lym

Hamura's for Kauai? Makes one wonder.

sorry for the lateness but i've been away. my favorite is roy's special reserve. but, i'm no expert of beer. my son is embarressed to buy my favorite beer, which is natural light. i'm told that it's a big island beer and hard to find anywhere else. the best beer that i've ever tasted was the beer that i brewed myself. so full of flavor that drinking anything else was a downer...like drinking water. my son got me a kit from the liquor collection, where he worked part time while going to uh manoa. of course, having the stainless sinks, walk in chill etc. made it easy for me. my wife wasn't too happy about the beer fermenting in her office but i thought the aroma was wonderful. unfortunatley, time constraints makes it impractical to brew my own. btw, i'm experimenting with a taegu style tako. feedback so far is good.

my personal favorite is made right here in hilo. mehana beer.

there is a fish in hawaii known as "nabeta". you can't find it at the market as usually, the fishermen keep it for themselves. the interesting thing about this fish is that you don't scale it. you simply clean it, season it and fry it. the skin is so delicious.

we ate there during our last visit to honolulu. we thought it was a bargain. the sashimi was excellent. the "salad bar" by itself would make the price reasonable (the fried ika was really delicious). being able to also order from the menu makes it an exceptional value. my wife enjoyed the miso salmon. the service was quite good.

yes, although i don't know about the "famous" part. but i'm flattered nevertheless. i'm really enjoying reading the many threads on this forum. great job. lym

the idea came out of necessity. there was a place in hilo called "mr. ramen". it was a little pricey but it was also the best that i have ever eaten. he used to make his own soup and noodles. after he closed, i had to look for a way to continue enjoying saimin as instant saimin just doesn't cut it. the idea of using kim chee and a dried scallop was lucky. i don't know what made me try that combination although i used to make an oxtail-kim chee-miso soup which probably contributed to the idea. when i make my personal saimin, i add some dried rosemary leaves and crushed black peppercorns. once in a while, even some chinese parsley and mustard cabbage. we have a lot of prepared and marinated meats which are popular omiyage items as well as usda prime steaks. our registered trademark is "when only the best is good enough!". info can be found in the "omiyage book" under the big island or by emailing me directly.

i'm a saimin lover. it's the dish i miss the most when away form home in hilo, hawaii. went to hamura's in kauai. i think it's over rated. the noodles were overcooked (major sin) and the soup is just ok. same rating for shiro's saimin haven in honolulu. my favorites are the kapiolani coffee shop in the waimalu shopping center and the flamingo restaurant in pearl city (not consistantly good). the best iv'e eaten at a restaurant is at donn's grill in hilo. my all around favorite is the one that i cook myself almost every morning. i get it from a local market and it's packed with kim chee and a dried scallop. i'm kinda embarrased about mentioning this as my wife and i own the market. but it really is delicious. of course, with a dried scallop in it, any soup would be great. digressing but i found out about this great site in the honolulu advertiser this morning.