Kawaii Kauaian

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When I was in college, ramen was one of my favorite things to eat (along with Coco Ichibanya Curry House), because it was a new thing to me, and something I had never tried before. I know Oahu has had ramen restaurants for forever, but on Kauai it's a relatively new thing. We've always had saimin, and I think a lot of locals here think that ramen and saimin are the same thing.

They most certainly are not.

Saimin was born from plantation camp life, and is a mixture of different cultures coming together to contribute to one pot to be shared together. Imagine Japanese broth, Chinese charsiu, Filipino pancit noodles. Stuff like that. That's how saimin came to be. Think of every single saimin place you've been to. Hamura Saimin, Kako's, even Zippy's and McDonald's has saimin. They all look similar, right? Kamaboko, charsiu, green onions, dashi stock. That's basically the saimin standard. The toppings can vary, but it's the same kind of broth. Ramen is different in that your toppings, your noodles and your broth changes. There are all different styles of ramen, and every region in Japan has a specialty ramen. Basically what I'm trying to say is, ramen is far more diverse than saimin. You can walk into a restaurant and say, "one saimin," and get exactly that. But you couldn't walk into a restaurant and say, "one ramen."

/end rant

The first ramen place opened up in Ele'ele a couple of years ago, and I hear that place is decent. I haven't tried it yet, because I have absolutely no reason to go to Ele'ele. But lucky for me, a ramen place opened up inside the mall!

I don't know who owns Aloha Ramen, but the majority of workers appear to be Chinese. You can hardly call this place a restaurant as there is no seating inside. This place is so small it's basically a counter, fridge, and a kitchen. You have to sit outside in the food court area to eat, which is noisy and hot and full of flies. That's a turn off for me. The menu is displayed on two TV screens and includes ramen/udon, fried rice and curry of all sorts.

I got my hopes up when I saw the menu because they had ramen that I liked, specifically tan tan and tonkotsu. Tonkotsu is my absolute favorite! I love how it's fatty and porky, I love the white color that the broth has, and I love the sticky feel it leaves on your lips. Truly luxurious. The first time I went to Aloha Ramen (I went twice, I'll get to that), tonkotsu was the first thing I had.

Let's go into detail about what tonkotsu is, first, because I have a pet peeve about this. The word tonkotsu is very close to tonkatsu, which is a breaded pork cutlet, right? Everyone is familiar with that. Tonkotsu is a stock made from pork bones. It has nothing to do with breaded pork cutlets, and it does not have a slab on tonkatsu on top of it. On a related note, the menu at the ramen restaurant in Ele'ele lists a tonkatsu ramen with exactly that. A slab of breaded pork cutlet on top of the noodles. I think they were confused.

Anyway.

This stock is made by stewing pork bones and other aromatics until you have this beautiful, milky-colored broth that is full of porky flavor. A lot of people think that this stock looks like dishwater, but if you can get past the color, it will be the best stock you have ever put in your mouth. So naturally I was very excited to know that I could get it on Kauai!

The stock color was alarming. This was really, really white. It also lacked that glistening fat, and I was not surprised when it tasted like utter disappointment. There was no fattiness to it at all, it lacked all flavor. It honestly was like they just took hot water and sprinkled in packets of pre-made flavoring into it, like instant ramen. It was a total disappointment.

Just for reference, this is what a real tonkotsu ramen should look like:

*heavy breathing*

Do you see how the fat just glistens on top of the stock? Yes, it sounds disgusting. But like I said, it is a luxurious stock. Now look back at that other picture. Do you see how that stock just looks like dish water? I can see how some people have looked at this and found it completely unappetizing.

I always like to try something twice. I feel like, unless it was a truly horrible experience, food should always be given a second chance. I went back a second time yesterday with some friends and tried something new. This time, I got the tan tan ramen.

Doesn't look bad, this one. It actually has some fattiness to it, and the color is appealing. The flavor was better than the tonkotsu, and I enjoyed the menma especially. I could do without the kamaboko, though. This isn't saimin. *coughsnobcough*

Kevin ended up getting the tonkotsu (which he called tonkatsu. Smh), and my other friends got the char siu ramen:

And the kimchi ramen, which I'm pretty sure is just tan tan broth with kimchi and bean sprouts on top.

