ichiriki

Ichiriki with good friend G!

Lots to catch up on since from before the pandemic.

It was my first time here, the food was delicious.

It was nice catching up with G and we hope to meet up for cherry blossoms next year!

Thanks for today, G! 

this week

Friday afternoon we had the house inspected and the buyer was scheduled to walk through the property.

We came back after the time that it was all supposed to end, but the family was still there!

It was kind of a weird feeling sitting out front, watching others leave "your" home...

Hopefully the inspection results will be good.

Dinner was later than usual...I bought a pizza from Pieology (the line was krazy!) and tried the porter from Big Island Brewhaus (super chocolatey!)

Saturday, lunch out with BFF W at Taqueria El Ranchero.

First time trying chilaquiles...super spicy and delicious.

I hope W enjoyed her nachos.

Afterwards we made our last run to Paalaa Kai Bakery for the summer.

I picked up a malasada for my Sunday breakfast.

Sunday was super humid (again!)

I ran up to Aunty Kalei's for a cowgirl (POG (passion orange guava), pineapple, strawberry) shave ice and again added lemon peel...so good!

Sunday dinner (our last one for this summer) was at Vein in Kakaako.

Aunty M1 and W1 had their pork chop, which apparently is brined...unfortunately, this was way too salty for them (they think the cook added more salt when grilling).

My brother had their lamb chops...which he said was delicious but just had too little food.

Aunty M and I ordered the catch of the day which was Onaga (red snapper) with a yuzu (citron) beurre blanc (literally white butter) sauce.

Bummer that this fish was overcooked and hard.as.rock.

Since we had "complained" about this and that, dessert was on the house...their bread pudding.

Meh, I've had better...it could have been more custardy...

I'm glad we tried this place and thankful that Aunty M1 and W1 treated all of us...we all hope this restaurant will be able to survive...

Monday...rain, lots of rain...then sun and humidity!

BFF W had taken the day off, so after she did her errands, we had lunch at Big City Diner...$2 for cheese?!

It was still nice to get out even though it was raining.

Tuesday, I went to McCully Stamps & Coin, the owner bought some of the old coins that my parents had collected over the years.

He was so nice and a little TMI (too much info), showing me his lung cancer scar (gasp!)...still, I think he was fair and I'm glad we were able to sell these old coins.

Afterwards, I had intended to go to Target, but when I arrived, everyone in the parking lot warned me that their network was down so they were only taking cash.

Well, network down means that you can't access their app too, so no discounts either...boo! (1st world problems yeah?!)

Oh em gee I am addicted to shave ice with lemon peel...thank goodness Aunty Kalei's is open Tuesday-Thursday and the weekends.

Aloha Salads...hummus pita wrap for lunch

and the Goddess (mixed greens, almonds, papaya, avocado, green goddess dressing) plus I added chicken for dinner.

Wednesday...more rain!

Lunch from Flamingo's Express...I tried their mini teri chicken bento.

Teriyaki sauce a bit too sweet and goopy.

Glad I tried it but probably wouldn't get this again though...

Thursday, lunch with V at Senia.

V loves this place and was kind to take me there.

The chef from the original Vintage Cave, Chris Kajioka and Anthony Rush (from French Laundry) serve creative dishes for lunch and dinner.

We had the 3 course...

Appetizer course...I chose the ham hock terrine...meaty! with a quail egg and puckery tomato sauce delicious!

V had their ahi tataki...she ate a couple of pieces but decided that the texture wasn't for her, so I was lucky to get to finish this for her.

Main course I chose the scallops with risotto and pickled daikon...delicious! nice sear on the scallops, not over cooked...this was nice with the harissa it was served with.

Creamy risotto and nicely pickled daikon.

V had their ahi burger...looks good yeah?!

Dessert course...I chose the carrot cake brown butter mochi...good especially with the cream cheese frosting!

V had the Senia cookie...a warmed peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla gelato.

It was nice to watch everyone (especially the prep staff) in the kitchen.

Friday, started out with a schnecken from Baker Dudes.

Schneckens (I like saying this word!) are literally snails in German...this was filled with lots of nuts and flaky! Bummed I found out about this place so late but look forward to checking them out the next time I am back.

After a trip to the bank to see if we could cash my parents travelers cheques we found stashed (we need to wait until they get authenticated as the bank they purchased the cheques from do not do business with the company anymore (boo! and they are located in the UK?!))...hopefully this will get sorted out by the time my brother moves (or we may just have to cut our losses)...

