Cheap & Good

Winning cold somen from Yuki Onna

Yuki Onna's (clockwise from far left) truffle beef bowl, poke bowl and cold somen with scallop. ST PHOTO: REBECCA LYNNE TAN

This secret is too good to keep. So, I'm telling you. Just you.

I've found the best and possibly cheapest alternative to French restaurant Gunther's signature cold angel hair pasta with oscietra caviar.

At $14.90 a pop, the version at Japanese-inspired eatery Yuki Onna at Far East Square is a quarter of the price.

This version uses the much cheaper lump fish roe instead of oscietra caviar, and somen in place of angel hair pasta, but don't turn your nose up just yet.

With all due respect to Gunther's chef-owner Gunther Hubrechsen, his dish, which remains a popular staple at his Purvis Street restaurant and continues to wow diners, isn't exactly easy on the pocket for the average person.

Yuki Onna's (clockwise from far left) truffle beef bowl, poke bowl and cold somen with scallop. ST PHOTO: REBECCA LYNNE TAN

And that is where two-month-old Yuki Onna swoops in.

Owner Eelin Goh, who used to work in finance and owns protein salad shop Ice Queen at One Raffles Place, says her somen dish is, in fact, inspired by chef Hubrechsen's.

Indeed, many restaurants and aspiring chefs have created similar versions over the years. Da Luca, an Italian restaurant at Goldhill Plaza, for instance, has a similar pasta topped with scallop and uni for $88.

I like that Ms Goh's somen is cold, aromatic and refreshing. Truffle oil? I'm not complaining.

There's just enough konbu dressing to coat every strand of noodles. Somen is a good choice, too, because it absorbs flavours beautifully.

  • YUKIONNA

  • 01-01 Far East Square, 3 & 4 Amoy Street, open: 11.30am to 10pm (weekdays), closed on weekends, last order for food is 9.30pm, happy hour is 5.30pm till closing, go to www.facebook.com/yukionnasg or follow @yukionnasgon Instagram

    Rating: 3.5/5 stars

A cold noodle is also perfect for Singapore's hot weather.

Another good cold noodle dish here is the Spicy Salmon Udon ($14.90), where thin udon is tossed in a sesame oil and soya sauce- based dressing, chilli padi and scallions, with chunks of salmon sashimi, all topped with tobiko.

The Truffle Beef Yakiniku with onsen tamago ($16.90) is a tasty treat too. The beef is sufficiently tender.

The eatery also serves poke bowls, bara chirashi and side dishes such as onsen tamago with ikura.

Yuki Onna will also be serving liquid nitrogen ice cream from Tuesday. Ms Goh used to serve it at Ice Queen, but has had to scale back because of manpower constraints.

Her made-to-order coconut ice cream is heavenly. A novelty? Perhaps. But it is light - not creamy and cloying - and makes me feel like I am tucking into snowy coconut clouds.

Served with toppings such as red rubies, it will be priced at $6.50 a serving. Other flavours will likely include acai berry and forest berries.

The eatery also serves uni on toast (three for $12 or $2 each up to a maximum of three pieces when purchased with a drink) during happy hour. But it is not available all the time - it depends on her sea urchin supply.

Sake prices start at $9 for 250ml. A 1.8-litre bottle is priced at $60 and a bottle of prosecco costs $38.

I'm entrusting you with my secret. Keep it safe.

• Follow Rebecca Lynne Tan on Twitter @STrebeccatan

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 08, 2017, with the headline Winning cold somen from Yuki Onna. Subscribe