Ohana Ramen – Kunia Shopping Center

March is National Noodle Month, so I knew I had to seek out some ramen. With all the ramen places out there, it can get difficult to choose. What I think people forget about, though, is that ramen doesn’t have to be ~fancy~. In fact, most Japanese nationals will tell you that ramen is supposed to be something cheap and fast. “But where do I get that in a place like Hawaii where everything is expensive?” Look no further than your local shopping centers. This time, I decided to visit Ohana Ramen in Kunia Shopping Center. I had never been here before, but if you’ve been to a Daiichi, Ramen-ya, or Ezogiku, you’ll feel right at home.

Here’s what I got:

I don’t know if you can tell from this photo, but these portions were huge. The plates were the size of both my hands put together and they had A LOT of weight to them.

Since it’s National Noodle Month, let’s talk about the hiyashi chuka first.

Hiyashi chuka, AKA cold ramen, is exactly what it sounds like. Kind of like a somen salad, it’s ramen noodles with a bunch of toppings and a sauce. The one from Ohana Ramen has sliced cucumber, red ginger, chashu pork, half a boiled egg, menma (bamboo shoots), and blanched bean sprouts. The sauce is a light shoyu-base: slightly sweet, a little sesame oil, and some shoyu. It was such a refreshing lunch on a hot day. I couldn’t finish it and had it as one more meal later on.

Next, let’s talk a little about the chicken katsu curry.

When I said this plate was heavy, I meant to say it was H E A V Y. My friend decided to try the chicken katsu curry. Once it came out, we both smiled at each other and started laughing because he’s supposed to be on a diet. We kept joking that there was probably an entire chicken on his plate. I mean, look at how many pieces of katsu there are! I think I counted about 14 on the top and a few more on the bottom. There was also a ton of rice and they weren’t skimping on the sauce. If you’re really hungry, this is the thing to order from here. You can probably eat this four times.

When checking out, we were shocked to see that this entire meal (or should I say meals) was less than $25. When I’m hungry and on a budget, I now remember where I should be looking.

Ohana Ramen is located in the Kunia Shopping Center. Which dish would you try?