I then went to visit my mom and dad at their respective resting places...

Lunch from Mama Woo's...I've been wanting to try this place for some time...

The parking is nuts!

Luckily I found a stall on the street.

I had the kimbap, mandoo and fried chicken wing for lunch...the fried chicken wing was so good! crispy, sweet and savory.

The kimbap was good too.

For the next couple meals I'll be eating Mama Woo's Special...4 side dishes, kalbi, bbq beef, chicken (mandoo & chicken wing).

Because I didn't want rice, they gave me one more side dish.

Friday dinner we met Aunty M for pupus (caesar salad, octopus with arugula, garlic fries, crab artichoke dip)

And lilikoi mango cheesecake.

Saturday morning, we met up with relatives for breakfast at Liliha Nimitz...

I ordered the two eggs (over medium), portuguese sausage and potatoes.

The weather is still gross (humid)...I may need to make a shave ice run...

Flying out tomorrow....hope you have a nice weekend!

Senia
75 North King Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.200.5412
Closed Sundays
Lunch: Tuesdays-Fridays 11:00-14:00
Dinner: Mondays-Saturdays 17:30-21:30

Baker Dudes
923 Alakea Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.597.4717
Closed Saturdays-Sundays
Hours: 6:30-16:00

Mama Woo's
2080 South King Street
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.941.6262
Hours: 10:00-20:30

update

Friday, checked out Tamura's Fine Wine...they moved from their Kamehameha Highway location to the Old Down to Earth spot near Anna Miller's Pearlridge.

I picked up some of their ahi poke...the price of ahi (tuna) has gone up over the past couple of weeks due to low fishing yields.

The Tamura Special is a little spicy, a little sweet and perfect with some rose.

Also picked up these two sodas made by Maui Brewing Company.

Root Beer...made with cane sugar, local honey and Hawaiian vanilla.

The vanilla sort of overpowers, but I like that this uses local ingredients.

Ginger Beer...made with cane sugar, local honey and Hawaiian ginger.

I enjoyed the kick that this had from the ginger.

I'm glad I got to try these locally made sodas...perfect for the humid and hot days we've had all summer!

Saturday, dinner from The Elephant Shack.

This time around I tried their Goong Nam Prik Pao : shrimp marinated in their homemade sauce, red onions, long beans and jasmine rice.

I got this mild spicy and it was too hot for me...but, I enjoyed how flavorful this dish is and how much shrimp they give in this portion....enough food for 2 meals!

Sunday, we celebrated Aunty M's birthday.

Aunty M1 cooked up a storm (chicken long rice, kalua pig, spicy eggplant, watermelon and salad).

We brought a cake by Ted's Bakery...pineapple mac nut cheesecake.

A slightly spiced cake (I think) topped with whipped cream cheese and pineapples, mac nuts coating the sides of the cake...so good!

The taste and texture reminded me of a cake my mom used to make called Hawaiian Delite Cake...found a recipe online here.

Monday, Labor Day...BFF and I went back to Lanikai Juice in Kapolei.

This time around I tried their pitaya (dragon fruit) smoothie...super refreshing...the heat and humidity have been kind of bad this summer.

Tuesday, I went back to Roast Duck Kitchen.

This time I tried their combo, choice of two items...I chose the Oyster Sauce Chicken, Char Siu on cake noodle.

$13-something...so much food!

They also give you a gau gee...the sauce up top is the oyster sauce (I think).

The chicken is already so flavorful, that you could probably use the sauce for the cake noodle...I ended up not using the sauce at all.

The Char Siu is super tender and flavorful...a little sweet...love!

Wednesday, my folder's elastic thingy went kaput....so I went down to Daiso to pick up these long elastic hair bands...in essence, untied elastic strands...

Glad I was able to McGyver my folder.

Thursday, I had an appointment in town, so afterwards, I went to Manoa to pick up a roast turkey sandwich from Andy's for lunch.

I have been wanting to try this place for a long time, I am glad I finally did and their sandwich is so good!

The roast turkey is tender and moist.

I also added avocado, tomato and cheese.

The sandwich comes with lots of sprouts, lettuce and carrots.

And the bread (which I believe is made in house, was super soft and delicious!)

It was kind of weird figuring out what I needed to do...(order at the counter, then pay at the entrance, then go back to the counter to pick you your order), but everyone was super helpful.

Two doors down is Off the Hook Poke Market, which I've seen on social media.

