Shimbashi Soba has been serving delicious soba at Paragon shopping centre since 2003. Their goal is to serve customers delicious and fresh soba noodles made from Tasmanian buckwheat flour. I once had a meal there years ago and recently decided to see whether anything has changed.
I managed to get a seat during the lunch rush. I was pleased to see that the menu hasn’t changed after Covid-19. In fact, there were even several new additions to the menu. I decided to order their signature Warm Tempura Soba($24.30) to compare with the cold version that I ordered last time. In addition, I ordered Buckwheat Tea($6) to try.
The soba noodles melted in my mouth on the first bite. That’s due to it being made from Hokkaido Buckwheat flour. Shimbashi Soba has a limited time promotion for it. It was two dollars for a top up, but it was worth it! The soba noodles were extremely chewy, soft and smooth. I could slurp it down in one bite even! It also had a light taste which I appreciated, especially when eaten with the heavy tempura. However, the soba soup, while delicious, tasted overly salty and I had to drink more of my Buckwheat tea as a result.
The Tempura had a nice crunch to it as it was perfectly deep fried! The shrimp was tender and juicy. The pumpkin tempura was soft and had a natural sweetness to it. The seaweed tempura was very crispy and delicious! My only complaint about the tempura was that the batter was quite heavy and so it can make you full rather quickly.
I had the highest expectations for the Buckwheat tea($6) as I’ve tried it before elsewhere and I’ve fallen in love with it. Shimbashi Soba’s Buckwheat Tea certainly didn’t disappoint as it had a very fragrant aroma and a strong roasted taste to it.. I have to comment that even though Buckwheat tea tastes like coffee, it has no caffeine at all, which is good for people who want a caffeine-free drink to go with their meal.
It was an enjoyable meal as I loved eating the soba noodles and the tempura in general. My one complaint will be the saltiness of the soba soup which I think can be reduced. I also have high praise for the Buckwheat tea as it was a very refreshing drink and perfect for people who are adverse to caffeinated drinks.
Shimbashi Soba
Paragon Shooping Centre
290 Orchard Rd, #B1-41, Singapore 238859
