In a Bowl, on Wheels, Off to Flavortown!

I was hangin' with my brother and our friend Eric yesterday; we decided to go get something to eat because that's our favourite past time.

And it was about 10:30pm and our palates and stomaches were being tortured watching Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate." (And of course there's Guy Fieri of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," whose job we are all secretly coveting... if only it didn't come with the bleach blonde hair and its tool-y disposition).

After making consulting with the crystal ball that is Yelp for a late-night eatery, we decided to make a trip to Asa Ramen, a hole-in-the way ramen shop in the South Bay. It was the last night all three of us were in the same city, so why not grab so local eats!

We were really lucky to have gotten there on the first go as the place is really easy to miss. The shop sign is also in Japanese kanji, which we can barely read. Venturing a guess, we turned out to be right. The restaurant side (I think the other half of the place is a bar) was starting to fill up with its late night patrons so we were seated at the bar. The menu was thankfully short (two ramens with an assortment of takoyaki--fried octopus with various toppings), with big enough writing for the dimly-lit establishment, and reading Yelp reviews made ordering even easier!

"3 Koterri Ramen please!"

I usually smell the food before I eat it--it's just a habit--and I couldn't wait to sip the fragrant broth even though I'm pretty sure they just spooned it out of a boiling hot pot. It tasted just as good as it smelled! Eric told us that "koterri" means "rich," as in "rich in flavour." The seasoning was amazing, having absorbed all the flavour that the sliced pork has to offer (when eating ramen, one of the pillars of judgment is the taste of the broth). It really is one of the best, if not the best, broths I've had in ramen ever! Being both flavourful and tasty, there was a lot of body to the broth, it wasn't oily and the green onions held its hand like an old friend! As a comfort food, there wasn't a crazy lot of dimension to the broth, but that's not what you're looking for in comfort food anyways. Though nice and light, the broth is the statement in the ramen!

The noodles were cooked al dente and are probably made in the shop. The toppings on the ramen were modest, containing plenty of chopped green onions, two slices of pork and sliced bamboo, which I really enjoyed. The bowl cost about $6 (one can upgrade to a large size for an additional $2). Asa is modest in size: when we left, there was a line going out the door. If you do plan a trip there, I would recommend going with a small party, as it's a more intimate eatery. Overall, it was a pleasant eating experience and I am definitely planning on making a trip to Asa Ramen again!

Loco Motion

Loco moco is a Hawaiian food that is just about as local as you can get; it's got the basics of what I define to be Hawaiian food (starch + meat + gravy). The classic loco moco is comprised a hamburger patty on top of a bed of white sticky rice which is topped by an egg (usually done sunny side up, although most places will ask you how you want it done). Lastly, and nearly most importantly, is the gravy. Certain joints will home-cook their own gravy and others will use instant gravy from the package. Though quite primitive in concept, every loco moco is different and my brothers and I have been on the hunt for the perfect loco. Maybe I'll ask them to guest blog about their legend of the loco sometime. ;)

It's definitely comfort food, but something that everyone should try at least once. It's really simple, but the quality of the different components can alter the overall experience enormously! If you live in Hawaii or are making a trip there, I recommend a few places for this local delight. Though many people have disputes over the originators of the loco moco, I give the claim to a place I grew up with: Cafe 100 in Hilo, Hawaii.

Cafe 100 offers the original loco in addition to different takes on the original, using spam, smokies, Portuguese sausage, tempura salmon, cutlet (battered and deep fried chicken fillet), shoyu pork (pork marinated and cooked in soy sauce), etc... The Kilauea loco has just about ALL of these in one loco platter. Cafe 100 also offers a slew of other popular plate lunches, soups, teriyaki bowls and grinds for the keiki (kids' meals). To top it all off, all of these are offered at extremely affordable prices! Doesn't get any better!

Tex's, which is nearly smack in between Hilo and Waikoloa on the Big Island, is one of the best loco's I've had locally. Tex's is the home of the malasada, a local favourite. A malasada is a pastry, much like a doughnut, covered in sugar and with the option of a creme or jelly filling (chocolate, bavarian creme, mango, guava, apple, lemon, etc...). Best eaten hot. Back to the subject at hand. The loco moco at Tex's has an awesome gravy and a great patty (Tex's also does burgers pretty really well, so this is expected, I suppose).

Ken's Pancake House, also in Hilo, has a mean loco moco too; it's a nicer place for a meal and is a bit more expensive, but the quality of the loco is also true to the tastiness of the original. My brother recommends the teri beef loco. Also recommended: oxtail stew and tripe stew.

Now, on the mainland, there are two Hawaiian restaurants I recommend in LA. Both staffed by Hawaiian natives, TNT's and Bruddah's serve up large locos to their customers with plenty of aloha! Other dishes at these restaurants that I recommend are Bruddah's beef/oxtail stew and their lau lau platter (if they haven't run out) and TNT's fried rice, the stir fried saimin and the Aloha Royale.

For my next quest, I'm off to hit the Hilo Farmer's Market (another childhood haunt of mine) and the new and much heard-of Puff City. See you witty slickers soon!