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As their name suggests, Nadai Fuji Soba Ni-Hachi has long been known for serving up a mean bowl of soba noodles, making them one of the more well-loved residents of 100AM mall.
Its name can be quite a mouthful, but the word “soba” should already give you an idea of what they specialise in.
There’s a pretty extensive seating area, so don’t worry about having to fight for seats. During peak meal hours though it might be a different story.
Booth seats are always my preference, and I immediately picked this wood-centric space to enjoy my meal in.
To whet our appetites, my colleagues and I kicked off the evening with a plate of Salmon Sashimi ($10) that surprised me with its portion. For the price, you usually get a measly five to six slices of fish, but here we were served eight!
Not to mention that they were also really fresh, and we gobbled them up as soon as they arrived at the table.
In the unlikely event that you find foie gras in a Japanese restaurant, you should jump at the opportunity to give it a shot. This Sauteed Sobagaki and Foie Gras with Kaeshi Sauce ($17) was one of the more interesting dishes to us, and extra points for the generous serving of foie gras.
The buckwheat flour reminded us of the traditional dessert, orh nee (yam paste), and offered a contrasting chewy texture as opposed to the soft, melt-in-your-mouth consistency of the foie gras.
“Guys I have to confess that I’ve never eaten tamago before”, said one of my colleagues, so naturally we had to have her be the first to try the Special Truffles Dashi Maki Tamago with Crab Japanese Sauce ($15).
We really enjoyed the sauce, which was a rich blend of egg and crab — think fish maw soup consistency. The sweet tamago went surprisingly well with the truffle and crab sauce too.
The Deep-Fried Soba with Sizzling Seafood Spicy Sauce ($18.50) really reminded us of the sang mee that you get at zi char stalls, right down to the sauce.
We all agreed that instead of a main though, it felt more like a starter to share (as proven by how my colleague couldn’t stop munching on it throughout our dinner).
Also, the crispy noodle strands can be difficult to eat altogether, and we recommend pecking at it strand by strand.
After trying a warm soba, we had to have a go at the Cold Ni-Hachi Tempura Soba ($20), which is supposedly one of their signatures. My first thought was, “how good can soba be?”. Well, very good apparently.
Unlike any other soba that I’ve tried in the past, the buckwheat-based noodles were al dente with a good bite. Special shoutout to their tempura platter too that was lightly-battered and not cloying at all.
Finally, our much anticipated Mount Fuji Icy Hotpot ($28 per person) arrived with a cute snowman waving to us from the side. The phrase “icy hotpot” sounds pretty much like an oxymoron, but let me just clear the air on how it works.
Whatever you see lying in this huge tray is what you can expect to find in your hotpot. It got its name ‘Icy’ because the stock (made from prawn heads, chicken and konbu) and ingredients are first frozen overnight in order to retain the freshness of their seafood.
The frozen broth is then shaved and shaped into the image of Mount Fuji, and is left to melt over heat. It takes about 20 minutes before the stock is fully melted and brought to boil.
As soup lovers, we could all vouch for the sweet yet umami broth that won our hearts over upon the first sip. We polished the pot so quickly, we needed about three refills to satiate us.
But before you get ready to down five bowls on your own, bear in mind that each Additional Refill ($3) is chargeable, so we recommend waiting for your soup levels to drop dangerously low before requesting for a refill.
Apart from whatever’s already in the pot, you can choose to add on more vegetables, meat and in our case, Soba Noodles ($4).
Their buckwheat soba is freshly handmade in the store every morning, and it really does show. The noodles were soft yet possessed a good kind of chewiness, and didn’t reek of a heavy flour taste at all.
After parting with our pot of soup, we wrapped up the night with some desserts to cleanse our palate. The Matcha Warabi Mochi with Caramel Sauce ($5) was certainly a Matcha lover’s dream, though the caramel sauce appeared darker than we would have expected it to.
But don’t worry, the Matcha ice cream here is legit, and boasted an authentic green tea flavour without being overly sweet.
My coconut-loving colleague insisted that we had this Coconut Ice Cream with Shiratama ($6), which refers to sticky rice balls for those unfamiliar. Think tang yuans without the filling soaked in a creamy, fragrant coconut cream. There’s only one word for this: shiok.
Ending our visit to Nadai Fuji Soba Ni-Hachi on a high, we went home with our hearts and stomachs satisfied. I’d say it’s a great place for unwinding with friends after work, or celebrating a special occasion with the novelty of their Icy Hotpot. Either way, Nadai Fuji Soba Ni-Hachi’s offerings will leave you satisfied.
Expected Damage: $18.50 – $28 per pax
Nadai Fuji Soba Ni-Hachi: 100AM Mall, 100 Tras Street, #03-14, 079027 | Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm; 5.30pm – 10pm (Daily) | Tel: +65 6443 8827 | Facebook | Instagram
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