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Dairyu, a closer look
Aloha!
2/3/09 - I told you all a few days ago that wifeys' friendz were visiting from Japan, so we had them all join us for one of our regular hibachi time's this past weekend. I won't show you any food shots from this particularly wonderful evening, even though the line-up included grilled Portobello mushrooms in Bruddah Nels's buttah is bettah sauce, sweet peppers, sweet onions, rib-eye steaks, boneless kalbi, boneless teriyaki chicken, miso butterfish, sashimi, and much more! I will, however, show you something even better - and that is, some very pretty ladies, all from the Southern Japanese island of Kyushu.
Actually, if you still wanna see some great hibachi-time-grinds, as well, check out our last New Year's '09 party or the first hibachi-time entry. As for now, however, I'll keep the pictures centered on family, good friends, and good times! Doesn't get any better than this! And here's another shot of the entire gang that night, out in full force!
A great time was had by all, and we're looking forward to our good friends from Japan paying us another visit sometime real soon, and when they do, I have a sneaking suspicion all the single guys here will be back the next time, too! Boy'z will be Boy'z, ey?
But alas, we'll move on to another day, another eatery, and hopefully, another great meal...
Back in the day, when I had no clue about what was really good and what was really bad regarding so many different food types, I used to frequent what was my favorite ramen shop on the Island. It was called Dairyu, and was located just Diamond Head of the intersection of Punahou and S. King St's, right next to Baskin and Robbin's ice cream shop. Though my palate may not have been a very educated one back then, I did have several friends from Japan whom I've taken there, and they all said the taste was just like you'd find anywhere in Tokyo, so I guess, educated or not, most of us do know when something tastes good and if it comes with a certain degree of quality or not.
Despite the fact that they always seemed busy, for some reason, they abruptly shut down. It was only about a month ago, however, that I learned Dairyu had opened up again, this time under new ownership and in the heart of Kalihi, at the Kapalama Shopping Center. I thought it might be interesting to check it out again, especially at this point of time, when I can now compare it to so many of the great ramen shops around town such as Yotteko-Ya, Taishoken, Goma Ichi, and more, none of which were even around back when I was frequenting the old Dairyu. Would the newly-opened shop taste as good as I remembered it, and would it hold its own against the big boy'z of the current, very much changed-for-the-better ramen world on the island today? We shall see...
I can tell you one thing that didn't stack-up for sure, and that was the facility, itself! Though ramen shops are a sort of every-day, very casual, comfort-type-food, the Japanese always have a standard for clean, well-maintained, respectable, but not elaborately-designed stores, even when they happen to be in Hawaii. And who can forget the cutesiness factor that absolutely must be present, intentional or not, in any Japanese establishment?
While not dirty or totally run-down, the new Dairyu seemed, well, a bit common and run-of-the-mill, looking more like a plate lunch house than anything else! And the cutesiness factor? Pretty darn low, I'd say...
With wifey hard at work, I stopped by with mom today, who also remembered and loved the old Dairyu, as well.
So we hit a ramen shop, and what does mom order? Udon! Whaaa? Wouldn't be so bad if it were a good udon, but this one was actually lacking with the strong dashi flavor udon needs to stay competitive. The noodles were fine, coming with a chewy, firm consistency, but the broth was just too much on the weak side.
Mom's udon came as a combination-set meal, the other half being an order of shrimp tempura. One look at this shrimp and I already knew what was coming. We all know that there's true Japanese tempura and then there's local-style tempura, and they don't look anything at all like eachother - the local versions found at okazuya's, plate lunch houses, and other casual restaurants sometimes contain so much batter they look almost like balls of andagi (Okinawan donut) with tails sticking out, which is very much unlike the light, crispy, very flaky Japanese versions. This one wasn't quite the ball of andagi, but you could already tell this batter was thick, hard, and heavy. I dunno, I guess it's a preference thing, and some people like it thick, but I can almost guarantee that the former owners of Dairyu would never put out a shrimp tempura like this:
We also had a side of gyoza, which, unlike the first two items, did hit the spot! These plump dumplings are the most popular side-kick to a hot bowl of ramen, with a crispy bottom, tender top (or the other way around, as in this presentation), and inside's filled with pork, shrimp, and green onion. Oishi desu!
My favorite dish from the former Dairyu was mapo tofu ramen, although their hot sauce yakisoba was also pretty darn good, too. I've always found this hybrid dish, which is basically a Chinese-style mapo tofu served over a bowl of ramen, one of my favorite items at any ramen shop, actually. The savory, richly-flavored, oyster-sauce-tasting gravy, along with the tofu, ground pork, and vegetables mapo tofu contains goes well with the also-bold flavors of hearty ramen noodles and broth.
Was it the same as the former, though? Hmmm... Let's just say it was much better than mom's udon and did show signs of promise, although I couldn't help thinking that the mapo tofu gravy was perhaps a bit less complex and more casually put-together - see the sections of gravy that haven't quite left its congealed, corn-starched state? I was, however, eager to over-look the fact, as all it took was a little mixing, and the flavor of the dark-brown gravy was still reasonably comparable to the old Dairyu I once knew.
As with mom's udon, the noodles were perfectly-cooked and one of the stronger points of our bowls, with a hearty, chewy consistency and great all-around taste. Serving sizes favored the new Dairyu, as I couldn't even finish-off the whole of this generously-portioned bowl - of course, I did have to eat most of the side dishes, too, which were quite substantial in total.
Despite the large bowl, it was only half of my set, with the other being an order of fried rice. Actually, I don't ever remember ordering fried rice at the old spot, but I can say that though the quality of the rice itself falls shy of good ramen houses, it still tasted great when combined with the bits of pork, green onion, kamaboko, and Chinese-style seasonings. It was much better than plate lunch stuff, for sure!
The new Dairyu does have some very decent dishes that do merit some attention, but as far as comparing it to the former spot? Well, I think if you're looking for the same over-all experience, you probably won't find it, as many of the items do take on more of a local touch, style, and flavor. But that could be a good thing, actually, as this is the heart of Kalihi, and instead of a regular influx of Japanese tourists like you'd find at most ramen houses in town, there's a lot of local traffic to pick up the slack. Preference, preference, is all. There's plenty of different styles and tastes to please everyone on this ethnically-diverse Island Paradise we call home!
Later this month we'll check out another ramen shop that does come in the modern Japanese style, with a unique product you won't find anywhere else - maybe similiar, but not quite this extreme... you'll see...
Hope all your dining pleasures are being met, and may it always be with the bestest of friends and family! Here's a shot of the girls that they haven't seen before - it didn't make the cut of pics I gave them because of so many moving, blurred people, but hey, just consider them action shots! Besides, it's a little more candid, and perhaps better captures the fun everyone was all having at the time!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
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