Saimin
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Shige's in Wahiawa earns its keep with freshly-made noodles and a home-made dashi broth. |
When hungry plantation workers came back from the sugarcane fields, they needed hot, filling meals that were inexpensive and could be eaten regularly. They found it in this creation that is now offered in most local-style eateries on the island. Chinese egg noodles were placed inside of a Japanese dashi (bonito and seaweed) broth, along with many other items according to what was available. Today, you can find a whole chop suey (mix) of items added. There is kamaboko (fishcake), char siu or roast pork, spam, Chinese cabbage, mustard cabbage, green onions, pork-filled won tons, or the leftovers of whatever you had last night! The noodles are firm and chewy, bathing in a genuine home-made, dashi-flavored broth, as opposed to the cheap powdered bases of packaged saimin found today at the grocery store (and even many restaurants!).
Most people think it is a given to add shoyu and black pepper to a bowl of saimin, as well as a separate, nasal-opening sauce mix of hot mustard and shoyu that is incrementally added to each mouthful. It is a ritual that can often be messy and tedious at first – dipping wet noodles or other items plucked from the broth into your mustard sauce is not as easy as it seems! This is not always necessary, however, as the best saimin houses, like the first several entries listed in this section, have broth recipes that are rich and flavorful by themselves and are closely-guarded secrets handed down many generations. I cannot tell you how many there are out there, including myself at one time, who continue to discount and mistake the common variety of today's saimin with the old-fashioned goodness found only at these few precious spots. Da Big Boy'z that I mention have been open since way back when and have not changed, while unfortunately, most everyone else has! I’d say they could stand up to a good bowl of Vietnamese pho or Japanese ramen any day!
Da Big Boy’z: Shige’s, by a hair, then Nakai Saimin by another hair. The two-way battle for third place is Old Saimin House and Palace Saimin.
| Fried saimin is another great way to go, and Shige's is one of the best places on the island to find it! |
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Shige’s Saimin Stand. A Closer look. 70 Kukui st. at the Wahiawa Mall in Wahiawa. 621-3621. Lunch and dinner daily except closed on Sunday, Friday and Saturday open till midnight. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. The best saimin houses do not overload their bowls with too much veggies, meats, and other clutter, and at Shige’s you’ll find only light garnishings of kamaboko, spam, char-siu, and green onion. This showcases the home-made, noticeably different noodles, which are whiter in color and come in strips that are straight (not crinkly) and flattened. The broth is clear but tinged slightly brown, and is packed with a strong, delicious dashi flavor, while the fried saimin is broth-less, but the concentration of dashi is even stronger, and I always have a difficult time deciding between the two. The burgers are also very good – juicy, plump, and definitely not from a frozen pre-made patty, as evidenced by the broken edges and done in the manner of the old-fashioned saimin/burger houses. I recommend the straight cheeseburgers instead of teri-burgers, which come with an overly sweet teriyaki sauce. I was duly impressed with the taste of both the saimin and the burgers, making this my favorite saimin stop on the island. Tucked away in a tiny mall, you won’t find it unless you’re looking. When entering Wahiawa from the H-1 freeway direction you probably don’t want to take a difficult left turn on a busy Kam highway, so instead make a U-turn by using the traffic light to turn left on Olive st., then a quick succession of rights on Ohai st., (Shige’s is within sight on this pass but you will be on the wrong side of a one-way access), California ave., back to Kam Hwy., and then almost immediately into the mall.
The entire menu at the very casual and charming Palace Saimin, along with their specialty!
Palace Saimin Stand. A Closer Look. 1256 N. King st. in Kalihi. 841-9983. Lunch Tuesday-Saturday. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday also open for dinner from 8pm -11:30pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. Parking outside store. Prices: $. Map. You can tell by the odd hours, limited parking and service, and small menu that this old-time store is beyond casual. There is even a coin-operated coke machine for drinks, unless you want to serve yourself water from the dispenser provided. You won’t find it difficult deciding what to eat here. You can get a choice of saimin, won ton mein, udon, and teriyaki beef sticks – that’s it! The saimin is great, the won ton is plump and home-made, and the beef sticks are a worthy side dish, coming in a simple, char-broiled, teriyaki flavor.
