le’s banh mi & ry’s poke

Before meeting up with Jenny and Chan, Jenny asked me what was on my “to try” list

So we tried Le’s Saigon Special and Ry’s Poke

The Saigon Special is delicious. (Pickled daikon and carrot, pate, mayo, steamed pork roll, charsiu, headcheese, cucumber, jalapeno and cilantro) 

this also had super crispy pork rinds inside but were a little too hard for my teeth! ha!

Ry’s poke.

Their main shop is on the North Shore and they have some shops in California.

If I'm not mistaken, they just opened this one in Honolulu.

We tried all their Honolulu exclusive pokes & their Tsunami Nachos

(tsunami style poke, crab salad, cucumber namasu, furikake, tobiko, drizzled with unagi sauce, chili mayo, with housemade wonton chips fried in beef tallow)

The chips are super crispy!

The pokes are unique delicious combinations of flavors

(top) tropic thunda (yuzu kosho, mayo, citrusc, onion, green onion, pear, chili crisp, fried shallots), (top right)shiso chimichurri (shiso, garlic, gochugaru, ogo, green onion, onion), (bottom right) shoyu (ry’s signature blend shoyu, onion, green onion, toasted sesame oil), (bottom left) foodxjitsu (ginger, green onion, cilantro, onion, garlic, shoyu blend, chili flake, ikura)

Everything was so ono!

They also bought all sorts of pastries from Paris Baguette, but I was too full

Thanks Chan for letting us eat at your condo’s terrace area.

so much omiyage AND Jenny was so nice to drive me back to Pearl City!

Thanks for today Jenny & Chan! always nice catching up with you two.

Le's Banh Mi

808 Sheridan Street

Honolulu, Hawaii

Closed: Mondays

Hours: 7:00-16:00

Ry's Poke Shack

1232 Waimanu Street

Honolulu, Hawaii

Closed: Mondays & Tuesdays

Hours: 11:30-17:00

falafel banh mi

Tried the Falafel Banh Mi for dinner at La Tour Cafe yesterday...

Falafel, Harissa Hummus, Firecracker Sauce, Pickled Carrot & Daikon, Cucumber, Cilantro

So good!

Loved how the falafel was crisp on the outside but moist on the inside.

The bread (which they make) and served this on was so good too!

BFF tried their Tuna Avocado Deli and enjoyed it...she doesn't like mayo-ey sandwiches so I'm glad it wasn't goopy.

The sunset was a nice way to end the day...

hi sandwich

A Vietnamese sandwich shop opened recently in Waimalu called Hi Sandwich. (Not sure if it meant "hi" like "hi there" or the abbreviation for "Hawaii").

They also serve bubble drinks and smoothies.

Mom tried their lemongrass tofu sandwich on croissant...meh, she though it was too spicy and didn't have much lemongrass flavor.

I think the burning of incense in the shop kinda turned her off too.

I tried their BBQ chicken sandwich on french bread.

Where's the chicken?!

I gave some of this to my mom since she wasn't eating her sandwich, the BBQ chicken was mild, like a grilled teriyaki chicken, except drier. The bread was crumbly, definitely not good french bread.

Unfortunately, they are related to Pho Five-O, which we've tried in the past and liked.

For about $6 + tax for each sandwich, I think you could get better quality sandwiches elsewhere...I think we'll pass on going back to this place.

from the lanai 3

With my new immersion blender/food processor, I shredded some daikon and carrot for bahn mi.

This is the recipe I use to make the banh mi veggies.

I also add some chili flakes and a dash of shoyu or nampla (fish sauce). I also try to soak the veggies overnight.

Then, one day for lunch I bought a piece of fried chicken from the convenience store and put it into a baguette with some of the banh mi veggies, cucumber & cilantro.

It was my first time putting fried chicken in, but it was a great choice...salty, sweet & sour.

The next day for Satoshi's breakfast, I made a banh mi with roast pork...he enjoyed it.

Since the amount of banh mi veggies I made was a lot, I threw together this salad for us one night.

Dressing was a sweet chili paste and a little vinegar.

I also gave some to my friend Kazumi when I went over to her house and I am also planning to make black bean dip with the rest of the cilantro.

The weather has been cold and rainy, so I better use up the cilantro soon.

on the lanai

I caught a glimpse of the bell pepper, there are about 5, really skinny ones.

The four goya (bitter melon); 1 is really big, the others not so.

Since the "full sun days" are getting less and infrequent, I'm getting ready to harvest the cilantro.

Probably going to make salsa and some banh mi with it.

Hope your week is a good one.

ba-le

Lunch on Tuesday was from Ba-Le.

I love their banh mi sandwiches. If you search this site, you'll probably see several posts on Ba-Le.

This time around I tried their BBQ chicken sandwich...US$5.50 + tax (the tax in Hawaii, actually just Oahu, now is something I can't remember)

An Asian style barbecued chicken with a little mayo, the pickled daikon, carrots, cucumber and some cilantro on a toasted crusty baguette. (I love their baguette!)

