A note on the words: bak kut teh is an herbal pork rib soup, served here in a clay pot with a clear white pepper broth alongside jasmine rice and youtiao, which are fried dough sticks. Bok choy is a Chinese leafy green vegetable with thick, crunchy white stalks, stir-fried here with minced garlic. Satay refers to grilled chicken skewers, served here with cucumber, red onion, and a side of grainy sweet-and-savory peanut sauce. Nyonya cuisine, apparently born from the blending of Chinese immigrant and Malay households, is represented here by fresh fish smothered in a tangy assam sauce, where assam is the Malay word for tamarind.
CHATTERBOX CAFE on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
To all the drinkers out there, thanks for waiting! It’s Hangover Meshi time!
This time, I visited CHATTERBOX CAFE, a Singaporean restaurant in the Marunouchi Building! It looked full of stylish flair, so I had my eye on it for a while. I was really looking forward to it. It is an overseas brand of Singapore’s CHATTERBOX, and the original location apparently opened in 1971 in the Mandarin Orchard (now Hilton Singapore Orchard), lifting Hainanese chicken rice from street food to hotel quality.
There are seats outside the entrance too (well, inside the building, so not really outside, ha), which feels open and seems like a nice option.
This time, I was shown to a window seat in the back where you can see Tokyo Station. Delicious Singaporean food while taking in the night view of Tokyo Station! What a treat!
Now, what should I drink? (Truth be told, I had pre-drinks before this outing and had already been drinking beer, ha), so I went for cocktails.
To start, the signature cocktail: CHATTERBOX PUNCH (1,600 yen).
Gin, chili, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon, banana, tonic. Just reading through the ingredients, that is already quite a lot of information! What arrived was a wine glass with a slice of dried orange. The tonic is served separately in a bottle, so it is nice being able to decide how much to pour (and adjust the strength) yourself! With the first sip, a sweet aroma rises gently, followed right behind by flickering spices. As you drink on, the ice melts and the flavor shifts little by little, which is fun too. This is really good… ha.
This one is the Asian Sour (1,700 yen).
Vodka with ume (Japanese plum) syrup, shikuwasa (a small, tart Okinawan citrus), and Angostura bitters. The brown lump on top turned out to be a dried ume. Taking a sip through the straw, the citrus acidity comes straight through, followed by a gentle spread of sweet-and-salty ume. It is packed with crushed ice, so the edges round out the more you drink, making it very easy to sip.
Wok-fried bok choy with garlic! Bok choy is a Chinese green, related to the smaller bok choy sold in Japan. With whitish stalks, it is a green vegetable where the stems take center stage rather than the leaves. A generous amount of minced garlic clings to it, and bringing it close, the fragrance wafts right up. Your teeth bite crisply into the stalks, followed by a juicy burst of moisture, while the leaves are tender and soft! The seasoning is light on salt, making it an exceptionally refined stir-fry of greens where you can directly taste both the sweetness of the garlic and the greens themselves!
Singapore Sling (1,900 yen). When you visit a Singaporean restaurant, this is the one! Gin with pineapple juice, Cherry Heering, Cointreau, Bénédictine, and grenadine. Skewered with pineapple and a cherry, the familiar presentation. It looks cute, but the contents are solid gin, ha. Delicious.
Singapore-style satay with peanut sauce. Small pieces of chicken are tightly packed onto skewers, with a wonderful aroma from the charred edges. The peanut sauce is served on the side and is smoother and lighter than expected. Not a thick, heavy type, but a sweet-and-savory sauce with a pleasant grainy texture. Cucumber and red onion are laid out beneath the skewers.
Pulling them off the skewers one by one, generously spooning the sauce over top, and taking a bite…!
The savory fragrance of the grilled glaze matches wonderfully with the sweet-and-salty peanut sauce. Delicious!
Nyonya-style fresh fish assam. Nyonya cuisine, apparently, refers to dishes born from the blending of Chinese immigrant and Malay households. The prime example of that is this red sauce. Assam is the Malay word for tamarind, meaning sourness. The paste covers the white fish so completely that it is hidden underneath, delivering a flavor where sourness and sweetness hit first, followed by heat. Accompaniments are grilled eggplant, okra, and cherry tomatoes. It pairs great with cilantro, and it was a very refined dish.
