6/13/08 - Yes, mom is still grieving over her cat. It's been, like, a week or so and she's still feeling lost. Today we ended up picking up the ashes, and I knew she would end up being super-sad all over again. I guess it's just all in the process.
Me, I'm completely different when it comes to pets. Some people love cats, some dogs, and some even chinchilla's. My favorite pet was a mudskipper. Watching them skip, hop, flare their fins, and lunge at their food like that was the coolest thing ever! Either that or the Samoan crab we plucked right out of the water from the Hawaii Kai marina. The only thing is, when the bigger ones look at you, boy, can you sense the anger. The only pets that hated me more (or at least showed it!) was those darn mangooses. Have you ever heard one of those things bark and hiss and stare you down before? It's something awful, let me tell you!
In my feeble, week-old attempts to make mom feel better, wifey and I have been taking her out more often, even if just for a nice drive. Today wifey was working so I took mom myself to Jimbo, a shop that specializes in udon, a type of Japanese noodle. I'm not especially fond of the thick, white, wheat-based noodle but it sure does hit the spot for the two special someone's in my life.
Entrance shot of Jimbo on S. King st.
The parking lot is a bit on the smaller side and is also shared with both Kochi restaurant/grill and Gulick Delicatessen, so be forewarned. The dining room is not the biggest, either, but it is clean and comfortable, with a decor that features woven bamboo mats on the roof, hanging Japanese lanterns, and modern Oriental artwork, all done in good taste.
A comfortable setting.
Although udon is the featured item, it is not the only thing they do right. There are donburi bowls, tempura, curry, soba, tonkatsu, yakisoba, and more. The first page of the menu lists the different combo meals, each of which come with a mini-udon bowl and a slew of different items like the ones we just mentioned above. I went with a combo set of udon with chicken curry that also included a small salad. The greens didn't consist of arugula or endive or fancy Waimanalo Greens, but the clean, presentable way in which it came made it so much more pleasurable to receive and partake of.
The starter item on my combo meal.
One of the two main dishes on my set was a chicken curry. The first thing I noticed about this particular dish was how pretty it was, coming in a golden brown, slightly yellowish tinge and a "shiny" appearance that was very attractive. It was super-clean, reminding me a little of Curry House Coco Ichibanya, but definitely more complex and "natural-tasting," as if more real meat and vegetables elements were incorporated in. Needless to say, it was delicious. Oh, and those red chunks you see on the rice are called fukushin-zuke, a colored, pickled daikon that is often served as a part-garnish and part-side dish with Japanese curry.
Prettiest shade of brown I've seen in a while!
The udon portion of my meal came a little different than the standard udon most people are used to. First of all, I requested it with thin noodles, and second, I asked for it cold. This (the cold) meant it would come with a separate dipping sauce that was from a dark shoyu base instead of a broth.
If anyone tells you that a noodle is a noodle, don't believe them. Jimbo, like other quality places like Matsugen and Inaba, make their noodles fresh daily, and it makes a huge difference in every way. They come brighter, shinier, smoother, and most importantly, better tasting! I really savored the chewy, yet not mushy in the least bit noodles, whose flavors and textures could really be appreciated by the minimal interference, or rather, subtle enhancement, of the simple dipping sauce. I guarantee you the next time I come, I will get this dish in the larger size instead of this smaller, combination-size bowl.
Only wish I had a larger portion!
And here is a shot of my entire set. The small, dark bowl in the center is not miso soup, but the dipping sauce.
Quite impressive.
Mom's order was a combination udon and tempura set. She also ordered a side of gomoku rice, which means five-ingredient rice. Unlike our local fried rice, which is flavored after cooking and usually made with day-old rice, the rice in gomoku is literally cooked in its flavorings, which is made from a broth of chicken, mushrooms, gobo, konyakku, and a variety of other ingredients. I'm sure it sometimes goes over five, but who cares! While most fried rice is often considered a way to salvage rice that is beginning to turn, gomoku is made with fresh rice of a better quality. It certainly showed here with moms bowl, shown in the next pic.
Just remember, it didn't come with her combination set! What did was a small basket of shrimp and vegetable tempura and a serving of tsukemono, or pickled vegetables. The shrimp was smaller than it was bigger, but it was light, crunchy, and not overcooked as a good tempura should be. You know, I'm really getting to like this place. I know these are moms dishes, but you know I always end up having to assist her in finishing, gentleman that I am. And she never likes the large piece of nasubi, or eggplant, that shrimp tempura often comes with, anyway, so I gotta help her out.
Mom's order, minus the udon.
The final player of the day was, finally, the traditional style of udon that came with mom's set. With my thin udon noodles, you could really feel the firm yet soft and chewy texture, but with the thicker variety, the integrity of the noodle stood out even further! It was also funny how the noodles are not only thick, but long - try taking a single strand into your mouth and slurping, and it won't end until you have a decent-sized portion of starch in your mouth! Like I said, I'm normally not a fan of udon, but I can really appreciate the quality that came with these bowls of noodle.
The broth was typical of traditional Japan - the deep flavor of katsuoboshi (dried bonito flakes), which, along with konbu(dried kelp), are the two main bases for soups and sauces in Japanese cooking. The blocks of dried bonito (a fish that resembles, but is not actually, a tuna) are smoked, steamed, or otherwise fired up, dried, and stored in a dark place repeatedly in a process that can take up to 6 months or more! As you can imagine, there is a film of mold that grows around the fish, which is often taken off before use but sometimes not. Not that that much care will be given to the ones you find at the grocery store, by the way. Like most things these days, the old ways are seldom used anymore.
Udon - sorry for the ugly glare, I'm still getting used to my new camera!
The more I go to Jimbo, the more I like it. This is one of those places that will always draw a crowd because it consistently brings a high level of quality found not only in the udon, but in the rice, the tempura, the curry, the katsu, and just about everything else! I sometimes hear people say the $7-$10 price for a bowl of udon, compared with a couple bucks or even less for a grocery store variety, is out of hand. It is true, in a way, but it all depends on your own personal preference and the kinds of foods you are used to eating. Some have an appreciation for finer things and are willing to pay for it, while others don't really know the difference. This store is definitely for those who do. And if you are one of those who do, when it comes to udon, Jimbo is about as good as it gets.
Have a wonderful day! And say a pray for mom, please! Thanks!
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