hilo (part 2)

One of the fun things I like to do in Hilo is to visit the Farmer's Market downtown. There are many vendors selling organic fruits, vegetables, flowers and other food items.

The flower vendors are there everyday. On Wednesdays, some of the fruit and veggie vendors come out, but Saturdays are the best days to go--packed with vendors and buyers there is excitement in the air as you wander the little market. Parking is tight, so go early!

Shark's Nuts not only sells homegrown coffee and mac nuts, but also hand roasted or raw cacao. I got 8 oz. for US $10.

This is the best place to buy papayas too--6 for US$1.00! You won't find this price anywhere.

This woman was choosing a pineapple.

Here, another woman was picking out warabi (fern fiddleheads)

There was also mangoes and fresh organic rambutan--inside these prickly red compartments are juicy white fruits.

If you plan to visit Hilo, make sure to visit on either a Wednesday or Saturday! It is a nice place just to wander, you may even run into someone you know or make a new friend!

hilo (part 1)

I'm back from the island of Hawaii, also known as "the Big Island". It was nice to be able to take my grandma around to visit with her friends and we also had a lot of fun foodie experiences. For those of you who have never visited the Big Island, Hilo is very laid back, even after 2 tsunami (tidal waves), the "downtown" area still has many historic buildings--filled with cafes, bars, restaurants and boutiques.

Our first foodie adventure was at Miyo's on the grounds of the old Waiakea Village Hotel. This Japanese restaurant overlooks the Wailoa river and has a casual ambiance. Seat yourself and B.Y.O.B. (bring your own booze) We enjoyed a hearty tofu steak with veggies (US $8.59). Delicious!

Miyo's
400 Hualani
Hilo
Phone: 808.935.2273

If you're into beer, you may want to check out the microbrewery that is in Hilo's industrial area. Mehana Brewing Company makes 5 different types of beer (from a lager to a red ale), including one which is exclusive to Roy's Restaurants. You can sample and buy all of their beers at the factory, and some (except the Roy's label) in supermarkets on the Big Island.

Mehana Brewing Company (UPDATE: 5/2013 they filed for bankruptcy)
275 E. Kawili Street
Hilo
Phone:808.934-8211

Nearby, there is Big Island Candies. This factory makes the best chocolate dipped shortbread cookies that I have ever tasted. In recent years, they have also come out with a DARK chocolate dipped shortbread cookie which is ONO! (delicious!) Whenever I go to Hilo, I always try to make a stop here. As you walk in, they hand you a sample of their shortbread and a chocolate, and there are also samples of their Kona coffee (sorry, no photos, I ate it so quickly!) You can also watch as they dip each cookie by hand into the chocolate!

Big Island Candies
585 Hinano Street
Hilo
Phone: 808.935.8890

Back in town, there is a little shop called Gammy's. This shop sells Hilo Homemade Ice Cream, a local ice cream maker. They make local flavors such as a lilikoi (passion fruit) sorbet, kona coffee ice cream and dragonfruit sorbet.

My aunty tried their single (4 oz.) with a half scoop of lilikoi sorbet and a half scoop of banana mac nut fudge. The lilikoi tasted like you were actually eating the lilikoi from the vine!

I tried a half scoop of Ginger and a half scoop of toasted coconut ice cream. The ginger was good, not too overpowering and the toasted coconut made you feel like you were eating a coconut cream pie!

The single scoop at only US$3 is a bargain especially since they are so generous--the servings were almost like two scoops!

Hilo Homemade Ice Cream/Gammy's
41 Waianuenue Avenue
Hilo Town
Phone: 808.933.1520

Also, in town is a place that the locals used to hang out at called Elsie's Fountain. In recent years, the place was sold and is now called Big Island Ohana Cafe. Ohana means family in Hawaiian. This cafe still has the fountain counter and chairs and has a nice open atmosphere.

We met relatives there for breakfast. Their food was good, fast and cheap! I had their Island Combo (2 eggs any way you like them, your choice of meat, I chose portugese sausage, home fries and toast) only US$6.25!

