Review: Small’s by Bjorn Shen has a new all-fish K-BBQ menu and it’s deliciously fun

The backstory

Small’s was conceptualised back in 2019 as chef Bjorn’s test kitchen and food lab. 

The intention was for it to be an intimate, chef’s table experience where he could come up with crazy culinary concepts and showcase small-batch ingredients and experimental techniques to the lucky few who manage to snag a reservation.

It started off as a pizza concept before moving on to things such as a bread sushi “doughmakase”, hotpot, curry, Thai sushi, noodles, and now, all-fish Korean barbecue. 

Now that Artichoke has moved to its new location at New Bahru, Small’s has graduated to a slightly bigger space inside the restaurant that seats seven people per seating. 

There’s also two other chefs — Grace and Maybelline — helping out behind the counter.

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Our verdict

As expected, Small’s is as outstanding as I remember. At S$108 for what he calls the premium economy menu, it’s incredibly good value for an omakase-style dining experience such as this.

You can also top up 30 bucks for the business menu (S$138) which comes with more premium ingredients and slightly bigger portions for certain courses such as the swordfish belly and tuna.

In the two hours that you’re sitting there, Bjorn and his team guides you through their spoofed-up version of a Korean barbecue dinner with a mix of enthusiasm and cheeky banter. 

Unfolding like a choreographed play of flavours and textures, it’s the creativity and playfulness that proves that Small’s is in a league of its own when it comes to pushing boundaries.

What it’s good for

Korean barbecue or K-BBQ usually features meats such as beef and pork, but it turns out that fatty fish, as Bjorn tells us, have that same kind of robust, unctuous texture that cook like meat and taste like meat, but are still special in their own way.

The menu also features other seafood. The cold corn cream somen is a brilliant opener that takes kong-guksu, or noodles in cold soybean soup and bathes it in a creamy soup inspired by the canned corn soups you find in vending machines in Japan. 

Plump and sweet Hokkaido scallops add a touch of luxury, with perilla oil, pickled carrots, shaved parmigiano and roasted seaweed strips bringing it all together in a harmony of umami and light acidity.

As you’re digging into your starter, the crispiest grilled oyster pancakes are being prepared inside a takoyaki machine. 

Small’s pancakes are served to us halved and topped with a gently-cooked oyster, a sliver of deep-fried lotus root, and a dollop of housemade white kimchi. You can probably already imagine the textures and flavours — fluffy and chewy, briny and creamy, and crunchy and tangy. 

Following that is a tray of 6 banchan and namul for you to munch throughout the meal. 

There’s a fresh, small-batch kimchi that’s made with apples, peaches and radish; a milder, refreshing white kimchi; yellow pickled radish; purple potato and apple salad; sweet and sour soy-caramelised ginger; and chopped-up perilla leaves with salt and chilli. 

It also comes with a jumeok-bap dish, which is where the fun starts. Grab a bunch of seasoned rice, sesame oil, seaweed, and tobiko in your (gloved) fist and start rolling away to make your very own jumeok (fist) rice ball.  

Crispy skinned salt-grilled freshwater eel is kind of a rare luxury in Korea, and at Small’s, it’s treated with the respect it deserves — grilled with nothing but salt and its own oils and served with peppery wild garlic leaves. 

Tender, smoky, and deeply flavorful, try these Nagoya eels with salt, wasabi, kimchi, or a dollop of ssamjang and see which you like best. Bjorn saved up the fatter tails for the men in the group for “vitality”, but even the leaner parts are a big treat.

The barbecued baby cuttlefish replaces the shrimp tteokgalbi tha was originally on the menu, because this is an omakase after all. 

The body, grilled with just a simple gochujang rub, is insanely soft and tender, while the heads are deep-fried separately for  a delightful crunch. A grilled Korean shishito pepper on the side adds a touch of smokiness and heat.

A clear winner of the meal is the pork of the sea, a luxurious cut from the center of the swordfish belly flesh — beautifully grilled over charcoal, it arrives with a slightly charred, smoky exterior while remaining raw and meaty inside. 

The texture is somewhat reminiscent of pork belly, hence the name. I like this simply with a touch of wasabi and salt, though pairing it ssam-style (or in a wrap) with perilla leaf, kimchi, and ssamjang is very tasty, too.

Tuna belly is great and all, but have you tried its fatty cheek and the firmer, steak-like forehead? 

These two parts make up Bjorn’s tuna secret cut, and they’re really the star of the night. Often called the “filet mignon of the sea”, the tuna’s fatty cheek is luscious and rich, while the forehead offers a meaty, almost beef-like quality. 

Each bite makes you start to think about what the boundaries of a tuna can be.

Today’s jiggae is a dark-red kimchi stew, though this may change from time to time. 

The kimchi, fermented in-house for two days, manages to be both pungent and delicate, adding a very robust flavour to the stew. 

Within the stew, there is semi-firm tofu, oyster mushroom, slices of tteokbokki rice cake, and two special ingredients — a whole sac of spicy cod roe (mentaiko) that adds a distinct brininess and texture, and a ball of Korean purple rice that’s been crisped up to perfection in the takoyaki machine.

If you enjoy the popular bottled banana milk from Korean convenience stores, you’re in for a real treat when dessert rolls around.

For this dish, Bjorn scoops a heaping spoonful of beautifully-churned ice cream that has virtually no air pockets or ice crystals, which means each bite is decadently smooth and creamy. 

The banana flavour shines through with a splash of sugar and a hint of salty, umami-rich soy sauce, topped with a medley of crushed roasted hazelnuts and sesame seeds — I most certainly swooned after my first bite.

The drinks list is a tad more refined than those you find at the mass-market Korean BBQ spots.

If you want traditional Korean rice wine, a bottle of cloudy takju goes for S$145 (or S$75 for half), while a cleaner, clearer yakju can be had for S$160 (or S$85 for half). 

There’s also makgeolli (S$135 or S$70 for half), a lovely zero-sugar soju (S$28) that quickly got us tipsy, and craft beer from Jeju (S$18).

What it could improve on

Small’s is one of those rare places where the dining experience is just outstanding. That said, some people might gripe about the interactivity — rolling your own rice balls, pouring your own drinks, and passing your plates back to the kitchen after each course (if only to clear space for more food). 

For those who embrace it, the interactive element adds a sense of intimacy, like you’re dining in the home of a particularly talented (and culinarily cheeky) friend.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Yes, and conversation with the chefs is also encouraged!

Is a reservation necessary? Available reservation dates of the upcoming month will be released on the 24th of every month at 12pm, though same-week spots do open up occasionally due to cancellations. 

How to get there? Small’s is on the first floor of New Bahru, a 13-minute walk from Fort Canning MRT Station Exit A.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For the latest eats, read more about Koko Cafe and Patisserie, the new dessert haven at Tanjong Pagar and SugarBelly at Jewel Changi Airport opened by a 22-year-old. 

You can make a reservation at Small’s via Chope.

You can also book a ride to Small’s at New Bahru to try its all-fish menu.