The Best of Both Worlds

There’s Chinese food and there’s Japanese food, and for all their geographic closeness, the individual cuisines couldn’t be more distant. At least that’s how it used to be.

Chinpei Ramen prides itself on serving Chinese-style cuisine with a Japanese taste. This mix of flavors can be found in everything no matter what section of the menu you investigate.

One such option is Cold Tofu ($4.50). This light and airy dish is topped with three individual toppings of dried bonito fish flakes, gne round pork with miso, and ginger and green onion.

Spicy Shoyu Pickled Cucumber ($2.20) is almost a ramen necessity. Clean, tangy and crunchy, it’s a flavor and texture complement to any of its nearly 30 different ramen choices.

Cold Ginger Chicken ($4.50) is something else you may want to try. Tender, juicy and chilled, it’s a unique option.

A final recommendation is Tenshin-Don ($9.25). This traditional Japanese soup might be the best example of chef and owner Yoshi Hashigami’s open attitude toward food. A mix of crab, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and green onion is brewed into a clean-flavored broth that is served over rice and a fluffy omelet.

Chinpei Ramen

2080 S. King St., Honolulu
947-5919
Monday, 5-10 p.m.
Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (lunch) and 5-10 p.m. (dinner)
Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.