Met a friend for dinner before an event so we decided to settle at Lilyan nearby. Originated from Tokyo and best known for their soba, this place has a steady crowd of Japanese dining there. Menu is straightforward, with soba as its focus. They also serve some cold and hot tapas if you need a little more extra to add to your meal
Since the friend was running a little late and I was very hungry, I decided to get something to eat first
Tako $19
which was the Marinated Octopus w Spring Onion. The octopus was chewy and the abundance of spring onions made the seafood very fragrant. I thought the addition of the roe gave some texture to the dish which was actually quite delicious
Kampachi $18
Marinated Amberjack w Sesame Sauce
The kampachi felt a little heavy to me. I would have preferred the slice a little thinner and a little less on the sesame sauce
Ebi Chilli $26
Prawn Tempura w Spicy Tomato Chilli Sauce
The tempura was really nice. The spicy tomato sauce had a little kick to it, yet balanced by the tomato sauce. I thought the tempura complemented the soba well too
Yuzu Nuts $19
Cashew & Yuzu Dipping Sauce
The friend wanted something more of a local flavour so we had the cashew yuzu dipping sauce. Personally, I thought this was a little too plain to me. The noodles had a nice chewy texture though perhaps cos the noodles were served cold, I felt the texture was a little firm for my liking
Curry $22
Pork & Dashi Curry Soup $22
I thought the flavour sounded interesting so I decided to give this hot soba a try. And I really liked it. The curry has depth yet not overpowering. It was soupy enough yet not diluted. And perhaps cos noodles were soaked in warm broth, the texture of the noodles was softer yet still bouncy
I thought the food at Lilyan was decent. I would love to go back to try other flavours, like the cold soba in laksa or mapo sauce or the hot soba in duck broth. They might not have that extensive menu of alcohol but they do serve a pretty good red date shochu. I thought the soba portion is pretty big for 1 pax, so better to get a friend along
LILYAN
38 Circular Rd, Singapore 049394
