Garlic. Garlic. Garlic. YES!!!

I LOVE Top Chef, and may have watched every episode of every season multiple times over. #noshame Chef Sheldon was one of my all time favorites - Hawaii native that free flowingly rolled with the punches all the way to the finals. In almost every episode he was rocking some attire with Star Noodle written all over it. Needless to say, he was on Season 10 which aired in 2012/2013... this trip was a long time coming! So long, that he was no longer even the chef there!

We started the meal off with the Steamed Pork Buns - duroc pressed pork, hoisin, and cucumber. The buns were freshly steamed and crazy soft. The pork on top of hoisin created a tender salty flavor that was perfectly paired with a slice of cucumber. I do wish the slices of pork were a little bigger to fill out the bun... However, the taste was impeccable!

Our waiter recommended we order one or two plates at a time in order to get the full experience of the menu. So of course, we did just that - creating our own little tasting menu. With so many items to choose from, it was difficult to not order the whole menu!

Next came the garlic noodles...ohhh garlic. I LOVE YOU! Read any yelp review, and all you'll see are pictures of the garlic noodles. We asked the waiter and a few regulars we met at the restaurant, and they all said the MUST order are the garlic noodles. Well, let me tell you, they were ALL right! You can see from the pile of garlic sitting atop the pile of fresh noodles, that they lived up to their name. You're probably like that is a $#!% ton of GARLIC! But no such thing as too much garlic here! It mixed perfectly with the noodles, creating a sticky yet smooth texture that left a perfect lingering of roasted garlic flavor. It is NOT possible to top these noodles!

It was recommended to us to mix the order of noodles and meat dishes. However, I LOVE noodles... like I LOVE garlic.

Naturally, next we ordered Lahaina Fried Soup - fat chow fun, ground pork, bean sprouts. OMG the freshness of the chow fun noodles was AMAZING. They were tender at the touch of the chopsticks after being tossed in a wok and silky soft on the inside. The noodles paired well with the fresh crisp bean sprouts and the hint of spice from the ground pork. Can we please get this dish in CA!?!

Even though it was 80 degrees and perfect outside, I'm a sucker for staring at the other tables, who happened to all be ordering one of the 6 varieties of noodle soup.

We chose the the Hapa Ramen - rich pork broth, roast pork, egg, choy sum, kamaboko, bamboo shoots, and mayu...LOOK AT THAT BOWL. It is filled with absolute deliciousness! The meat was tender, the vegetables and egg were cooked to perfection. But let's be real - noodle soup comes down to one thing. THAT BROTH... sweet, salty, layers of flavor and complexity with every slurp. I could drink it all day everyday.

What better to end a night of delicious asian cuisine than with some mango pudding topped with a lumpia crisp? NOTHING.

It was so smooth and filled with the largest chunks of fresh mango. The lumpia crisp added a touch of sweetness from the cinnamon and sugar sprinkled - texturally it was the perfect compliment to the luscious pudding. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

After several years of anticipation, I have to say, expectations were well exceeded. The noodles were exceptionally fresh, the meat was tender and flavorful, the broth was complex, and the dessert was sweet and refreshing.

Make reservations ahead of time, because the place was packed full from the moment the doors opened. And if you're like me, looking for Sheldon, check out his restaurant Tinroof! We can't wait to go back to Maui to try it!

#StarNoodle #ChefSheldon