I'm off this week for a three-part root canal! No work is good & bad, because it's like a mini-vacation but.. I'll have a hefty bill to pay when all this is over! At least I'll be able to chew on both sides of my mouth, which has to count for something, especially in someone who loves food as much as I do. I am trying to use this time wisely.. to blog, clean the house, & do other things that I haven't had the chance to get to. Anyway, lets get started!
Lately, I've been having a conversation with
Nameless, a fellow soba-enthusiast, over one of my photos & was inspired to share a little more about this series. This beautiful gem of a restaurant,
Matsugen, is located on the back side of the new beach walk in Waikiki, 255 Beachwalk Ave. just next door to the wonderful
Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin- known for their katsu sandwiches- but that's another story. The prices here are very reasonable (8.80-$18.50 soba; $4.50-$9.50 appetizers.)
depending on what you order so.. If you haven't gone yet, you now have no excuse! Here are some tips to ensure your slurping:
- Timing is everything! & this place closes in the afternoon, so time your visit thusly!
Their weird hours are as follows: 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. then 5:30 - 10 p.m. Daily
- This place is usually packed, especially for dinner. You can chance it, which I like to do, or go ahead & make reservations. (808) 926-0255
- If it's your first time, request a seat at the soba bar so you can watch them roll out & hand cut the noodles!
Now let's talk about the food! I think the freshness & quality of the ingredients is what first makes their dishes so special. The veggies are local, when possible, & the buckwheat is flown in from Japan, for an authentic taste. This place is great, even by Japanese standards. A peek inside will reveal predominantly Japanese clientele, so dining here is like being let in on a secret, a taste of Nippon, right here in Hawaii.
We started with a Maui Onion Salad.. succulent tomato segments, paper-thin sliced sweet Maui onion, in a very light dressing over a small bed of spring greens. There's a very good chance that everything in this salad was grown in Hawaii; Nalo Greens, Maui Onion, Hamakua Tomato.. Hmm.. I almost can't remember if there was dressing, or just olive oil; the flavors of the veggies shown through so well. If you haven't had an onion salad before, don't over look this one. The onion is more of a sweet pop contrasted by the tomato, verses a jump-kick to the face, as one might imagine upon hearing the word 'Onion'.
I had the Tempura Soba, which may sound traditional or even simple, but was equal parts mind-blowing & orgasmic. A crispy-on-the-outside-juicy-on-the-inside assortment of shrimp & veggies (maybe even a shiso leaf in there?) were welcomed into my mouth with amazing speed. I loved dunking the tempura & noodles into my amazing little cup of joy.. er.. broth. This simple broth elevates the already perfect soba noodles to great heights. There is so much flavor in it, it's almost hard not to drool as you slurp the noodles up. Going back to the noodles, it might be kind of hard to beat freshly hand made, & further more, perfectly cooked. The texture of the noodles was soft without being soggy, firm without being al dente, just a treat to chew on.
My date had Tororo Soba, or soba with a grated yam dipping sauce, verses the standard tsuyu. I think the yams may be soaked in vinegar & water to help break down some of the salt or acids in the vegetable. This helps a pleasantly slimy texture form when the yam is grated. I don't know what it is about this smily potato stuff, but I love it. Sometimes it's served with a raw egg, lots of times there will be thin nori strips in it. Chiba-ken serves it with pieces fresh ahi sashimi floating around in it. I like mixing wasabi into mine. Just dip & slurp, slurp, slurp! Those who are into texture may love this, or may need some time to get used to it. It's kind of something you just have to try & figure out for yourself, but I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't good. Besides, everything at this soba spot is fantastic!
At the end of your meal you get a special treat. They bring out a small tea pot of the water used to cook your noodles, soba-yu, which you pour into your soba broth or tsuyu. The result? A soul-satisfying soup I wish I could have everyday for breakfast. It fills up all the empty spots in your belly & floats your subconscious up, up, up! To a beautiful cloud called Contentment where you can rest in bliss for a few eternities before coming back down to earth. I suggest not making any major decisions during this time, but if you are trying to get someone else to make a major decision in your favor, take them to this restaurant!
I remember a dessert menu.. that's right. We truly ended out meal by finishing up our tea & munching on some delicious peanut powder covered Warabi Mochi. There was also a rich, dark sauce that went over them.. was it black bean maybe? It had a sort of molasses taste to it, very nice. As for the rice cakes themselves, they were oh so soft, sticky beneath their coating, & warm! Yum!
I heard the 'Kobe' wasn't that good. & the service was kind of blah because a lot of the staff was very young, but after my waiter heard me bitch a little about that, he shaped up & took great care of us. Which was a little rude of me, but just play it by ear.
I give this place 5 out of 5!
I'm kind of hungry now.. maybe to celebrate my new dental work I'll have dinner at Matsugen! Iki masu ka?!
Stay full!
j.
Kitchen Terminology Used Today
Ahi- Ahi refers to two species, bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares).
(http://www.hawaii-seafood.org/yellowfin.html)
Al Dente- Pasta & (less commonly) rice that has been cooked so as to be firm but not hard. "Al dente" also describes vegetables that are cooked to the "tender crisp" phase - still offering resistance to the bite, but cooked through. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_dente)
Nori- Thin seaweed pressed into sheets and most often used as the wrap around sushi.
(http://www.chefkati.com/Glossary.html)
Mochi- Japanese rice cake.
Sashimi- Sashimi is thinly sliced, raw seafood. Many different kinds of fresh fish & seafood are served raw in the Japanese Cuisine. Sashimi, while similar to sushi, is distinct for its absence of vinegered rice. When slices of fish are served on top of a small ball of rice, it is called nigiri zushi.
(http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2044.html)
Tsuyu- A Japanese soy-based sauce flavored with dried bonito and used for dipping cold Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba). Somen tsuyu is used for vermicelli (somen).
(http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=814)
Wasabi- A Japanese horseradish that is dried, powdered, and made into a pale green paste with a sharp, pungent, extremely potent flavor. Often mixed with soy sauce and served as a condiment to sushi, sashimi, and other Japanese specialties.
(http://nbez.biz/cookingi.shtml)