First time at Shimbashi Soba. I have never wanted to step in there in the past, for some reason, despite the healthy claims of buckwheat noodles, made fresh on the premises. I had the Soba Gozen set which consisted of tempura, decently fresh sashimi, deep-fried chicken teriyaki (exceedingly sweet and salty), some tasteless whitish cube (mountain yam concoction maybe), sushi and a bowl of their signature handmade soba in a smoky-flavoured hot broth.
Hubby's set meal A had fried fish cutlets, sashimi, same deep-fried chicken teriyaki and bowl of hot soba too. He didn't think the food was anything special. I thought they were all right, decently done but a little on the pricey side. The soba tasted OK - you could taste the fresh-made difference and the rough edges of the cleaver-shaved noodles. They had some good bite, slightly al dente but not if you leave them in the hot soup for too long.
We also got a side dish of homemade fried tofu. The three triangular pieces buried under bonito shavings were not terribly special. I could happily eat regular tofu fried the same way at a fraction of the cost.
Service was also a little spotty (and it wasn't crowded when we were there). The place tries to have a modern touch to it, decor-wise and choice of ambient music (Norah Jones instead of Japanese music). The food however, does not tempt me to return. I think Tatsuya's set lunches probably give you better satisfaction at pretty much the same price.
SHIMBASHI SOBA
290 Orchard Road
#B1-41, Paragon Shopping Centre
Tel: 6735-9882
As far as I know it's not just plain the soba that's good but the duck soba. I've always liked the duck soba though it can be too saltish if you drink up all the small bowl of soup/dip. Standard has dropped since it's opening. The last time I've tried it was more than 1.5 years ago.
ReplyDeleteDare I say I miss the Japanese food in Singapore? I'm going to hit some Japanese joints soon with my new Japanese colleague.. hope it's good!
ReplyDeleteO well, thats what all of us hate isn't it, enter a restaurant happily and come out unsatisfied.
ReplyDeleteBtw, you heard of a site called Blurbme? Its a online portal where people like you and me, the customers who write reviews on the experience of restaurants, nightlife, spas that they went before. Check it out : )
Koala bear, thanks for the tip but I'm not a duck fan sadly. :)
ReplyDeleteD, do let us know how the NYC joints fare! I didn't see a lot of Japanese places when I was there some years ago (most of them out of my budget range anyway).
Ladyironchef, yes, I've seen Blurbme although I don't visit it that often. A newer site is HungryGoWhere but that focuses solely on food, and has helpful maps showing other nearby restaurants too. :)
hahaha. Yea i know about hungrygowhere too, i used both of them. But personally prefer blurbme to hungrygowhere. Blurbme just launch beta 2 version for their site, do check it out, mayb u find some surprises.
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