I also got a sweet potato tapioca to try...US$1.65 + tax

Coconut pudding with tapioca and chunks of purple sweet potato, how can you go wrong with this?!

The tapioca pudding is on the firmer side, rich coconut milk and there are just enough pieces of sweet potato in there.

Life is good!

another "rosey" & foodie weekend

The weekend was beautiful. Sunny with a slight breeze at times.

Saturday, Satoshi had his German class so we went to Umeda early and checked out Boulangerie Takagi, which I wrote about here.

Luckily it wasn't too crazy inside the shop and we were able to pick out some items for lunch.

Satoshi chose a bread with salmorejo (chilled spanish tomato soup) with egg and some bacon on top (top left). He also chose a shrimp and bacon tartine (top right). There was also an egg, tomato and ham sandwich, but that was apparently eaten so fast that the camera missed taking its photo.

I chose the apple galette (bottom right) and a Sebastian style shrimp and bacon sandwich (bottom left).

I am not too sure what "sebastian style" is but there were marinated (sweet/sour) veggies in the sandwich which reminded me of banh mi (vietnamese sandwich).

We sat in the shade near Nakanoshima and enjoyed everything we got, it was also nice to people watch.

After lunch, we walked around the Nakanoshima Rose Garden.

We've visited this garden (pre-blog) and I must say they have really made this place nice. When we visited before, there were many homeless people here and there and it was kind of a scary place to visit.

Now there is grass and many rose bushes, just a nice place to hang out.

I was amazed at all the different varieties of roses too, like this one called "Edgar Degas", each flower on the same plant was a different color.

I love how most of the rose names are "positive" like "love", "peace" or of people like "Princess Aiko" (the daughter of the Japan Prince).

Somehow looking at all the bridges that cross the Tosabori river and Dojima river around Nakanoshima Rose Garden reminded me of Paris (though we've only visited Paris for a day--pre-blog).

Satoshi went off to his class and I walked around window shopping and stopping into Ig Cafe for a decadent custard filled french toast.

After more walking, we met up at Yodobashi Camera, where we had dinner at Gyo Gyo. They were having a "sale" on most of their items.

I chose their Hokkai "don". A bowl filled with a little rice and LOTS of different seafood pieces (octopus, salmon roe, squid, sea urchin, crab leg, yellowtail, marinated mackerel, scallop, clam, northern shrimp)...1280 yen (about US$12.80). This came with chawan mushi (savory custard) and miso soup.

Satoshi chose the uni hotate & ikura don (sea urchin, scallop & salmon roe bowl)...1280 yen (about US$12.80). This also came with chawan mushi & miso soup.

This shop definitely had fresh seafood and great prices.
Sunday, I made us a breakfast bento and we headed to Aramaki Rose Garden. We've visited here in the past and love it.

Our breakfast bento had some egg with canned teriyaki saba rolled into it. Carrot salad, tsukemono (pickles) & grapefruit pieces.

I also made some musubi with different fillings.

On our "breakfast picnics" I usually brew some coffee and put it in a thermos.

I re-used this plastic container that originally had dressing in it and put some milk in it for my coffee. I also put a horeizai (miniature "blue ice") with it so it wouldn't spoil.

(To get the milk into the teeny container, I used my "spice funnel" a teeny little funnel which is used to put spices into jars (got this at the 100 yen store)).

The roses this year were a little shorter in height than in the past, I think the weird winter weather played a big part in it.

The light rose fragrance that wafted here and there was nice and we enjoyed getting out and about. Seeing these blooms especially on a beautiful day really brought out an inner sort of peace too.

For lunch, Satoshi said he wanted to eat gyoza (pot stickers), so we stopped at Ippudo for lunch.

I tried their "tsukemen". Unlike ramen, udon or soba where the noodles are already in the soup, tsukemen is where you dip your noodles into the soup and eat them.

This soup was fish based with half of a soft boiled egg, generous pieces of pork, green onions, & smashed up ika fry (a crunchy sweet/salty seafood snack). Though I finished my meal, this soup was too salty for my tastes.

Another great weekend for us, I hope yours was just as nice!

hawaii sights and eats

Lunch on Monday was from Ba-Le, I love their food...banh mi filled with those pickled veggies, spring rolls (which they call lumpia which is what I think the Filipino call their spring rolls), summer rolls (the ones that aren't fried) and the nuoc cham (spicy sweet and sour sauce).

This plate from Ba-Le included a 1/3 of a roast chicken banh mi, 2 lumpia and their salad and noodles...only US$5.50 +tax...so cheap, so good and so filling. (Actually I had this the last time I was home and the price went up fifty cents but it was still a good deal!)

After lunch, I noticed this guy on our fence. There are many anole running around our house, eating all the bugs. This is the true "spiderman". This picture was from inside the house.

