Bar Soba

Being afflicted by a cold sore the size of a small country meant that I woke up in a «do I have to leave the house?!», «do I have to go for a belated birthday catch up after work?!» kind of mood. However I’m so glad that I made the effort. Firstly because my friend would have been totally miffed if I’d cancelled on her and secondly because I wouldn’t have had my first introduction to Bar Soba.
The restaurant itself is quite laid back which meant that we were able to start to relax as soon as we got into the main dining area. We were greeted straight away by a member of staff and given a choice of seats. We were offered the opportunity to order a drink before checking out the menu and some water was brought to the table straight away.
We were given a bit of space to browse the menu without being left too long. Our drinks also arrived pretty promptly.
I ordered the prawn dumplings to start. They were nice but didn’t stay warm for that long.
The Nasi Goreng was recommended by a member of staff as I couldn’t make up my mind between two dishes. It was a great recommendation and the descriptor of the dish/​reason for suggesting it demonstrated that she had a decent understanding of the menu. My friend really enjoyed her Thai curry as well.
Once we were finished our meal we didn’t have to wait too long to have our plates removed and we were given space to think about whether or not we wanted a pudding. We were also given a bit of space before being asked if we wanted another drink — the timing was just perfect.
I think we managed to talk about everything from Donald Trump to the sexualisation of men (aka the Aidan Turner debate for those that are not in the know and in no way related to the Donald Trump conversation). I was on the soft drinks so I guess it was the relaxed atmosphere rather than the flowing booze that left us feeling like we could right all that is wrong in the world. I was so chilled that I even tried to use my work pass instead of my subway card on the way home.
Tonight’s staff team worked well together and we were made to feel very welcome. A huge thank you to everyone on duty when we were in.
Anyway I would love to go back to Bar Soba for food and some cocktails and with their 50% off food offer I really have no excuses. The pre-​theatre is also a really good price.

Having worked round the corner from Mitchell Street for a few years, Bar Soba has been a tried and tested favourite for a while. Great value pre-​theatre menu and tasty pan Asian food. Just don’t go if you’re in a hurry.
Unfortunately, the slow service is a similar theme at the new Soba restaurant on Albion Street. We did not have a booking however, so I would recommend to call to reserve a table. After about 20 mins we had still not been approached to take our food/​drink order, and some of the staff seemed to be standing around in a daydream while we tried to grab their attention. When we did order, our drinks (two cokes) took another 10 mins to get to the table.
On the other hand, the food was speedy and was at our table in about 15 mins. The chicken sate burger was spot on, smothered in sate sauce and sandwiched between a soft brioche bun. The chilli chips coupled with the sweet chilli dipping sauce were a perfect combo. The Katsu Curry unfortunately came with a really tiny amount of sauce to accompany the chicken, which was a bit of a let down.
Although slow to start, the food was good and the staff were very friendly and chatty. Plus, we used a 50% off voucher so we grabbed a really good deal for the meal and service. Will be back, but definitely not one to try and squeeze into your lunch hour!

Ohh Bar Soba I was so excited to be visiting your new branch as I am a big fan of your city centre location.
It wasn’t very busy as it was a Wednesday night, I entered from the restaurant side hoping to be approached by a member of staff sadly I wasn’t there was a conversation going on in the corner. I headed straight to the bar got a drink. 4.60 for a small red wine! Won’t be drinking that all night. I choose a seat in the bar area and asked for a couple of menu’s while I wait for the rest of the party to arrive. At this point staff are completely disinterested! Still waiting for my friend to arrive I am asked twice if I’d like to order??? Eh!
We are finally ready to order our food, We ordered fish cakes to share which were a little bland. And for mains I went with the Chilli and herb chicken from the wok dishes it was very nice and a decent size.
When asking for the bill, we genuinely felt like we were putting the waitress out — I mean we don’t need to pay if you don’t want us to! It’s such a shame I really enjoy the food here but if the staff were this bad on a quiet Wednesday what would it be like on a busy weekend!

I should never have cheated on Wings Tuesday! My friend and I abandoned our usual Tuesday haunt to take advantage of the 50% off vouchers in the newly opened Merchant City branch of Bar Soba. As per the voucher’s T&Cs she booked online, and though we arrived early we were seated right away.
Not content to abandon all Tuesday night traditions I ordered a pint of Blue Moon, only to be told 10 minutes later they’d run out. Credit to the barman, he offered some similar substitutes, and was honest on the extortionate prices. I went with a Belgian blonde beer, which did t really make up for it. After some deliberation on mains I opted for the surf and turf, since it was half the usual price of £18.95, and ordered the steak done medium. We must have waited over 30 minutes for our food, and watched other diners’ starters and mains come and go. We asked a waiter to check in for us, and 2 minutes later he appeared with our dishes. The steak was a formidable bit of meat, and cutting it with the butter knife provided was proving a challenge. Unfortunately, after having to call on a member of staff yet again, I was told there was no steak knives, but was offered one of the bar ones they use to cut the fruit! Still I struggled, as it was designed for fruit flesh, not an underdone, sinewy steak. I left quite a bit of it. The accompanying veg was more oil than flavour, but the chips were ok.
No one checked on us during our meal to see if we were ok, which we weren’t, despite the attention that other guests seemed to be getting, and again, it took us calling a member of staff to get the bill. I was initially going to pay card, but we really just wanted to leave without having to wait again until someone checked in on us to take payment.
Overall, after the initial first impression of a big, yet warm and inviting place, was contradicted by the inattentive, although pleasant enough, staff. My friend was pleased with her choice of the chicken and basil noodles, however, although I paid half price which, of course, we had to get them to deduct from the first bill (!) I would not have been happy paying the full £18.95 for my main. I wish I hadn’t cheated on Wing Tuesday.

Not having eaten in any Bar Soba for years I was quite looking forward to this. It is a good-​looking bar, very trendy, lots of wall art, lots of metal, mixed seating but definitely geared towards food and a long bar. There are plenty of different beers and cocktails are a speciality. They needed something in this unit and this is a definite improvement on the faded Sizzlers. You couldn’t move for staff wanting to help you or just talk to you.
It took a couple of hours but we finally worked up an appetite, so she went for the small plates options and I did a starter and main, Sate Ayam and Massaman Beef Curry. It wasn’t long before we were chomping on our food. She was impressed by her sushi, it held together really well unlike in many places. My satay was good, it was mild and smooth, but I do prefer a bit more crunch and spice. It was cooked right too, but it was served too cold. And my curry when it came had succulent soft beef, and a pleasant flavour. The rice was sticky and a bit too much. I would have preferred more meat, in fact more curry instead of so much rice, but it was an acceptable portion. It didn’t wow or surprise me though. It was all nice, but maybe too nice and not quite nasty enough. A good three stars.