Soju Girl

I've always wanted to come to Soju Girl and after who knows how long, i've made it! We went there on a Saturday night and as expected, it was busy. Soju Girl's decor is classic-chic with a hip and trendy twist; it is divided up into sections where you can enjoy some nibbles and drinks at the lounge area or you can have a proper sit down dinner. The menu focuses primarily on contemporary Asian fusion food done in small and large plates to be shared around and of course, best enjoyed with the variety of fun and fresh cocktails that Soju Girl has to offer.

We started with a few small plates to share:

- Tiradito of King Fish, Yuzu, White Soy, Radish: the kingfish was fresh and well dressed by the yuzu dressing. The sourness from yuzu was quite prominent but balanced well with slices of cucumber and radish.

- Thick Cut Bonito Sashimi with Yuzu Koshu and Japanese Soy (part of the specials menu): the bonito sashimi was fresh and matched deliciously with the yuzu koshu in Japanese soy.

- Soft Shell Crab, Som Tom Salad, Citrus Dressing: The soft shell crab was crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. Nicely combined with the salad which was enough to give it a punch without being overpowering. *yummy!

- Crispy Pork Hock, Red Date Puree, Black Vinegar Caramel: the pork was nicely caramelized and crispy, paired well with the red date puree. I'm glad that it was a small plate because this dish was quite rich.

- Tuna Futomaki, Seaweed Salad, Emulsions: last of the small plates but ironically enough, it was a rather big dish. Beautiful presentation with striking colours. Soju Girl has its own take on this dish by searing the tuna and serving it on top of the lightly fried futomaki and seaweed salad. Lovely when eaten with the wasabi mayo as it gives you that finishing touch to the dish.

After the delicious marathon of small plates we were now ready to take on the main we've ordered. Since we had so many small plates (and we wanted to leave room for desserts), we decided to only order a large plate to share (part of the specials menu): Slow braised (in coconut broth) Angus Beef Rib served off-bone with Asian Creamy Slaw and Jasmine Rice. It was such a stunning and delicious dish because the meat was so tender and soft that it just melted in your mouth. The asian creamy slaw added some refreshing flavours to the dish and also reduced the richness factor in it.

After that satisfying main, we were really looking forward to the desserts. At this stage, we were quite full but because the dishes had been consistently good, we made an effort to stretch our stomachs to fit two desserts in! We ordered two quite different desserts, one that was rich and packed with strong flavours and the other that was light and refreshing. The first dessert that we had was the Chocolate Fondant, Salted Caramel, Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Oh boy, this was delicious! The fondant was served warm and when i 'broke' it, the chocolate oozed out like there was no tomorrow. The salted caramel added a subtle lift to the fondant and the peanut butter ice cream just matched it perfectly. 

The second dessert was one from the specials menu: The Mango Splash. This dessert was simply presented in a cup - nothing fancy - but suprisingly delicious and refreshing. The mango splash consisted of mango pannacotta, mango sorbet, ginger jelly, mango salsa and topped with mango foam and pop rocks. There is a bit of a texture play in this dish like the foam and the pop rocks; the mango salsa definitely added a twist with the sourness and the ginger jelly was a nice way to separate the mango elements to ensure that each one of them stood out. A must try!

Overall experience for the night was great. Good and consistent dishes, lovely ambience (perhaps a bit noisy, if you are after a romantic dinner), knowledgeable and friendly staff and good service. The highlights for me were the soft shell crab, tuna futomaki and the desserts. Good job Soju Girl, will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!