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, or "New Dakota", as some people are still calling it, is a complete departure from . The simple, straightforward NYC-style bistro that slumped into why-bother complacency in its later stages is now, under the same ownership, an entity that's part Taiwanese night market, part izakaya and part -like scenester lounge.



I don't think I like that last part of the sentence. It makes me feel the way I do after stuffing too many cheese puffs in my mouth at once. It'll have to do, though, because Bonobo is a busy, busy concept.

The name doesn't have much to do with the contents of the kitchen, but everything to do with the real star of this space—, the hip-hop club whose entrance is "hidden" at the back of the restaurant. I think I overheard someone connecting the hypersexuality of the bonobo to all the sex that may or may not be happening in the club, but that is neither here nor there.



Visually, the two venues are connected more than ever—whereas Dakota was all about natural wood and brass accents, Bonobo's characterized by bright, contrasting colors and neon lighting enhanced by the night.

Danyeu Cheng, one of the owners of the place, summed it up as: "We wanted it to be a sexy version of a traditional izakaya."

And so, the foundation of the menu lies in those classic late-night snacks that people across East Asia turn to after a night of drinking: barbecued skewers, ramen, baozi and baskets of breaded, fried vegetables (think tempura). Bonobo does it all a bit differently, adding in ingredients that have since become staples of trendy "Asian-inspired" restaurants everywhere.

Sriracha, check. Kimchi, check. Chili mayo, check. Braised pork belly. And so on.



...but, Bonobo does these ingredients justice. Here's a xiaochi ("small bites") of fried stinky tofu topped with sauteed garlic chives and chili mayo (38rmb). Theirs is not as stinky as fans of the stuff might like, but with those garlic chives added on, it's still got enough of a kick to satisfy the umami hunters. For those who still get squeamish at the idea of stinky tofu, just think of it like a good cheese. Creamy and pungent.

A lot of the xiaochi dishes feature the greatest hits of Taiwanese street food, like pan-fried slices of sticky rice sausages with a spicy slaw (55rmb).



There's also this tin of fried snacks, which includes french fries, slices of Taiwanese tian bula (fish cakes) and zhuxie gao with a side of Sri-rancha dipping sauce (35rmb). Tian bula is usually great stuff, but there's something a bit... sanitized about Bonobo's version. This one's missable.

But ah, zhuxie gao. We of Taiwanese heritage are always at the ready to defend it. It's made of sticky rice mixed with pigs blood, which is then pressed together and sliced into thick rice cakes. Delicious. If you'd like to try it at Bonobo, then this dish:



It's a slice of pan-fried zhuxie gao topped with a piece of seared foie gras and kimichi-arugula slaw (68rmb). Try it with a smudge of that Sri-rancha sauce, a combination of srirancha and ranch that just makes perfect sense in my mind and in my mouth.

And more of that kimchi. Always more kimchi. Bonobo's version of it is good and hearty, though not too pungent. It's made in-house by their head chef, who is of Korean descent.



Other highlights: these caramelized brussels sprouts with "Iberico XO sauce" (25rmb), and the chicharrones with that Sri-rancha again (38rmb).

Under carbs, Bonobo also does a decent albeit small bowl of pork belly ramen (38rmb) and a braised pork belly bun with chili mayo slaw (42rmb). The bun was good the first time I tried it—tender and fatty in the right places. On another visit, I had to bite it with my back teeth. So, still a bit of inconsistency there, but the dish itself is promising.



Where the kitchen disappoints the most, however, is the skewers. That's surprising to me, given the opportunity that their diners have to simply go out across the road and get some excellent chuanr for a fraction of Bonobo's prices. Out of the five skewers we tried, including the wagyu brisket (22rmb), galbi marinated tenderloin (14rmb) and rice cake with gochujang (8rmb), only one was tasty enough to finish without feeling like it was punishment. Those other ones got my back teeth working again. Even the rice cake.



That redeeming one was this smoky soy squid (25rmb).



Even so, Bonobo is worth a visit, especially for those xiaochi dishes. Fusion food is a tricky thing to pull off, but if you're going to do it, at least go for big flavors like this. There's a full bar with Asian-inspired cocktails, too, but if you're going to booze, then the pitchers of yogurt soju (98rmb) and Taiwanese sangria (128rmb) should be good crowd-pleasers.

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