Monthly Archives: March 2021

31Mar / 2021

Recipe: Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice)

I haven’t tried this dish in a restaurant so I don’t have a great standard to compare my dish to. What I can tell you is…mine looks super dark and maybe I made it wrong a little bit…but it still tasted good! How can you go wrong with pork belly?

Pan fry the pork belly until there is no visible pink. The original recipe calls for pork belly with the skin on…mine didn’t have the skin, still works fine. Look at all that pork belly fat…

Dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, five spice powder, water, sugar and chinese cooking wine…simmer away my love…

The recipe calls for a cup of fried shallots which you can find in the Asian grocery (I know Don Quijote has it). I didn’t have it so I just sliced up a half red onion (that’s all I had) and coated it in cornstarch and pan fried them until it got crispy. I simmered the pork for 30 minutes and then added the fried onions.

So I’m thinking I know where I went “wrong,” I simmered this dish for 1.5 hours uncovered. I’m thinking it should have been covered cause mine got reduced too much. It was a lot of liquid and if I kept the lid on, then it would have been choke liquid! I think if I make this dish again, I would simmer it for one hour covered and then uncovered for the last 30 minutes.

I love adding eggs to braised dishes but I can’t stand overcooked eggs with gray rings. So for this, I hardboiled these eggs for only 4 minutes so the whites could set…peeled them and added these eggs 30 minutes before the dish was complete. Was perfect! The yolk was just set at this point…

No gray ring!

Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice Bowl)

Ingredients:
2 lb of Pork Belly
1 cup of Fried Shallots OR Half a red onion sliced, coated in cornstarch and pan fried until crispy
¼ cup of Soy Sauce
¼ cup of Dark Soy Sauce
1.5 T of Five Spice Powder (Original recipe calls for 1.5 T, I will use only 1 T next time)
2.5 T of Sugar
½ cup of Chinese Cooking Wine (Shao Xing Cooking Wine)
3 cups of Water (I used 2.5 C but will use 3 C next time)
8 eggs, soft boiled

Directions:
Place eggs into pot of water and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn stove off and leave eggs covered on the heat for 4 minutes. Drain immediately and place eggs in an ice bath to stop cooking process. Once cooled, peel the eggs. I don’t like the eggs to overcook (no to gray rings!) so I undercook it here since it will continue to cook in the pork mixture afterwards. This method left me with eggs with just set egg yolks.

Slice pork belly into bite sized pieces. Place pork belly into a skillet pan and saute until no longer pink.

Add in soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, five-spice powder, sugar, and mix. 

Pour in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add fried shallots (or fried onion slices) and mix. Simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peeled eggs to pan to coat in sauce, simmer uncovered for final 30 minutes (1.5 hr total simmering time) – stir occasionally.

The sauce of and pork will reduce down considerably to a dark treacle molasses like sauce (mine did). Serve over some fresh hot white rice with sprigs of cilantro and slices of cucumber. 

Inspired by:
https://tiffycooks.com/authentic-taiwanese-braised-pork-rice-instant-pot-easy/
https://thewoksoflife.com/lu-rou-fan-taiwanese-braised-pork-rice-bowl/ 

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29Mar / 2021

Matsuri – Honolulu, HI

Always on the hunt for a killer Japanese restaurant. We can’t help it, we enjoy what we enjoy. I’m surprised we haven’t tried Matsuri yet, small Japanese restaurant located in a very non-descript building on Young Street. I like that you can make your reservation on OpenTable! It’s a cute modern restaurant and the customer service is attentive and friendly. How was the food? Let’s take a look!

Oboro Tofu (Home-made) | $6.00
Add Ikura | $3.00

Oh yum, if I ever see homemade tofu on a menu…gotta try! The sauce on the size is not like a ponzu…it’s actually a thickened (almost jelly like) sauce…my only caution, no pour the whole thing onto the tofu. Was kind of salty and we added the ikura so that’s another layer of salt. I enjoyed the dish but I think the over saucing ruined it for me. Sigh…

Hamachi Sashimi | $24.00
Salmon Sashimi | $20.00

I’m not trying to brag but you folks know now that we usually try Otoro in restaurants to see how it is. Well, we found a restaurant that is too rich for our blood. It costs $13 for ONE PIECE OF OTORO. No can brah. So we stuck with hamachi and salmon. Can I just say…this hamachi was amazing. I honestly felt like I was eating otoro already, who needs to pay otoro prices when you get quality fish like this. Highly recommended!

