Warm up with saimin

Mochi Saimin ($9.30)

While the cold snap might be a huge surprise for incoming tourists looking forward to sunny weather, they and locals shouldn’t be too dismayed, as the chill is the perfect excuse to sit down and dig into a piping hot bowl of saimin.

Saimin, a dish literally steeped and blended together by Hawaii’s melting pot of settlement and immigrant cultures, is definitely best enjoyed in a cold environment. The island-staple usually consists of noodles, fish cake, green onion and broth, and sometimes eggs or char siu pork is added. But at Shiro’s Saimin Haven, one of the oldest saimin institutions to ever exist, it’s a whole different story.

With seemingly endless amounts of saimin combinations, Shiro’s Saimin offers guests a unique dining experience. Not only are the restaurant’s menu items exciting, they also feature local, Hawaii based products whenever possible.

Shiro’s Saimin Haven’s menu features more than 60 saimin options. With many bowls to choose from, it can be quite hard to narrow down the field. But there is one that you must order at least once — Mochi Saimin ($9.30), an item that is making a highly anticipated comeback. Returning to this iconic mom-and-pop restaurant, the dish consists of two pieces of mochi, wonton, vegetables, house-made noodles, char siu pork, luncheon meat and green onions. Inspired by the Japanese ozoni soup, which is consumed to bring good luck in the new year, Mochi Saimin welcomes 2019 with old-school nostalgia.