et al

Met up with friend Leonard 

Since we didn't know where to eat at, Leonard suggested we go to Et Al, Foodland's restaurant

Leonard had their burger : Honolulu Meat Co. beef patty, La Tour sesame bun, fontina, Maui onion bacon jam, gochujang aioli, fries 

He enjoyed this but wished they hadn't over cooked this

I had their Greens & Grains Bowl : MA'O sassy mix, forbidden rice, crispy fried egg, roasted Lualualei veg, carrot-ginger purée 

This was delicious but the forbidden rice was a little hard in spots

It was nice catching up with Leonard 

Thanks for today Leonard!

Et Al

Kahala Mkt

Honolulu, Hawaii

Open daily: 7:30-22:00

alan wong’s

Blog reader Ryan and his wife S were very generous, taking me, BFF, Jalna and Mich to Alan Wong’s Sunday Brunch Buffet

So much good food and lots of good conversations

Round 1: inarizushi, spicy tako poke, limu poke, sashimi, ta’ape (yellow snapper), miso butterfish, chinese chicken salad, tofu salad, green beans, mochi waffle 

Yaki onigiri filled with poke

lobster tail : grilled and chilled

round 2: lobster tail, yaki poke musubi, baked potato, seafood fried rice, hibachi chicken

round 3: bread pudding, tapioca, sweet potato cake, fondue with fruits

thank you Ryan & S for lunch at Alan Wong’s & all these goodies (filthy farm girl soap, lilikoi butter & manoa honey). it was nice spending time with you & S

thank you Jalna for all these goodies (handmade kitchen towel by Jalna’s mom, handmade cards, handmade bag, pretzel snack & cheesecake bars these are always so ono!), it was nice spending time with you

thank you Mich for all these goodies (trader joe’s bag, homemade party mix, cookies and candies), it was nice spending time with you

So thankful for being able to spend time with everyone, and thankful that Ryan and S invited BFF to come along and that everyone made BFF feel like part of the group with omiyage for her too

Alan Wong's Brunch Buffet

Kahala Hotel

Honolulu, Hawaii

9:30-13:00 Sundays, reservations

this week

Friday, met up with Instagram friend @cre808 ...turns out we went to the same high school but different graduating class, still, small world yeah?!

It was fun talking with her.

She was nice to give us all this omiyage (thank you!) and introduce us to Yuzu Jelly Soda from Uproll Cafe.

Forgot Friday was a holiday and I was thankful she could meet up on her day off (Thank you!)

Saturday, my brother and I did some errands.

Dinner was a solo pupu party...cole slaw, ahi limu poke (tuna with a type of seaweed), oyster sauce poke, chips and Maui Brewing's Coconut Hiwa Porter.

Sunday, the big day!

Vacuumed and got the house ready for the Open House.

BFF let me hang out with her until 17:00.

When I got home the realtor left us a note...11 people came and 2 seem interested....crossing fingers the house sells quickly!

Dinner was from Palisades Drive Inn...mini sweet sour spareribs.

Monday, met up with family friend D at Chubbies.

Always fun talking story with him. (Thank you!)

Afterwards I roamed the aisles of Whole Foods in Kaka'ako...got some items from their salad bar for dinner.

Tuesday, lunch from Uproll Cafe.

Tried their Ahi Lover...fresh ahi (tuna), green onion, cucumber, takuwan (pickled radish), ginger sauce...I added carrots, lettuce and fried onions...and also got a yuzu jelly soda.

This is a massive futomaki (literally fat roll!)

So good with all the "goodies" in it, want to try some of the other items on their menu.

Wednesday, lunch with Jalna and Mich.

It has been awhile since we've been able to get together.

We met up at Goma Tei.

I tried their Won Ton Tan Tan...meh, I'm a ramen snob.

Their housemade noodles seemed a bit dry almost like wheat pasta sometimes can be and the tan tan soup a bit watery.

Their won ton are delicious, but HUGE filled with shrimp and other ingredients.

Jalna shared some of her handmade cards as well as some omiyage from her trip to Hokkaido. (Thank you!)

