Soba Affair at Shiraku Soba.

More about one of the busiest areas in Jakarta, I present you a newcomer specialising in Soba! The name is Shiraku Soba, and with a short period of opening time, I should say that it has gained a pretty big attention from food enthusiasts in Jakarta. So, when I got an invite to taste the food from Shiraku Soba, I spared some time and joined the event.

Shiraku Soba is under the same group that established Carnivor and Cut ‘n Grill. With the strong passion of Chef Ridwan, Shiraku Soba was born. Shiraku Soba, as the name suggests, is specialised in Soba. It was said that Soba actually means noodle, in any types. But Shiraku Soba is highlighting more about Abura Soba, the hot and dry soba without soup.

Shiraku Soba is equipped with tho floors of dining areas. Tables are quite limited, but still, it can actually have about 50 – 60 guests at a time. The concept is quite nice with modern minimalist impression. The second floor is better, since it’s more spacious and has a better day-light exposure.

Shiraku Soba has several menus to serve foodies, and for the abura soba, you can choose two types of noodles, the shiro soba or ramen. But if you don’t like noodle, you can actually choose to have donburi. Oh, apart from the food, they are also paying an extra attention to serving tea. Right now, they are targeting to establish Shiraku Soba as Soba and Tea House. For now, they are already serving 8 types of tea. I tried the Pomegranate Tea, and it was pretty good and fragrant.

Another underdog that I should mention is their Matcha Nutella and cookie cup. It was DIVINE! Their matcha nutella is definitely gorgeous drink! If you wish to have other matcha drink, they do also serve Matcha Avocado!

Okay, let’s just cut to the chase.

# Iced Matcha Nutella (IDR 38.5 k) – with cookie cup

Rich Matcha and Nutella with delicious cookie cup. I need to repeat. This one was DIVINE!

# Iced Matcha Avocado (IDR 38.5 k) – with cookie cup

Did not try it, but I’m convinced that I will definitely love Matcha Nutella more!

# Chicken Karaage (IDR 38.5 k)

The most mainstream Japanese appetizer, but the one that never fails me. With a sprinkle of lemon juice, the kaarage here was pretty delish. The crunchiness was spot one and the inside meat was tender. No complaint.

# Buta Tan Tan Soba (IDR 55.8 k)

 This is a bowl of abura soba with special shoyu and tan tan tare, served with soft boiled egg, and topped with chopped spring onions, sesame seeds, dried seaweed, and 2 roasted pork slices. Served dry and soupless, the soul of this food is actually the thick sauce and additional vinegar and chili oil. In here, I honestly couldn’t capture the soul at all, and found that the sauce was way too underwhelming. I had to put the extra shoyu, extra chili sauce and vinegar to actually make it tasty. The homemade soba, which I chose, was quite okay. The soba was quite similar to curly ramen noodle, only thicker. One specific on-point goodness was particularly pointed at those tender and well-seasoned roasted pork slices. It was ultimately the saviour of all.

# Chicken Teriyaki Soba (IDR 48.5 k)

I tried this dish, and actually loved it. A bit different to Buta Tan Tan Soba, the abura soba here is using miso tare and teriyaki sauce. It made the soba slightly more flavourful, and it had that sweet and savoury taste. The chicken was very tender as it was grilled perfectly.

# Tori Katsu Kare Soba (IDR 56.8 k)

This dish was gladly, another good one. The main starts of the dish is the chicken katsu and special Japanese curry sauce. The chicken katsu was lovely, and the curry was pretty bold, without being too overwhelming. If you are fond of Japanese curry, this is definitely created for you.

# Gyutan Don (IDR 48.5 k)

It seems that Gyutan don will, after all, be a permanent resident in all Japanese restaurants in Jakarta asap. But thank God, without being just an extra crowd attraction, this gyutan don was pretty good on its own. The gyutan was spiced and cooked perfectly, and the spicy seasoning was matched to my preference. Yum! Plus, it’s cheaper!

Oh, as additional information, all abura soba dishes can actually be requested to be served with rice or fried rice. I did try the fried rice and apparently it was pretty delicious, with the right bold seasoning! 😉

So, what is the final verdict?

Shiraku Soba created a pretty positive impression to me. To be honest 100%, I will not come for the Buta Tan Tan Soba because I might definitely go for a better option in the same area, but I definitely will come for the Chicken Teriyaki Soba, Tori Katsu Kare Soba, Gyutan don, and of course, Iced Matcha Nutella!

SHIRAKU SOBA | JAKARTA
Ruko Elang Laut, Blok D No. 39
Jalan Pantai Indah Selatan, Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta
Phone: +6221-29866563 / 22512189
Instagram: @shirakusoba