I posted about one of my favorite ramen places before. The restaurant, Japanese Ramen Kai, was the best place to go for cheap and delicious ramen, served hot, in ceramic bowls with a nice warm ambiance. I would go there for a quick meal. The place had a casual, home-y kind of atmosphere that I loved it so much! Unfortunately they closed down! 😦
When I passed the mall again, in its place was another ramen place: Manichi Ramen, so I decided to stop by. It was very trendy with black and red decor reminiscent of Japanese interior designs. Ramen was also served in nice ceramic bowls, and water was filled in a small, black cup.
Young, cute, and fit waiters were very attentive, and they take your orders in their cool company smartphone/tablet.
It was very delicious, but for me, the broth was a bit too salty, and their ramen didn’t come with bamboo shoots which I love. It’s a cool place, but it’s a franchise. The Ala Moana location opened less than a month ago and they just opened another shop in Kaneohe. To me, Ramen Manichi lacked the casual homestyle atmosphere of Ramen Kai, instead they have a casual trendy kind of jibe.
Overall, it was good, but with so many ramen restaurants opening in town, it would have been cool to see something different. Business-wise, it has a great outlook considering the amount of Japanese tourists around town.
Lisa in Arch 