I went for lunch with a friend and we headed out for a spot of lunch. She has actually been to Hong Kong, but is rather sheepish about Asian food in general. Bar Soba isn’t quite Hong Kong but I felt it was the closest thing I could find within walking distance from her house!

We walked into the very cool looking restaurant – graffiti anime on the corrugated metallic walls, wooden bench tables and fresh flowers on the bar. It was very bright and, well, cool.

We took a seat and had a good look over the menu. There is a huge variety to choose from, and there are also great lunch deals to let you explore the menu without it costing a bomb!

Starters

Asian Dumplings

These were so good – coriander is one of my favourite tastes, ever, and Asian cooking is right up my street as they use it fresh in a lot of dishes. I loved these steamed Hong Kong style dumplings which were filled with a vegetable mixture. I can’t be more specific about the filling as the menu didn’t describe them and I’m not 100% sure what it was either! They were delicate, sticky and packed with flavour! They were served with a sweet chilli dip and a sesame soy sauce. Perfection. I could have eaten about 50 baskets worth!

Sweet Potato, Pumpkin & Green Chilli Tiki’s

I’ve never heard of tikis before; they’re effectively an oriental vegetable pakora with sweet potato, pumpkin, onion and green chilli. The batter was so crispy which was excellent as the insides were nice and soft and crumbly. It was served with coriander aoli for dipping. They were a little spicy but nothing that most people couldn’t handle whether they like spice or not. Again, I could’ve eaten loads of them!

Main Courses

Katsu Chicken Curry

This curry is probably one of the most well known Japanese curries – thanks to Wagamamas and the DIY kits available in supermarkets. It’s a beautiful dish, and this one in particular was gorgeous. The rice was served sticky in a dome/tureen shape alongside the panko breadcrumbed chicken and the rich curry sauce. It has a good kick but isn’t overly spicy, and is just a generally tasty curry. Rich sauce, sticky rice, breadcrumb-y tender chicken = gooood.

Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Broth

I absolutely love miso soup (not being big headed,must I especially love my own version). Miso is a base for loads of Japanese soups and sauces, and quite rightly. The broth is absolutely delicious and full of flavours, and with a good chilli kick. The ramen noodles were served with pork, which wasn’t pulled as I thought it’d be, but it was nice and there was a good helping of vegetables in the mix: broccoli, mange tout, red onion and pak choi, and then scattered with fresh red chilli and coriander. It doesn’t seem it, but its pretty filling as its a large bowl of soup.

Bar Soba is a good place for food – it’s very casual, trendy and the food is delicious. It’s very casual and the cocktails are excellent!

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Bar Soba,

116-122 Byres Road,

Glasgow!

G12 8TB

(0141) 3575482

Other locations in Scotland.

http://www.barsoba.co.uk

@BarSobaGlasgow

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