Kawaii Kauaian: 2015

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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.

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When I moved back home from college, the boxes I shipped back got infested with mice. One of them found its way into my bedroom and I caught it gorging on Halloween candy. We ended up catching about six more mice in the garage with sticky traps. When I moved upstairs to my own studio-type area, I got another mouse. I've had two mice up there since I have lived there. Mice aren't that big of a deal because they are small and kinda cute, but the fact that they are running around in my pantry and eating my Japanese Kit Kats pisses me off, and grosses me out.

So it didn't surprise me when one day I grabbed my BRAND NEW bag of rice, and noticed this.

Yep. Something had chewed into my bag. The thing is, though, the hole was way too big for a mouse, in my opinion. The next day, I discovered droppings in the pantry, and on the windowsill in my bathroom.

These weren't mouse droppings. They were large. Great. I had a rat running around my living space, crawling in my pantry, eating my food, and using my bathroom. That disgusted me to no end. Rats are huge and gross and carry diseases! I don't want that in my house. I knew it was somewhere in my pantry. I opened the door, and a flash of fur flew past my face. It was a lot of fur. It was definitely a rat.

So, me and Kevin did what we always did. We knew we were dealing with a rat this time, so we bought extra large sticky traps and laid one out at the bottom of the pantry, baited it with peanut butter, and went to bed. The next morning I woke up, and the sticky trap was laying in front of the pantry door. That rat bastard had pushed the trap out! In my mind I imagined him looking at the trap, scoffing, and kicking it away with his dirty little rat foot. I opened the pantry door and stuck the trap back in there and left for work. A few hours later, I get the following text from Kevin:

Clearly, we were not dealing with a stupid rat. I had no idea how clever rats actually were, and I was a bit shocked by this revelation. It turns out the rat and taken the trap and stuck it under the fridge, about eight feet away. Kevin was now taking this personally, and he wasn't fooling around.

He cleared out the boxes and laid three traps. Let's see this rat avoid three of them! For good measure, we removed all of the edible food products from the pantry and put them in a container. In our minds, the rat wouldn't have anything to eat and would have to eat the peanut butter.

Nope, the rat just ate the shelf liner. He ate my freakin' shelf liner. This mean's war.

After asking my friends on Facebook what they've done to combat rats, the general consensus was that sticky traps don't work on rats. The classic snap trap is what you need, and if that didn't work, a cage. And if that didn't work, the bucket contraption was my last resort:

So we settled on a snap trap. We laid it smack in the middle of the shelf that the rat seemed to favor, and hoped for the best. About 10 minutes after we crawled into bed and turned out the lights, we heard a snap.

I walked to the kitchen and looked through the partly opened pantry door, and saw something fuzzy and glowing.

I wasn't sure if it was dead, but Kevin opened the door and confirmed it.

Look at the size of that thing!!! This thing was running around my pantry and living space for THREE DAYS. This went on for THREE DAYS, guys. I was completely disgusted. I had told my mom after the second mouse, that if I get a third one, I'm getting a cat. This time, it was a freaking rat. A rat is a way bigger deal to me than a mouse. There was no dissuading me otherwise at this point. So a few days later, I ended up getting this thing:

Her name is Bentley, and she's pretty damn adorable. She's still a kitten (she's about six months old now), but we've been finding cockroach carcasses all over the place, so I think she's turning out to be a pretty good hunter! So next time a rat thinks that it can barge it's way into my home, I'll be ready with my adorable fuzzy murder cat.

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There's an interesting story involving these nails. I posted them to my Instagram, as I usually do, without any watermark because I mean, It's just a nail picture, right? Well the next day I'm looking at the #halloweennails hashtag, and 'lo and behold, I see my picture. But It's not on my account. I scroll down a bit, and see my picture there, on my account. Someone had taken my picture and had the nerve to post it on their account as if it was their design!

So I commented on the picture and said, "It would have been nice if you tagged me in my own picture." Not too long after that, they deleted my comment and blocked me. Now, It's one thing to repost a picture of something that you like. That is fine. But to take a picture and pretend that it's yours is NOT cool. And then to ignore me, and block me? I wasn't having any of that.

Did you know that you can file a copyright infringement report through Instagram? You just fill out a form, it's easy. The only thing I don't like about this process, though, is that your name and email address is provided to the person you are filing the complaint against. I guess it's a, "you have a right to know your accuser" kind of a thing, but still, I can see that turning out to be dangerous in some cases.