Mich shared some dark chocolates and 'ulu chips. (Thank you!)

It was nice to spend time with them and catch up on things.

In the afternoon was a 2nd showing for a couple that came to the Sunday Open House...We'll see what happens

Dinner with BFF at La Tour Cafe.

This time around I tried their Thit Khia Loaded Fries : coconut juice braised pork, white sauce, carrot & daikon pickles, cucumber, red onions, fried garlic, cilantro

Too bad they didn't serve this in a bigger container, it was so hard to eat!

Loved the braised pork, which kind of reminded me of the sweet char siu I grew up with...but, I would've enjoyed this if there were more chunky pieces rather than sparse and thinly sliced pieces.

Their fries are super crispy and delicious.

Thursday, drove out to Wahiawa because I wanted to check out Taqueria El Ranchero.

This restaurant is open from 7:00 in the morning!

They serve breakfast everyday from 7:00-noon.

I know if I lived closer, I would be picking up breakfast from this place (often).

I ordered their Burrito Grande...I chose chorizo which is made in house and is spicy!

I also chose black beans...the burrito comes with pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, rice and cheese.

It was so HUGE, that I had it for 2 meals.

I also tried watermelon agua fresca (literally fresh water) for the first time.

They make this in house too and while it was a little too sweet, with the gross humidity this really hit the spot!

I hope to go back to try some other things on their menu.

All in all, heat and humidity were pretty evil this week. Not as bad as Japan, but pretty close.

More photos here if you are interested.

Hope it is cooler where you are, have a nice weekend.

Uproll Cafe
Pearl Highlands Center Food Court
Pearl City, Hawaii
Phone: 808.567.7655
Hours: 11:00-20:00 (Monday-Saturdays), 11:00-18:00 (Sundays)

Goma Tei
Kahala Mall
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.732.9188
Hours: 11:00-21:30 (Mondays-Thursdays), 11:00-22:00 (Fridays & Saturdays), 11:00-21:00 (Sundays)

Taqueria El Ranchero
823 California Avenue
Wahiawa, Hawaii
Phone: 808.621.9000
Hours: 7:00-24:00 (Mondays-Fridays), 7:00-26:00 (Saturdays-Sundays)

foodie june

Earlier in mid-June, BFF W and I were able to get in our last Tacos Zarate fix, they closed up for good June 14, 2018.

On this particular day, I had their fish tacos, super crunchy outside and tender fish inside....will miss their food.

Fish jun bento from Palama Supermarket...enough for two meals!

I also tried the meat jun bento (no photo) and love both!

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli has a shop in Kapolei, I tried their tuna sandwich.

Lots of veggies and lots of tuna salad...and their fries are crispy...so good!

Lychee from the Big Island (Island of Hawaii) were being sold at Costco...some weren't too sweet but for the most part they were delicious.

With all the krazy vog (volcanic smog) from the Big Island, it makes for beautiful sunsets.

Tried Ruscello restaurant in Nordstrom with my aunties.

It was a day when they were going to turn off all the power in the area that my parents home is located, to do some maintenance work, so I made sure to get out of the house.

The crispy panko chicken salad was similar to mochiko chicken but crispier...delicious. (Thanks Aunty M for lunch!)

Pineapple Mint Iced Tea from Island Vintage Shave Ice...super refreshing on that blazing day. (Thanks Aunty M1!)

Mango from Aunty V's stash...Thank you!

Tillamookies...Tillamook ice cream sandwiches filled with mint chocolate chip was meh...the mint seemed to be more peppermint like those hard red and white candies than spearmint.

1st time trying the baked manapua and custard bolo bao from Honolulu Kitchen.

The baked manapua is huge and the outside is really sweet & sticky.

Custard bolo bao is similar to Japan's melon pan but softer and filled with custard.

I'm glad I tried both.

Have you tried the fried chicken from Paalaa Kai Mini Mart (next door to Paalaa Kai Bakery)?

It was my first time.

The skin is so crispy and the chicken so juicy...I dare you not to eat all the crispy skin...I couldn't stop eating it.