This one from outside. My dad was impressed with how upclose and personal the lense of the camera was.

banh mi cravings

If you haven't figured it out by now, reading food blogs can be dangerous. It can make you hungry for all sorts of foods (at all times of the day!). Take for example, Kirk's blog.

Living in Japan, there isn't too much access to ethnic foods like Vietnamese. Well, there is, but most of it is tailored to the Japanese palate. So, after seeing his posts on banh mi (if you go through his blog, he has a LOT, as well as other tantalizing posts as well), I knew it was time to make some.

On my last trip home, I purchased this gadget. Now, making the veggies for banh mi are simple.

I followed the recipe here, but this time I added some chili flakes and a dash of shoyu. I also marinated the veggies overnight.

I wish my flat leaf parsley was bigger, so that I could have added more to the sandwich, but made do with what I had.

This sandwich really settled the fix for banh mi....thanks for the idea, Kirk!

ba-le

Picked up this plate lunch the other day from Ba-le. Part of a roast chicken banh mi (like a third or fourth of a whole one), 2 crispy lumpia, salad with some of the banh mi veggies on it and the vermicelli noodles. (sorry I don't know all the authentic names) There was a sweet,clear sauce with flecks of chili in it, in a container under the lumpia, which I poured over the veggies and vermicelli....everything was delicious!

Can you believe it? Only US $5 + tax.

p.s. here is the Roselani Haupia and Kona Mud Pie. (sorry but the photo doesn't do the Haupia justice). The haupia is rich and creamy and super white--snow should taste like this! Mom says that they should put some chunks of coconut in there too.

The kona mud pie is a rich coffee ice cream which you can actually see the coffee in it too (or maybe it could be specks of vanilla beans), swirls of chocolate sauce and chunks of oreo cookies....both are heavenly!

Have a great weekend, it is Super Bowl on Sunday!

trying new recipes

Well, the weather is....still warm (I guess I did jinx myself). The weather people have compared it to mid-August temps during the day...blah. I learned something new the other night, the weather guy said that the wispy clouds are autumn clouds and the fluffy ones are summer clouds. So as you can see from the photo, even the sky is confused as to what season it is...sigh. Oh, and if you see a jet stream and it stays in the sky for a long time, this means it will rain and if it fades quickly the weather will stay sunny....

Yesterday, I was in a procrastinating kind of mood with my bead project, so I decided to eat all day and tried some new recipes.

There was banh mi for lunch. The post on Tamarind and Thyme led me to Viet World Kitchen which gave a recipe for the veggies that go inside of a banh mi. This sandwich reminded me of the sandwiches I've had at Ba-le in Hawaii. I think if I had some fish sauce it would have tasted a little more authentic.

And then these petit mont blancs from one of my cookbooks for a mid-afternoon tea. The topping which is usually a chestnut mixture, is made from sweet potatoes instead. The bottom was a cookie, not the usual cake. The only problem I had was piping (as you can probably tell). Using my tiny food processor, the sweet potato didn't get as smooth as I would have liked it, so when I was piping, bits got stuck in the frosting tip and would blast itself out...I'm lucky it wasn't more messy. These were super easy (aside from the piping) to make and a very nice snack. (the two in the background are for Satoshi)

And then there was Amy's penne alla vodka for dinner. I didn't have vodka in the house, only shochu (which is like sake but made from potatoes or barley and stronger than sake), so I guess mine should be called penne alla shochu. I liked this recipe, it tasted like something I've had in a restaurant before. Too bad I didn't buy more baguettes, so I could mop up the sauce!

I love the internet! All the exchanging of information at my fingertips.

Hope you have a nice weekend, we have ANOTHER 3-day weekend (although Satoshi has to work today)....I guess I better get beading.

UPDATE: I switch out cream with skim milk in the Penne alla Vodka sauce to cut back a little of the calories and sometimes just make the sauce so we can dip bread into it.

cheap eats (part 2)

The last time I was home, I wanted to eat at Ba-le Sandwich & Bakery, but didn't get around to doing so.

They are a local company, known for their Vietnamese sandwiches called "banh mi". These sandwiches are made with lots of pickled veggies--daikon (long white radish) and carrots, cucumber, your choice of filling, some cilantro and a warm, crusty french bread (for a little more (about 50 cents), you can have the same sandwich made in a croissant instead of the french bread).

Before moving to Japan, I would often order the vegetarian--which is just the crusty french bread and the veggies (daikon, carrots, cucumber).

Today, I tried the lemon grass chicken sandwich (US$4.71-tax included). The chicken was tender, juicy and very flavorful. And there were a lot of pickled veggies too.

This sandwich is definitely meant to be savored while sitting down somewhere and not on the run (and not while driving in your car!)--it can get a bit messy, as the veggies drop out while taking your bites.

Ba-le also serves plate lunches, summer rolls and sweet treats too!