I got their mini poke bowl...chose white rice and one poke (the Hawaiian Style).

then got all their toppings (tobiko (flying fish roe), green onions, bubu arare (little rice puffs) and furikake)

Next time I'll get their poke on green salad, since they put the cold poke on warm rice...

Their Hawaiian Style poke was spicier than what I envisioned...I'm glad I got to try them!

So that was my week...need to clean for the upcoming Sunday Open house, send us some good mojo...

Hope your week was a good one and have a nice weekend.

Andy's Sandwiches & Smoothies
2904 E Manoa Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.988.6161
Closed Saturdays
Hours: 7:00-17:00 (Mondays-Thursdays), 7:00-16:00 (Fridays), 7:00-14:30 (Sundays)

Off the Hook Poke Market
2908 E Manoa Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.800.6865
Closed Sundays
Hours: 11:00-18:00

this week

Oh em gee this week was so hot and humid, it was pretty miserable.

But, that didn't stop me from enjoying all sorts of different foods.

Friday, I had my solo pupu party...chicken lumpia from Ba-le, furikake popcorn from Island Popper, Down to Earth Salad Bar & Underwood Rose.

Island Popper, who had a food truck, recently opened a shop in Kalihi.

Their parking is horrendous. Dunno that I would go back to that shop, would probably look for some of their other vendors who sell their product instead.

Saturday lunch at Ruscello with Mineko-san!

She too is going through some danshari (purging), it was nice to get together with her and share our experiences.

She had the seared ahi salad and steak barley soup.

I ordered the Shrimp Polenta salad (wild shrimp, petite tomatoes, warm polenta croutons,
parmesan cheese crisp, creamy garlic vinaigrette).

So good!

We also had dessert.

Mineko had their Creme Brulee.

I had their chocolate chip cookie topped with gelato.

I had envisioned a firmer cookie...this was super chocolatey!

Mineko-san also gave me all these chocolate goodies from Pierre Marcolini.

Thank you Mineko-san for lunch, the chocolates and just for a great day!

Saturday night dinner was with BFF at Cheesecake Factory in Kapolei.

Our orders took an hour!

This avocado toast was HUGE but really delicious, I think it was all the lemon squeezed on top that made it tasty!

Some mix up in the kitchen and with the servers...BFF got a free dessert to take home!

Sunday brunch was with blog reader Ryan and his wife S at Piggy Smalls.

We shared the LFC (Laotian Fried Chicken)...sour, sweet, spicy...so good!

I ordered the Burmese Tea Salad.

I have been seeing Burmese Tea Salad here and there on the internet and wanted to try.

It was nice to watch the wait staff explain and mix all the various ingredients in.

Green papaya, tomato, garlic, sesame, sprouting seeds, preserved lemon, serrano chili, fermented lahpet (tea leaves) dressing...the sprouting seeds were hard.as.rock. like eating unpopped popcorn, I would have preferred this to be ground a bit, but overall I loved trying this, it was puckery and perfect for the heat and humidity we've been having.

I also ordered the Go Get 'Em Tiger drink which was turmeric, lemon, ginger and soda water (no photo)...super refreshing, I would love to recreate this!

S had their Truffle Katsu Burger.

Portobello stuffed with truffle shuffle, american cheese, sriracha-lime onions, lettuce, tomato, awesome mustard sauce, brioche bun...it looked good and S also added an egg to her burger!

Ryan had their Brisket Banh Mi with Pho Dip.

Smoked brisket, pickled mustard seeds, sriracha-lime onions, awesome sauce, on La Tour baguette with a side of our signature pho broth & farm salad.

The sandwich was massive (but looked delicious), nice thick cuts of brisket...Ryan also added some noodles to his pho broth.

Dessert was churro french toast that S & I shared.

It kind of reminded us of a cinnamon sugar malasadas.

Sweet bread soaked in kona coffee custard, tossed in cinnamon brown sugar, white chocolate yogurt cremeaux, toasted cacao nib

Not too sweet, very delicious.

Not only did Ryan and S treat me to brunch, but they also gave me all these foodie goodies...a lettuce assortment with edible flowers, lychee, mamaki tea, granola, honey, dressing and avocados from Ryan's mom's house.

It was so nice catching up with them, I hope they'll travel to Japan soon!

Aunty V sent photos of Mom's orchids.

So happy they are adapting and that she adopted them...thank you Aunty!

Huge red onion I bought at Target...only $.99!

It was me and my brother in charge of Sunday dinner this past week.

Let me tell you, it is not easy cooking for more than 2 people!