Old Saimin House. 1311 N. King St. in Kalihi. 842-7697. Lunch and dinner daily except closed Sunday and Monday. Parking outside store. Prices: $. Map. The sign out front says “since 1963,” and it is called the “Old” Saimin House, but there are always a bunch of young guys working there, from the servers to the kitchen staff. They are deserving of the name, though, as this is the kind of saimin that reminds me of my grandma’s! Simple, dashi-strong broth with firm, slightly crinkly noodles that are bold in flavor. I was even more impressed with the delicious fried noodles, which were, like the saimin, garnished lightly with spam, char-siu pork, green onions, kamaboko, and a tiny bit of cabbage. Besides a few different noodle-soups, the only other things you can get here are bbq sticks and a simple mixed plate of musubi, spam, bbq sticks, and mac salad.
| Won ton dumplings are often placed in hot bowls of steaming saimin, like in this bowl at the excellent Nakai Saimin. |
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Nakai Saimin. A Closer Look. 1329 Nuuanu Ave. right outside Downtown Honolulu. 531-9000. Lunch and dinner daily, except closed on Wednesday. Parking on street or behind building, but only one stall! Prices: $. Map. This little cubby hole of a place began with mom and pop out in Haleiwa, and now continues on in very much the same fashion. As many of the best saimin houses, they make both their broth, a select blend of fish and vegetables, and their noodles, made right in the kitchen, from scratch and with a select blend of ingredients found nowhere else. The noodles here are flat, much like Shige’s in Wahiawa, come with a very silky consistency, and are perfectly al dente and firm. The dining room is very small, parking is tough (only one designated slot behind building or on street), and cards are only excepted after $15, but the home-made taste and character of this saimin is definitely not to be missed!
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New Forty-Niner is a hole-in-the-wall in Pearl City with a great bowl of saimin, or fried saimin, as pictured here with a side of garlic chicken. |
The New Forty Niner. A Closer Look. 98-110 Honomau st. in Pearl City. 484-1940. Weekdays from 5am-2pm, weekends from 7am-2pm. Parking in small lot mauka of store, on Honomau st. Prices: $. Map. New Forty Niner was that old, dirty looking building we’ve seen since forever on our way to the State’s second largest shopping center, Pearl Ridge. It was recently renovated and re-opened under different ownership, but the new owner and Chef, Will Cordez, still gets tutoring by the former owners to make sure the taste remains the same. It used have a really run-down look that would intimidate most people, but the new facility is a lot more inviting than it has been historically, believe me. Despite the change, you can still get old-fashioned burgers and large bowls of saimin or fried saimin using recipes that are passed on from generations ago.
Shiro’s Saimin Haven. 3 locations; 98-020 Kamehameha Hwy. at the Waimalu S.C. in Pearl City (map shown), 488-4834; 91-191 Ft. Weaver Rd. at the Ewa Beach S.C., 689-0999; and 94-256 Waipahu Depot Rd., 676-2088. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Prices: $. Map. The ever eccentric, fun-loving Shiro Matsuo is always busy even 60+ years after founding this restaurant family. We’re not sure if he’s better known for saimin or his quirky, but very positive-messaged poems, which are posted all over the walls of his restaurants and the frequent advertisements you’ll see in the local newspapers. He is a little bundle of aloha, even earning the title “Statesman of Goodwill of Hawaii” by Governor Linda Lingle. Unlike most other saimin stands, Shiro’s boasts a very large menu, including dozens of different saimin choices alone, although I actually think that the saimin one of their weak points. I’d rather order the good-sized burgers, chicken katsu, teriyaki sticks of beef or chicken, large pancakes, omelets, beef stew, and other such items, all found at excellent prices. Watch out for the shrimp tempura - it looks good but tastes horrible! The very heavy batter is super thick and mushy inside. The waitresses are usually friendly and cheerful in a local-style, motherly type of way - one of them even told me to make sure I finish my veggies!
Dillingham Saimin. 1425 Dillingham Blvd. in Kalihi. 841-7233. Lunch and dinner daily, except closed 4pm on Sunday. Parking behind building. Prices: $. Map. The old Boulevard Saimin has now become Dillingham Saimin, although nothing has really changed at all, including the location! They still sit in the two-story building in Kalihi, and still carry all your favorite local grinds like chicken katsu, teri beef, mahimahi, burgers, sandwiches, and, of course, saimin! When the late founder of Foodland, Maurice Sullivan, brought Ray Kroc right here at this very location to try the saimin, the founder of the largest food chain in the world was convinced enough to introduce the popular Hawaiian dish to all of his Hawaii outlets!
| A spacious, clean, modern dining room and a wide variety of local grinds at Tanaka Saimin. |
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Tanaka Saimin. A Closer Look. 888 N. Nimitz Hwy. in Iwilei. 524-2020. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Parking fronting Store. Prices: $$. Map. Tanaka Saimin is an off-shoot run by family members from Dillingham (formerly Boulevard) Saimin just up the street. Menu items are very similar, but the biggest difference is the modern, new dining facility, which is spacious, clean, and very comfortable. Parking can sometimes be difficult, as the lot outside fills quickly. Burgers, unlike in most saimin houses, are decently large and come with a denser, almost ciabatta-like bun. Though the saimin here isn’t the greatest, I recommend it over their fried saimin, which is dry and bland. Other local favorites like chicken katsu, teri chicken, beef sticks, and more are also found.
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