28Jun / 2018

Daiki Suisan Dotonbori – Osaka, Japan

I spent an entire day in Dotonbori. It was a lot. It was a lot of shopping and a lot of eating. And it’s hard because you want to try everything before you leave. What was Daiki Suisan Dotonbori? This was technically lunch but it was eaten VERY VERY close to dinner, but I tried my very best to eat to my full happiness at both meals. But if I had a choice? I would totally come back to this place to eat more next time! Good quality sushi for crazy low prices? Gosh, I could grind all day. I don’t have any prices for you folks…just pictures this time.

I don’t care if my mouth was going to swell up 10 times it’s size, I had to eat this. This was like $1 USD, seriously. I should have gotten more!

This is like a double crab sushi. Crab miso with crab meat. Looks appetizing right? Okay, no it doesn’t. It didn’t taste that great either. I wouldn’t recommend this one.

I’m a sucker for tuna mayo sushi. A little too heavy handed on the mayo, and it’s the same price as the raw shrimp?? What was I thinking getting this??

Had a craving for unagi which is odd since I never do…but it was good! I’m glad I got it.

I’m not even a huge fan of uni but I just had to get it because it was so cheap. Oh, and for the picture! It was actually pretty good…

Look, if you know me, this choice should be of no surprise. Ya, I got a hamburger sushi okay. Hahaha, I was just curious how it would taste…I know this is for kids. And guess what? Was good! And yes, once again, same price as the raw shrimp! I still have no regrets!

Just gonna end the post with two pictures of Dotonbori…here is the famous Glico sign. It’s too bad it wasn’t lit up…

Dotonbori at night! I was so baus tired by this time…if you look to the left, you’ll see the big Don Quijote Ferris Wheel. This Don Quijote is made for omiyage, I got choke snacks from there to bring home.

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26Jun / 2018

ZIGU – Honolulu, HI

Zigu is a brand spanking new Japanese restaurant. I found it on a Twitter post and didn’t realize I came to check them out before they were even listed as “Hot and New” on Yelp. Huh?? I like trying new restaurants but not usually before some solid and legit reviews come online. It’s okay, I was able to make a reservation on Open Table and the food pictures looked pretty good. So I’ll share right now, this restaurant is good. Pricey, but good. Definitely worth it. They even validate parking at Hyatt Centric. So what’s Zigu’s deal? Well, they try to find as much locally sourced ingredients as possible to serve up their Japanese dishes. A confession, I’ve been there twice in one month. Yah, was that good. But I’m a bit Zigu’ed out for now. My first outing, they seated me at the counter in front of the chefs. I was upset at first, I’m not a counter type of girl and I’m not real chatty…and feel a bit insecure being watched by the chefs. But I warmed up to the counter because I got to watch the masters at work and got to see how other dishes looked! The menu is currently not very visual so it’s hard to decide on dishes since I like to see the visual first. Let’s take a look…

Shochu Mojito • $11.00
Mari’s garden shiso, fresh lime, strawberry, blueberry, shochu

This is an awesome drink, sounds as refreshing as it is described. I loved it! I loved the addition of fresh fruit, the only bit of disappointment? There is a shiso leaf but it’s just sitting in the drink. I wonder if the drink could be improved if the shiso was muddled into the drink…hmm, I should become a bartender, j/k!

Local Ahi and Kona Kanpachi Poke Sushi • $12.00
sea asparagus, seaweed, yuzu pepper

How’s the look of these guys? I mean worth the price just looking at them right? Okay, just kidding, but they were delicious. I had the honor watching the sushi chef carefully put them together. You take the nori and fold over the ahi to make like a sushi sandwich to eat it. Just smash the lotus chip onto the ahi before you do that, it’s awesome. I was afraid the lotus chip would be too hard and crunchy. No, it’s light and crispy. Absolutely delicious.

Local Farm Egg Dashimaki Rolled Omelette • $7.00

Anytime you can get me a dashimaki egg, I will be your forever friend. Oh wait, did a bunch of people run away? It’s okay, I can just order this on my own. Love it. I’m not a fan of the local sweet omelette, I’m more of a savory fan myself. Delish!

Grated Local Daikon and Ponzu Diced Beef Steak • $26.00

Okay guys, I know what you’re thinking. $26 bucks for that? It doesn’t look like much does it? Well it is much, thank you very much. Usually when I’m served diced steak on one of these hot plates, I know I’m in for some hard core chewing. Not this time. Every piece of this steak was super tender and delicious. Even the pieces at the end that were sitting on the hot grill for how long…loved the daikon and shiso leaf on top. I would definitely recommend this dish!

Grilled Saikyo Miso Salmon • $19.00

Not much entree but I can ensure it was highly enjoyed, and take a look at that salmon. Always a risk to order fish in restaurants but they cooked it nicely, not dry!