1 piece chicken and a musubi under $3! I now understand why all the surfers were hanging out and eating this in the parking lot.

Da Snack Shack is a tiny food court at Pearlridge with 3 shops sharing the kitchen.

Annie's Kitchen, a Vietnamese restaurant is one of them.

I tried their bbq beef banh mi...too bad all their veg was cilantro and not much daikon-carrot pickles.

Also, bummer their beef wasn't tender.

(My brother tried their BBQ Pork Sandwich a couple weeks later and said it was good)

1st time trying HAL special from W & M Bar-B-Q...teri cheese burger topped with lettuce, tomato & onion AND slices of teri beef!

So good, dunno why I have never ordered this before...

1st time trying Donut King.

I tried their chocolate coconut cake doughnut...so moist!

And so cheap too, under $2.

Teri beef sandwich from Shiro's...the beef was super tender...delicious.

Been wanting to try Aloha Cones for some time, but their shop in town has parking issues, so am glad they also have this shop in that Da Snack Shack at Pearlridge.

I tried their mini chirashi and added avocado and edamame for $1 each.

The fish is so so fresh! and the edamame and avocado so generous.

Whew...a list of stuff I tried during June..some new places, some new (to me) items at familiar eateries.

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli
711 Kamokila Blvd.
Kapolei, Hawaii
Phone: 808.674.1700
Hours: Mondays-Thursdays 5:00-21:30, Fridays 5:00-22:00, Saturdays 7:00-22:00, Sundays 7:00-21:30

Ruscello
inside of Nordstrom Ala Moana
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.953.6110
Hours: Mondays-Saturdays 9:30-21:00, Sundays 11:00-19:00

Island Vintage Shave Ice
Ala Moana Shopping Center 2nd Floor
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.942.7770
Hour: Mondays-Saturdays 9:00-21:00, Sundays 10:00-19:00

Paalaa Kai Mini Mart
66-1425 Kaukonahua Rd
Waialua, Hawaii
Phone: 808.637.9182
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: Wednesday-Saturdays & Mondays 5:00-18:00, Sundays 5:00-16:00

Da Snack Shack (UPDATE: 2019 all shops in this food court no longer at this location)
Pearlridge Uptown
Aiea, Hawaii
Phone: 808.888.8668
Hours: Mondays-Saturdays 10:00-21:00, Sundays 10:00-18:00
Closed when the mall is

Donut King
Market City Shopping Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.258.4119
Hours: Mondays-Fridays 6:00-19:00, Saturdays & Sundays 6:00-17:30

tacos zarate

Since the last visit to Tacos Zarate, they moved to Kahala.

In the spot where Antonio's Pizza and Honolulu Burger Company used to be.

S, BFF and I went to check them out for lunch today.

The space is clean and bigger than when they were on King Street.

I ordered the Carne Asada Nachos and a small drink.

The server made a mistake and gave me a large drink.

Loved the cheese sauce and the carne asada was super tender.

Will definitely be back to try other things on their menu.

It was nice catching up with S and BFF too! (Thank you!)

Tacos Zarate (UPDATE: closing 6/16/2018)
4210 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.892.1565
Hours: 11:00-21:00
Closed Sundays

the counter & hawaii's favorite kitchens

Saturday, I went out to lunch with BFF and another friend, S.

BFF treated us to lunch at The Counter. It had been almost 6 years since I'd been back.

I had their B.L.A.T. and sweet potato fries. Bacon is so good in the U.S.! (Thank you!)

After walking around a bit, we went to Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens which is next door to Rainbow Drive-In.

Can you imagine all sorts of island favorites in one shop? You can get KC Drive-inn, Poke Stop, Hoku's BBQ Chicken, Shimazu Shave Ice and some Rainbow Drive-In items.

BFF and I were there for KC Drive-Inn's Ono Shake...Strawberry, Chocolate, Coffee or Vanilla shakes mixed with peanut butter.

I chose Chocolate while BFF chose Vanilla...thick and rich.

S chose Shimazu's Shave Ice.

Can you believe this is a small?!

They have a wide selection of syrups and you can choose up to three.

