Yomoda Soba

Yomoda Soba
435 Orchard Road
#04-53 Wisma Atria

http://www.japanfoodtown.sg/stores/yomoda-soba/

https://www.facebook.com/YomodaSobaSingapore/

Tempura Seiro Soba Set (SGD $23)

Excellent Hand Crafted Soba Noodles

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $25 per person.


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Opening its doors along with the rest of the Japanese food street in Wisma Atria mall in February 2017, Yomoda Soba is a Japanese noodles stall specialising in handmade soba (buckwheat) noodles. Hailing from Nagano, in the Chubu region of Japan, its name translates from the Matsuyama dialect to mean 'carefree' or 'easy-going'. Befitting, as Yomoda Soba is a casual eatery, though the food offered is definitely of good quality.

Ambience at Yomoda Soba is casual and functional. Simple wooden furnishings adorn the small but open space, warm lighting against earth and wood colours abound. As with their original stall, the place only seats a limited number of diners, about 30 or so people at any time. There is minimal decor, though the choice of pictures is appropriate, recalling art from the Edo period. Has a street side eatery feel to it.

Service at Yomoda Soba is polite, Japanese style. The small place only has 2 - 3 staff at a time, and they speak softly but courteously. Relatively young, but when asked, they can describe dishes on the menu. Decent, functional speed and efficiency in clearing, serving, and billing. I like that they plate dishes neatly on trays before serving, it helps to reduce clutter on the tables.

Food at Yomoda Soba is all about Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles. Freshly made daily using buckwheat flour according to traditional recipes, their soba quality is characterised as 'Sarashina', noted for its elegant fragance and pearl white colour. Even the dipping soup / broth is done in-house, featuring 2 distinct styles; their Kake soba uses Kansai (West Japan) style soup / broth, while their Seiro soba uses Kanto (East Japan) style soup / broth.

Generally, I find dishes at Yomoda Soba to be tasty and of good quality. While they offer traditional classics of soba (buckwheat) noodles on the menu, in either hot or cold varieties, they also have exciting modern creations. Portions are medium to large, nicely sized for individuals. Prices are affordale and reasonable, even for tertiary students. Budget about SGD $25 per person for a full meal here.

Current ongoing promotions and offers for Yomoda Soba are available here.


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Yomoda Soba Facade

Seating

Wooden Globe Light

A decently standard Green Tea (SGD $2), just that they serve it in a large mug. I find the flavour to be stronger in earthy grassy vegetal notes as compared to the usual.

Green Tea (SGD $2)

The Beer Kirin Ichiban & Appetizer Set (SGD $12 Set) is a promotion item, and well worth getting. The Beer Kirin Ichiban is an American style pale lager, brewed by the Kirin Company in Tokyo, in the Kanto region of Japan. It has a clear, straw golden colour, with aromas of malt, grains, skunk, and lemon. The body is light, crisp, smooth, with lively carbonation, and tastes of bread, metal, grass, and cereal. Has a slight sweetness and slight bitterness. Very drinkable but light, and refreshing.

The Tako Wasabi has bouncy chunks of octopus, marinated in light soy sauce and wasabi. Flavours are earthy, meaty, savoury sharp, decent. The Boiled Egg is straightforward hard boiled, nothing outstanding about it. Loved the Deep-Fried Chicken Skin, having an extremely crisp texture that shatters loudly and satisfiyingly when bit.

Beer Kirin Ichiban & Appetizer Set (SGD $12 Set)

Beer Kirin Ichiban & Appetizer Set

Tako Wasabi

Boiled Egg

Deep-Fried Chicken Skin

The Dashimaki Tamago (SGD $7) has soft Japanese egg roll, with a spongy texture, served in a light, thin, earthy sauce that has a hint of herbal flavour. Very clean, though the egg is missing that delicate sweetness, instead having a more savoury touch.

Dashimaki Tamago (SGD $7)

Dashimaki Tamago

The Kitsune Soba (SGD $16.50 Hot, SGD $18 Cold) here is offered in 2 styles, either warm or chilled, and both are done to classic traditional standards. The ingredients for both are similar; thin slippery handmade soba (buckwheat) noodles, spongy savoury egg roll, soft earthy vegetal spinach leaves, crab stick, and thin spongy sheets of tofu beancurd skin marinated in a light sweet soy sauce. This helps to soak up the soup / broth beautifully, resulting in each bite being a dleightful burst of flavour as the soup / broth floods the palate.

The difference thus lies in the actual soup / broth itself. Done in Kansai region style, the base of light soy sauce and dashi stock (kelp seaweed, katsuobushi / bonito flakes, sardine, mackerel, shiitake mushroom) has a lovely sweet savoury flavour that is delicate and light. Served hot, it has a robust earthy feel, and served cold, it has a refreshing zesty feel. Personally, with Singapore having majority of warm weather, I prefer having the chilled version.

Kitsune Soba (SGD $16.50 Hot, SGD $18 Cold)

Kitsune Soba

Loved the well executed Tempura Seiro Soba Set (SGD $23). The Chilled Seiro Soba is freshly made from buckwheat daily, and has a clean-tasting, earthy flavour, a bouncy texture, and a nice pearl white color. Served with a side of Spring Onions & Wasabi, and a chilled Tsuyu dipping sauce done in Kanto region style, a blend of dark soy sauce, kelp seaweed, and dashi fish stock. Dunk the spring onions into the cold sauce, and dip the noodles. Each strand of noodles picks up that wonderful savoury salty earthy flavours, yet the chilled texture makes it so refreshing on the palate.

The set also comes with Tempura Assorted and a Tentsuyu dipping sauce. I'm impressed with the variety of tempura, a total of 7 different types of meat or vegetables, all nicely coated in a light, thin, crisp tempura batter. Some are unique enough that I didn't even know you could make it into tempura! Features a single slice each of pumpkin, king trumpet mushroom, bell pepper / capsicum, chicken, pork belly, and prawn / shrimp, and also several strands of string beans. Overall, the entire set was filling and good value for money. Highly recommended!

Tempura Seiro Soba Set (SGD $23)

Chilled Seiro Soba

Tempura Assorted

Spring Onions & Wasabi

Tentsuyu

Tsuyu

Dipping

Loved the huge scoop of Yuzu Sorbet (SGD $5), good value for money. The sorbet itself is sweet sour zesty, and the floral fruity flavours within really shine. I like that it's rather hardy, taking awhile to melt. Very tasty. Highly recommended!

Yuzu Sorbet (SGD $5)

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