champions malasadas

I don't quite remember when my Aunty M told me that Champions Malasadas was closing...

They are still looking for someone to take over their business, so this trip back I made sure to get my fix in.

The price is $.90 (plus tax)...a little higher than the last time I had them, but still under a dollar.

When the business changes hands, I hope the quality won't change...

The malasadas are still light and fluffy..and will always be my favorite.

foodie saturday

I only have a couple more days left in Hawaii, so I am trying to squeeze some foodie adventures in...

Saturday, BFF and I went to Chocolate & Vanilla Bakery, so that I could try their macaron.

I got their mint chocolate...$2.04 (tax included). I enjoyed this. The mint wasn't overpowering.

Though I wished that the outer "shell" was mint and the filling was dark chocolate...

We then bought a Champion malasadas....$.85 (plus tax) each.

Still as good as ever.

(I couldn't believe a guy actually walked in, took a look at the glass case and menu, then walked out without even buying a malasada!)

And enjoyed it with a cold brew coffee from Starbucks...$3.61 (tax included).

We then walked around Ala Moana a bit then headed over to J.J.Dolans for pizza.

It had been about 4 years since my last visit. Their pizza is still delicious.

Bellies full, lots of talking, and lots of laughs...it was a great day.

Thanks BFF!

foodie friday

Friday started off with breakfast at Koa Pancake in Aiea.

Loco moco for Satoshi and a short stack of banana pancakes for me. Their coffee is awful...I know, I'm a coffee snob...

After breakfast, we did a few chores at home then visited with Dad and Grandma.

Lunch was from Poke Stop inside of Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens...the guy making the bowls was such a grouch...at least the lady at the register was nice...

Satoshi had their two choice with Garlic Edamame Ahi Poke and their Furikake Salmon Poke. I chose the mini with their Furikake Ahi Poke.

We both chose sushi rice but learned our lesson (too sweet) and will order just white rice next time.

We took our lunch to Kaimana Beach and were treated to free parking by the parking meter angels...there was a little over an hour on the meter! (Thank you!)

Then after lunch, we fought the gross back-up on Kapahulu due to road construction and picked up some items for dinner from Ono Seafoods.

On the way home, we checked out Satoshi's favorite lookout, Puu Ualakaa and then hit Champion Malasadas for a little snack.

Dinner was the lomi ahi and sashimi that we picked up from Ono Seafoods. It was our first time here but we liked their selection.

We also tried Lanikai Brewing's Pillbox Porter. I liked this one because there were nice notes of coffee and chocolate.

Another day of lots of running around, lots of food and lots of sun.

Ono Seafood
747 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone:808.732.4806

foodie sunday

Last week, the weather was a little "wintry" in Hawaii.

Lots of rain and dare I say a little "cool".

Even though the rain stopped and sun came out, BFF and I checked out Shiro's Saimin Haven for lunch on Sunday.

Dare I also say that it was my first time there...gasp!

See, after studying abroad in Japan, I used to be a "snob" thinking ramen was "better" than saimin.

But after coming back to work in Hawaii, then living abroad in Japan since 2001, I have come to my senses in recent years.

Reconnecting with foods from my past.

You can't beat the broth, it's neither oily nor heavy like ramen broth can be and has just the right amount of salt.

Paired with a teri beef stick (and the won bok from BFF's saimin) this was the perfect comfort food lunch.

Though the sauce on the beef stick was a bit too sweet and goopy for my liking, the meat was very tender.

I'd definitely go back.

After lunch, we checked out Zippy's.

They advertised "made to order" and "hot and fresh" malasadas...pffft!

Yeah, I also think there is fine print on that ad.

Because the Zippy's we were at had these malasadas in their display cases and I didn't see anything being "made to order".

I also didn't ask why they weren't being "made to order" probably because my mouth was wide open in shock as I watched the girl behind the counter putting it into a bag.

We also tried their banana andagi which was also advertised on that same ad.

3 words--hard.as.rock.

Probably because they are stored in that same display case.

Plus, the banana was flavoring not real (no flecks).

