Rai Rai Ramen

A late night at the office led to dinner at Rai Rai Ramen with a couple of friends.  I had heard quite a number of things both good and bad about the food here, but I decided that I needed to find out for myself.

When we arrived at 8:30 pm, there was only one other person here and by the way she spoke with the waitress, she seemed to be a regular here.  The shop was clean and brightly lit and there were menus on all the tables under glass which made for easy reading.

After looking over the menu, two of us decided to try the kim chee ramen (US$6.50).

When the ramen arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a lot of kim chee in the bowl.  This was my first time eating kim chee ramen, so I was quite excited to see what it would taste like.  Let's just say that after the first few sips of the broth, the excitement went away.  I don't know if it was the kim chee, or if it was the broth itself, but it was quite salty.  The kim chee gave the broth a bit of sour spiciness, which was OK.  I just don't think it worked well with the miso-based broth this time.  The two of us agreed that the kim chee ramen was not something we would order again.

My other friend at the table decided to have the mabo tofu yakisoba (US$6.25).

I've never had yakisoba with mabo tofu before and neither had my friend, but then again, that's why this was interesting.  I was told that the mabo tofu was not spicy enough, but that it went quite well with the yakisoba. 

The three of us also decided to split a six piece side order of gyoza (6 pieces US$3.25; 4 pieces US$2.50).

After mixing up some dipping sauce with vinegar, shoyu and hot chilli oil, I was ready.  These gyoza were plump, nicely filled and steam fried just right.  The filling, which was made of minced pork was quite tasty, however, I felt the gyoza skins were just a little on the thick side.   

The ramen here at Rai Rai wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding either -- it was just so-so.  Maybe I can be blamed for the choice that I made, but I honestly think that if you do something, you should do it well.  The mabo tofu yakisoba was OK, but could have used a lot more heat (according to my friend).  The gyoza was also OK, but could have been prepared with a thinner skin.  The prices were on par with most of the other ramen shops in town (or maybe slightly lower) and the service was OK as well.  This was definitely a dinner that left me wanting just a little more of everything.

Rai Rai Ramen
760 Kapahulu Avenue
Telephone:  808.737.3877

Comments

[milgwimper]

Reid,

I'm so sorry the kimchi ramen was so terrible. Actually I like the miso broth ramen with kimchi, but I am careful to check the broth. Someplaces I can't have the two together *sigh*, but when the broth is good, and then we reach a happy place. ;> The mapo toful yakisoba, that is interesting, and was it spicy? From the photograph it doesn't look spicy. Hmmm...

[Reid]

Hi Milgwimper,

My you're quick! =)

The kim chee ramen wasn't terrible, it just didn't impress me much. I honestly think they used a bit too much miso in the broth. The mabo tofu yakisoba was definitely interesting, but not at all spicy...too bad. It was a great concept dish that wasn't executed like it should have been.

[AugustusGloop]

Aww. I feel for you Reid. Nothing worse than having a disappointing meal.

Oh well. Just means your next meal will taste doubly good!

[Trisha]

I only went to this place once. Nothing stood out so I never thought about going again. A good ramen place is Taiyo Ramen and ofcourse Nakamura, which you already commented on. :)

[Kirk]

Reid - That Mapo-tofu looked really pale, doesn't look like it would carry any taste to the "ramen" very strange "fusion". So let's see, best case scenario, the kimchee would make the ramen into hot and sour soup ramen? Too bad it didn't live up to expectations.

[Transparent Reality]

Well, the thing that amazes me the most is how perfect looking the tofu is on the mapo tofu yakisoba. I refuse to believe that's silken tofu! :O

I agree, disappointing meals are well - disappointing.

Allen

[keiko]

Hi Reid - kim chee & miso broth! Mabo tofu & yakisoba! Hmm, it's very adventurous, I must say...

[Jo]

I agree with Allen regarding the Mabo Tofu Photo, it is a very appealing presentation. As we all know, some of us appreciate "No Heat" =oP

[Julia]

Sorry to hear about the kim chee ramen. But the gyoza and mapo tofu yakisoba are very nicely presented. I'm also very impressed by the intact tofu cubes!

[sarah]

it all looks pretty, but like kirk commented, both look sort of pale. i like anything with kimchee to be red-hot. mapo tofu was one of the first things i ever made in my college apartment kitchen (from a package) and that too, needs to be smokin'!

