Foodies, Must Try! Fragrant & Fresh Pan-Asian Food @ Soya Noodle Bar, Cascais

Thomas was feeling like ramen, and while he suggested going back to Shoyu Ramen & Izakaya Cascais, I felt like we'd been there too recently, and didn't want to get sick of going there by visiting too often.

So we headed a little ways past Shoyo over to, to be completely honest, our favourite Asian restaurant we've been to in Portugal so far: Soya Noodle Bar.

Now, we've been here a lot over the past year or so, and that's because when lockdown started, I got a hankering for Korean that just built up over time.

When I did a quick search to see which restaurants served bibimbap, the list was quite small, and to my knowledge, this was the only restaurant in all of Cascais that actually served it.

So we headed down, I got some bibimbap for myself (Soya Noodle Bar bibimbap is pictured below - you add the red bibimbap sauce, also known as spicy gochujang or Korean chili paste, to taste and mix), and Thomas got himself a bowl of ramen (which he loves way more).

From the first dishes we were served, we immediately fell in love with Soya Noodle Bar - which by the way is not a vegetarian or vegan restaurant although you may have thought so based on the name of the place.

The quality of everything we've bought here - and we absolutely are regulars now - has been impeccable, and we've been through quite a lot of the menu.

From their soups and starters, like their Mixed Dim Sum & Harkao dumplings, to their main dishes - from bibimbap to Pad Thai to koi soi and ramen noodles - all of which we've had, the quality has been consistently phenomenal.

Even their desserts are great - although we definitely have a personal preference: the mango and rice pudding... a must try in our books.

I'm absolutely convinced there's nothing you could buy off the menu that wouldn't be delicious. What you order should only depend on personal preference rather than worrying over the quality of the food.

This is rare for restaurants. Most restaurants are very good at one or two things, and the rest of the menu is subpar.

Not so in Soya Noodle Bar's case. Everything on the menu is worth getting, if it's something you fancy.

Just a note for the foodies here - the recipes insofar as the food served here don't feel very traditional at all. I wouldn't say the dishes are fusion, but they have absolutely got a modern twist, often including ingredients that wouldn't typically be in traditional Asian cuisine.

But these ingredients work, the food is always exceptionally high quality - stupendously fresh, fragrant and delicious, and so healthy.

Sorry MSG fans, there's definitely none of that here. But I honestly don't think in this case, that you'll miss it.

On this particular visit, I decided to get a bowl of koi soi noodles and Thomas decided to grab a bowl of ramen (usually, I go for the bibimbap).

I didn't make up my mind until I was sitting in the restaurant. I feel like I never can here because there are too many good options.

I usually make a last minute, split second decision, so my choice is usually made based on whether I feel like having a crazy punch of flavour (the koi soi), a rice dish (bibimbap all the way) or a more subtle noodle dish (the ramen is perfect for this).

I grabbed the koi soi, wanting the crazy flavour that day, with both Thomas and I opting for the duck because, well yum.

The portion sizes are excellent here.

I definitely feel like the ramen is a lot less filling than the koi soi, but that makes sense because they really do pack the koi soi noodle bowl full of veggies that make you quite full afterward.

Don't feel bad for Thomas, we grabbed his favourite dessert - probably of all time.

This impeccable mango & rice pudding bit of genius. He ate around 2/3 of that.

I have to say, I adore this dessert, and I'm not usually a dessert person.

Sure, I'll have the staple chocolate cake, and I'll eat a bit of any dessert that comes my way just to try, but I'm not usually bothered by most creative desserts.

This mango and rice pudding "cake" on the other hand, to die for.

Definitely a great portion size to share or to have for yourself, just depends on you.

All in all a great trip, absolutely always love coming back here. Strongly recommend.