Takes just a skim of The Tavern’s menu to notice: At least somebody back on that line has done some time in a Hawaiian kitchen. Loco moco and char siu are on the menu, along with saimin. Impossible not to be impressed with the last. Saimin in St. Louis. It would be like wandering into a little diner in an out-of-the-way place like Pahoa, on the Big Island, and finding fried ravioli on the menu.
We were even more impressed—and skeptical—when the waitress offhandedly dropped it, when we asked about the saimin, that it was housemade. Yeah, right. There are a few places in Hawaii that make their own saimin. Not many. So few, in fact, when she told us The Tavern was doing just that, we asked for confirmation. The chef brought out the proof, a plate of the noodles, long, thin, beautifully brown as Jessica Alba’s nose, obviously fresh. Pretty amazing.
Saimin, if you’ve never heard of it, is practically a Hawaiian staple. They’re sort of like ramen. Not as crinkly. A little longer. Slightly thicker so they have a firmer texture. Mass-produced, dried, and packaged, they’re added to boiling water like any dried pasta. When you’re lucky enough to get them fresh and soft, they need only seconds to cook to achieve a smooth and slippery slurpiness.
It’s almost unthinkable to eat saimin any way save for swirled in a hot, glossy, meat-based broth, as they are here at The Tavern. The Saimin bowl here comes with a couple of other delectables, char siu and 808 sausage. Char siu is a Cantonese take on pork that’s long also been hugely popular in Hawaii. Pork is sliced, then marinated in five-spice powder, sauces soy and hoisin, and other ingredients, then roasted. You’ve seen chunks of it hanging, glistening, in Cantonese style restaurants like Royal China BBQ. And 808 sausage? Tastes like lap cheong, another Cantonese classic, a sausage of fatty pork, sliced in long diagonal pieces and added to the saimin bowl here, it adds another element of taste and texture. We’ve no idea why it’s called 808—ask ‘em when you go—but our guess it it’s a nod to Oahu, where the telephone prefix is 808.
And go you should. Yes, The Tavern’s the Best New Restaurant in town, and it’s going to be busy for a while. And there are plenty of good reasons to go. One of the best, though, is the chance to try a Hawaiian classic.
