Michael and Sarah Littman, the husband-and-wife team behind Hapa PDX, blend their acclaimed Hapa menu with local ingredients in their new project, Hapa Kaua‘i. Their restaurant specializes in ramen, local favorites and a lengthy list of bourbons and Japanese whiskey. We sit down with both to learn about their culinary journey and what guests can look forward to at one of Po‘ipū’s newest eateries.

How did you two meet?
Sarah: Mike and I met on O‘ahu. I had a coffee cart, and I used his company as my supplier.

After you met on O‘ahu, how did you make your way to Portland?
Sarah: It was a long journey! After meeting on O‘ahu, we moved to New York City for a few years. After we got married, we moved to Miami where we had our first son. We tried to move back to O‘ahu but it was just so expensive. We have family in the Pacific Northwest, and we were kind of convinced to move up there. It was a good choice. We raised our kids there in Portland.

How did you come up with the inspiration to open a ramen food cart in Portland?
Michael: I remember Sarah craving good noodles. So, Hapa PDX really was her idea. She had a business before the kids, and she had taken time off to raise them. I think she was antsy to get her own business started again.

How was the menu for Hapa PDX developed?
Sarah: When we started talking about opening a ramen restaurant or food cart, Mike found a Japanese ramen chef from Tokyo who was interested in bringing ramen to Portland. We teamed up with him and he trained me for months while my daughter was a baby. We did everything from learning how to source ingredients, how to prepare the meat in ramen dishes, to making a finished bowl of ramen. I think the inspiration for what we have now from our initial menu was blending what I learned, all those Japanese cooking techniques, mixed with flavors that I remember growing up with in saimin, ramen and the mixed flavors that you have in the islands.

How will this new location be similar or different from the Portland location?
Sarah: Our menu will be the same, at least to start. I am still working on where to get things and the best places to get ingredients. We are using local ingredients from Kaua‘i. The local eggs are amazing. We use eggs from Kaua‘i Farms, and we found them right away. Almost all our dishes have our marinated egg on them and it’s one of the best things that we had since we opened Hapa.

What are some must-try dishes that you recommend to guests?
Michael: For ramen, our number one seller has always been the G-Special Ramen and it’s also our signature broth.
Sarah: The G-Special is our main broth cooked for 12 hours. To this, we add our fatty pork belly broth and it is garnished with all our signature toppings. I would also say the chicken karaage is very popular at our Portland location, while the pork belly is popular with locals.
Michael: Yes, the pork belly is really nice. It is a thick cut of pork belly marinated and slow cooked. The ahi poke nachos are something we added to the menu in both locations that is also popular. One of our cooks in Portland started bringing in taro and selling it as chips and we thought it would be great with ahi. Here, we added some local stuff like Kaua‘i sprouts, local butter avocados, and the Kaua‘i greens which are so good. Being able to source these local ingredients makes our dishes outstanding.

What three words would you use to describe Hapa Kaua‘i?
Michael: First, I would say ‘ohana because it takes our whole family. Our kids basically grew up with this restaurant. Our oldest son is now one of the lead line cooks who started as a dishwasher, and he has learned so much with us. Our middle child helps on weekends when he can, but he is still in school. And our daughter is even helping to set up the restaurant in the morning. Aloha is another word, because being born and raised in Hawai‘i, we are very used to the customs here. Hawai’i is a friendly and relaxed place. Although it [the restaurant] is nice looking, we want you to feel relaxed here, as well as in our Portland place. It’s almost like a safe place, where you can forget about your troubles and enjoy this soul food. Finally, ‘ono because it is super ‘ono, delicious.

Grateful for the opportunity to share the food they lovingly created in a place dear to their hearts, Sarah and Michael are working to make sure to include extra aloha in their service. Michael adds, “we want to make sure whether you are local or coming from far away, that you have a great experience.”

2829 Ala Kalanikaumaka St., F205, Kōloa; (503) 560-0523; hapakauai.com, @hapakauai