Reiwa Soba is hidden towards the back of a hawker centre along Kelantan Road. Depending on the queue, orders might take some time to prepare. Buckwheat noodles are handmade and freshly pressed upon each order. Popular options include soba served with chicken ($10) or pork ($12), and a novel mango salad ($10) creation. Don’t forget to throw in an order of soft-boiled egg ($1) and some freshly fried kakiage ($2) or vegetable fritter.
A Japanese couple is part of the new vanguards keeping Singapore’s hawker culture alive. Husband-wife duo Shinji and Ayana Matsudaira are owners of Reiwa Soba, a stall that specialises in handmade buckwheat noodles.
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Their journey as hawkers started out almost by chance; both did not have any prior culinary background. But when the favourite Thai stall that the couple frequented was due to shutter as a result of the circuit-breaker, Shinji and Ayana knew that had to help. After discussions with the store owner, they decided to open a soba shop together.
“That is why we have a Thai-fusion soba,” explains Ayana. Mango Salada Soba ($10) is an ode to the stall’s spice-forward history – buckwheat noodles come crowned with a tangy handful of green mango salad, resulting in a crisp, refreshing take on the usual Japanese noodle dish.
Even the stall’s signature, Reiwa pork soba ($12), is a departure from the usual variant. “Most people tell me that the tsuyu sauce tastes like soy sauce,” says Ayana.” Not much flavour.” But here, traditional tsuyu dipping sauce is swapped out for a piquant, spicy dip. And making it requires a layering of multiple umami-packed ingredients: dashi is first mixed with chicken bone broth, then left to simmer with kombu, dried mushrooms, and soy sauce. The addition of chilli oil adds a fiery note to every bite. For the best results, Ayana recommends cracking a soft-boiled egg ($1) into the dipping bowl to create a silky, slurp-worthy mouthful.
The marquee item, however, lies in the soba. Only two ingredients are used to make the noodles: buckwheat flour, and filtered water from Japan. “It is tasty, but also very difficult to handle,” shares Ayana. Working with a pure buckwheat dough makes handing it fragile, and the strands are also easily broken. Each serving can only be kneaded and pressed fresh upon order. “Once we serve the noodle, we want our customers to try it as soon as possible,” she says, explaining that pure buckwheat noodles have the tendency to stick together.
Still, the couple insists on serving up this gluten-free variant. “We choose to make healthier choices because our son has eczema,” explains Ayana. “So when we were thinking about opening a shop, we wanted to serve something that our kid can eat.” No additives or MSG is added during the cooking process, and even the meat used comes from hormone-free sources. She adds: “People don’t feel guilty when enjoying the food, and I also don’t feel guilty serving it to them.”
