Cooking
Ramen is not just that cheap instant noodle you ate in college. While I had eaten good, fresh ramen before both in the US and in Japan, I hadn't realized just how many types and variations there are, until this past trip to Hawaii. In Honolulu there are tons of ramen places and many of them offer different kinds of broth and noodles, as well as toppings. There is even a local noodle company, Sun Noodle, that supplies at least 40 different styles of ramen noodles to Honolulu restaurants. Really!
There are so many different types of ramen in Honolulu you'll just have to try some to to decide which you like best. Just scratching the surface, I only ate a few bowls of ramen and frankly, most of them were very good. I'll tell you a little about my top picks.
First off, Goma Tei in the Ward Center makes a phenomenal tan tan ramen. I ordered it with char siu. The normal bowl comes with one slice of pork but the char siu version comes with three slices. Take my advice and get the three pieces, it is so succulent and delicious! The rich toasted sesame broth is complex and savory with a bit of sesame oil on top. The pork is delicate and thick, rolled into a round. The noodles hold up well to the soup and the spinach adds some freshness. I would go back and eat this ramen in a heart beat.
Another noteworthy ramen I had was at a place called Menchanko Tei walking distance from Waikiki beach. Chanko is the stew that sumo wrestlers eat to bulk up. The version served here has thick noodles (not ramen) but is surprisingly light.
They also serve a very good tonkatsu that I highly recommend.
My favorite dish was the hakata ramen. The broth is made from tonkatsu pork bones, and it is very creamy. It comes with lots of toppings including some very spicy ginger that flavors the soup if you mix them in. The noodles here were a bit delicate which paired well with a lighter style broth.
I can understand why people line up to get the ramen at Tenkaippin. They make a special version called kotteri that has a super collagen rich chicken broth base. It is almost like chicken gravy or an intensely concentrated chicken stock. It's not very salty and at each table there's a container of fresh garlic and chilies you can add to your bowl to spice it up. It also comes with one or three slices of cha siu pork, depending upon how you order it. If you feel like you are coming down with a cold, this would be the most soothing bowl. It's also rumored to help prevent wrinkles...!
Like the other shops, Yotteko-Ya, which is part of a Kyoto-based chain, serves several types of ramen, but l liked the simple shoyu style best. It was not too salty and if you get there early enough you can get it with large blocks of marinated braised pork called kakuni. They only serve 20 portions available per day. This was the most basic style of ramen, but sometimes that's what you're in the mood for eating.
Goma Tei Ramen
1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu
808.591.9188
Menchanko-Tei
2255 Kuhio Ave Ste S
Honolulu
808.924.8366
Tenkaippin
2132 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu
808.926.1100
Yotteko-Ya
1960 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite 214, upstairs
Honolulu
808.946.2900
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From Noodle Fusion; a tasty little soup. Chicken (or Quorn cutlets) is marinated with a reduction of mirin, soy sauce, (vegetable) broth, & sugar. Bring vegetarian dashi (sans bonito flakes) to boil, cook ramen for a couple minutes, drain, cover...
Cooking
Honolulu Ramen Shops
Ramen is not just that cheap instant noodle you ate in college. While I had eaten good, fresh ramen before both in the US and in Japan, I hadn't realized just how many types and variations there are, until this past trip to Hawaii. In Honolulu there are tons of ramen places and many of them offer different kinds of broth and noodles, as well as toppings. There is even a local noodle company, Sun Noodle, that supplies at least 40 different styles of ramen noodles to Honolulu restaurants. Really!
There are so many different types of ramen in Honolulu you'll just have to try some to to decide which you like best. Just scratching the surface, I only ate a few bowls of ramen and frankly, most of them were very good. I'll tell you a little about my top picks.
First off, Goma Tei in the Ward Center makes a phenomenal tan tan ramen. I ordered it with char siu. The normal bowl comes with one slice of pork but the char siu version comes with three slices. Take my advice and get the three pieces, it is so succulent and delicious! The rich toasted sesame broth is complex and savory with a bit of sesame oil on top. The pork is delicate and thick, rolled into a round. The noodles hold up well to the soup and the spinach adds some freshness. I would go back and eat this ramen in a heart beat.
Another noteworthy ramen I had was at a place called Menchanko Tei walking distance from Waikiki beach. Chanko is the stew that sumo wrestlers eat to bulk up. The version served here has thick noodles (not ramen) but is surprisingly light.
They also serve a very good tonkatsu that I highly recommend.
My favorite dish was the hakata ramen. The broth is made from tonkatsu pork bones, and it is very creamy. It comes with lots of toppings including some very spicy ginger that flavors the soup if you mix them in. The noodles here were a bit delicate which paired well with a lighter style broth.
I can understand why people line up to get the ramen at Tenkaippin. They make a special version called kotteri that has a super collagen rich chicken broth base. It is almost like chicken gravy or an intensely concentrated chicken stock. It's not very salty and at each table there's a container of fresh garlic and chilies you can add to your bowl to spice it up. It also comes with one or three slices of cha siu pork, depending upon how you order it. If you feel like you are coming down with a cold, this would be the most soothing bowl. It's also rumored to help prevent wrinkles...!
Like the other shops, Yotteko-Ya, which is part of a Kyoto-based chain, serves several types of ramen, but l liked the simple shoyu style best. It was not too salty and if you get there early enough you can get it with large blocks of marinated braised pork called kakuni. They only serve 20 portions available per day. This was the most basic style of ramen, but sometimes that's what you're in the mood for eating.
Goma Tei Ramen
1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu
808.591.9188
Menchanko-Tei
2255 Kuhio Ave Ste S
Honolulu
808.924.8366
Tenkaippin
2132 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu
808.926.1100
Yotteko-Ya
1960 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite 214, upstairs
Honolulu
808.946.2900
- Summer Eats In San Francisco
If you've never been to San Francisco you need to know our Summer starts NOW. Yes, in September. Not only is it pretty and warm and sunny but Summer produce--tomatoes, corn, pepper, and peaches are all ripe and delicious at the moment. It's easy...
- Noodles, Noodles, Noodles!
I'm so crazy about noodles I could eat them every day and never get bored. Even the family I lived with in Italy was amazed at my capacity for eating pasta. And I love all kinds of pasta--Asian varieties along with Italian, being top of the list....
- Cheap Eats In Waikiki
There are lots of wonderful places to eat on Oahu but finding reasonably priced places right in the tourist zone of Waikiki is a challenge. In fact, finding a really tasty meal for under $10 is almost impossible. Here are a few of spots that not only...
- Chinese Food In Hawaii
I guess it's the same everywhere. If you're not celebrating Christmas or going to a New Year's Eve party, one of your best bets for finding an open restaurant is Chinese food. In Hawaii I had two memorable Chinese meals this time around. One...
- Mirin Chicken With Ramen Noodles For Souper Sundays
From Noodle Fusion; a tasty little soup. Chicken (or Quorn cutlets) is marinated with a reduction of mirin, soy sauce, (vegetable) broth, & sugar. Bring vegetarian dashi (sans bonito flakes) to boil, cook ramen for a couple minutes, drain, cover...