The ramen comes with either your choice of ramen noodles or udon. The ramen noodles appear to be fresh (not as in homemade, but fresh boiled noodles, not freeze dried), and you have to appreciate the prices, which range from $8.50 to $10.95. There is also a keiki ramen for $6.75. The fried rice and stir fried noodles range from $8.50 to $9.25 and come in kimchi fried rice, pork, chicken, etc. The curries come in regular size or mini, ranging from $6.95 to $9.25. They include flavors such as chicken katsu curry, mochiko chicken curry, and they even have curry croquette.

This time around, I think we all enjoyed our meal. You're definitely not going to get an authentic taste of Japanese ramen at Aloha Ramen, but it's not awful, and I'm glad that Kauai is expanding its horizons and is embracing a new type of food. Just don't order the tonkotsu ramen.

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Eating House 1849 is located at the Shops at Kukuiula, a kind of upscale shopping center in Poipu catered to the tourists. Strange name, don't you think? What's with the 1849? What does it all mean? According to the website: "The Eating House 1849 pays homage to Hawaii’s vibrant culinary heritage, a nod to restaurateurs like Peter Fernandez who, the story goes, opened one of the first restaurants in Hawaii, called the Eating House, back in the mid-1800s, using what was available from local farmers, ranchers, foragers and fishermen." so, 1849 is a nod to the very first restaurant that opened in Hawaii.

Eating House is owned by Chef Roy Yamaguchi, who is famous for Roy's, as well as The Tavern (which was short lived on the north shore of Kauai). Roy's is known for being an upscale, fancier restaurant, but Eating House has a much more relaxed atmosphere. Nobody was dressed fancy (not that they do on Kauai anyway), it's definitely more of a casual dress kind of place. Kevin and I went here for our second wedding anniversary (wayyyy back in July, this is a really late post!). I didn't get many shots of the interior, I was definitely more interested in the food.

The restaurant is located upstairs, so it gives you a really great view of the sunset, if you're facing that direction. there were many tables that benefited from the view, so if you want a sunset view I would definitely ask to be seated on the correct side for that. The decor has that old Hawaii plantation feel, rustic yet modern.

We started out with drinks, of which I did not take any pictures. We also got two appetizers, the huli huli style spicy pork belly, and a classic Caesar salad.

Huli huli style spicy pork belly

Kevin was concerned that the pork belly was going to be too spicy, because it had a gochujang sauce (korean hot pepper paste), but it was very mild and it was really flavorful!

Classic Caesar

The Caesar salad was nice and came with nicely toasted garlic bread. For the entree, I opted for the chicken kamameshi, which is like a donburi, and comes in a stone bowl. "Kama" means iron bowl, and meshi means food, so basically it means food cooked in an iron pot. This pot, however, was stone I believe. You can get the kamameshi with chicken, or you can choose from three different types of fish. I do not like cooked fish, so I opted for the chicken.

Kevin got the ribeye steak with chimichurri and a demiglace, which came with these potatoes on the side in a tomato based sauce that tasted slightly like salsa.

Because it was our anniversary, we got a free dessert! this was like a rice krispy treat with chocolate in the middle and a caramely sauce on top. The white sauce on the bottom I think was haupia (this is why I need to blog things in a timely manner. I forget everything). It was alright, not exactly as crunchy as it should have been, but hey, it was free. Not complaining.

The location of the restaurant is very pretty, the prices aren't that bad (although this is definitely not a cheap place), and the food is good. The only thing I hate about the location is that the parking lot is always ridiculously full. It took a while to find parking, so factor that in if you have a reservation. Oh, also, make a reservation. That is definitely helpful. This place is also good for large parties, but keep in mind that is is open air, so if it is a hot or cold night, you need to plan for that.

Let's talk prices. The appetizers on the menu range from $9.00 to $18.00, and are enough for two, maybe three people. Entrees range from $18.00 to $42.00, as well as items at market price. The menu is really diverse, and I appreciate that it's not seafood-heavy like a lot of other restaurants. There are options like you would get at a family party, such as lumpia and sashimi and Portuguese bean soup, which gives it a nice down home kind of feel. Overall, the prices aren't that bad, considering this is a Roy's restaurant, and the food is great.

Eating House 1849 is a nice mix of casual and fine dining. If you're looking for something in between and are tired of eating at Dukes or the Bull Shed, definitely check this place out. Also, Oahu people! You will be able to get a taste of this place soon, I just heard on the news last night that Roy will be opening up an Eating House 1849 somewhere over there!

Eating House 1849

Shops At Kukuiula

2829 Ala Kalanikaumaka Road

Koloa, HI 96756
808-742-5000

Open Nightly for Dinner
5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.