Marukame Udon



Each tempura cost $1.50. The total bill was $25.

Waikiki was busy on Sunday night. Tourists crowded Kalakaua Avenue in their new aloha shirts, shorts, and slippers.  The exhortations to eat less and exercise more may finally be taking hold; the typical pedestrian seemed to be in better shape than, say, five years ago.

Having just arrived, we wanted dinner to be light, quick, cheap, and good (humor, for those familiar with the project triangle).

We walked through the International Market Place and joined the line to Marukame Udon, which has an average Yelp rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.  Though the line extended almost to the end of the block, we were inside placing our order within half an hour.

At Marukame Udon one takes a tray, cafeteria style, and points to one's noodle selection, which the server fills in less than a minute. The tempura section followed, and I gave in to the temptation to load up on the varied assortment--how could I not, when each piece was only $1.50? (It was okay that I over-ordered, because I had something to snack on at four in the morning---hey, that would be 7 a.m. in California.)

Pluses: very fresh noodles and other ingredients, fluffy non-greasy tempura, low prices, adequate seating to accommodate the crowd. Minuses: long lines, cash only, no restaurant parking. I can already tell--we'll hit this place again before the week is up.