Recently it was Mother's day and we decided that it would be great to have a late lunch at Shoya. Often given praise for having a Good Food Guide chef's hat, we were excited to visit and had high expectations.
For the lunch menu, there are many different types of lunch sets available, each with differing elements such as meat and fish dishes. We ended up choosing the three different sets.
Shoya Set $28.00
Sashimi, grilled fish, tempura, mini udon, chilled bean curd, chawanmushi and the dessert.
Ume Set $32.00
Sashimi, grilled unagi, tempura, teriyaki beef, chawanmushi, mixed steamed rice, miso soup and dessert.
Matsu Set $38.00
Sashimi, nigiri sushi, signature deep fried dish, wagyu steak, chawanmushi, mixed steamed rice, miso soup and dessert
Tucked away in Market Lane
Stylish decor
Shoya has many different floors for different types of dining, from a traditional horigotatsu style dining room and a sushi bar to a smokeless BBQ room. We were seated on the entrance floor where the decor was stylish and had a great view of the open kitchen.
Appetiser & chawanmushi
The appetiser was appealing with a light flavour of mushrooms while the chawanmushi was incredibly light and smooth with the addition of mushrooms and prawn in the bottom rounding the dish out well.
Chilled bean curd
Sashimi
Nigiri sushi
While the sashimi was plated elegantly, the nigiri sushi was much more simple. With fresh fish and a the right amount of wasabi added to the nigiri, the dishes were very enjoyable.
Mixed tempura
The tempura came out nice and hot with a good coating of the crisp tempura batter which resulted in a great mouthfeel.
Grilled fish
Grilled unagi
The grilled fish and eel dishes were cooked and seasoned quite well, I personally really like edamame, so I would have liked some more of it.
Signature deep fried dish - quail egg, shitake and scallop with filo pastry
The fried dish was a strange mixture of two different items. On the right side of the dish is a deep fried item of quail egg and shitake mushroom which was lovely and crispy, however the other item on the dish was a disappointment. The mess of filo pastry was quite difficult to eat without causing a huge mess, there was a single scallop inside which was overcooked and while I was eating it, I bit through a piece of shell that I almost chipped a tooth on.
Wagyu steak, mixed steamed rice and miso soup
The wagyu steak was brilliant, it was cooked with shitake and enoki mushrooms and had a slight truffle flavour to it. On the dish there was also a fried egg type brick that reminded me of a quiche, I wish that it was a dish on its own and that I could have more of it!
Teriyaki beef
The teriyaki beef was much like the wagyu steak in how it had bold flavours, but instead of the mushroom and truffle flavours, there was a teriyaki sauce and a little bit of spice to it instead. The mixed steamed rice and miso soup which rounded the sets off were average, and to be honest I would not have missed them if they were gone.
Mini udon
Matcha ice cream
Overall a great experience, perfect for a Mother's day lunch, while there was one outlier, the general quality of the food was great and for the price at which was charged I would happily go back. The staff were also very attentive and nice and the atmosphere of the restaurant was very cosy. I look forward to returning to try out the dinner service as well!
Food Rating 8.5/10
Overall Rating 9/10