Utter disappointment...I knew I should've stuck to my favorite Champions.

Oh well, at least the company was good and weather beautiful.

Shiro's Saimin Haven
98-020 Kamehameha Highway
Waimalu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.488.8824

hawaii re-visits

I've written about my favorite malasadas before here and here...pillows of flaky dough, fried up light and covered with sugar...nom!

Recently I had one and think that all coffee shops should sell these malasadas with their coffee.

I noticed that Champion sells coffee with their malasadas and other treats but also noticed that they have their pot of coffee just sitting out.

And while US$1.05 is cheap for coffee, for a coffee snob like me to have it sitting out like that is a big no-no.

What would you have with your cup of coffee?

hirakata

I wrote a little about the Kikuningyo (Chrysanthemum Dolls) of Hirakata Park before.

4 years ago, when it was the 96th display, it was supposed to be the last exhibit.

This year is technically the 100th year (though they didn't have any exhibits over the past 4 years, I think)...

We went to check out the display and it was beautiful.

This year's theme is Sakamoto Ryoma, the man who helped change Japan.

To make the dolls reminded me that it was similar to making floats.

(In high school, we would make floats for homecoming. Putting chicken wire over wooden structures then attaching paper flowers to them.)

First off, they start growing the chrysanthemums 400 days prior so that they are blooming when they create the dolls.

Then they make a wooden figure positioning them in particular stances and poses.

A "mesh" made out of bamboo "rope" is then put onto the figure in order to attach the flowers to the figure.

The artist then attaches the mums in the same direction so that the flowers all face the same way.

They also mix in pine fronds to give different textures.

After putting the mums in, they then decorate each doll with a head, hands, obi (fabric belts) and other items like swords or fans.

These dolls take a lot of time to put together, but the results are fabulous.

Since they reached 100 times, we aren't sure if they will continue to do these displays, so we're glad we were able to see this one.

After looking at all the dolls, we headed back to the station and had a snack at the Malasada Cafe.

It was a great little place located on the platform which also played hawaiian music.

We ordered a sugar malasada (the original) and a cocoa sugar malasada....130 each (about US$1.30) and some coffee 270 yen each (about US$2.70)

These malasada were good, not oily and very light.

Only thing we were disappointed with was that we could hardly tell there was cocoa powder on the cocoa sugar malasada.

It was a nice Autumn day, lots of beautiful flowers and good food.

Malasada Cafe (UPDATE: 2016 no longer in business)
on the platform of the Keihan Hirakata Koen Station
Phone: 072.841.5514

a bit of hawaii

I decided to watch the game (minus the commercials) today, so yesterday, I bought some keema curry from SOL and will have that for lunch with some rice. I also bought ingredients for dinner so that I wouldn't have to go out to do my grocery shopping during the game.

Anyway, I recently saw on television that Leonard's has come to Japan. They are in the food court of the Yokohama Porters shopping center. (Clicking onto the link will bring you to the website, they have some English, but it is limited.)

While Leonard's is not my favorite malasadas, I think it is cool to have some Hawaii nearby.

If you are near Yokohama and check this out, I would love to hear your review of it.

local foodie kind of weekend

Saturday, we checked out the Farmer's Market at KCC (Kapiolani Community College). There were all sorts of food items as well as potted plants and cut flowers. One item which I purchased was made by a local company called Honolulu Fudge Sauce Company. They have several different flavors mostly made with Guittard chocolates, but the one that caught my eye was their Premium Hawaiian made from 100% Hawaiian chocolate grown on the Big Island. With a name like "Spoonalicious" you know it has to be good!

Another item which I picked up was locally made honey. There is a co-op (which I didn't know about) called the Hawaiian Honeybee Co-op which makes different kinds of honeys in different parts of the islands. This particular honey was made in Enchanted Lakes (Kailua, Oahu) from a variety of flowers.

Sunday was the start of the Chinese New Year, to which you should greet others saying "Kung Hee Fat Choy" or "Happy New Year". It is the year of the Boar and a Golden Boar at that, which supposedly only comes around every 600 years! It is supposed to be a very lucky year, but also one for many natural disasters, so please be careful everyone!

