Shimbashi Soba

February 7, 2023 

Long-time blogging friend Johanna GGG mentioned that Shimbashi has been one of her eating highlights this summer, and we soon made time to visit the outlet on Rathdowne St. We're not onto anything particularly new - in writing this post I've found decade-old posts about a no-longer-running CBD Shimbashi, and there are currently venues in Northcote and Collingwood as well as Carlton North. (There appear to be Sydney and Brisbane restaurants that also follow the same chef lineage.) They are all proudly gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free, with clear vegetarian and vegan options.

   

Michael was thrilled with the three-chilli-rated Vegan Red Dragon ($28). His soba noodles were suspended in a creamy broth of soy milk, sesame and mushroom, then piled with soy meat, fried tofu skin, mushrooms, bok choy, coriander, shredded chilli and chilli oil.

   

I was curious to try one of the chilled soba dishes, and went for the vegan tempura seiro ($29). This was a chance to focus on the noodles with a simple soy dressing and a little wasabi. Though I thought the tempura looked a little wan, I was very much mistaken: they were hearty pieces with great texture, distinct flavours and a thin batter that stayed crisp right up to the last bite.

There are a couple other vegan mains, several tapas, and a lunch time bento that we've yet to try. The setting is light and cheerful, although the furniture is densely packed and might feel more claustrophobic when busy. Shimbashi Soba isn't quite a cheap eat, but we think the quality easily lives up to the price, and we appreciate their attention to various dietary requirements. I can foresee plenty of reasons why we'd visit their Collingwood, Northcote and Carlton North restaurants again on our own, as a couple, or with a few friends.

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We visited Shimbashi on the recommendation of Green Gourmet Giraffe. Other branches have won praise from The Coeliac Plate, and a past CBD iteration was featured on Sweet & Sour Fork, A Chronicle of Gastronomy, Melbourne gastronome, and Footscray Food Blog (freebie).

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Shimbashi

344 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

8060 6595

lunch special bento; tapas, bento & rice bowls; chilled & warm soba; dessert & extras

https://www.shimbashisobamelbourne.com/

Accessibility: Shimbashi has a flat entry. Furniture is a mixture of high benches and regular height tables, all with hard wooden backs and densely packed. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.