'ama'ama at aulani disney resort

Yesterday, I lunched with my Aunty M and Aunty V at 'Ama'Ama at Aulani Disney Resort.

'Ama'Ama is the Hawaiian word for mullet.

It was my first time eating at the resort.

Very touristy, but the view of the lagoon is quite relaxing.

Aunty M and I had the Harris Ranch Natural Angus Chuck Burger : smoked gouda, red onion marmalade, kamuela tomatoes, arugula, bacon aïoli on a brioche...the red onion marmalade and bacon aïoli were so good on this burger.

Aunty V had their 1/2 Chicken Salad Sandwich with a cup of Ewa Corn and Potato Chowder...the soup was cheesy and topped with bacon...looked good!

We all ate half of our meals and saved room for dessert...

A lemongrass creme catalana topped with crispy coconut chips, coconut water jelly, a sesame cookie and lychee gelato.

And the mocha chantilly(?) cake...rich chocolate mousse layered between crisp chocolate wafers, surrounded by white chocolate, topped with a florentine...coffee gelato and coffee jelly cubes...super decadant!

It was quite a humid day but it was nice to be out and about.

Thank you for lunch Aunty M!

'Ama'Ama at Aulani Disney Resort
92-1185 Ali'inui Drive
Kapolei, Hawaii
Phone: 866.443.4763 for reservations 

back to magnolia bakery, la palme d'or & pierre marcolini

Yesterday, I met up with my friend Mineko.

Since she hadn't been to Magnolia Bakery, we decided to lunch there. (shh...I didn't tell her I ate there a couple of days before).

I tried their Kale & Red Quinoa Salad : chopped kale, red quinoa, wheat berries, chickpeas, tomatoes, green beans, butternut squash and toasted almonds, lemon shallot vinaigrette...super puckery but delicious (I want to re-create this one!).

Mineko had their Napa Cabbage and Broccoli Slaw : napa cabbage, broccoli slaw, edamame, tomato, red onion and cilantro, ponzu vinaigrette and chopped peanuts. She also added chicken.

She also had their Lilikoi Passion Tea but said this was super sour!

After lunch, we went to La Palme D'Or to find something sweet.

Mineko went with their Earl Grey Velvet. The cake was super tender and moist with a hint of earl grey.

I tried their Lemon Tarte.

There seemed to be gianduja on the bottom so that the crust wouldn't get soggy...delicious.

It's so nice that the shopping center has tables and chairs for you to enjoy foods/drinks without having to pay for the extra service (wish we had more of these type of spaces in Osaka).

It was a nice time chatting and catching up.

Mineko was super sweet to gift these chocolates by Pierre Marcolini to me.

A different type of cacao from a different region.

I'm so happy that Mineko had some time to meet up.

She mentioned she will be travelling to Japan, so I hope we'll be able to meet up again there!

Thanks for a great day Mineko!

magnolia bakery & forty carrots

Tuesday, I met up with my Aunty M1 for lunch.

We had agreed on meeting in front of Magnolia Bakery, but somehow my Aunty thought we were meeting in front of Longs Drugs...

Since the free wifi at Ala Moana is super spotty (read junk), I ran down to Shirokiya and used their wifi and quickly found out that she was waiting in front of Longs Drugs...

In the end, we decided to lunch at Magnolia Bakery...

On this day, the stove/oven that does their skillet and egg dishes was kaput so we had to choose from the other items on their menu.

Aunty went with their croque monsieur and a side salad, while I chose their B.L.A.T. with chips (lots of bacon, avocado, tomato, lettuce and "kick butt" chipotle aioli).

I'm glad they weren't too busy nor too noisy.

After lunch we went up to Forty Carrots inside of Bloomingdale's and shared a plain fro-yo with shredded coconut and chocolate sprinkles.

Thank you Aunty M1, it was nice to spend some time with you.

Magnolia Bakery (UPDATE: 8/2017 this shop is no longer in business)
Ala Moana Shopping Center Ewa Wing 2nd Floor
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.942.4132
Hours: Mondays-Saturdays 7:30-21:00, Sundays 7:30-19:00
Closed when Ala Moana Shopping Center is

Forty Carrots
Bloomingdale's 3rd Floor : Ala Moana Shopping Center Ewa Wing
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone: 808.664.7511
Hours: Mondays-Saturdays 9:30-21:00, Sundays 10:00-19:00
Closed when Ala Moana Shopping Center is

hawaiian pie company

Hawaiian Pie Company is a tiny shop located at the corner of Waiakamilo and Colburn in Kalihi.