I also got together with BFF and S for some shopping and noshing. It was a great time. At one of the shopping malls we went to, I searched for the Sahale Snacks, but still haven't found any :( Oh well, I guess I'll just enjoy the one flavor (Sing Buri) that I did find.

Next year or maybe at the end of this year, Whole Foods Market will be opening here, so I'm looking forward to more foodie finds on my next trip back home.

Monday was President's Day--a State & Federal holiday here. We got together with some of my relatives for dinner and a kanikapila (playing the ukelele (hawaiian musical instrument) and singing). It was great!

And lastly, today is Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras--the day before Lent in which rich ingredients such as flour, eggs and milk are supposed to be used up.

Even though my religion does not observe Lent, it gave me a good excuse to get some of my favorite--Champion Malasadas.

Hope you have a great week!

a "local" favorite & salmon

It snowed last night (yeah!!). Not as much as Tokyo got over the weekend and not even enough to stay frozen--but a couple of centimeters.

I walked through the flurries to a neighboorhood bread shop called Little Mermaid to buy my lunch...they also have a Japanese version of malasadas.

Malasadas are a fried donut without a hole that is covered with sugar. It originated in Portugal(some areas of Portugal also call them "filhos").

In 1878, when the Portuguese immigrants came to Hawaii, one of the things they brought with them was their family recipes for malasadas. Malasadas were made on Shrove Tuesday (sometimes called Fat Tuesday in other areas)--the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. They were your "last" indulgence before Lent when you were supposed to give up things for 40 days. Portuguese cooks used up the eggs, butter and lard that they had in their pantry, since Lent also meant abstinence from animal products.

In 1952, Leonard’s Bakery was founded--this was the first business to sell malasadas in Hawaii. Since its founding, malasadas have become a local favorite. Go to any carnival or fair on the island and you’ll find a malasadas booth--and if they are good, a very long line.

In recent years, another version of the malasadas has emerged in Hawaii--the puff-a-sada. It is a combination of cream puff and malasadas, it is the same fried donut without a hole covered with sugar, but inside is a custard pudding fillings such as vanilla, chocolate and haupia. Haupia is a hawaiian-style coconut pudding.(by the way, the combination of chocolate and haupia is also out of this world!!)

My favorite malasadas in Hawaii is from Champion Malasadas. The baker worked at Leonard’s then left to start his own business. I think Champion Malasadas is better than Leonard’s because it stays fluffy, even when it gets cold. Leonard’s tends to get really flat. If you're in Honolulu, here's the address:

Champion Malasadas
1926 S. Beretania Street
(808)947-8778
Open Tuesdays to Saturdays: 6:00-19:00
Sundays: 6:30-19:00
Closed on Mondays

Getting back to Japan's version of the malasadas called "An Donut", this version has what else, but "an" or "anko" in it. "An" is made with adzuki (red bean) and is cooked until very soft, then sugar and more water is added and the mixture is cooked until it becomes paste-like. This sweet bean paste is then put into the center of little balls of dough and fried until it puffs, then it is coated with sugar. I really like this "an donut" made by Little Mermaid because it reminds me of Champion Malasadas back home.

For tonight's dinner, I made Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce (sorry the picture is a bit dark...). I got the recipe from "The Healthy Kitchen" by Andrew Weil, M.D. & Rosie Daley. I pared the recipe down a bit since I only made enough for 2. I also added the sauce in the last 5 minutes of broiling.

The original recipe below serves 4.

Ingredients:
4 salmon filets
1 lemon, cut in half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill OR 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 handful chopped fresh basil

Rinse filets under cold water and pat them dry. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 the lemon over the filets and season with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat grill or broiler.

Prepare sauce: Whisk together mustard, olive oil and dill in a small bowl. Add the basil and the juice of the other 1/2 of lemon, mix well.

Grill the fish on high heat or broil until desired doneness, do not overcook!

Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

The fresh herbs in combination with the Dijon mustard and lemon were great!!
Enjoy!