We had make your own taco salad.

I mixed in some butternut squash with the ground beef to "stretch" it out a bit.

Aunty M1 also brought some of her baby leaf mixed greens. (Thank you!)

I made a cherry clafoutis and Aunty M1 also brought an Ube (purple sweet potato) coconut upside down cake which was a promotion item going on at Foodland.

We were kind of disappointed that there wasn't more "ube" flavor...

Even though our dining area was so so hot, I'm glad we were able to have dinner there together, as it is probably the last time before the house goes on the market.

Monday was my Mom's 7 year memorial (actually 6 years by regular calendar, 7 by Japanese calendar).

It seems so long ago yet it doesn't.

I also visited my Dad at Punchbowl.

Since I was in the area, I went to check out Satoshi's favorite view spot.

I had "lunch" at Chubbies Burgers.

They recently posted that they got an outdoor umbrella to sit under...well, it didn't really help with the heat and humidity, but at least I wasn't getting the direct sun rays.

I had their chubb fries..crinkle cut fries topped with cheddar cheese, grilled onions and their fry sauce (kind of like a spicy 1000 island)...these were sinfully rich.

I would get their plain next time though.

Since I was nearby, I stopped into the Ward location of Whole Foods...I picked up some local porters to try as well as this ice cream sandwich.

I should've known that driving home (in traffic) would result in a melted ice cream sandwich...but, this was so good after those fries...eep!

AND a great way to take my mind off of this awful heat!

Since I totally indulged, dinner was a pretty salad using the edible flower and lettuce assortment from Mari's Gardens. (Thanks Ryan & S!)

The lychee also from Mari's Gardens was super sweet and juicy!

Tuesday I made another trip to the Salvation Army.

Afterwards, I bought a mixed plate to be divided into 2 meals.

BBQ beef, fried chicken and mahi mahi...I opted for "slaw" which turned out to be just shredded cabbage.

Next time I'll try their mac salad.

Lunch was their chili (rice) bowl.

The humidity has been so brutal that a slush was necessary too...

Wednesday, I caught The Bus in to Waikiki to lunch with Greg and Val.

Since the last time I rode The Bus, they've changed their system.

You cannot transfer on one fare anymore...the fare itself went up from $2.50 to $2.75...the best deal is to get their "one day pass" which lets you ride all day for $5.50.

I plan to get the monthly bus pass ($70) the next time I'm here.

Whenever I have lunch with Greg and Val, we have a time limit (only an hour), so the place we eat at has to be fast and close by to the office.

We like Ginza Bairin because the food is good, relatively fast and they also give a Kama'aina (local) discount.

I always get the tonkatsu sandwich because it doesn't come with miso soup, only a salad. (I don't like to drink miso soup too much in Hawaii (the weather is too blazing to be drinking soup!))

The heat and humidity had me craving foods that were sour...I tried Musubi Iyasume's ume musubi for dinner.

They put so much ume paste in there...love!

Thursday, I met up with V.

She had more avocados to share.

Bummer the place we had intended on lunching at was closed.

I introduced her to Hamada General Store, which was close by.

She had their Kimchee Rueben (Pastrami, Marbled Rye, Swiss Cheese, Kimchi, Garlic Aioli)...it looked huge but good!

And I had their Tonkatsu Sandwich (Breaded Pork Loin, Asian Slaw, Tsukemono Aioli, Toasted Brioche Bun, Tonkatsu Sauce, Hot Mustard)...shh! I had tonkatsu 2 days in a row...

Their katsu is thin like schnitzel...delicious on the brioche bun.

V shared her avocados as well as some skincare items and arare! (Thank you V!)

After lunch, I went to Kahala Whole Foods.

I picked up some items from their salad bar...it was my 1st time trying their salad bar and I would definitely get it again.

I also picked up Grandpa Mui's Li Hing Powder, this is supposed to be "healthier" with no artificial sweeteners or colorings...looking forward to try this.

And to round out the week...I have been waiting for a sunset like this....link to see other photos here

Makes me appreciate Hawaii, the day, the week, friends and family.

Have a nice weekend.

Mari's Gardens
94-415 Makapipipi Street
Mililani, Hawaii
Phone: 808.625.2800
Closed Sundays
Hours: 9:00-17:00 (Mondays-Fridays) 8:00-16:00 (Saturdays)

The Cheesecake Factory
Ka Makana Ali'i Shopping Center
Kapolei, Hawaii
Phone: 808.670.2666