This was Golden Pork. There's something connivingly irresistable about tasty ramen. In this case, it's more than tasty. It's rich. Thick. Deep with perfectly rounded flavors that, frankly, left me regretting that I ordered this with extra noodles. The Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen at Golden Pork ($11.50 regular) is about layers of decadent, delicious ingredients. I asked for medium spicy, to boot, and the extra noodles were another $2. The slices of pork were manini. Tiny. But halfway through this bowl, I was so full. The broth does the filling, not the meat. It was actually merciful of the cook to limit the size of the pork.
Is it better than the now-gone Kotteri Ramen of Tenkaippin? It is actually thicker. Better, maybe not. But tasty nonetheless.
Is it as good as the Kotteri Ramen of Agu? It's unfair to compare Kotteri and Tonkotsu, even if the flavors are similar on my taste buds. For me, Agu's Kotteri is just right. Lush with depth, but not over the cliff. Golden Pork? The dessert version would be ice cream with a heaping of condensed milk blended in. So, if you love tonkotsu to da max, here you go. Get to Golden Pork immediately.
Funny, I've driven by the restaurant countless times, but I thought I was reading "Tonkatsu", as in deep fried pork cutlets. Wow, a place devoted to katsu. Yum. Nope. It's about this ramen, and there are many other dishes I will hopefully try later.
But the marvel of where ramen has gone, not just in Japan, but in Hawaii, is spectacular. Even as many of the Japanese restaurants that sprouted up in the past decade are fading away quickly.
Note: The gyoza, $6.75 for six pieces, is easily the most crispy I've had. It isn't quite as good as my favorite gyoza from Taiyo Ramen, but it it similarly has a good dose of garlic in the filling. The sauces of Taiyo are unmatched anywhere, so it's not fair to compare them to what Golden Pork has — none aside from the gyoza sauce. But it's worth every bite here.
Golden Pork Tonkotsu Ramen Bar
1279 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96814
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