In any case, it's not like my Instagram profile is private, and I'm not an anonymous person. So I went ahead and filed the complaint, and within 24 hours the picture had been removed. Not long after that, the user switched her profile to private. All that tells me is that she's probably going to continue stealing other people's pictures and doesn't want to be caught so easily.

It's not like this was a user with a lot of followers (slightly over 200), but it's the principle of the thing. I know that stealing pictures happens all the time on the internet, and I usually watermark my pictures, but I didn't think I would have to end up watermarking my nail pictures! I guess in a sense I should be flattered that someone liked my design enough to steal it. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

Anyway, here's the design. It took about 3.5 hours to do, and I don't plan on doing this again for a long, long time. I was excited to use these gold Halloween nail decals I got from Born Pretty Store. They were very easy to use, and came out looking great! I paired them with some black cat stickers that I got from a friend.

I'm not sure if there's going to be another round of Halloween nails. These took so damn long, I might just keep them until Halloween is over!

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A new place called Street Burger opened up in Wailua recently in the old Mema's. This place has classic burgers as well as more creative burgers, and boasts a huge list of beers on tap. Prior to this place opening, the only other place you could get such a wide selection was Kalapaki Joe's, and honestly, it gets really boring after a while. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Street Burger's beer menu changed frequently, which would be really awesome.

We decided to check this place out for lunch, thinking it wouldn't be as busy as dinner time. It wasn't packed, but that's not to say that it was empty. There were a good amount of people there for lunch, and the flow of customers was steady. The first thing that struck me when I walked in was the look of the place: industrial, hip, and clean. I felt like I walked into some place on Oahu or some other city. It doesn't feel like Kauai, and that's nice.

The bar area had a large classroom chalkboard with all the beers they currently had. If you look below, you can see all the taps, with the beer names written in chalk, again making me think that their beer changes often.

My favorite thing, aesthetically, were the mismatched light bulbs.

This restaurant also boasts an open kitchen with three chefs working today.

Another fun surprise? Coke in a bottle! Makes me think of Japan.

The menu comes on a clipboard, and there are a lot of things to choose from. The french fries and onion rings can come in many different flavors, which is really cool. We settled on the Texas poutine (because how can I say no to poutine?), and Kevin got the Bacon and BBQ burger whereas I got the Rancher.

I know the menu said that this comes topped with chili, but it was less of a chili than it was just really good, braised meat that was really soft and delicious. I really liked it, and the runny egg was a nice touch. My only complaint is that it could have used more cheese.

These burgers are stacked. Literally. Look at the size of this thing! The burger buns are grilled, which is a nice touch, and all burgers come with french fries and homemade (you heard me) ketchup. All burgers come done medium rare, unless you state otherwise, and the bottom of the menu states that there are no substitutions, so you get what you get.

Bacon & BBQ

Rancher

There was so. Much. Food. And it was so incredibly good. My burger had tomato jam (whaaaaat?), which was nice and sweet, but I never got sick of it because the spicy arugula really mellowed the flavor out. The Gruyere was thick and melty, and the beef in these burgers are 100% Kauai beef. I imagine that's the reason these burgers are slightly pricey. Some of them are upwards of $20.00. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that because these are really, really delicious burgers, and they support local farmers.

Other small things that I liked: dish towels. You don't get a napkin, you get a dish towel. Which prevents you from using a million napkins, because these burgers get messy. There's really no graceful way to eat this. You just have to stuff your face. There is outside seating, complete with ceiling fans, although I've heard that if mosquitoes like you, you might not want to sit outside. I also liked that the main dining area wasn't cramped, and the bathroom, although only one toilet, was very spacious. Another thing? Ample parking. Always a plus. The service was decent; attention to beverages, and they didn't hover.

If you like burgers and you like beer (which should be everyone), then you'll really like this place. It's slightly pricey for burgers, but it's quality food that is inventive, fun and delicious, and well worth it. There is no shortage of really nice restaurants on Kauai, but it's great to finally be able to go to a nice place that isn't going to break the bank.

Street Burger

4-369 Kuhio Highway
Kapa'a, Hawaii 96746
streetburgerkauai@gmail.com
808.212.1555
Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday - Saturday

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