S chose strawberry, li hing and coconut (I think that is what she said)...

It's been quite hot and muggy lately, so these cold items hit the spot.

Another great foodie day!

Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens
3111 Castle Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.744.0465
Hours: 10:00-19:00 everyday

honolulu burger company

BFF and I had envisioned Big Kahuna Pizza the other day but when we arrived at their opening time (11:00), they were still hunting for the keys to open the register or something lame like that, and said that we would have to wait another 30 minutes because they were short-staffed...um, no.

So, without a "plan B", we got back in the car and headed to check out Honolulu Burger Company. It was the first time for BFF and the last time I ate there was in 2010.

They just opened another shop in Kahala, where Antonio's used to be.

(If you remember, BFF and I didn't have a great eating experience at Antonio's, which I wrote about here.)

This time around I tried their Teri-Kim Burger (teriyaki kim chee)...I think it could've used more "teri", but I like that they actually cooked my burger "medium well" as requested...$8.79 + tax

I also had their small order of sweet potato fries....$3.89 + tax (these could've been crispier and there's no need for the honey mustard dip, which is way too sweet)

Bottled water...$1.50 + tax

A bit pricey, but their food was delicious and there is lots of parking at this location.

We'll be back.

Honolulu Burger Company (UPDATE: 8/2016 this location closed)
4210 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.735.5202

antonio's pizza

My Flickr friend, Rex, told me about Antonio's Pizza, BFF, had been wanting to try it too, so the other day, I met her at her workplace and we went to check out this place.

When you walk in it is pretty dark, no air of any kind is on, your face feels like you may have a fever, it's that hot in there.

The guy at the counter, more concerned about eating his McDonald's meal and playing his Play Station games on the big screen television than taking your order, sits and stares at you like, "well?!".

No "hi how are you?", "is it your first time here?", "let me recommend...", New York attitude?! maybe.

There is no menu posted anywhere, so grab the take-out menu sitting on the counter and look it over.

BFF ordered the 9-inch with pepperoni, tomato and spinach.

I ordered the 9-inch with sausage, olive and onion.

With soft drink, our bills both came out to US$7.64 tax included.

The crust was a bit on the hard side, with lots of cornmeal around the edges.

And the cheese was oozy, but we think the sauce was really salty because after we finished, we felt like we had licked some sandpaper or something...blah!

I'm glad we tried this place, but both of us agreed, there is definitely better pizza out there.

Antonio's Pizza (UPDATE: as of 2013 this shop not in business)
4210 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.737.3333

hawaii re-visits

Last year I wrote about having lunch with Nate at Lam's Garden.

Yesterday, we met up at Lam's Garden and he brought his cute grand-daughter along too.

We again ordered the minute chicken with cake noodle...so good. Cake noodle is something I don't see often in Japan, so good!

Stuffed bittermelon, Nate's favorite...these bittermelons were...bitter! but very tasty, though I think I like Nate's recipe for stuffed bittermelon better.

Ika (squid) with sin choi (pickled mustard cabbage). This was my first time trying this but I really liked it.

The squid was chewy and the sin choi had a sweet sour flavor, really tasty.

It was nice to catch-up with Nate and to meet his grand-daughter.

Thanks for lunch Nate!

lam's garden

Met up with Nate again at his favorite Chinese place, Lam's Garden in Kahala.

We ordered Crispy Gau Gee, Minute Chicken with Cake Noodle (Nate's grand-daughter's favorite), Fried Rice and Clams with Black Bean Sauce.

The food was delicious and came out really fast! Their portions are very generous too.

I even got to catch them making their dumplings.

Nate gave me some cilantro seed to plant, I hope it will grow! And after he lunch showed me where he lives (nearby Lam's).

He said that his daughter would be mad if he posted a photo of his house on his blog, so he asked me to post it for him on mine. (shh! don't tell her!)

He also said he built the top addition to his house himself 20 years ago. I also got to see his dog, Nezumi, so cute!

Thanks for lunch and the seeds Nate!

Lam's Garden (UPDATE: 2018 no longer in business)
4210 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.735.3990