The House of Noodle, Sanoya

Gyoza

The original plan for the night was to head down to Rock-Za at 6pm for Neil's bachelor party. A night of drinking and strippers, but I got diverted by Hawaiian music and S., my ex. After Gordon Biersch, S. and I met up at a local bar and spent the next few hours hanging out, catching up and skirting around lots of issues. By the time Doc Rhee started calling me at midnight, things were just starting to get interesting. Crap.

The problem is that we're supposed to head back to Ka'a'awa tonight to stay at the beach house. It's a forty minute drive and Doc Rhee is wasted which means he's impatient and belligerent. I'm getting my groove on and he's calling every ten minutes to pick him up at Rock-Za. Can't you just buy a girl in the VIP room to pass out with for a couple of hours?

I mean, it's still early.

For a brief moment, I contemplate smashing my iPhone.

By the time I pick him up outside of Rock-Za, he's wasted. I mean really messed up. I'm surprised he could walk. Happily, he was lucid enough to know when he was going to puke.

But like any trooper, once the puking was done he realized that he was hungry. It was time to eat. It was time to eat ramen.


Doc Rhee and the Sanoya Special - seafood, pork, mixed vegetable with special sauce.

Ramen. It holds a special place in my heart. When you suggest ramen, you don't have to convince me. I'm ready. I'm willing. I'm able. Just don't offer me that Cup O Noodles or freeze-dried crap - I'll puke on you. Give me real ramen noodles and delicious broth. And for late-night ramen in Honolulu, give me Sanoya.

As a comparison, a generic ramen from some sushi or noodle shop in Baltimore costs anywhere from 12 to 16 dollars. And it's usually lame crap. Ramen from Sanoya runs between $5.25 to $9.25 and is the perfect meal any time day or night.

At the heart of ramen is the noodle. It has to be good. Just the right amount of soda. Just the right spring. The perfect size and texture. It has to come together. The noodle is paramount. But that's only the beginning.

You could have the perfect noodle, but it's the broth that is the soul of the ramen. It needs to be deep, complex, satisfying and full of depth and character. Without soul, it falls apart: dead.


My Wontonmen - char siu and wonton.

Sanoya has got that soul. It warms the body and comforts the mind. For Doc Rhee, it eases his pain and reduces the hangover. I've had better ramen in the world, but at one in the morning, Sanoya is just what the doctor ordered.


Sanoya
1785 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
808-947-6065