Cold Udon Noodle with Local Cilantro and Chicken • $15.00

Oh man, I was super looking forward to this dish. They make their noodles in house, with kale! Oh hello, gotta get noodles, I’m crazy for noodles. I am also a fiend for fresh cilantro. I never thought I would ever say this…but there was too much cilantro on this. I can’t believe I said that. I think they give you a full bunch of cilantro on this dish…hmm…may that’s where my $15 went. A nice light dressing, chicken, avocado, cilantro…was delicious.

Local Basil Pesto Udon Noodle with Watercress • $13.00

Your eyes are not deceiving you. And no, we did not already eat half of this dish when I took this picture. That’s all you get when you get this dish. Bummers to share this brah cause the portion is kind of small ah? The pesto sauce tasted good, liked the nice chew of the noodles and the crunch of the raw watercress. Worth a try but beware of the serving size…

Chicken Teriyaki with Local Vegetables • $18.00
sauteed kale, fried purple sweet potato

Okay, I never ate this dish but I figured out at the end that I should have been taking pictures of the entrees as they had it ready! Gosh! Why did I think of it so late?? Would have loved to grab some quick shots for you folks. I’m not one that ever orders teriyaki anything…but the way the chef prepared it looked so dang ono. I certainly wouldn’t mind trying it on a next visit!

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12Jun / 2018

Kani Doraku – Osaka, Japan

Okay, I have to be honest here. This post won’t be very detailed because I don’t remember a lot of details but took a picture of each dish. Kani Doraku is the famous crab restaurant you see all over Japan, you’ll recognize the big huge crab on their restaurant buildings like the one below. We both ordered our own sets but I realized soon after that I don’t think we needed to, I’m pretty sure I saw other girls share a set. Man! Honestly, we ate our way through Dotonbori all day so I was not hungry for dinner here. What a waste! If you make it a day at Dotonbori and would like to end with dinner at Kani Doraku, I highly suggest stopping at the restaurant to make your reservation as early as you can, they fill up EARLY.

Well, I learned of a new allergy this trip. I cannot eat raw crab. 🙁 Itchy throat. Or was it not properly cleaned? Hmm…

Nabe before and after. It was a fail in making the hot pot look nice for the picture, I am not a food stylist.

This was an interesting preparation, it was like a tomato/marinara type sauce. It even came with pieces of crusty bread and I just wanted to eat it all. Yes, I wasted stomach space for bread dipped in tomato sauce. I’m crazy.

Ugh, we were so full by the time this was brought out. This is done at the end. WHY OH WHY do they always save delish rice dishes for the end? Sigh…

I ate the fresh fruit, was good. The vanilla ice cream with the green tea/sauce looked great, I didn’t have any but I was told it is good!

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08Jun / 2018

The Social Honolulu Eatery & Bar – Honolulu, HI

I have been wanting to try The Social Honolulu Eatery & Bar for a while now. I have this thing about trying uni pasta at various restaurants, I don’t know what the deal is because when I eat it…I don’t even love it. I just want to love it so I always try it. Also, like I mentioned in a previous post, I’m not big on bars but we came here so early that we were one of the only customers in the place. The waiter was good because he was super chill and not in our face about anything. Here is what we had!

Maui Mule • $10.00

pau maui vodka, passion fruit puree and ginger beer

This was my drink and it was gooood. I love myself a good mule drink, Maui style? I’m there.

Truffle Parmesan Fries (Happy Hour) • $7.00

fries tossed in truffle oil, parmesan cheese and house seasoning

Oh yum. These fries were great, anything tossed in truffle oil is good in my book. I really enjoyed this.

Fried Calamari • $7.00

crispy fried calamari sticks served with cocktail sauce

Okay, we over-ordered. By this point, I wanted to save room for my pasta. What you see is right, little baby calamari served up on skewers. Was good! Just shouldn’t have gotten two appetizers…

Fried Pork Chops • $18.00

breaded and deep fried pork shops topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions

Not my dish but it seemed to be enjoyed!

Uni Mentaiko Pasta • $16.00

our signature pasta made with spaghetti, uni, and mentaiko cream sauce topped with ikura and kizami nori

This was a good pasta! I love both uni and mentaiko….and the ikura was a nice touch! Can’t really taste the uni, it’s mostly melted into the sauce. I enjoyed it but I think as an entree, it’s just too rich on it’s own. Maybe it’s a good entree to order and share….order a protein on the side to share too…something to vary things up!