Tamago Nigiri | $5.00

Always trying the tamago in restaurants. This one is more sweet than savory FYI.

Kotobuki Dynamite Roll | $18.00
crunchy roll inside, seared ahi, ika with dynamite sauce on top

This is one of the most highlighted rolls on their Yelp reviews so I had to give it a try. I’m not usually big on rolls but I have to admit, this was really good! I would order this again!

Ribeye Steak (10 oz.) | $28.00

Oh my gosh, hands down one of the best steaks on a sizzling plate I got from a Japanese restaurant ever. Seasoning was on point, the meat was beautifully tender and the chunks were sliced HUGE. It was sooo good. So good that we need one more picture…

Look. At. That. That’s just one slice of the steak…I’m salivating just thinking about this. Wish I had one nice bowl of white rice to eat with this. Great first experience, would love to go back to check more items out!

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26Mar / 2021

Romano’s Macaroni Grill – Honolulu, HI

Remember the scathing Olive Garden post I wrote a few weeks back? Well, I am back to write on Romano’s Macaroni Grill which I believe is the superior choice if you find yourself at Ala Moana with a hankering for pasta. If you find yourself standing in front of Olive Garden, turn yourself around and head towards Macaroni Grill.

Mom’s Ricotta Meatballs + Spaghetti | $21.00 (Bolognese Sauce)
house-made beef, veal, pork + ricotta meatballs, romano, spaghetti

Pollo Caprese | $20.00
grilled chicken breast, fresh mozzarella, imported pomodorina, pasta

I’ve discussed this little health journey I’m on and while I still go out and eat…I do try to be a little more healthful in my choices (though you will be seeing my dessert picture very soon). I was intrigued by this dish because the description sounds pretty dang good to me and came in only at 448 calories (compared to the 1000 plus for other pasta dishes). Can I just say something? It was delicious! I didn’t know it would come with this nice little arugula salad on the side and I chomped that right up which actually filled me up so I could take home a lot of the chicken and pasta. The chicken breast was nice and tender (thankfully not dry) and the pasta was flavorful…it was like an angel hair pasta. Delicious!

New York Style Cheesecake | $8.95
shortbread crust, fresh strawberries

Lemon Passion | $7.95
citrus cake, lemon curd, fresh whipped cream

Yeah, I ate the healthier pasta and then ended with dessert. Live your best life okay. Haha, I think I’ve talked about this dessert before. It’s just a super moist lemon cake…and gosh I just love lemon desserts. Sometimes, lemon desserts can be almost acidic to the point of a metallic-y taste. I don’t like that. I like this, just a nice smooth lemon taste. The cake is like practically sopping wet from being so moist. If you like lemon, you’d like this dessert!

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24Mar / 2021

The Social Eatery & Bar Honolulu – Honolulu, HI

I’m not a drinker. Never have been and probably never will be. But can I appreciate a good bar that serves great food? Absolutely. The Social Eatery & Bar is one of those places, hands down one of the best places to get food. Love that they open early so I can sneak in before all the rowdy drinkers, eat and then go home and probably sleep already because I am old (lol).

Pepperoni and Cheese Fries | $10.00
melted shredded cheese, nacho cheese, fried pepperoni, and marinara sauce

Do I even have to say more? Yes, it’s a heart attack on a plate but is this really a bad way to die? It’s greasy and good okay.

Fried Boneless Chicken Bites (Korean) | $15.00
sweet garlic soy with Korean chili flakes

Not your typical Korean fried chicken taste. Korean fried chicken is usually smothered in a very thick sweet and spicy sauce yeah? Hard to remember the taste of this too, it wasn’t bad but honestly not memorable. Wouldn’t recommend for $15 since that’s the case.

Garlic Bacon Fried Rice | $15.00
sautéed garlic, caramelized onions, bacon, corn, special sauce, 2 sunny side eggs

This is the for sure winner of the night and just…in life. I love a good fried rice but as simple as a fried rice recipe should be, I am easily disappointed by fried rice. I don’t know how to explain it but I don’t think a lot of care and finesse goes into the creating of fried rice in all restaurants. Sometimes, you can tell they are just throwing in old ingredients into the fried rice before it goes bad (and charging you extra for it to boot!). Now, when restaurants focus on the fried rice and treat it like the main dish that it is…magical things can happen. That includes this fried rice. Yes, $15 is a bit steep for fried rice but to me, it is worth it. What’s in this special sauce? I like make this at home because I cannot afford to pay them $15 each time I like eat it! They don’t list it in the description but get takuan all over the rice too which nicely offsets the smokiness of the bacon flavor. You may get this dish and wonder what the big whoop is about, ah well, guess you aren’t the carb queen like I am. I just appreciate simple good dishes. Give it a try folks.

