What’s in a name? A lot of presumptions and associations, so when a press release marking the opening of Fun Station arrived in my inbox, my eyes glazed over.
Without reading the release, a family game center is what I assumed, which not only was outside my area of coverage, but also did not mesh with my personal life.
Luckily, I backtracked a few days later and all came clear. It was not an arcade, but a Chinese noodle shop with “fun” referring to flat rice noodles, not the general feeling of having a good time that is top of mind when hearing the word. You can certainly double up on both kinds of fun while here, and I think that was the intent behind a menu that veers from the traditional, combining flavors of Northern and Southern China to add something novel and entertaining to the marketplace.
The restaurant is in the Market City Shopping Center, and its immediate claim to fame is a couple of Flying Noodle dishes, the noodles cleverly draped over a chopstick “sculpture” to look like a hands-free, best noodle pull ever. My favorite is the dao xiao mian signature flying noodles ($15.95). The soft, ribbony knife-cut noodles are similar to chow fun noodles in texture, but with frilly edges. When the chopstick apparatus is dismantled, the noodles drop into an awaiting pool of Sichuan-style ground beef sauce with peanuts and vegetables.
Thin noodles are used in a dish of beef scallion flying noodles ($14.95) with a heftier portion of stewed beef. These noodles tend to dry out quickly though, so they’re not for those prone to spending a lot of time taking food pics. Luckily, the staff is attentive and quick to offer extra sauce when needed, but I still prefer the dao xiao noodles.
Before you decide this is the place for you, I have to talk about the ordering process, which may be the future for many a café. This is the second of the newer Chinese restaurants I’ve seen to have a phone-centric ordering system which may be a turn-off to Luddites, the non-tech savvy or those with privacy concerns. One of my friends asked, “How are old people supposed to know how to order?”
I think the staff would be gracious enough to take orders the old-fashioned way for the truly helpless.
Scanning a QR code with your phone will bring up the menu and you’ll log in with your name to start the process. You can be very specific about excluding ingredients you won’t or can’t eat, such as peanuts, cilantro or green onions. Upon finishing your order, you have the option of paying by phone, or you can pay the cashier after you’re done eating.
Once this work is behind you, settle in for a variety of soup noodles or rice dishes presented in wooden buckets that also make for beautiful Instagram photos. I think the rice buckets are a better way to enjoy the full flavor of the restaurant’s signature anise-perfumed secret beef brisket ($15.95), which becomes watered down when served in noodle soup ($14.85), but I suppose there are hundreds of noodle soup lovers who won’t mind at all.
My favorite of the noodle soups so far features adobo-sauced pork ($13.85) with pickled mustard cabbage, but I have yet to try the spicy beef noodles ($13.85).
There is also a crispy fried spare ribs bucket rice ($15.95), but if you’re ordering other noodle dishes and don’t need the extra carbs, you can also get those ribs as an appetizer.
Other tasty snacks include deep-fried gyoza ($6.95), french fries ($6.25) and a popular street dish of fish balls in curry sauce ($7.25).
The menu has been slowly growing since the restaurant opened in mid-December. When I first visited, there were no chow fun noodles that now appear in beef ($14.75) and seafood (shrimp and calamari, $14.75) stir-fries. I loved the noodles’ fine, soft texture throughout, without any of the rubbery, chewy bits common to chow fun at lesser outlets.
Since opening day, the restaurant’s owners have been awaiting the arrival of a noodle-making machine that will allow them to make look fun — or cheung fun — in-house. That would make my life complete. I really wanted to wait for that blessed day, but considering all pandemic-related shipping delays, with no relief in sight, it was time to move on.
Fun Station
Market City Shopping Center
2919 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
Food: ***½
Service: ****
Ambiance: ***
Value: ****
Call: 808-773-7367
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Prices: About $40-$50 for two
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
