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Go Shi Go, a closer look
11/2010 Up-date: Go Shi Go now Closed! Bummer!!!
Aloha!
11/10/09 - Just put Cafe Kaila and Bogart's up on the Breakfast section of the site (along with Yuzen from the Japanese Upscale section). Yeah, sometimes it takes a while to get on the main pages, but that doesn't mean the Aku hasn't been to these places yet - both are great breakfast/lunch joints with stylish personalities, but different in their own ways.
Last time, I mentioned two relatively new Japanese restaurants and one that just opened last week. Go-Shi-Go was one of those spots, and today we'll check it out and see what the buzz is all about. While I found it fantastic a couple of weeks ago that the best noodle shops in Kyushu, Japan can't compete without having fresh noodles made daily and in-house, there are only a precious few here in the islands who can claim that distinction, Go-Shi-Go being one of them. Here, it's not the thin, concrete-colored soba noodles, nor the even thinner, pure-white somen, nor the popular ramen, but udon noodles, which are the fattest one's around! As white as somen in color, I'd say it takes about 8-10 strands of somen to achieve the girth of a single udon noodle! Being that thick, quality is of the essence, as you can really notice the texture and taste with that much noodle in your mouth! But we'll see just how great or not great Go-Shi-Go's version is in just a bit...
For now, we gotta take care of a few logistics first, beginning with location. For those who remember, ramen house Taishoken was one of the few noodles shops that also made their own noodles in-house daily, and Go-Shi-Go has now taken over their former property. In fact, the noodle machine from this past resident still sits near the entrance, now dormant, sitting either as some kind of museum relic to be appreciated forever, or perhaps just waiting for the City's weekly pick-up! It's found on Keeaumoku St., right across from McDonald's, and shares a small building with a hair salon.
As you can see, the sub-heading on the sign reads Udon and Dining Bar. You may be wondering just what that means, but one peek inside and you'll know exactly what's going on. At first, older folks may be a bit taken back by the loud J-pop music playing and the initial appearance of the place, which looks like, as the sign says - a bar! Upon closer examination, however, you'll find that the folks dining here aren't scraggly-looking down-and-outer's looking to drown away their sorrows over a few Jack and Coke's, but rather, a very respectable mix of business people, Japanese transplants or tourists, and families or couples in search of a good bowl of noodles. In fact, at least for now, it's still byob until they get their liquor license, which should occur very soon.
Parking may seem like a problem, but everytime I've come, I've always found plenty of spaces available on the street, and that's including our many visits to the former Taishoken. Just don't forget to feed the meter, which at 20 minutes per quarter, isn't that hungry of a machine, yes?
Outside of the crowd, which comes mostly from a middle-age to older generation, the vibe here is very young, hip, and energetic - although I can imagine the situation may change at night. It's altogether casual and not the fanciest of places, but carries more of a hole-in-the-wall feel accentuated not only by the haggard-looking building and entrance, but also by relatively dim, bar-like lighting (don't let the pic fool you; it's just camera tricks so you can see the place better!) and a small facility over-all, which includes this counter area and five or six tables lined single-file behind it (or is that in front of it?):
The movie of the day built further upon the theme of the restaurant, as it is called Udon, and features the tale of budding food writers and this most classic of Japanese noodle types, all portryed in a light, comedic story sure to warm the soul just like any good bowl of hot udon will! Upon returning the very next day, however, something very different was playing:
All three of us - mom, Kumi, and myself - had slowly become engrossed in the absolutely gorgeous visuals and stunning colors of Hayao Miyazaki's latest flick, Ponyo. It's easy to see why he's still the King of animation! Even as an adult, if you can just get over the cutesiness of the whole deal, along with the absurdity of a goldfish running on the crests of building-high waves and then turning into a little girl, I'm sure you'll enjoy the flick - just let your imagination go wild and ride with it, is all! 'Always healthy to turn into a kid once in a while, yes?
But right in-between lapses in and out of reality were loud slurping's of thick, white, slippery noodles:
'Topped with several pieces of crispy tempura, that is, in a set of fried treats that included two whole shrimp, two carrots, two Kabocha pumpkin, and two string beans. Udon is the specialty, but these tempura pieces were not bad at all, the batter perhaps coming just a smidgeon on the heavier side, which is probably done on-purpose in order to better stand-up to the liquid broth. The shrimp pieces were sweet and tender, with just the right snap in them, and the veggies were generously cut, the Kabocha being especially delicious and perfectly soft, just like a sweet potato! And the hot broth? Fan-tastic! Coming with the deep dashi flavor of katsuo-boshi, this is a taste that even the purest of purist's would no doubt savor! Chef/Owner/udon-maker Hidetaka Oshiki, a handsome, fit-looking young-gun that stashes his surfboard (go short-boarder's!) right there in the store, even goes so far as to use Hawaiian Deepsea water for the broth, which is supposed to be loaded with the right balance of minerals and nutrients to purify your body of toxins and promote beautiful skin and over-all health. Me, I prefer jumping in the ocean over drinking it, but if that's whatcha believe, all the more power to ya!
That being said, there's one thing here that may be of concern to you, a single obstacle in a world where pretty much everything else leads you straight to the promised land. It has to do with the hot udon, emphasis on hot, which this next bowl also was, only this time in a much simpler form and as only a side-dish to a complete meal set:
The bowl was topped with tenkasu, or the fried crumbs of tempura batter, along with healthy portions of green onion and wakame, a type of seaweed. But the possible minefield stemming from any variety of hot udon here comes not from the topping's offered, but from the fact that the bowls used are extremely thick and heavy, which allows heat levels to be maintained for much longer periods of time than normal. May sound great, even a testament to quality and originality, but with the sustained, higher temperatures, the noodles tend to continue cooking right there in the bowl, and after a while - you know what that means!
