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On On, a closer look
 See the official On On Site! |
 And the Yelper's are saying what? |
 Joe McGarry visits On On at Wine and Dine! |
Aloha!
2/26/10 - Quick one today. In, and out. On On is a long-time fixture in the local restaurant scene, a solid example of what an old-school, neighborhood-type Chinese restaurant is all about - very casual, lots of variety, big on flavor, rich in taste - but not necessarily high on quality, at least compared to some of the finer Chinese cuisine here that more closely resembles what you'd find in the Motherland herself. I know that sounds like a knock on places like On On, but it's really not.
I love, love, luuuv neighborhood (Hawaii)-style Chinese restaurants. They were my favorite spots as a kid. These days, of course, I'm not gonna have them every day, as they are quite heavy on salt, msg, and oil, but once in a while, it's all good. I guess I could order tofu, jai, steamed fish, or veggies and request fewer seasonings, but that's not gonna happen. Too many other tasty treats on the menu to resist! Old favorites like chow mein or funn, lemon chicken, beef broccoli, kau yuk, crispy-skin chicken, shrimp Canton, and fried rice will always be winner's in my book! And most of them carry huge combination plates for one, with rice, noodles, and two or three other main dishes like those just mentioned, all for prices usually between $7 and $10!
On On is located right on the corner of Young St. and McCully, directly across (McCully side) from the Sushi Co.
The parking lot is usually ample enough, while the dining room is bright and cheery, with a modern tile floor, lots of clean white walls mixed with mirrors, Buddha statues, Chinese characters, and, of course, the obligatory arowana cooped-up in a tank so small, the creature can only swim forwards and backwards a few inches. The bigger they grow, the more those painful, raw-looking bruises of reddened flesh appear on their noses, the result of banging glass every time they turn around, instead of just swimming forwards and backwards like a good arowana! Where's the animal rights groups when you need 'em?
Though On On has been popular throughout the years for its wide variety of great Chinese foods, there is one dish in particular that has received more attention than others, as this place is actually the originator of what is known in Hawaii as cake noodle. I've heard many a folk going to China, or talking to those from China, and asking where the cake noodle was, only to welcome many a blank stare. Remember, guys, it's a Hawaii thing, basically! Where else could they come up with such a greasy-good creation?
It's all about chow mein noodles thrown into a pan with lots and lots of oil! Spread and pressed through the length of the pan, they are cooked till the bottom becomes crispy, then flipped to crisp on-top, as well. Once done, the noodles are basically one large, conjoined birds-nest, crispy on the outside and chewy-soft on the inside, and cut into slices just like a cake. They are never served alone, however, but meant as a base over which all manner of gravy-laden stir-fry's are poured, soaking into and softening what would otherwise be overly-hardened, twice-cooked noodle crusts.
Anything poured over regular chow mein can and will be poured over cake noodle, including beef broccoli, black bean shrimp, oyster chicken, char siu w/vegetables, and, most often of all - minute chicken! I don't know what it is, but this combination always seems to work out best:
The simple mix of choi sum or other Chinese green, instead of a medley of carrots, broccoli, onion, or whatever's, along with pieces of tender, charred chicken in a sweetened, thickened shoyu/oyster sauce/chicken broth base, is unbeatable!
But how was On On's minute chicken cake noodle? Well, I know this restaurant created the dish, but I wouldn't actually rank it as one of the better cake noodles out there. The cakes were too thick; the noodles a bit starchier, drier, and harder than other spots. Everything else was excellent, though, both the chicken and vegetables cooked perfectly, the chicken to a tender moistness and veggies, to a crispy, snappy finish.
Here's a closer look:
Normally averse to anything fatty and greasy, there are yet a few items down this aisle Kumi will devour in a heartbeat, depending on the craving. At Chinese dim sum houses, she is perhaps more adept at pork fat than in any other setting, and number one, before anything else, comes pork hash:
You can always tell when a Chinese restaurant pulls torward the localized side. Like the manapua, which grew in size from the smaller char siu bao right here in the islands, at Char Hung Sut in Downtown, these steamed pork hash pieces above are much larger, bolder, and more thoroughly-cooked than those carried at your more sophisticated dim sum houses. The wrappers were a bit thick and dried-out on the edges, but with all that ground pork, shrimp, and green onions, it was still plenty good and enjoyable.
My vegetarian brother accompanying us today, we requested two no-meat dishes, the first being a simple chop suey:
How can you go wrong with a plate of veggies like this? Everything was fresh, colorful, vibrant, and crispy! Wok-fried in seconds, this is the kind of dish you can eat every day as a side and never tire of. In fact, I could just eat this entire plate with rice and call it a day!
In our household growing-up, we never touched eggplant. My brother, however, now orders it in some way, shape, or form every time we're out!
For those who've cooked eggplant before, I'm sure you know just how much oil these things soak-up while cooking! I'm not even gonna attempt to guess the greasy quantities in this particular dish, but ignorance is bliss, and I was in a deliberate state of bliss! Mixed with bamboo shoots, onions, green onion, garlic, and a hot oil/shoyu, there was a combination of both younger (green) and riper (dark purple) eggplant, creating an interesting contrast of flavors and textures. I especially loved the flesh of the riper sections, which was softened to almost a whole-baked garlic consistency, and absolutely bursting with taste.
Like I said, this would be a quick one, and I'm already out!
Be back real soon with another fast look at another great neighborhood Chinese restaurant!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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