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22Mar / 2021

Recipe: Thai Waterfall Beef Salad

You ever go to a Vietnamese restaurant and try their lemon beef salad? I’ve found they all make it just a bit different from one another (which is frustrating!) but I like it when they serve it with the thin slices of raw beef. It’s always a guess how the restaurant will prepare it and it gets me majorly sad when the salad arrives with beef that is completely cooked. Ugh. I like this salad because it’s very fresh and refreshing and the acidity in the dressing helps to “cook” the raw beef a bit, almost like a ceviche. So far, the best lemon beef salad I have tried is from Pho 777. It is killer, highly recommended.

Anyhoo, I had the inspiration to make it myself at home. I know the recipe title is Thai Waterfall Beef Salad, but it’s very similar to the lemon beef salad. I actually made this recipe twice and prefer using lemon juice over lime juice and I omit the raw bean sprouts because I personally dislike the taste of raw bean sprouts. Check it out!

The mix of greens in this salad guarantee choke flavor. Here’s what I have in this, romaine lettuce, fresh thai basil, cilantro and sautéed shallots (it can be raw but I decided to cook it up in the steak grease because hello, yum)

The best part about making this salad at home? NO BEEF LIMIT. Go hog wild because you’re paying for it anyway. I seared the beef I had and kept it more raw on the inside. Was so good you guys.

Okay doesn’t look too impressed after it’s mixed up but you gotta believe me, it’s so good. Give it a try! If too lazy to cook, try it from a restaurant!

Thai Waterfall Beef Salad

Recipe: the spruce eats

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 sirloin steaks (depending on the amount of meat you prefer)
  • Marinade:
  • 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • For Salad:
  • 6 cups salad greens
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1 handful mint (or basil, fresh, lightly chopped or torn)
  • 1 cup coriander (fresh)
  • 1 cup papaya (fresh, cubed or cut into spears)
  • 1 cup tomatoes (cherry, left whole or sliced in half)
  • Dressing:
  • 1 to 2 tbsp. fish sauce (available at Asian food stores)
  • 3 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. rice (sticky variety, toasted and ground, OR 2 tbsp. ground peanuts)

Steps to Make It

  1. Mix marinade ingredients together in a cup or bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the steak(s), turning meat to coat. Set in the refrigerator to marinate.https://f79cc301cbc5037578578e9f2671ab8b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
  2. For the ground sticky rice (instead of peanuts): Place 2 tbsp. uncooked sticky rice in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Stirring continuously, dry-fry the rice until it starts to pop and is lightly toasted. Remove rice from the pan and allow to cool slightly before grinding it up with a coffee grinder, or pounding into a powder with pestle & mortar.https://f79cc301cbc5037578578e9f2671ab8b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
  3. Combine all dressing ingredients together in a cup or mixing bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves (adjust fish sauce according to your desired level of saltiness). Then prepare your bowl of greens and other salad ingredients.https://f79cc301cbc5037578578e9f2671ab8b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
  4. Grill the steak over a hot grill, turning only once or twice to retain the juices (meat should still be pink in the center).
  5. If oven-broiling the steak: Set oven to broil setting. Place steak on a broiling pan OR on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in oven on the second-to-highest rung. Broil 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until steak is well done on the outside but still pink on the inside.
  6. While steak is cooking, toss the salad with the dressing. Taste-test for salt, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, or more lime juice if too salty for your taste.
  7. When ready to serve, portion out salad onto serving plates or bowls. Slice the steak as thinly as you can and top each portion with a generous amount of sliced sirloin. Enjoy!