Big Island Ohana Cafe
339 Keawe Street
Hilo town
Phone: 808.961.6381
UPDATE: as of 2009, this place is no longer in business

There is still more to share....stay tuned!

while roaming the aisles

Yesterday, before the game, we roamed the aisles of Costco. There in the deli section, we found this HUGE pizza (my mom thinks it is an 16"-18" square) you'll never see one this big in Japan, unless maybe you shop at their Costco!

We don't have a pan to fit the whole thing and didn't have the people to eat all of it, so we cut it up into 16 pieces and froze half of it.

Also while roaming the aisles, mom found these...Sahale Snacks. I've seen them on QVC or some other shopping channel. I tried to order them from Amazon.com, but they have some kind of rule about not shipping grocery items to Alaska and Hawaii (pouty face inserted)...

so anyway, Costco had these called "Sing Buri"--cashews, peanuts and dried pineapple coated with a lemongrass, a mild Chinese chili spice and black and white sesame seeds...addicting! When you first pop some into your mouth, it is quite sweet, then there is a slight zing of spiciness but not to the point where you feel your mouth is on fire. I hope to find more of their other products here.

After lunch, the game started and I watched all the way up to the 3rd quarter..Go Colts! I then got a bit bored and went down to the supermarket thinking that I would be the only one there...WRONG! All the women (and some men that got dragged along) were there. Still, it wasn't as crowded as it normally is on a Sunday.

As I roamed the aisles here, I came across some Mexican chocolate made by Ibarra. I hope it is good!

So, the big game is over and the ads have been shown...Congratulations Indianapolis!

Hope you have a great week, I'm off to the Big Island (the island of Hawaii) for a couple of days to visit with relatives! (this photo was taken at Ko'olina the last time I was home)

super bowl sunday

Today is Super Bowl Sunday--when America's hustle and bustle may literally stop for about 4 hours or so to watch the big game. For those of you who don't know what this is, it is where the top 2 professional football teams duke it out for bragging rights as "number 1" in all of the U.S.A. But, for fans, it is a great way to get together, and "tailgate"--have a party filled with all kinds of foods as you watch the game and cheer for your favorite team. For a foodie, this may be an ultimate day for feasting!

I, myself haven't watched one in years, but have always enjoyed the commercials (when I did watch) that they play throughout the game. So, you can understand why, when they show the game in Japan, I get frazzled--they cut out ALL of the commercials! (enter super pouty face here!)

Our regular "sunday dinner" took place yesterday, since other family members will be attending various Super Bowl parties.

For dessert, my aunty made this super moist, rich chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and topped it off with these decadent Sprungli Liliput truffles, which her friend, W1 brought back from Switzerland--they come in 5 flavors, Dark, Hazelnut, Champagne, Bourbon Vanilla and Cappucino.

Touchdown!...Enjoy the game fans!

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!

we're jammin' (actually jellin')

Yeah! the comments are back in motion...thanks Blogger!

Remember when I showed you the photo of the strawberry-guava?

Well, since then, my Aunty has picked several bags from the 2 trees near her house. My aunty cleaned most of them and then froze them, then passed along these frozen guava to my mom--the jelly maker in our family.

Yesterday, mom put the frozen guava into a pot to simmer for about 30 minutes to get out all the juice.

After the 30 minutes were up and everything was bubbling and smelling good, she put everything to strain on a sieve. (You are supposed to hang it in some cheesecloth to let the juices drip out, but she said she did it the "lazy way").

She got this much juice from one batch and repeated the process several times to fill up 1 and 1/4 gallons.

The next process will take place later (hopefully while I'm still here in Hawaii) so after the juice cooled, she put these containers into the freezer.

Stay tuned...

fyi

If you haven't noticed, the comments area seems to be broken. Most people cannot comment and I, myself, cannot. (insert really pouty face here).

Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope BLOGGER, will fix the problem, hint, hint!