NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM Kam Bowl may have closed, but its famed oxtail soup lives on. CLICK FOR LARGE

Short Attention Span Eater

When Kam Bowl closed its doors in June, some of those who frequented the bowling alley in search of oxtail soup, rather than strikes, never had to deal with a sense of loss.

Calling the Kam Bowl coffee shop number led them to a reincarnation, a junior version of Kapiolani Coffee Shop, responsible all along for the recipe for the famous oxtail soup served at the bowling alley, as well as at Asahi Grill on Ward Avenue.

It's the same soup that nine years ago won first place in a Star-Bulletin readers' poll searching for the best oxtail soup in the island. It owes its popularity in part, to its nongreasy broth, the melt-in-your-mouth quality of its oxtails, and its generous quantities of cilantro, green onion and accompanying ginger.

A small bowl of the soup at Asahi Grill is $8.95; it's $9.95 at the newest Kapiolani Coffee Shop on Kalani Street.

Naturally, Kalihi customers are relieved to find a replacement so close to home. As one waitress at the new KCS said, anxious to get off the phone, "Our customers are very happy; we are very busy!"