Jenny Notes:

  • Didn’t know where to find roasted rice powder so I made my own. I bought jasmine rice and slowly toasted it over medium heat until it was golden brown. After it cooled down, I ground them to a powder in a coffee grinder.
  • Play around with the salad ingredients, I didn’t put like half the ingredients she does. In fact, I named exactly what I put in the salad above. The second time I made this, I added mint and thai basil and it was delicious.
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12Mar / 2021

Recipe: Bánh Bò Nướng: Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake

I saw this online months ago and wanted to try it so bad. Remember the steamed Chinese rice cakes that you get from the manapua man? Man, those were my favorite. I’m so sad that Char Hung Sut is closed because they have it there and I would get it when I would pick up my gon lo mein (da best!) from them. I have my fingers crossed they will reopen but I don’t know…so sad. Anyway, this is a Vietnamese version and I loved that it has pandan flavor. I love pandan. I played around a bit with the flavoring, added some coconut extract to make it like a buko pandan cake. Recipe below!

Heat up 200 ML of Coconut Milk with 200g of Sugar until sugar has melted. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

I set out 6 eggs to warm to room temperature, the original recipe doesn’t say you have to but I have made that a habit since I started baking. Gently break the yolks and stir 25 times…without the whisk ever leaving bottom of the bowl. You are merely mixing to get the yolk and whites incorporated, I followed the video’s instructions to a T!

Once mixed, add the cooled coconut milk/sugar mixture and lightly mix.

240g Tapioca Starch and 2 1/2 t of single-acting baking powder (I ordered this one from Amazon). Gradually sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

I even bought a bundt cake pan for this recipe. I am crazy, I know this. Anyway, the video instructed me to grease the pan and then set it in the 350 degree oven as it heated up. I did it as I was mixing the batter.

Once the oven has been pre-heated, take the pan out and pour the batter in through a strainer. There will be lumps in the cake so this step is crucial!

Glorious. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes in 350 degree oven. The video tells you not to open that oven door for at least 30 minutes into the cooking time. I always listen!

This picture makes the crust look a bit mealy, no worries, it wasn’t! I bought a cheap pan so I was afraid of the cake sticking. I used a small rubber spatula to scrape the sides but it came out just fine!

I am so amazed it came out so well. I saw so many comments saying they failed at it…like it wouldn’t have the honeycomb innards or that it would bake up flat. Whew…so glad it was a success! Was a success with my family too, it’s all gone already! I’m going to have to make one more batch really soon because this recipe only calls for half a can of coconut milk. Hello, what am I supposed to do with the other half can. Make another one of these I guess!

Bánh Bò Nướng: Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake

**Inspired by Helen’s Recipes, below is the recipe that was tweaked for my use.

Ingredients:
200 ml coconut milk
200 g sugar
1 t pandan flavoring
1/2 t coconut extract
6 eggs eggs, room temperature
240 g tapioca starch
2 ½ tsp single-acting baking powder (it’s about a single packet of Alsa brand)

Instructions:
Place coconut milk and sugar in a pan and heat until sugar has melted. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

Grease bundt cake pan with oil or butter and place in the oven as it preheats to 350 degrees.

Place 6 eggs in mixing bowl and gently break all 6 egg yolks. Mix gently (about 25 times) until yolks and whites are just mixed together. Add cooled coconut/sugar mixture and mix until just incorporated.

Gradually sift in tapioca starch/baking powder into the wet batter and mix. Add pandan flavoring and coconut extract and mix. The batter will look lumpy at first, just keep mixing!

Once the oven is preheated, take the pan out and pour the batter into the pan through a fine mesh strainer (there will still be lumps). Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

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10Mar / 2021

KYM Bento Sushi & Catering (Formerly Akyth) – Kalihi, HI

Remember the old school bentos from Akyth? They hold a special memory for me because I remember them from all the high school fundraisers we used to do. Either fundraisers or these bentos would be what was used to feed us for various events. Some people can be haters but I always enjoyed these bentos. They charged cheap prices for these bentos and it always tasted great. And yes, I am one of the few people out there that does like luncheon meat (I don’t prefer it over spam, I am not an animal).

They are no longer called Akyth, they are called KYM Bento Sushi & Catering. Anyway, I must have seen someone’s post about their bentos recently and had a real hankering to get it. SO I DID. I think in the past, you really had to plan early to get their bentos because everyone orders through them. Well this time, I called early on a Saturday morning and asked to put in a take-out order and they were fine with it! I ordered 4 bentos, maki sushi and a few musubis. Let’s check it out!

