This delectable dish features a generous ribeye of teri beef cooked in Yoshida sauce, alongside fried saimin noodles with Spam, cabbage, egg, kamaboko and green onion — not to mention a generous scoop of creamy, mayo-based Hawaiian-style salad consisting of spaghetti noodles, corn, tuna, potato and egg. Photo by Nathalie Walker
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK’S HOUSE SPECIAL: Fried Noodle with Teri Beef Combo ($9)
Tucked away on a sloping hillside overlooking Aiea’s Kaahele Street, Newtown Drive Inn offers a delectable double entendre for its diners, acting as an eatery that features classic Hawaiian-style dishes and plate lunches that harken back to the drive inns of olden days, as well as being housed on-site at an actual driving range.
“We used to have this dish regularly, and it was really popular,” says Galdiano. “People kept asking for it, so we brought it back last week as part of our specials, and it has been selling really well.”
The convenience factor alone for golfers to grab a quick and tasty bite without ever having to leave the facility is enough to ensure steady clientele here at Newtown, but not surprising is also how local residents seek out the establishment’s savory dishes — even those who couldn’t tell Tiger Woods from Tom Brady — a testament to the deliciousness of the fare itself.
One particular item customers crave is Fried Noodle with Teri Beef Combo. Newtown manager Kathy Galdiano gives Dining Out a closer look at the dish.
The egg is first cooked like an omelet — similar to a fried-egg consistency — before it is sliced into thin strips, placed atop the prepared saimin noodles and garnished with green onions.
A house-made sauce is used when frying the saimin. The magical mixture features fresh dashi, shoyu, a touch of oyster sauce and, of course, some top secret spices that must remain a mystery.
According to Galdiano, many visitors mistake the noodles for the similar-looking ramen upon first glance, but “it’s the saimin noodles that set it apart,” and what people expect from (and love about) this comfort-food combo.
Newtown Drive Inn
Newtown Golf Driving Range
98-330 Kaahele St., Aiea
487-3363
Daily, 8 a.m.–9 p.m.
Aiea, HI 96701
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