Monday, July 11, 2016

Kauai - Hamura Saimin


Hamura Saimin was our first eating stop for this trip. The timing was perfect. After checking into our hotel we went straight to Hamura's and arrived there a little after they opened. 

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I had seen a picture of these mochi balls ($2.00) on Yelp and knew exactly where on the counter they'd be. I headed straight for them and grabbed a stick.
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I busted it open even before ordering our food. It was amaaaaaazing . . . lightly coated with a sugary glaze, not too oily, chewy with a little crunch . . . YUMMMM!
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I liked the configuration of the seating. It was nearly empty when we arrived, but it quickly filled up. 

I had seen quite a few negative reviews about the saimin, so I kept my expectations low. Words like "no better than cup o' noodles", "S & S type broth", and "overcooked noodles" had made me wary. Me and Les decided to share a small saimin ($6.00) and a plate of fried noodles ($5.75).  IMG_4192a

Les thought that the saimin was just okay . . . the broth, a bit salty. Me? I loooooooved it!  Almost as good as my favorite Sekiya saimin. Yippeeee!
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The fried noodles was good too. 
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Thanks to Les, we didn't forget to try a slice of the much-lauded Lilikoi Chiffon Pie ($3.25), which was placed on our plate off-center and pointing skyward. This, too, earned a thumbs up!
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Three for three!  Actually, four for four if you include the mochi balls. Already our trip was off to a great start.

12 comments:

Kalin's Mommy said...

Yummy!

jalna said...

Yesssssss, Mich!

Unknown said...

They also make manapua at Hamura's!

Leslie's pics said...

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu mochi balls! That was my favorite. Saimin? meh. pie? yummmmmm! so funny that it was practically falling off the plate :)

Honolulu Aunty said...

SOOO funny, giving the sky ward pointing piece of pie a thumbs up! Now I am ono for saimin!

Mark Shelby said...

Wow! Hard to believe $6.00 bucks for a small saimin! What has happened to Hawaii?

K and S said...

nice!

jalna said...

Now that you mention it, Lorna, I overheard someone order a manapua while we were eating. I remember thinking "manapua?" and then I got distracted and forgot about it.

I guess they totally don't care about presentation yah, Les.

I feel like a Sekiya saimin right now too, Aunty.

Inflation, Mark.

Yah, Kat!

Anonymous said...

j: always wanted to try that place...though I heard folks bringing back just the raw noodles as omiyage cuz it's so good. Was the shiru fish based? Your visit makes me think of going to Kauai for a vacation one day. -N

Anonymous said...

j: BTW oh man you guys wake up early and it's good you found an ideal companion who is also an early riser. You guys really click and I think having an ideal travel companion is so valuable. I use to travel with my girlfriend and once she was asleep she was a rock. She was balled into her blankets and I'd be blasting the a/c cuz I'm always so hot. I'm the restless one and she'd never wake up. We'd wake up later in the a.m. too and that worked great for us. Your memories evoke great memories. BTW are you going to Japan this year? -N

Mark Shelby said...

I make my saimin at home for just $0.99 cents! Granted, the views are not as good! ; )

jalna said...

N, you're right . . . me and Leslie are very compatible travel companions. Our interests are similar so we can spend hours doing things that might bore other people. And we have the exact, same body clock. We are up at the same time, and we are down at the same time. Our differences are actually assets . . . Leslie is the total travel agent person who books and arranges and makes all the travel plans. I'm the one who's not afraid to talk to strangers and ask for help and directions. I do hope that you get to go to Kauai one of these days while it's still a bit rustic. And YES, I am going to Japan this year!! In October!

YOU DA MAN, Mark!