This is the Gin Gin Gin (1,500 yen). Gin with American ginseng (medicinal ginseng), ginger, lemongrass, and Earl Grey. Herbs, roots, and tea leaves are all in here; the tonic, just like with the CHATTERBOX PUNCH, comes served separately. Breathing in the scent of the dried orange along with it, the ginger warms you gently. If you like herbal, botanical drinks, I thought this would be the clear choice!
When it comes to Singapore, you have to eat bak kut teh!
Lifting the lid of the clay pot, the aroma of white pepper gently rises up.
The soup is clear and lighter than it looks. The meat on the bone falls away tenderly when pressed with chopsticks. The deep-fried tofu and enoki mushrooms have soaked up the broth nicely, which is another great touch.
Drizzling a little of the dark soy sauce with chili over it tightens things up with heat and makes it delicious! Fried dough sticks (youtiao) and jasmine rice come with it, so dipping them into the soup is also great!
With its gentle flavor, it seems like it would be good for a hangover.
Coconut Mojito (1,700 yen). Rum with coconut syrup, mint, lime, and soda. Lime and mint are packed tightly at the bottom of the glass, with crushed ice filled all the way to the top. Taking a sip, the mint and lime hit first, followed by the sweet fragrance of coconut. A mojito that went completely tropical!
I definitely wanted to eat this too! Chatterbox’s signature: Mandarin Chicken Rice. Wondering if half would be plenty, I went with the half chicken. A moist layer of gelatin remains beneath the skin, and despite being breast meat there is no dryness whatsoever. It is not quite like the Taiwanese or Hong Kong versions; it is a textbook model of steamed chicken. There are three sauces: ginger puree, chili, and dark soy. Eating piece by piece with a different sauce, it feels like the same chicken becomes three different dishes! The jasmine rice is cooked in chicken broth and is delicious all on its own. They say the flavor has remained unchanged since 1971.
All in all, thoroughly satisfied!
Every drink was stylish and delicious. Every dish was refined and tasty. The dining experience while taking in the night view of Tokyo Station was fantastic too. Just as I expected, it was a wonderful restaurant. A place you could invite someone on a date, of course, or bring good friends with complete confidence! I really recommend this place!
May you come across delicious things today as well!
CHATTERBOX CAFE Marunouchi Menu
Mandarin Chicken Rice
The signature dish since 1971. Served with three sauces: homemade chili sauce, ginger puree, and dark soy sauce.
Steamed chicken + jasmine rice cooked in chicken broth + soup
A la carte
Noodle soup with coconut milk and shrimp broth. Contains lobster, quail eggs, fish cake, and deep-fried tofu
Kurobuta pork spare ribs simmered in a secret blend of spices and herbal broth. Served with fried dough sticks
White fish coated in a paste of tangy tamarind and chili. Served with grilled eggplant, okra, and cherry tomatoes
Grilled chicken skewers. Served with peanut sauce, cucumber, and red onion
Flat rice noodles stir-fried with seafood in a sweet-and-savory sauce
⚠️ [Please note] The prices in this section are sourced from the menu registered on Tabelog (as of February 2026). They have not been verified against the physical on-site menu.
Desserts
A dessert continuing for over 50 years since the restaurant’s founding. Ice cream served in a coconut shell with toasted walnuts
Signature Cocktails
Gin / chili / vanilla / cinnamon / lemon / banana / tonic
Vodka / ume syrup / shikuwasa / sour plum / Angostura bitters
Gin / American ginseng / ginger / lemongrass / Earl Grey / Fever-Tree tonic
Shikuwasa / mango / sparkling wine
Cocktails & Mocktails
Gin / pineapple / Cherry Heering / Cointreau / Bénédictine / grenadine
Rum / coconut syrup / mint / lime / soda
Beer
Local Drinks & Juices
Coconut ice cream / coconut meat / grass jelly / red beans. Add rum (Diplomático) +1,200 yen
5 types of juice: lychee / mango / apple / pineapple / orange.
*From the storefront menu at the time of visit in August 2026. Prices include tax; 10% service charge separate. Contents change seasonally. Payment is cashless only. Please check the official website or at the restaurant for the latest information.
CHATTERBOX CAFE (Singaporean / Nijubashimae Station, Tokyo Station, Otemachi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