[Big BoK]

Awww..! sorry about your ok overall meal.. :(

[Will Lee]

Why does everyone apologize to Reid for a bad meal, as if his dog (no this is not a Korean reference,speaking of the kimchee) died or something? It's not like any of us haven't had bad meals at least 1-2 times a week. :) I mean, in his review of restaurants, this comes with the territory people!!!

Just kidding. That mapo tofu does like very appealing though. I do want to try for myself the mapo tofu/soba combination.

Will

[jupiter]

Rai Rai == MEH!

Yea, it's not exactly junk but it isn't anything exciting also...I don't think there is any "local" ramen place that excites me...I wonder why?

[Jo]

Well Will Lee, I think we all feel kinda sad no matter who eats the less than perfect meal. Sorta like the communal taste buds go into mourning... ::grin:: They cry out in sorrow! oh geez... listen at me... =o)

[Kirk]

Yes, we all "eat with our eyes", vicariously sharing the meals that Reid consumes! Doesn't sound as appetizing, when defined that way does it? Hmmmm, let me think of a better way of saying it......

[Reid]

Hi AG,

I think you're right because the next meal was really, really good. This meal wasn't so much bad as it was just average. Nothing exciting is what it was.

Hi Trisha,

You're right about the nothing standing out here. I guess that's why I felt so "blah" about it. If I go back, I go back. If not, then oh well.

Hi Kirk,

Yes, the mapo tofu was really pale, and thus, really shouldn't have been called mapo tofu right?

As far as the kim chee ramen, I think you almost hit the nail on the head with that description. I think it could have been a lot spicier, it already had a bit of the sourness going on.

Hi Allen,

The tofu was really soft and so perfectly formed. Kudos to the chef for being able to keep most of the tofu cubes intact. Then again, I don't think it should have been called mapo tofu.

And yes, disappointing meals are definitely disappointing. They also seem to burn a hole in your wallet too.

Hi Keiko,

This was very adventurous. Too bad it didn't work. If it did, I would have been very impressed.

Hi Jo,

I know that you would appreciate "no heat", but then it's not really mapo tofu. Mapo tofu, when prepared in the traditional manner, is supposed to be mouthnumbingly spicy. Mmmm! =P

Hi Julia,

The gyoza were quite good, I just thought that the skin could have been a lot thinner.

I too was surprised when the mapo tofu yakisoba came out. It was so unexpected!

Hi Sarah,

I couldn't agree with you more about the presentation of the dishes. I also agree that kim chee and mapo tofu should be really spicy. I guess I would have to say that I love spicy food and I think you do too.

Hi Big BoK,

No need to be sorry...happens every now and then right?

Hi Will,

The food was OK to look at. I was actually expecting a much darker sauce on the mapo tofu. Why don't you try to make mapo tofu with yakisoba noodles and let me know how it turns out. I would try it myself, but I have to look for my recipe first.

Hi Jupiter,

I have to agree about the lack of any really good LOCAL ramen shops. We're good at doing saimin well, why not ramen. Good question.

Hi Jo,

LOL! =)

Hi Kirk,

Sounds about right. I would be disappointed if you had a bad meal too!

[Lefty]

LOVE the ramen. Good quality and quantity. Mapo tofu udon (no soup) is very good.

[Reid]

Hi Lefty,

Thanks for stopping by.

I don't know when I'll stop by Rai Rai again, but if I do, I'll remember to try the mapo tofu udon with no soup.

Thanks again!

[Ken]

I love this place. Mabo tofu ramen is good. Kim chee fried rice is great.

[Reid]

Hi Ken,

Thanks for stopping by the blog!

I'm glad you enjoy the ramen at Rai Rai. If I'm ever here again, I'll definitely try the kim chee fried rice. Thanks for the info!

[lauren]

Reid-
Yeah, they do have really great kim chee fried rice. Second best only to Taiyo Noodle's version. In my opinion, kimchee makes any dish better, including the miso ramen at Rai Rai. I love the fried bits of garlic they add onto the top of their ramen dishes. True, their miso ramen is strong in flavor, but that's why it's so good- I'd like to hear about other places you enjoy eating. If you thought the miso was too salty at Rai Rai, you'd probably say the same thing about somewhere like Side Street Inn or Spices- both which are two of my favorite places to go for a casual bite.