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Inaba, a closer look
 Official site (auto-translation) |
 Yelper's on Inaba Soba House! |
 Helen Wu w/an astute look at Inaba Soba! |
Aloha!
2/7/11 - Mr. Stress? Who dat? Miss overwhelming situation? Never heard of her. Sometimes, you just gotta chill. And we in the islands? We know how to chill! When life gets too serious and the gas pedal in your head gets stuck in full throttle, we just need to slow down, breathe deep, and take a pill. Chill pill, that is. Personally, I prefer brown bottles to red cans during such moments, but my good buddy Jeff Benik sure does know how to find the right perspectives in life! Too often, the brain gets tangled into a knotted ball of anxious energy and life becomes much too complicated, at which time it's amazing what a little sun, a little ocean, and a conscious laying down of excess emotional and intallectual baggage can do for ya. Most times, isn't it true that it's not a matter of the actual situations at hand, but of the way you look and respond to the situations at hand?! Get your perspectives right, and you just may find that it's not really a storm, but a passing shower. It's not really a lion, but a pussy cat!
Pretty soon, it's Mr. Stress? Who dat? Miss overswhelming situation? Never heard of her!
And when it comes to Japanese noodles, and more specifically, soba noodles, they of the brownish, buckwheatish variety, you just may be thinking Matsugen in Waikiki, right? Well... Try dining at Inaba Soba House on S. King St., and you'll be saying "Matsugen? Who dat? Never heard of her!"
Yes, Matsugen's fresh, made-twice-daily noodles are phenomenal, and they do carry the great majority of soba-related press around here, but humble Inaba is also a force to be reckoned with, so much so that me thinks you won't really miss that famous other place, at least not while dining here.
Inaba sits in the same property as the old Dairyu ramen shop, which used to be one of the better ramen haunts on the island (A new Dairyu has re-opened, though it's not quite the same these days). Baskin-Robbins is the easiest landmark in the vicinity since it protrudes right-out to the King St. sidewalk, but Inaba is actually located in the lot immediately before it, recessed slightly back. With its small parking lot, finding a spot may seem difficult, but we always manage to get something.
The inside is clean, bright, and attractive, sporting a modern Japanese setting. There's bar-style seating on one side, a row of tables adjacent to it, and another small section outside of that.
Having soba noodles fresh-made daily with flour imported from the most prestigious soba-making region of Japan, Nagano, sure does give this place a lot of street cred. But what exactly is soba? Well, I'll just let them explain:
Nothin' left for me to do, I guess.
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Just kidding.
Here's a shot of the beautiful noodles:
Moist, chewy, firm - these lightly-colored strands are definitely worth the trip. Soba does take knocks for being starchier and harsher, even being almost cardboard-like, than other types of noodles, but only because many of the brands sitting on grocery store shelves actually deserve every knock coming at them! Sad thing is, even restaurants sometimes use these cheaper brands, so it's no wonder. The soba here at Inaba is nothing like that, trust me. They'll slip down your throat like the silkiest of fine Italian pastas, especially when ordering them in their purest form, as shown above. Like a good, freshly-made udon, I've definitely come to the conclusion that I enjoy them more at cold or room temperature than hot, only because I luv, luv, luv that super-firm, crispy-yet-tender feel when they are cooked just to the right point. When placed in a hot broth, the tender, delicate noodles have a tendency to continue cooking and become softer the longer they sit, spoiling everything! Placing them on a basket at cold or room temperatures ensures a vibrant noodle all the way through. A little dunking in a soy-based tsuyu,
and you'll have yourself a superb soba and all the healthy benefits, as well!
But there's one other open secret here at Inaba restaurant. In fact, even if soba were nowhere to be found, I'm sure Inaba could still make it as a genuine, bona-fide tempura house, so long as they expanded on their menu of these traditional, deep-fried items. Before even knowing that Inaba took just as much pride in their tempura as their soba, and at very first bite, I was immediately impressed. To be sure, there's not a whole lot of variety and the shrimp they use are tiny compared to elsewhere, but the light, crispy coating and over-all great taste definitely makes it one of the better versions of tempura I've experienced on the island. They may look simple, but there's a tangibly delicate, nuanced touch to these pieces of string bean, Shiitake mushroom, sweet potato, and especially shrimp, which were outstandingly sweet and snappy-crisp:
And here's the complete set ($18.99):
A bit expensive, but this kind of quality seldom comes cheap! Rounding out the set was a bowl of mixed whole-grain rice, an excellent, house-made tsukemono, tsuyu w/refill, and a trio of salts, consisting of green tea, curry, and natural ocean varieties:
My order was a nametake mushroom/daikon oroshi soba with rice ($12.99):
Not sure how two starches, rice and soba, were paired together, but with a little stretching I can see how the very flavorful mushrooms could use a little more starch outside of just soba noodles. Nametake are actually the wild version of enoki, the difference being the former is wild-grown with orangish-brown caps while the latter is farm-raised and completely white. Not sure if nametake are the same as nameko, but I suspect they are, as both always come in a vinegary, slimy, sticky marinade. This particular version was much lighter in vinegar taste (a good thing!) than normal, and also came with much larger mushrooms than I've seen elsewhere - somehow, it seems just about every ingredient used here is a level or two above most other places!
Don't worry 'bout the sliminess at all - it doesn't carry a wild, too-foreign flavor like so many other types of Japanese foods - it's pretty mellow, actually. The almost gravy-like consistency and chewy, slightly crunchy bodies are the perfect contrast to the silky, delicate noodles and broth. In other words - absolutely delicious! I highly recommend this dish!!!
One other interesting thing about Inaba is that after you're done eating, they'll bring you a kind of hot tea, which is not actually tea but a warm broth consisting of dashi and the same water used to cook your soba (clear bowl in mid-ground, not tsuyu in foreground)! May not seem too appetizing, but it really is nice, with a dashi flavor tempered by a wheaty, starchy finish:
Though the menu is on the smaller side, there are a few other choices available besides soba w/different toppings. There's a few varieties of sashimi, tuna bowls (a kind of Japanese-style poke bowl), teishoku sets, and even chiraishi/sushi using battera (marinated saba), ahi, unagi, salmon, uni, shrimp, and tako.
For dessert, we tried their deep-fried ice cream:
Perhaps the only item here I was not impressed with at all. What is up with Japanese restaurants using Costco mini-cream puffs?
Besides dessert, I really, really love everything about this place! The soba is up there with Matsugen's, and you don't have to deal with the even higher prices and extra hassle of Waikiki's Beachwalk area. And to those who for whatever reason can't find the time for a good helping of Inaba buckwheat noodles, but want to try some for yourself from the grocery store, please do yourself a favor by going to either Don Quijote, Shirokiya, or Marukai, and don't get the cheapest package you find off the shelf! It's pretty much inexpensive anyway, so just get a more premium variety, which will run you from $3-$5, if I'm not mistaken. And don't forget your tsuyu, which you can get ready-to-go or as a concentrated solution you mix yourself with water - I prefer the ready-made ones. I used to be a somen guy, but no longer, as there's no denying the healthy benefits of buckwheat flour over regular white flour. Like choosing brown rice or bread over white rice or bread, I guess you kinda get used to it, is all!
But if you can, please do check out Inaba. Good stuff, is all I can say!
With all this gorgeous sunshine lately, hope you've had a wonderful and enjoyable weekend! Ours was filled with sunshine, kayaks, beach-front hibachi's, boogie-boards, and kids in sandcastles! Yeah, it's rainy now and for the next couple of days, but who cares? Mr. Bad Day comin' at ya? Who dat?
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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