Having An American Dream In Asia | Bar Soba Leeds Spring Menu Review

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! I was invited by the wonderful guys over at Bar Soba in Leeds to go and try a couple of their dishes from their new Spring menu. I obviously said yes, can I come now? So I thought that I would start your week off about talking to you about the wonderful establishment and their delicious dishes.

Long strips of Dark Brown Steak with White Sesame Seeds on topp with flecks of white, green and red. 

Myself and Luke started off weaving in and out of the commuters that were heading their way home via the city centre to make our way to Bar Soba. As it is a five minute walk from the heart of the city centre, it didnt take too long to find it. I placed Luke in front of the logo of the restaurant so I spent a good ten minutes trying to find it before stupidly realising that we were there all along.

We made our way up the stairs and sat in a wonderful little corner which had an amazing aztec design running on the wall that we were sat in front of. The manager (who I sadly couldn't remember the name of for my life) came and talked to us about the background of Bar Soba which is all about how Asia can influence anywhere in the world such as France (which they show via their Duck Confit inspired Curry), Thai (via their Thai fries) and even Yorkshire (via showing honest Asian dishes with a spin on them to the residents of Leeds.)

Black intricate designs with silver beams across it on a white background

An intricate Aztec design shaped as a diamond with a design of a white man at the side of it on a blue background.

White rectangular windows with beams across to make smakker windows in a row.

Dark blue seats in a row with tan long rectangular tables with various coloured accents on the walls with a white bar at the end. 

A rectangular blue poster with a woman with red lips on the front of it with white font saying Happy Hour and details about the offer on a tan background. 

White windows with darker beams to create smaller windows in a row with a dark beam, a silver glass circular chandelier and a pale orange lamp/

We then ordered two drinks, we also ordered some water just because it was weirdly warm to say that it is March. I ordered a Jangshi Zombie which contained Appleton's White Rum, Don Pappa Rum, Myers Dark Rum, Pineapple Juice, Papaya Juice, homemade Kaffir Lime leaf syrup, Lime and a Goslings 151 (Overproof Rum) float. Although the drink contains a lot of rum, you can't really taste all of the rum in the drink. You can tell that it has some alcohol in it but it doesn't instantly make you think that you're drinking a lot of Rum due to the fruit juices and syrup. I love the Kaffir Lime Leaf syrup as it adds a deep citrus hint to the drink. This drink instantly transports me to a night on a tropical island. Sadly you can only drink up to two of these.

A Zombie Cocktail consisting on Red and Pink liquid layers with white bubbles and half a purply black Passion Fruit in a clear tall glass and black straws on a black and slightly bright backgtound. 

A close up containing a clear glass, pink liquid, half a black Passionfruit and a black straw with white bubbles on a white background.

Luke ordered a Pineapple and Basilito. I had a sip of it and loved it but I love anything that has Pineapple in it. I'll link Luke's post at the bottom in case you want to read more about what he had. 

We had a look throughout the menu and instantly wanted everything. I was thinking of having items such as the Balinese Chicken Sate, Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings and Thai Red Duck Curry but we ended up ordering a plethora of interesting dishes.

A White rectangular menu with bold Red writing that says Street Food with chinese accents with Soba in a corner on a tan background. 

The small plates came and we decided to have the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls with a Spicy Ketchup and Mayo Dip and Crispy Shredded Shanghai Pork Geisha Buns with Apple and Spring Onion/.

The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls were definitely different but delicious at the same time. I would never put America and Asian food together but it works so well. The deep meat flavour mixed with slight sweetness from the pastry is so good. The dip was amazing as it had a slight Kimchi sort of feel to it. I can imagine people that have never tried Pan Asian food before loving this dish and I can definitely imagine myself going back to have a good cocktail or two with these and some good friends to chat with. I also tried the Geisha Buns. The dough of the bun was so soft and the filling was absolutely to die for. As I have said, Luke has more details on these.

Tan Spring Rolls with green leafy decoration with a white small circular bowl with white and red sauce on a black rectangular board on a white background.

Red sauce next to White Mayo in a white circular bown on a black board on a white background.

White Bao Buns with White Strips of Apple and White Circles of Spring Onion with Dark Brown Meat in a tan Bamboo steamer on a bright background.

We then ordered Teriyaki Beef Noodles and Buttermilk Fried Chicken Katsu Bun.

The Teriyaki Beef Noodles consisted of Seared Bavette Steak, Wok fried Hokkien Noodles, Asian Vegetables and a spiced Teriyaki sauce. I loved the Steak being thinnly sliced as I dont think having something that needs to be sliced up by your own knife and fork works so well with noodles. I think that it also added some texture against the soft noodles. I loved the addition of tender vegetables as it meant that you got a bit of crunch and a punch of freshness. I think that the sauce worked really well against the meat. The sauce does have a bit of heat so if you're not a massive fan of heat then this might not be for you. You might prefer something like the Katsu Bun but this is an amazing dish and the amount that you get is more than enough to fill any greedy person up including myself! I tried a tiny bit of Luke's dish as I was dying to try the Thai Fries! They were crispy with a warm edge. So good. The bun was so gorgeous it can't be summed up in words and this is coming from someone who is picky with their Chicken Burgers/Buns. If you want to find out more about what a Katsu Curry Bun includes then go and check Luke's post out when it goes up.

Long strips of Dark Brown Steak with White Sesame Seeds on topp with flecks of white, green and red. 

Strips of Dark Brown Steak with Flecks of Green Vegetables, White Spring Onion and White Noodles underneath in a black wide oval bowl on a white background.

Fried Yellow Fries with tiny speckles of Red in a black circular bowl on a light background.

We drank up and decided that it was time to say thank you to the wonderful staff that looked after us and waddle our way down the stairs and out of the building. I know that it doesn't sound like a lot of food but Bar Soba ensure that you're filled up with their portions so if someone had pushed me down the stairs I would have probably rolled.

Have you been to Bar Soba? Have you ever tried Pan Asian food? Let me know down below! 

Thanks again to the wonderful staff at Bar Soba who invited us to come along and try their food and thanks again for taking such good care of myself and Luke. I hope that you have enjoyed this post and the wonderful photos that I took. I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x