FORKED UP

STIR-FRY
AUNTY’S RAMEN
1110 McCully St., Honolulu
Phone number (808) 946-8686

The woman who brought Sweet Home Café to the masses has since moved on to — yes, we’re going to say it — way better things. Aunty’s Ramen is a DIY ramen bar where you head down the assembly line to pick out your ingredients (ranging from quail eggs to watercress to at least five kinds of meatballs), your noodles and your broth to get a bowl of made-to-order perfection. But we’re going to be different; we’re going to tell you to get your noodles as a stir-fry instead. Her sauce is a heavenly mixture of herbs, garlic and onions that’s bursting with flavor. Get long rice as your starch of choice to soak up more of that salty goodness. (But if you must get the ramen, get the pumpkin broth.)

ORANGE
RANGE ROLL
IZAKAYA TORAE TORAE
1111 McCully St., Honolulu
Phone number (808) 949-5959
website toraetorae.com

Roll sushi doesn’t always feel like the most … authentic way to eat sushi, we know. But sometimes we can’t resist the siren call of the affordable, tasty, everything-you-like-in-one-food maki roll. Izakaya Torae Torae’s roll options include the Orange Range, which features a California roll topped with seared salmon, ikura, garlic aioli and ponzu sauce: a simple base dressed up for a fancy evening. We do regret, however, not getting a chance at chef Hideyoshi’s Bakudan Maki, stuffed with five kinds of fish, avocado and cheese — and then fried.