After slurping down my cold udon and finishing-off the remainder of mom's hot udon, I quickly found a huge chasm of difference between the two. While my cold bowl was flawless, revealing the chewy, soft yet firm nature of hand-made, fresh-daily udon noodles, the thick strands in mom's hot bowl were super-soft and, dare I say, amidst the vast ocean of glowing professional revue's on this place - mushy?
Mom did mention that her noodles were firmer upon first slurp, but how firm was firmer? Was it as al dente as my cold bowl? I had to find out for myself. Returning the next day, I could not have spent any more than 45 seconds taking pics before sampling the hot udon I ordered above, the one with tenkasu, green onion, and wakame, but was still disappointed to find that the noodles were indeed much softer than the cold! Yeah, it was only two visits, but both times, the results were identical, so I guess that's just the way it goes!
To me, the absolute best way to enjoy the extra time, skills, and expenditures involved in fresh-made noodles here at Go-Shi-Go is to have them cold, as I did here with this order of plain udon:
Having already tried a hot tempura udon on the first day, mom opted for a cold tempura udon the next day, and the deal paid-off for a couple of different reasons. Besides the vastly better texture and taste of the noodles, cold udon comes with a darker, stronger broth that not only carries the characteristic dashi flavor of udon, but also embraces the more liberal use of shoyu:
Kumi also decided to heed my advice from the first day and ordered her noodles cold, along with a spread of green onions, nori shreds, katsuo-boshi flakes, and a slimy threesome of soft egg, natto, and yama-imo, or grated mountain yam, which embodies all the blatant, gooey-stickiness of okra! In the next shot, if you look under and on the left of the brown bits of fermented natto beans, you'll see a white substance of a non-noodle nature - that's your grated mountain yam. You shoulda seen this bowl after she mixed the whole concoction together!
Other toppings for udon bowls of any temperature include ground beef, teriyaki pork, ume, avocado, tuna, and daikon, all ranging in prices from $6.75 for a plain and $11.95 for a shrimp tempura. There are also combination sets that give you a choice of several varieties of udon and also a side bowl of ground beef or curry over rice, the latter of which I opted for on our first visit:
Coming with half of a sliced egg, mostly for show purposes, this curry was nothing outlandishly special, but was indeed tasty, and with little bits of meat and vegetable mixed into it, carried a rustic, home-made feel, unlike the super-clean, silky-smooth curries you sometimes find elsewhere.
But there are two teishoku combination sets that I found especially tempting, and these were the GSG set (I have no idea what they're referring to!), with yakiniku beef, fried fish, salad, tsukemono, and edamame/bacon rice; and the Nerima set (again, no clue!), with mixed tempura, fried chicken wings in a shoyu sauce, tsukemono, and edamame/bacon rice. Both come with your choice of udon variety, and both for only $14.95! To make matters even more interesting, they were running a special on the Nerima set shown below, dropping it down to $13.75!
Jimbo-san, you better watch out! Like the two soba shops in Honolulu vying for attention, Matsugen and Inaba, there are now two udon plays that are now battling for top honors, as well! Both are fabulous restaurants that employ the benefits of fresh-made noodles, with Jimbo carrying a more sophisticated, refined lead in its dishes and presentation, along with a larger menu, and Go-Shi-Go leading the way with an edgier, younger-style vibe and slightly lower prices. Take your pick - either way, I'm sure you'll come across happy and satisfied, knowing full well that these two spots are both excellent, and as good as it gets in the islands when looking for udon. Both mom and Kumi absolutely luuuv the classic, very nostalgic taste of udon, both for the thick, white noodles and also for the pure dashi touch in the broth that epitomizes and embodies Japanese seasoning preferences perhaps better than anything else except for shoyu.
Hope you've all enjoyed the run through Go-Shi-Go, and more importantly, take the time to try it out for yourself. Kinda excited about tonight and the weekend, when a few of us are gonna try Sushi Chef James Matsukawa's new domain, Umi no Sachi, as well return to Chef Edgar San Juan's excellent Japanese cuisine at Yuzen. Can't wait!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
Back to A Closer Look
Back to Ramen and other Japanese Noodles
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Comments:
KI (11/14/09) - Glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit to Yuzen. About Go Shi Go, I have to agree with your assessment. I loved the texture of the noodles in the cold udon, but the hot udon made the noodles soft. I would stick with the cold udon. About the parking, I think you can park behind the restaurant as well. There is a manned lot back there and I know that when it was Taishoken they used to validate the parking ticket. When I went to Go Shi Go, I think it was a Sunday so the gate was up and there was no one manning the lot so parking wasn't a problem.
Aku (11/14/09) - Thanks for the heads-up! Hear that, everyone?!
John Tu (12/27/10) Go Shi Go has the best udon in town. When I visit it Dec 2010, the door is closed!!! What's going on??? Anyone knows??? Please help me to find it. Thank you.
Aku (12/29/10) Yes, it seems Go Shi Go has closed since a couple of months ago. Bummer!!! Sorry, I'll put notes on my site and remove the description. Now, the best place for udon is Jimbo, but it's kinda expensive. Oh, hey, have you considered Yajima-ya? It's actually a wagon located just behind Hinone Mizunone on Sheridan St. The owner is the gas station owner right there on Sheridan and S.King St., and has run a kind of members-only organization for many years, bringing his best food finds from Japan for members by special order. Now, he opened his own udon/soba shop (wagon) and it's only $5 per bowl, with toppings at $1 or $1.50. Went there twice already - good, silky udon noodles and strong, flavorful dashi broth, but a bit small portions. Also really good curry. Rice was unbelievably excellent one day and nominal the next. Kind of a quirky place - they actually momentarily ran out of rice one day and tempura the next!
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