OBAR@TRADEHUB21 is a bar & grill on the second floor of a heritage shophouse on Telok Ayer Street in Chinatown, Singapore, rated 4.1 ($$$), open daily except Sunday, with shorter evening-only hours on Saturday. Trading as Kabuke, it's a sake restaurant and gastrobar built around sake appreciation alongside contemporary Japanese cuisine, including Kabuke Den, described as Singapore's first dedicated sake tasting room, and a seasonal menu leaning on umami-heavy flavours. The kitchen is led by Chef Rio, who worked at Fat Cow and Kinki Restaurant & Bar before taking the head chef role here, combining traditional Japanese technique with more modern flavours. Sake pairing menus like this reward going in with an open mind rather than a fixed idea of what you want, since a good pairing is built around the food course by course rather than one drink ordered on its own. On Telok Ayer Street in Chinatown, this heritage shophouse venue is where that sake-led dining happens.
Kabuke sits on the second floor of a charming heritage shophouse at 200A Telok Ayer Street, inviting guests into what it calls the art of eating and drinking with sake. The gastrobar puts sake appreciation at the centre of the experience, pairing it with a thoughtfully curated menu of contemporary Japanese cuisine built around seasonal flavours and umami.
Kabuke's kitchen is helmed by Chef Rio Neo, who holds the title of Kikisake-shi, a certified sake sommelier, alongside his role as Head Chef. His culinary journey led him through the kitchens of Fat Cow and Kinki Restaurant & Bar before taking the helm at Kabuke. Chef Rio describes his approach simply: cook from the heart, enjoy the process, and guests will feel it. At Kabuke, that philosophy shows up in a fresh repertoire of contemporary Japanese cuisine that blends traditional technique with modern flavour.
One floor above the main gastrobar, at 200B Telok Ayer Street, sits Kabuke Den — described as Singapore's pioneering sake tasting room. It offers a more exclusive, immersive exploration of the world of sake, with every detail of the space curated to make the experience feel extraordinary. Kabuke Den keeps its own schedule, open Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm to 11pm, and Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays from 6pm through to midnight.
Kabuke itself is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday, from 12pm to 2:30pm and again from 6pm to 11pm, with Saturday and public holidays reserved for dinner service from 6pm to 11pm. The gastrobar is closed on Sundays. Reservations can be made online, and the team recommends booking ahead given the intimate, heritage shophouse setting.
Kabuke sits alongside a handful of related concepts, including Yuji Izakaya and Kabu Go, extending the same spirit of Japanese hospitality and sake culture across different formats and locations.
Kabuke and Kabuke Den are located at 200A/B Telok Ayer Street, Level 2 & 3, Singapore 068638. Guests can reach the team by phone or email, and parking information is available via a linked map for those driving in.