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! 

CNY Reunion Dinner @ Spring Court, Chinatown (020213)

Yes, yes... Its been long...

Finally found the right time to post, with pictures attached as well. And this time, its about food!

Date: 2nd February 2013
Time: 7PM
Location: Spring Court @ Chinatown
Occasion: CNY Reunion Dinner

The history of Spring Court began in 1929, then known as Wing Choon Yuen. The last visit here was about 4-5 years ago, I supposed? A quick research on this place at www.hungrygowhere.com leads me to comments like crabs and the famous Peking Duck was the hot favourites there.

The menu for the day was as follows: (9+1* dishes, in order)
*Yu-Sheng
Cold Plate Appetiser
Shark's Fin Soup
Suckling Pig
Steamed Barramundi
Fried Lemon Chicken
Fried Broccoli w/ Mushrooms
Fried Prawns w/ Salted Egg
Longevity Noodles
Pulut Hitam w/ Gingko Nuts


It was the first time I had a CNY reunion dinner with Yanjun's maternal side of the family. Such great extravagance was the event that a whopping 5 tables was booked for the dinner!

Menu for the day:

   

Fa Cai Yu-Sheng - a dish usually consumed during CNY, and is considered as a symbol of abundance, prosperity and  vigour. It is usually tossed up with chopsticks by the individuals and ended off with a "HUAT AH!" to signify prosperity and fortune in the new year. 

Cold Plate Appetiser - usually comes with jellyfish, prawn roll and salad prawns

Suckling Pig - the skin is usually eaten first, before the rest of the pig is being cut and served

 Fried Prawns w/ Salted Egg - the first combination of its kind which I have eaten in my whole life. Unlike the usual cereal crumbs prawn, you cannot actually taste much of the salted egg in this dish. Therefore, for those who dislike the taste of salted eggs, fret not as the taste would not linger in your mouth. 

Longevity Noodles - the second last dish of the day. As the name goes, the Chinese tradition of having this noodles is to represent "long-life". 

Pulut Hitam w/ Gingko Nuts - Dessert for the day! Sorry the picture doesn't do it justice. Unlike the normal pulut hitam sold at hawker centres, this is more watery and only mild sweet, suiting the taste of the young and the old. Gingko nuts was soft and easy to chew, not bad for me though I don't like the taste of gingko nuts. 

(:

Recommendations: This restaurant is really worth trying out. Price may be on the high side, but coupled with the ambience and the crowd, I suppose it's worth paying for. Food is fabulous and waiting time is less. Sometimes, before we could even finish the dish on the table, another dish has arrived. There is prompt refilling of drinks, making sure that we do not have to go thirsty. Service is considered to be okay, without any exceptional things worth mentioning.