Weekend Lunch @ Shimbashi Soba, Paragon (160213)

Situated directly opposite Big O' Cafe/Restaurant at Paragon, Shimbashi Soba restaurant isn't eye-catching at the first glance. However, what lies inside the restaurant is an entirely different concept.

Soba, the main dish in the restaurant, are entirely handmade, and can be viewed through a glass window on the outside. Self-admitted not a lover of soba but what awed me was the different types of recipes they have in the menu. The concept is somewhat similar to the many ramen stores out there. There are warm and cold soba, with different ingredients (mushrooms, chicken, tempura, etc). Moreover, I noticed that the staffs in the restaurant are differentiated by their uniforms. There are local Singaporeans as well as authentic Japanese serving the customers over there. Vegetarian menu are also available at the outlet.

Not used to having cold soba, I chose the warm soba with sliced seasoned imported French duck meat and mushrooms, also known as the "Kamo Nanban Kinoko Soba". (S$21.80++)

Nice-tasting soup base which isn't all that salty. The restaurant is generous with its noodles and ingredients, and there were leftovers when I am full. A perfect combination of the noodles and the soup.


Yanjun, on the other hand, chose the cold soba. "Tempura Seiro", a simple plain Soba with assorted tempura. (S$20.80++)

From the picture, you can notice that the chef takes regards the importance of the layout of the food. Just a simple dish, yet it gives great pleasure just by looking at it. As compared to previous soba dishes I've had, the sauce for the soba was not considered salty at all, which feels comfortable to my tastebuds. Needless to say, the quantity of the noodles are enough to make you feel bloated as well.

Coming out of the restaurant, a few steps to the left along the main corridor, we tried the macarons from Breadtalk.

Hosting flavours such as (caramel, strawberry, sesame, tiramisu, etc) makes us tempted to try out. As we walked past,we purchased the strawberry, sesame and tiramisu macarons. At 3 for S$5, it's actually considered cheap as compared to high-end bakeries, easily costing S$2 to S$3 per biscuit. However, the taste was quite disappointing. The three macarons I bought, had different textures. What I meant was, some are hard, while others are soft, and they didn't actually taste like their flavours as well. Oh well, it was just meant to be a snack anyway. 

Shimbashi Soba is located at Paragon, #B1-41. Nice ambience, handmade noodles, affordable pricing, prompt and quality services. There's no reason why you shouldn't check it out! Its website - www.sobaworld.com.sg indicates that there's another outlet at Nex, Serangoon. Rice, udon, side dishes and value meal sets are also available. 

Guess... the macarons require no further mentioning!