Apparently they are related to Holy Bakery Manoa & Big Island.

My brother and I recently tried their Mini Caramel Apple Pie...$6 plus tax.

I halved my half and tried one half cold, straight out of the refrig and one half heated up.

When I worked at Lion Coffee, my supervisor once told me that most foods taste good hot, but the test is if they taste just as good cold.

Which is why I tried the pie cold too.

The crust is super buttery, so heated up is the way to go.

I hope to try their mini coconut pie next time I'm home...I'll be back.

Hawaiian Pie Company
508 Waiakamilo Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone:808.988.7828
Open: Tuesday-Friday 7:00-16:00, Saturday 9:00-16:00 (or sooner if sold out

taro brand poi blueberry granola bowl

Have you eaten poi before?

Poi is a thick paste-like substance made from the taro root.

Taro is mashed with a little water until the poi is made.

The consistency is often referred to as "one finger, two finger, three finger poi" as Hawaiians used to and/or still do eat poi "scooping" it up with their fingers.

Growing up in Hawaii, we were often given poi in place of baby food.

And as a child, I remember sprinkling some sugar on my poi to sweeten it up, making it easier for me to eat.

The other day, I was checking out the Foodland ad and this caught my eye...Taro Brand Poi Blueberry Granola Bowl...what?!

The girl at the seafood counter was nice enough to show me where to find it in the refrigerated section (Thank you!)

It's 5 ounces (about 1/2 a cup) of poi, 1.5 ounces granola (almost 3 Tablespoons), 1 ounce of fresh blueberries (almost 2 Tablespoons), 2 packets of honey (8 grams = about 1/2 Tablespoon) and a spoon.

I didn't use the honey because when I put the fruit and granola into the poi it was sweet enough for me.

At $4.59 (plus tax), it isn't very cheap, but it is a nice breakfast/snack that you can enjoy on the go.

I haven't had poi in awhile, so this was nice.

I hope to have this again the next time I'm home.

lunch with friends

Had lunch with S and BFF on Saturday.

We went to The Counter and got there when it opened at 11:00...only to order then wait almost 40 plus minutes for our food to come out...WT?!

Needless to say, BFF's burger did not have the onion rings that her burger was supposed to have.

S's custom burger did not have the avocado that she requested...

Was it an off day? We hope so, but aren't planning to go back any time soon.

S shared some goodies with me...Red Velvet and Fudgy Brownie from Chocolate & Vanilla Bakery in Kaimuki (I want to go back to try their macaron!), Furikake Popcorn from Island Popper (a food truck), a pretty pair of beach glass earrings.

BFF made some delicious brownie cookies.

I'm glad we've been able to keep our friendships going over the years and able to get together while I'm back.

Thanks S and BFF!

Chocolate & Vanilla Bakery
1115 12th Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone:808.737.2462
Closed Sunday & Monday
Open Tuesday-Friday 10:00-18:00, Saturday 9:00-17:00

Island Popper
@islandpopper on Twitter
Phone:808.391.0238

sophie's gourmet pizza

Got to meet up with Jalna, Mich and her son for lunch on Friday.

Jalna's pizza was 1/2 pesto and 1/2 herb olive oil sauce, mozzarella/parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, bacon, spinach, spicy chicken sausage and garlic toppings...total garlic breath afterwards, but super delicious!

Mich's son had created his own and it looked ono (delicious!)

I chose the Hawaii Pie-O : original crust, zesty sriracha red sauce, mozzarella, salami, char siu, portuguese sausage, pepperoni, topped with fresh cilantro and cilantro aioli. This was good too! Not overly spicy.

Jalna was so nice to share with me a bag of Taro Ko chips, homemade UH bag (nice!) and also a Hello Kitty charm!

Mich shared some Regal Foods' cornflake cookies, homemade mango bread (so good!), some BBQ chips and a mango from her tree!

It was so nice to meet Mich's son and also to catch up with Jalna and Mich.

Thanks Mich for treating us to lunch! I'll buy lunch next time!

Sophie's Gourmet Pizza
Koko Marina Shopping Center
7192 Kalanianaole Highway (next to Zippy's)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Phone:808.892.4121
Open everyday: 11:00-20:30