stiff drinks would love this - and as is unsurprising for a fernet and amaro lover, was my favourite cocktail of the menu. 

For our cocktail intermission; 

Roasted Duck

Ginger, Scallion, Yuzu Kosho

The duck has quite a chew - being quite lean and filling. It isn't dried out or stringy - whilst still preserving the duck gammines. The sauce livens up the meat, with the yuzu kosho really adding a much needed invigorating lift to the dish. This makes for a great sharing platter, though, I may have preferred it if the duck was just ever so slightly more tender. Regardless, it makes a great contrast from the cocktails served thus far. 

Grape King Martini

Roku Gin, Cashew Fruits, Sherry, Moss 

Imagine Hi-Chew, Kyoto grape funk, but without the sweetness - all the aromatic bubblegum and grapey aromas perfume the palate. It's strong and bitey, with a unique herbacouness that I can't put my finger on - something like a mix of lavendar, violet and freesia. Despite it's dryness, it's extremely moreish, and I wholly recommend this for the folks who love their dry martinis or gin-forward cocktails. 

Purple Potato Negroni 

Maker's Mark, Imo, Beets, Strawberry, Cacao

A basket of sweet potato garlanded by a bouquet of flowers - this concoction tastes "purple" with a bouquet of violets, edible flowers and a chamomile-esque herbacousness. It isn't as sweet as the usual negroni - instead the flavour bandwidth is taken up with that starchy sweet aroma of sweet potato bakes and violet candy. It's a cross between a wet martini, a negroni and a flower fernet all at once. Super stuff!

And because the bar regular so much insisted we tried Neon Pigeon's signature dish...

Wagyu Katsu Sando

First things first - how did they get it so tender!?! You would think it is mince meat or a Salisbury steak - bur no, it's A5 wagyu that literally caves apart in your mouth at the slightest bite. The meat was perfectly seasoned with thr katsu sauce, and when paired with the curry sauce (that is somehow very remisnxent of the Mcdonald's nugget  curry sauce, but better) becomes full of onion and spice - almost like beef Japanese curry. Truly a stellar dish - and we were too lucky to grt the last one of the night!

Conclusion

Awesome cocktails and bites from the SG Tavern team! My favourite was still the Edo Noir, but I am torn between the Purple Potato Negroni and the Grape King Martini as the follow up. The Golden Drop is fantastic, and made for a great opener cocktail, but I did find it slightly bit too sweet for my liking - with the Purple Potato Negroni being more within my preference. 

Once again, I'll like to extend the warm hospitality of the Neon Pigeon crew, the excellent drinks by Yuya (let's catch up soon on shochu sometime, somewhere in Kyushu!) and bites by Atsushi, and big congratulations for the coop turning 10! 

@vernoncelli

📍Neon Pigeon (@neonpigeonsg)

36 Carpenter St, #01-01

Singapore 059915