The latest food craze to hit Hawaii’s shores?
A ramen burger! It’s a burger patty slapped between a starch different from the usual sesame seed buns. Instead, fried noodles (ramen/saimin) take their shape and their place, for a creation taking the nation’s taste buds by storm.
The idea came from New York chef Keizo Shimamoto, who first brought the dish to the table at a Brooklyn food fair in August. A little less than a month later, and the ramen burger has made its way to Hawaii. Well, it made its way to a small saimin shop in Honolulu called Tanaka Saimin.
The owners haven’t really been advertising the burgers just yet because they’re still in the test stages. Turns out, they didn’t need to waste time and money on marketing; the good ‘ole coconut wireless took care of that. Foodies have been flocking to their doors ever since.
The idea of a burger and saimin may seem strange, but it’s not too far fetched and just perfect for Hawaii. Hawaii loves saimin! In fact, many of the mainstay saimin places here already sell the two as a combo pair. My mom would always get the cheeseburger, saimin special at Forty-Niners, a hole-in-the-wall saimin place near Pearlridge Shopping Center. Putting the two dishes together was a great idea! Although, I’ve also heard about ramen burritos and ramen pizzas, maybe not so good of an idea?
Can’t wait to try my first ramen burger. Hopefully this weekend. Until then, they’ll keep selling like hotcakes here in Hawaii.
Photo Courtesy: Ramen Burgers Twitter (@RamenBurgers)
