Gastronome

Tempura Udon with Kakiage
JAIMIE KIM PHOTO

JIMBO RESTAURANT
1936 S. King St. #103 Honolulu, HI
Phone number
(808) 947-2211

Writing Gastronome was quite the challenge this week, if we’re being honest. For about two weeks now, my stomach has been on the fritz. (Little known fact: Ironically, I, Metro‘s food writer, have a very sensitive stomach.) Having gotten sick after eating something (I’m still not quite sure what it was), my diet has dwindled down to riceand noodle-based dishes. Nothing wrong with that, except that I can’t stop thinking about everything I can’t eat right now.

So I decided to treat myself to a nice, stomach-approved lunch last week at Jimbo Restaurant.

The thing about Jimbo’s is this: It’s a very unassuming hole-in-the-wall spot located off King Street that makes some of the best udon I’ve ever had in my life.

Lately, I’ve had such a hard time getting out of bed because it’s so warm and comfortable and cozy. What does this have to do with udon, you ask? Everything. It’s exactly how I feel during and after every meal there.

I go to Jimbo’s pretty frequently, and have now for a few years, and I still have trouble deciding what to order sometimes. There’s not one item on the menu I haven’t enjoyed.

On this particular day, I opted for the Tempura Udon with Kakiage (shrimp or vegetable tempura also are options). It was, as I’ve come to expect, exactly what I had been craving. The housemade udon noodles — I get hoso noodles, which are thinner — were perfectly cooked, and the crispiness of the kakiage added texture to my meal.

My stomach was pleased, to say the least.

The best part?

With such a large serving, I got to bring some back to the office for later.

IT’S RESTAURANT WEEK!

The end of the eighth annual Restaurant Week Hawaii is nigh, so I hope you’ve taken advantage of all the great food. If you haven’t, there still are a couple more days before it comes to a close (you have until Nov. 22, to be exact).

Plus, it’s for a good cause: A portion of the proceeds from Restaurant Week supports students looking to get into the restaurant and hospitality industries.

According to its website, “The goal of Restaurant Week Hawaii is to realize a vision of an advanced culinary campus — the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head.”

There are more than 60 participating restaurants that include everyone from Alan Wong’s Honolulu and Azure, to Nobu Waikiki, Roy’s and The Pig & The Lady.

To view Restaurant Week menus and for more information, visit restaurantweekhawaii.com.

ONE BITE REVIEWS

Everyone loves ice cream — especially me, Metro‘s resident dairy aficionado.

Social media manager Nicole Kato and I recently got the chance to check out Nitrogenie, one of the many shiny new shops that just opened in Ala Moana’s Ewa wing.

Nitrogenie’s conceit is that it freezes its ice cream with nitrogen on the spot, resulting in a denser, creamier (and fresher) dessert.

Here’s the lowdown on four of the store’s eight flavor options. (Co-founder Todd Farr notes that the flavor lineup will change every Monday after Nov. 23, so keep that in mind if you see something you like.)

Mango of Summer – The only non-dairy option is not one I’d eat again — it tasted and felt like I was eating mango-flavored glue.

Lemon Meringue Pie – The tart lemon curd worked well with pie-crust crumbles and a toasted meringue cap. Definitely delicious and unique.

Honey Cheesecake – My (and Nicole’s) personal favorite of the bunch, with light, honey-flavored ice cream topped with cream cheese and more crumbles.