The Weekly Eater: Soba and more at Shingen in Old Stadium Square

In the 30-plus years I’ve written this column, it’s been rare for me to re-review a restaurant, as few changes in format are drastic enough to merit a rewrite. I’ve only done it when a new chef stepped in and changed a restaurant’s direction significantly.

But as we emerge from a full pandemic year — and even as restaurants continue to open at a pre- pandemic clip — I find myself revisiting familiar names because so many have made major transitions.

Among them is Shingen Soba Izakaya, whose owner ran the soba specialty restaurant in Waikiki as well as Heart Moon Bar & Lounge in Old Stadium Square. To consolidate, Shingen closed in Waikiki in November and has reopened in the much more casual Heart Moon location.

Shingen bills itself as a soba and udon specialist but its menu has grown to bookish proportions, landing it squarely in the realm of an izakaya. It was initially Food-A-Go-Go Restaurant Week that brought me in for a second look, drawn by the restaurant’s $36 five-course special that continues through April 19.

That meal offers a great introduction to the restaurant, starting with a small salad followed by a choice of two side dishes, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and a main-course choice of soba, udon, beef bowl or oxtail curry with rice, followed by dessert options of soba andagi or warabi mochi. (Visit foodagogo.org for other restaurants participating in the benefit for the local restaurant industry and Hawaii Agricultural Foundation programs.)

Any visit here has to start with the noodles, and you can get them in many forms, from basic seiro soba or udon ($9.80) served cold with a soy-based dipping sauce; to tsuke-style with dipping broths such as red spicy ($15.80) or sesame-based tantan ($15.80); to kake-style, plain in hot soup ($9.80) or layered with ingredients such as scrambled eggs ($13.80) or natto with mountain yam and vegetables ($15.80). If none of these appeals, there’s an option to build your own bowl.

THE SOBA is made locally by Sun Noodle Co. with buckwheat flour imported from Hokkaido. Even though buckwheat flour is a gluten-free, antioxidant- and mineral- rich alternative to wheat-based udon, I never developed a taste for soba. It has a gritty, dry mouthfeel, so I have always preferred the silky chewiness of udon, which is perfect at the basic level with just dipping sauce and, for me, a dab of yuzu kosho (a fermented condiment of yuzu, salt and chiles) on the side.

The restaurant offers ube and moringa noodles as well. The purple ube noodles have a texture more similar to glass or cellophane noodles used in Southeast Asia, and the moringa version combines Philippines-grown malunggay with buckwheat for a soba-like texture, but with the green color and slightly bitter cast of the healthful herb.

The restaurant is also known for its Hiroo No oxtail curry ($15.80) offered in collaboration with Hiroo No Curry, a Tokyo restaurant renowned for its curry and celebrity clientele. The sweet brown curry has a striking depth of flavor derived from six hours of slow cooking and, unlike most local oxtail curry stews, the small oxtails are served on the side. It’s pretty clear that the curry alone is the star of this dish.

Once you’ve decided on one of these signature mains, the fun begins with choosing from an array of izakaya-style sides.

I’m no great fan of beef tongue, but this is another not-to-be missed dish. Five thick-cut pieces ($10.80) are skewered and perfectly grilled, arriving at a juicy, cushiony consistency. They’re served with lemon and yuzu kosho. It’s quite easy to polish off a whole skewer single- handedly.

Mixed tempura ($19.80) comprises an assortment of pumpkin and vegetables, with a trio of sweet, juicy prawns that have a crisp texture, never veering toward the dreaded hard, shell-like casing so prevalent in this town. If more tempura is desired, per piece add-ons such as sweet potato ($1.20), oyster ($3.80), shishamo (smelt, $1.80), sweet potato ($1.20) and prawns ($4.80), are available.

OTHER FAVORITES ranged from a plain, small portion of stewed beef and daikon ($8.80), again uplifted by a dab of yuzu kosho on the side, to a stir-fry of thin strips of pork with kimchi ($10.80). I thought kalbi ($15.80) would be a no-brainer, considering the delicacy of the Korean-style dish, but alas this was done up Japanese- style with a thick teriyaki-style sauce that buried the grilled flavor of the meat. Considering the understated quality of much of the food here, I couldn’t believe the heavy-handed approach to the kalbi.

They do have a knack for pork, however, which shines again in a bowl of sliced pork belly ($12.80) sauteed with a sauce of garlic and salt, poured over rice, which picks up all those flavors. It’s a dish that could be shared or eaten entree- style, just like another rice bowl of sukiyaki-style beef ($12.80).

Mochiko-sweetened chicken karaage ($6.80) is one of the best on the island, with the chicken arriving moist and tender inside the crisp crust.

Some of the rejects included butterfish ($12.80) with the look and exterior texture of leather, and chewy, dry squid tempura ($6.80). I don’t know what else I was expecting, given the squid starts in dried cuttlefish form. Soft-shell crab tempura ($9.80) fares a little better, but if you’re part of a group, you’ll just end up fighting over parts of a single crab.

A handful of basic sushi rolls such as California ($7.80) and spicy tuna ($8.80) rounds out the menu. The Shingen roll ($13.80) is worth a splurge with its combo of shrimp tempura, ground pork, shiso and crunchy takuwan and cucumber.

Dessert of soba andagi ($5.80) made with buckwheat flour pays homage to the restaurant’s roots. These have a powdery, slightly gritty consistency comparable to fine cornbread. The andagi is served with vanilla ice cream and molasses for added moisture.

Those who prefer more gooey confections will gravitate toward the melty, jelly-like warabi mochi ($5.80) dipped in kinako and also sweetened with molasses.

SHINGEN SOBA IZAKAYA AT HEART MOON

Old Stadium Square, 2334 S. King St.

Food: ***1/2

Service: **1/2

Ambiance: **1/2

Value: ****

>> Call: 926-0255

>> Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7:30 p.m. daily

>> Prices: Dinner for two $50 to $60 without drinks

Ratings compare similar restaurants:

**** – excellent

*** – very good

** – average

* – below average

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.