Sunset meals at Momosan Waikiki
If there’s one thing I love, it’s ramen. So, it’s only natural that I check out the ramen at Momosan Waikiki while on O’ahu. Coming from Vancouver, I’ve had my fair share of ramen—whether it’s Marutama Ra-men, Ramen Danbo, or Santouka, I’ve ventured to many ramen shops on those many grey Pacific Northwest days.
Since O’ahu and many Hawaiian islands are influenced by Japanese culture, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to pair some Tonkatsu ramen with my $2 happy hour beer.
The best appetizer at Momosan Waikiki
Even though I was intimated by this $9 USD softshell bao, I thought it looked cool. I was a bit apprehensive—would it be crunch? Perhaps the shell would be hard to chew through. This was my first softshell bao, so it didn’t really process that any form of crab would be soft … even if its called “softshell.”
The bao was exceptionally soft and fluffy, it felt like I was eating a savoury cake. The crab had the perfect crunch and amazing flavour. I 100% recommend the softshell bao. While it is quite pricey, it’s definitely worth a try once. Or twice. Or thrice. Honestly, I could eat this and I would be satisfied!
Is the ramen good at Momosan Waikiki?
There are about 7 ramens that you can choose from at Momosan—I decided on the Tonkatsu ramen since it seemed to be the most simple of choices. I find the best way to see if a ramen joint can make decent rame is to choose the classic. If they do this right, then their more fancy ones are guaranteed to be good!
While it appears to be simple, the flavour is anything but. I found the ramen has a strong garlic flavour (you vampires out there, stay away!) that is sometimes missing in many broths—so if you’re a garlic fan, definitely choose this one. The noodles are perfectly chewy in a way that makes it extremely satisfying just to munch on them. The pork chashu is full of flavour, full of fatty goodness, and super tender. The kikurage had a nice crunch to it, especially since it looks a bit slimy (like some mushrooms do). I was surprised I liked the kikurage since I am very anti-mushroom. It’s safe to say the only reason I liked this was because it didn’t taste like mushrooms at all!
Now, the most surprising part was the aji-tama. Usually, I avoid eggs in my ramen (I know, you’re probably thinking WTF?) but this time I was wanting more. The aji-tama was cooked to perfection: the yolk wasn’t too runny, wasn’t too “egg-y” and wasn’t too hard either. I’m thinking that it has a lot to do with the way they boil the egg with chashu and soy.
Another cool thing about ramen places, like Momosan, is the concept of Kae-Dama; also known as asking for a refill on noodles! Don’t hesitate to ask for Kae-Dama as they are more than happy to oblige, at an extra price of course. 🙂
Would I recommend Momosan?
There are many options for restaurants and activities on O’ahu. Whether you decide to surf on the North Shore, swim around at Lanikai Beach or just sunbathe your entire holiday on the beach— the options are endless. But if there’s one thing that I truly recommend to those who love ramen is that you make a pit stop at Momosan, especially during happy hour. Because hey, where else can you find beer for $2?
Have you visited Waikiki? Where else do you recommend?
Mahalo, and aloha!