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06Jun / 2018

Chingu – Honolulu, HI

I’m not big on the bar scene, but it’s hard to resist some bars because they seem to serve up some of the most delicious looking grub! I went to two bars in May, that’s pretty big for me. But not to worry, I am not a bar fly by any means…we have gone when they open at 5. We have literally been the only customers in the bar and we basically eat the food…haha. Probably their worst type of customer, but hey, we’re still paying customers! The first bar I’m going to feature is Chingu, brand new place that serves up some delicious Korean food and soju concoctions! There was a bit of confusion when we walked in, a bunch of workers who seemed to point to the table right next to the bar…but now that I reflect back, I think they were saying we could sit anywhere. I would have totally sat in the corner if I had known that….not smack dab in the middle fronting their area. *facepalm*

Chingu = friend

Fresh Fruit Cocktail Soju (Strawberry Lemonade) • $20.00

Big portion! And yes, the soju is not weak in this drink so it’s a pretty good price. I know $20 sounds like a lot but you’re getting a lot of drink for it. At first, I enjoyed the lemon and strawberry pulp in the drink…signals the freshness. After a while, I wanted a non-chunky drink…haha.

Kalbi • $23.00

48 hour marinated/flame grilled

Hmm…didn’t realize we paid $23 for this. Could I tell this dish was 48 hour marinated? Is that even a difficult step to do? I think the kalbi was good, but it’s the same taste and quality you get from any Korean food joint.

Dukk Bokki • $15.00

Udon/Fried Eggs/Fish Cakes

Hmmm…this dish was pretty good! The sauce was a bit spicy but also sweet. I liked the fried eggs on top and the large pieces of fish cake. Biggest complaint? The udon noodles! The noodles were completely broken and they could have given more noodles, I mean aren’t the udon noodles the cheapest part of the dish?

Chicken n Cheese • $22.00

Thai Gochujang Glaze/Mozzarella Cheese

This is the dish that I wanted to come here for. If you go to their Yelp page, it’s like picture after picture of this dish. Koreans have an obsession with cheese in their dishes and I just really really really wanted to dip some of this spicy chicken into the velvety cheese. They bring this dish out on a metal cooking plate on a butane portable stove.

That’s the shot I was waiting for! The cheese melted and ready to eat. I guess this is like a form of fondue huh? This dish was good! But definitely great fresh…we couldn’t finish the food so I got to eat this as leftovers at home. Well the cheese did not melt that great the second time around. The service was good and the manager came around to talk to every customer, he was very nice. He mentioned that it’s best to come with 4-6 folks because the food and drink portions are best shared! He’s right. So I got here right when they opened and they have space for 3 stalls in front of their restaurant. When I finished, some person parked right butt up against my car. It was rude, I don’t know how he/she got out of his car…both driver side doors were blocked by each other! I had to climb into my car through the passenger side…it was a great sight to see with my skirt! Sorry for the free show Kapiolani Boulevard!

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04Jun / 2018

Update: Current Hobby

Hey folks! This past week has been a doozy, in a good way! My office has been a complete and utter mess, the past few years, I’ve had the “excuse” of being in grad school to avoid cleaning. Well, it’s been a year since I graduated and I finally found the motivation to clean. It really did feel cathartic. There are some things that I’ve held onto for sentimental reasons, I decided to let go of some for my sanity! I cleared out at least 3 garbage bags and my office now looks great. I had at least two people mention they didn’t know I had two chairs in my office, that is pretty bad. I’ll have to try to keep it up, wish me luck!

Also within the last week, I started to build miniatures. I’ve always liked doing crafts and projects by hand so this was a natural progression. For those who know me well, know that I absolutely love miniatures. I’ve been watching tutorials on YouTube and decided to take the leap…buying all the supplies I need to start-up. If you’re looking for a starting point, please allow me to recommend The Square to Spare, she is awesome and gives great tutorials along with what materials to buy. I don’t know where I would be without her channel. The room divider I made below is based on this video. So anyway, no food today…just some pieces I made thus far…

First attempt! The cutting board with knife. The cutting board was from this tutorial. The knife, I carved out myself using wooden coffee stirrers.

Progress on the room divider. I messed it up but I messed up consistently so it turned out okay. I learned a lot of lessons doing this piece…

I’ve never done well with measuring and exact dimensions, I’m going to have to learn to be! I drew this cherry blossom tree free hand! Not the prettiest but I am still proud…

There are uneven pieces here, I learned the hard way that wooden coffee stirrers are not all the same size and shape…haha.

Dollhouse hinges! Yes! This divider can be opened and closed! Yay!

Can you tell what this one is? This was done on my own, no tutorials.

It’s inspired by those big floor lantern lights! Custom art by Jenny. Well, I printed out templates to trace onto parchment paper…still wasn’t super easy but so worth it. Koi fish, turtles and lotus flowers. I made this as a gift for my friend, I really hope he likes it.

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Monthly Archives: June 2018