GoGo noodles

Auntie Judy sent us the entertainment pages of the Honolulu newspaper and inside was an article that featured Gazen Izakaya as a new and upcoming hot spot. The review sounded good so I thought it was worth a try. I was excited to try a new restaurant. When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was that it was rather dark, the lights were very dim and French music was playing. This place screamed new and trendy. As with most izakayas I’ve been to, the menu was quite extensive, they offered everything from homemade tofu, deep fried seafood, robata grilled meats & vegetables, sushi and sashimi, etc. You get the idea…they had A LOT of stuff. They also had a nice variety of sake! I am by no means a sake connoisseur so it was great that the host was quite knowledgeable and patient in helping us pick out a good sake. We ended up ordering about 6-7 dishes between two people which was more than we could finish. The sashimi was ok…and so was everything else. They had ramen and yakisoba but it was nothing special….they had however, a cold udon dish that looked interesting. Turns out it was ok too…the noodles tasted undercooked and was too chewy and hard in the center. The flavor of the broth was interesting because it was cold and I liked the little fried tempura batter bits. The best part of this whole experience was by far, the homemade tofu. We ordered the sampler and it was incredible. Three types of tofu to be enjoyed 3 different ways…it was quite an experience and so fun. All in all Gazen has great ambiance but is a little off in terms of their food so I have mixed feelings about this place just because of the tofu. I appreciate the modern twist they put on traditional foods but it seldom works…for me anyways. I love izakayas because they are generally open late, have lots of good drinks for decent prices and serve a small plates so you can taste a little bit of a lot of things. I would come back just for the tofu and sake and I probably try the yakisoba but could pass on everything else.

Gazen Izakaya
2840 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-737-0230

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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There are not a lot of Japanese curry houses in the bay area which is unfortunate. That’s why we love eating here when we are in Honolulu. It’s a great place for a quick and inexpensive meal. I like sitting at the counter because it’s fun to watch the cooks in action. In addition to rice, the menu offers a variety of items to accompany your curry like tonkatsu, fried chicken, wakame, corn, kurobuta pork sausage, assorted fresh mushrooms, fried fish, gyoza, calamari and even cheese! You have the option of mild or spicy curry which is not that spicy. Of course, my favorite is the curry udon with an added egg. The noodles are soft and chewy and the consistency of the curry is slightly thinner than the curry plates but still rather thick just the way it should be.

Coco Ichiban Curry House
1960 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96805
(808) 949-4590

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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This is one of our favorite restaurants in Waikiki, especially when we want to take a break from Japanese food. There have been times when we have eaten here 2-3 times a week. We’ve enjoyed everything from the appetizers to the entrees. My favorite entree was the lobster spaghetti (which is amazing) until uni spaghetti appeared on the menu!! If you are an uni lover – yes – it is as amazing as it sounds. As always, their spaghetti was perfectly al dente and their tomato sauce is thick and tastes like it’s been simmering for hours. The sweet, nutty richness of uni mingles perfectly with spaghetti. Genius.

Arancino
2155 Kalakaua Ave # 320
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-4405

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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