Last week, the weather was a little "wintry" in Hawaii.
Lots of rain and dare I say a little "cool".
Even though the rain stopped and sun came out, BFF and I checked out Shiro's Saimin Haven for lunch on Sunday.
Dare I also say that it was my first time there...gasp!
See, after studying abroad in Japan, I used to be a "snob" thinking ramen was "better" than saimin.
But after coming back to work in Hawaii, then living abroad in Japan since 2001, I have come to my senses in recent years.
Reconnecting with foods from my past.
You can't beat the broth, it's neither oily nor heavy like ramen broth can be and has just the right amount of salt.
Paired with a teri beef stick (and the won bok from BFF's saimin) this was the perfect comfort food lunch.
Though the sauce on the beef stick was a bit too sweet and goopy for my liking, the meat was very tender.
I'd definitely go back.
After lunch, we checked out Zippy's.
They advertised "made to order" and "hot and fresh" malasadas...pffft!
Yeah, I also think there is fine print on that ad.
Because the Zippy's we were at had these malasadas in their display cases and I didn't see anything being "made to order".
I also didn't ask why they weren't being "made to order" probably because my mouth was wide open in shock as I watched the girl behind the counter putting it into a bag.
We also tried their banana andagi which was also advertised on that same ad.
3 words--hard.as.rock.
Probably because they are stored in that same display case.
Plus, the banana was flavoring not real (no flecks).
Utter disappointment...I knew I should've stuck to my favorite Champions.
Oh well, at least the company was good and weather beautiful.
Shiro's Saimin Haven
98-020 Kamehameha Highway
Waimalu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.488.8824
Too bad about the desserts! The noodles look delicious though.
ReplyDeleteyup the highlight was lunch and the company, K!
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat
I don't blame you for being a snob at one point. After watching one (well make that 2) popular films, Tampopo and The Ramen Girl, I was convinced that ramen was better than saimin. And then Bourdain had to get his own ramen fix for his show and I'm like...yeah, ramen must be tops definitely. Oh the power of media persuasion! :-P
ReplyDeleteI'm so sheltered I only saw "Tampopo" last year, Rowena, sad, yeah?!
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat
Man, Shiro's....haven't been there in years!
ReplyDeleteyou gotta go back, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Kat