Archive for January, 2008

Yotteko-Ya

Published by
Donna
at January 9, 2008 in Food and Japanese Cuisine. 1 Comment

Yotteko-Ya

Yotteko-Ya Kyoto Ramen
McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Blvd. #214, Honolulu, HI 96826
Phone: 808.946.2900

Yotteko-Ya Interior

Yotteko-Ya is one of those cozy establishments that I would have never discovered, if not for the recommendation from a friend. The word-of-mouth phenomenon can absolutely make or break your business in Hawaii. Fortunately for Yotteko-Ya, only good things can be said about the service, the ambiance and the delectable fare at this quaint Japanese restaurant located on the second floor of the McCully Shopping Center.

Paitan Ramen
Paitan Ramen
Paitan based soup. Topped with 2 slices of homemade chashu

The claim to fame of this ramen shop is its homemade soup. According to their menu:

Eat Yotteko-Ya’s Ramen and look younger!

Our homemade soup is simmer for over 10 hours with the choicest pork, the freshest chickens and 10 different vegetables and spices. This meticulous process produces a uniquely thick collagen rich stock that will actually help prevent aging of skin and joins.

So, please enjoy our soup to the last drop and look younger!

Yasai Ramen
Yasai Ramen
Shoyu-based soup. Topped with vegetables and 1 slice of homemade chashu

I don’t know if consuming that bowl of ramen made me look any younger, but it sure tastes good. Dare I say, the best in Hawaii? The soup stock is definitely hearty and tasty, reminiscent of the richest, most decadent bowl of ramen I’ve consumed at Jangara Ramen in Harajuku, Japan. Ramen of this quality is hard to come by in Hawaii, since it takes hours to make broth this thick and delicious. The noodles were excellent — and you can order them “local style” or Japan style. According to our server, the local style yields softer noodles.

Ebi Mayonnaise
Ebi Mayonnaise

A favorite Japanese pupu. Large shrimp marinated in mayonnaise-flavored sauce

Check out their ala carte menu for some side dishes to complement your steaming bowl of ramen. I highly recommend the Ebi Mayonnaise. Next time we hit Yotteko-Ya, we’ll make our way down the ala carte menu. Perhaps sampling the Ebi Chili Sauce or the Karaage chicken.

If you’re not in the mood for ramen, you can order something from the gohan (rice) menu with their array of different rice dishes including yakibuta chahan (fried rice with chashu and vegetables), curry chahan, garlic chahan, chashu chahan, or kim-chee chahan for those craving something a little spicier.

Speaking of spicy, you can also kick your ramen up a notch by ordering your soup with Yotteko-Ya’s homemade red pepper and sesame oil mix. And, if you’re really famished, order a large-sized portion of noodles for just a dollar more. I think I’ll do that on my next visit.

All done
It’s so good, it’s gone!

Do you have a favorite ramen shop? If so, share yours!

Do you Vudu?

Published by
Donna
at January 9, 2008 in Gadgets. 2 Comments

VUDU (boxed)

It’s no secret, I love gadgets. Especially those that promise to make my life more convenient and entertaining — both of which the Vudu promises to deliver. The Vudu is an internet-based movies-on-demand system, currently offered by Hawaiian Telcom.

I’ve done the Netflix thing and I’m a card-carrying member of Blockbuster, but there’s nothing like being able to turn on your TV and have 5000 movies available for instant viewing at the scroll and click of a remote. Besides that, there’s the added benefit of not having to return the videos on time and avoiding those late fees.

The factor that differentiates the Vudu from other video-on-demand services is that you can own your favorite videos. No need to buy another rack to store your DVDs, it’s all stored electronically on your Vudu box. Buying a video will cost you between $4.99 to $19.99. A 24-hour rental will cost between $0.99 and $3.99, and you can replay the movie as many times as you wish during that period. No subscription or monthly fees apply, it’s pay as you go. The box normally costs $399, but Hawaiian Telcom is running a special: get 50% off and a $50 movie credit.

So, let’s talk about the equipment. The beauty is in its simplicity.

Getting Started

The “getting started” sheet is nicely illustrated and the instructions are concise and simple that anyone, no matter how low-tech, can follow. Even if you can’t set the time on your VCR, you can hook up the Vudu. Promise!

VUDU contents

Inside the box, you get a power cord, ethernet cable, composite video cables, and an HDMI cable. If you’re like the droves of crazies who went out an bought a big-screen LCD HDTV to watch the Sugar Bowl (like me), you would use the HDMI cable. Non-HD folks, the composite cables work just as well. Other connection options also include component video and S-video.

VUDU (back 3)

VUDU (back 2)
Pukas galore!

Basic hook-up: 1) power, 2) video connection (HDMI, composite, component, or S-video), and 3) ethernet cable. How easy is that? As easy as 1, 2, 3. Literally. The hardest part was getting an ethernet connection to the television, and even that wasn’t too difficult. You just need to find a long enough cable — and borrow a staple gun, if you’re particular about that sort of thing.

Remote

The ergonomically-designed remote control is compact and only has 5 buttons and a scroll wheel. Again, sleek and simple. So zen, I love it.

The clickable scroll wheel is like the one on your computer mouse, except you use your thumb to fly through Vudu’s menus and movie listings. While you’re watching a movie, the scroll wheel is a variable-speed rewind/fast-forward shuttle control. It’s so intuitive and handy. Why every remote doesn’t utilize a scroll wheel is beyond me.

Vudu

Within minutes, the Vudu was up and running. Take the short tutorial and follow the on-screen instructions as it takes you through the process of checking your network connections and downloading updates for the box.

With our high-speed connection (clocked at 4.5 Mbps), the videos are available for viewing immediately. If you’re running a slower connection (less than 2 Mbps), video delivery will be slightly delayed. Picture quality is good — and for HD folks, don’t worry, you’re covered!

My take on the Vudu? Convenient, simple to use, awesome movie selection (it’s Blockbuster in a box!), and cost-per-movie is reasonable. My nephew who works at Blockbuster may not be seeing us around the store much anymore. Now all the entertainment we crave can be found in that little black box.