Chow Mein Express

1 Reviews on “Chow Mein Express”

• Atreyu

  Located in a terminal wing of the Honolulu International Airport, Chow Mein Express is best seen for what it is: a quick, simple take-out place good for sustenance during a stop over. Honestly, from the first look of it I was not so sure so went another way. The second, I decided to get an open mind and try it out. This was another stopover at the Honolulu Airport for an inter-island plane flight. A bit of time was left, and like arriving anywhere new by plane the next few hours were going to be a combination of uncertain and hectic. Around the same place as last time, after a bit of discussion there was going to be around a one hour wait before boarding; after a bit of weighing up, I decided I would get an additional bite to eat. After looking at the few options here, I headed for some cheap Chinese food. All of it, with the interior service and everything, can be summed up quickly. Think the cafeteria line, and you place your orders as you go. At the end, pay up and get any needed extras such as chopsticks or sauces. Considering this mode of delivery, the people behind the counter were much more interactive than normal. Really good for a airport takeaway, it is quick and fast ensuring that the food is able to be taken away in five minutes or less. For the food, it has a range of different Chinese or Chinese-inspired meals. The basic modus operandi is that you choose a two to four item plate, with a base choice from steamed or fried rice, or chow mein, and some extras can be added on at the end. I went with a three item plate, and got the following: orange chicken (somewhat infamous in America, I had to take that opportunity), mapo tofu and one other one which I forget its name, but it was a spicy chicken and bean dish. In addition to that, I got an egg roll on the side and some coffee to drink. One of the best aspects that still remains, and something I noticed hopping around the islands, is the size of the servings. This was a sufficient lunch, and that was in being shared with my parents. For how the food actually was, I am impressed. Let’s start off with the one that warrants being talked about the most – orange chicken. This is equivalent to sweet and sour pork, where you end up liking it a lot more than you should even knowing it is not quite authentic. However, this was very good regardless. The pieces of chicken were hot and crispy, and I detected a bit of a nutty texture in the batter. The sauce itself was thick and sticky, and the rice soaked that up well. Going along to the tofu, that is what my mum liked the most from this meal. It had generous sized bits of beancurd, which were soft was fluffy and infused the sauce very well. The meal was tasty, slightly light and another good addition. With the bean and chicken one, the beans were crunchy and tender, there was a spicy chili-based sauce that complimented the meal with tender bits of chicken throughout it. These three choices were quite good, and managed to be different from one another. Colour me impressed again, and it satiated a number of people during the wait for the plane. As for the coffee and egg roll (which is like a giant spring roll), both could easily be taken or left. The egg roll was simply a bit too bland and might have needed something to spicen it up or something. While the coffee was not a bad one, more the standard that I have been told about the general area, it was simply just what it was. In retrospect, I still will have ordered the egg roll to say I have tried one, and would hold it out on the coffee for a bit. Chow Mein Express is honestly a lot better than what I expected it to be. It tasted fresh, the ingredients were all quite good, I did not feel greasy afterwards and the value is difficult to argue with. Certainly far from the most authentic Chinese cuisine around (I have not been to Chinatown as of writing this, so no commenting about it as a whole), it is better than you would expect and filled me up for a while longer.

  August 2, 2016, 3:42 pm

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