Binary celebrates its first anniversary with a refreshed menu

Celebrating its one-year milestone, Binary refreshed its menu recently, which also includes the debut of a cocktail programme.

The gastro-bar is known for its unique binary approach of featuring distinct flavours of Asian and Western cuisine and its new cocktail programme is similarly presented in two ways.

AVENUE ONE revisited Binary to try out its refreshed menu.

Binary refreshed menu: what did I love?

I was glad to see that its Signature Kubaneh Bread (S$14) remained on its menu. This homemade bread is served with Compound Garlic Butter and Kombu Butter and is among the most memorable breads I’ve tried and regularly talks about.

This time, I brought a companion who has never been to Binary and she immediately agreed with me that this is a must-try after she sank her teeth into it. The Kombu Butter remained a great accompaniment to the bread that I couldn’t get enough of.

The Asian-style Octopus (S$32), tossed in “Lao Gan Ma” spicy chilli crisp, also remained on the menu. This was another dish that I enjoyed, so at this point of my meal, it looked like Binary certainly knew which items in their original menu were keepers.

Among the new additions, two items stood out.

The first was the Asian-style Spatchcock Chicken (S$42), served with Chinese greens.

Perfectly glazed and grilled, the chicken skin offered a burst of flavours and the entire meat was moist, tender, and delectable. Its portion is also very generous, so I’d suggest that you order this, along with another main, to share with your dining companion.

The Grilled Asparagus (S$14) was a comfort dish that’s also great for sharing. With a moreish topping of cured egg aioli, grated parmigiano, viking salt cured egg yolk, this dish was very enjoyable.

While I didn’t love its previous dessert menu, I was glad that the new ones won my favour.

Both the Valrhona Dark Chocolate Terrine (S$16) and Miso Caramel Parfait (S$16) were decadent and addictive.

I especially enjoyed the chocolate terrine, which may not be super eye-catching, but packed a punch in the flavour department.

The bittersweet flavour of the chocolate was balanced with a sprinkle of snowflake sea salt and the vanilla chantilly cream it was served with added creaminess to the dessert so that it doesn’t feel too dry.

From its new cocktail menu, I ordered the Western-style Elderflower Spritz (S$26), made with prosecco, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and fresh lemon juice, while my companion had the Asian-style Passion Ginger Julep (S$24), made with black tears rum, passion fruit, fresh lime juice, and ginger syrup.

Both were smooth, balanced drinks that we finished in no time. The other items on the cocktail menu looked really promising too, so I’d highly recommend that you check them out.

Binary is located at 390 Orchard Road, #01-01A, Palais Renaissance, Singapore 238871. It is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 11.30am to 12am, and Sunday to Tuesday from 11.30am to 10.30pm. Call 9363 0101 for reservations.