Wild Skew

Heard a little bit about Wild Skew online given how there are some posts that can be found online about the establishment in recent times — Wild Skew is probably one to those establishments where one would find out just by chancing upon the establishment; they are actually hidden deep within the campus of National University of Singapore within Yusof Ishak House. The easiest way to get to Wild Skew by public transport would probably be via public bus service no. 95 from either Buona Vista MRT Station / Kent Ridge MRT Station; alighting at the stop opposite University Health Centre will lead one directly to the building — these folks are hidden around a flight of staircases after going around the Central Square Canteen. Occupying quite a large shop unit, Wild Skew is edged in a pretty modern and industrial vibe; there are constant usage of light tubes of various shapes and metallic elements throughout the space matched with a shade of royal green that blends well with the dim, yellowish lighting — there’s a bit of an underground vibe that is also undoubtedly sterile and minimalist, yet still shrouded in some mystic at the same time. Whilst the counters are tucked towards the back of the space, there is a communal dining area that sits in the middle of the establishment — the other dining tables being arranged in a configuration that would work best for those visiting the establishment in pairs or in groups of four (4) pax. Wild Skew is an establishment that specialises in serving up Japanese-style skewers; otherwise dubbed as Yakitori — the establishment does serve up a line-up of Ala-Carte Yakitori sticks though it also does offer Skewer Sets and Donburi Sets for those whom are looking for a more substantial offering for for a full meal. It also does serve a variety of Kushiyaki, Yakitori and Starters, whilst dessert offerings would include a variety of gelato — more on these later.

Wild Skew mentions that for all of its Skewer Sets, the Set will come default with elements like Hokkaido Rice with Tare and House-Made Chicken Furikake, Seasonal House Pickles, and a Tori Chintan Broth (i.e. Clear Chicken Broth) — we found ourselves opting for Set A, which described to be “Chicken Classics Remixed”; the four (4) skewers coming with the set would be the Chicken Tsukune w/ Egg Yolk Sauce, Chicken Thigh w/ Leeks, Chicken Thigh w/ House-made Mentaiko Sauce and Midjoint Wing w/ Seasoned Togarashi. Going straight for the skewers, we felt that these were pretty well-executed Japanese skewers overall; we do like all four (4) but if there is one that left a slightly more stronger impression that the rest, it would likely be the Chicken Tsukune w/ Egg Yolk Sauce. The meat for the Chicken Tsukune w/ Egg Yolk Sauce does come tightly packed, though is especially tender and comes grilled to a point where it carries quite a smoky note whilst still being savoury. The Egg Yolk Sauce that comes drizzled over the top does seem to be their take of the usual Chicken Tsukune that comes with the runny egg yolk to be dipped in; whilst it does add a creamy touch to the skewer almost akin to that of mayonnaise, it wasn’t something that necessarily came off strong enough to be detected. Otherwise, the other skewers also carried the same smoky notes as the Chicken Tsukune w/ Egg Yolk Sauce: the Chicken Thigh w/ Leeks came with meat that comes with a firmer bite with the leeks giving an element of crunch, while the meat in the Chicken Thigh w/ House-made Mentaiko Sauce does come a bit more tender as compared to that of the Chicken Thigh w/ Leek — the addition of the Mentaiko Sauce gives it that slightly saltish and briny umami note that makes it a crowd-pleaser. Meanwhile, the Midjoint Wing w/ Seasoned Togarashi comes with bone-in; the sprinkling of Seasoned Togarashi adds a hint of spiciness for the skewer. The accompanying Seasonal House Pickles served on the day of our visit seems to have comprised of pickled cucumbers and marinated beansprouts; the latter seemingly being done in a way similar to what one can find being served as a Banchan in Korean restaurants. Interestingly, Wild Skew does have an option for patrons to go for less rice in the online POS system which we also went for; the rice does come well flavoured with the slight sweet-savouriness of the Tare, whilst coming with a umami note from the addition of the House-Made Chicken Furikake that provided the pearly and sticky rice another dimension of flavours. The use of Tori Chintan Broth over the more commonly-found Miso soup here is a thoughtful touch; considering the heavier and smoky notes of the skewers here, the clean notes and clearness of the Tori Chintan Broth was more befitting to keep things from being overly heavy and provides a refreshing touch.

There was an option for us in the online POS system to opt for the addition of a Wagyu Croquette + Drink which is requires a top-up of $4.80 — for our choice of drink which was the Honey Chrysanthemum Osmanthus Soda, this was charged at another $1.50 above the $4.80 that was charged for the add-on of the Wagyu Croquette + Drink. The Wagyu Croquette does seem to have come in the form of a Wagyu Menchi Katsu; essentially ground beef that is formed into a patty that is breaded and deep-fried; it does come seated in a bed of shredded cabbage, while at also being drizzled with Tare and mayonnaise. Taking a bite into the Wagyu Croquette, we liked how this was free from grease, while the exterior comes all golden-brown — crisp and light. The ground beef within comes tender and well-seasoned; there is definitely no gaminess coming from the meat, while the meat is also tender and juicy, yet provided a good meaty bite without being overly salty. The Tare does add a sweet-savoury note that goes well with the Wagyu Croquette itself, whilst the mayonnaise gave the Wagyu Croquette a creamy touch. We also really enjoyed the Honey Chrysanthemum Osmanthus Soda; there is definitely a hint of honey-esque sweetness coming with a floral note and an aroma that is pretty reminiscent of chrysanthemum tea going on in there — coupled the fact that the drink does come aptly carbonated meant that it was really a delightful thirst quencher that was especially easy to drink, and was also something that we also could not get enough of.

One major highlight apart from the Japanese skewers that they serve up here would be their Gelato offerings — Wild Skew mentions on its menu that their gelato is “produced in collaboration with a pre-launch small batch gelato maker, all made in-house on site”. It is also worthy to note that all of its Gelato offerings except for the Maited Vanilla w/ a hint of Oak flavour are all dairy-free products and therefore are vegan-friendly. Amongst the variety of flavours that they carry, we found ourselves going for the Chrysanthemum & Rockmelon — it is interesting to note how the printed menu for its Gelato offerings does provide a description and illustration of the tasting profiles of each gelato flavour that they carry. This does indeed come with the sweetness of fresh melons as a starting note, whilst shifting towards the floral notes of the chrysanthemum before rounding off with an earthy finish just like how it has been described on the printed menu. Wild Skew is one of those establishments that really surprised us in terms of how innovative and inventive an establishment can get — whilst there are plenty of Japanese Izakayas that would provide for a more authentic experience, it cannot be denied that the folks at Wild Skew have placed a lot of thought and emphasis in their offerings. All of the items that we have had were well-executed — there is also an interesting spin being added, yet keeping familiarity down to its roots; quite an achievement for an establishment whilst also pretty surprising considering how they are a dining establishment located in a university campus; not quite the sort of dining establishment one would expect to find at such a place. Prices of the Skewer Sets and Donburi Sets range between $11.90 to $22.90; the lowest-priced item being the Double Shroom Donburi from the Donburi Sets menu, while the priciest would be the Set C (Premium Wagyu & Chicken Tsukune). Whilst being an establishment well hidden within the National University of Singapore campus, Wild Skew is a rather unique establishment with interesting ideas that is worth making a visit for — definitely not your average school cafeteria, and is one that we are looking forward to revisiting again some time soon to give their other offerings a go!