Chicken Bento with Luncheon Meat | $6.45
rice, mochiko chicken, luncheon meat, kamaboko, takuan & andagi

I loved the nostalgic taste of their mochiko chicken, I haven’t had it like this in any other restaurant. I love it. It’s a unique taste that is just so comforting for me. Now that I realize how easy it is to pick up bentos from them, I will definitely be returning soon. And $6.45? How can you beat that price??

How the bento looks after slicing and removing the huge piece of chicken thigh! I inadvertently sliced the luncheon meat too, two birds with one stone! Oh and the mini andagi is gone, lol.

Deluxe Maki Sushi (8 pieces) | $7.25
red and green ebi, egg, tuna, kampyo, mushroom, choy sum

Absolutely love maki sushi, especially when they include the ebi. This is sooo good, so full of innards. Maki sushi takes so much prep work, I would definitely prefer to pay professionals for it. They also have a mustard cabbage roll but I didn’t try it, saw from reviews that it’s very good. There’s always next time!

Spam Musubi | $2.65

Yes, it’s just a spam musubi. Nothing special. In fact, the spam isn’t even seasoned with teriyaki sauce (which I actually like) but I liked it! And I like that they give you a piece of takuan with it! I like spam musubi of all kinds so this was great for me.

Hot Dog Musubi | $2.65

Can you go wrong with Hawaiian hot dogs? It’s the best. This is what you get when you order the hot dog musubi. Winners (wieners?)!!!

I updated their Yelp page with the current menu if you want to check out the options and prices…support local folks!

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08Mar / 2021

Gomatei – Ward Village, HI

Gomatei been around long time yeah? I remember when I used to go all the time when they first opened. I believe Ward was their first location and it was SO popular when they first opened and I remember how good it was. I don’t know what happened, maybe my tastes changed but I stopped going there but we decided to give it a try again. I think I haven’t been to Gomatei in like over 5 years. Poor things, they have adjusted to the pandemic by offering takeout ordering but each time they answered the phone, they had to clarify each time that they are the Ward location and not the Ala Moana one. I can see why there is confusion, their street address also has Ala Moana in it! So many phone calls ended with no orders…

Won Ton Shoyu Ramen | $11.75

Served with Japanese style Won Ton (with chopped shrimps and minced pork, marinated for 24 hours in our special soy sauce and essence of dried scallop. Then chopped baby bamboo shoots and shredded wood ears are added for an unique flavor) and vegetable garnishes.

Garlic Tan Tan Ramen | $13.25

Served with Japanese style Char Siu (tender pork belly) and vegetable garnishes. And added garlic bits, blanched in oil for a slightly crispy finish.

This my bowl. I love garlic. Have I told you this? LOVE GARLIC. Now that I’m looking at the price difference between a simple garlic ramen and a won ton ramen…do I think it was worth the extra money? Not really.

There is something lacking in their broth now. I remember how flavorful and deep the flavors of the tan tan ramen used to be. And look, this is coming from a person who no like salty food anymore (bland city for me usually) and it just felt underwhelming. One of the fun things about eating there in the past was finishing up the noodles and slurping up some of that good soup…and finding bits of chung choi that helps flavor the soup. No such luck this time. And the garlic? Barely added any taste! How’s that!

Curry Loco Moco | $12.99

Served with Hokkaido rice, Japanese style hamburger, and an egg.

Funny story, we had a hard time figuring out where to eat. I love a curry loco moco and told my friend that if we didn’t share this dish, our friendship would end. Friendship survived. First funny thing, where’s the hamburger?? Well it’s underneath that egg, lol. It was a good hamburger patty but yeah it was kind of small. Delicious dish! I would order this again for sure.

You know, me staking our friendship on a curry loco moco dish could have saved us some stress. I won’t name the restaurant, but we almost went to another place. Well, we made a reservation for the previous restaurant for this week and I got a call cancelling the reservation due to a possible covid case. ALWAYS THREATEN FRIENDSHIPS OVER FOOD. You’re welcome for the lesson.

Lilikoi | $4.00
Wild Jamacian and Yellow Passion Fruit

Lydgate Farms | $4.00
Locally grown vanilla bean glaze, cacao nibs, cherry drizzle

Hot Single | $4.00
Tolentino Farms neighborhood honey + flakey sea salt

L&L | $4.00
Lemon and lime baby. Meyer lemon sugar, Tahitian lime curd, citrus caviar

Strawberry Fields | $4.00
Kula farms Maui strawberries and green tea

Hot Single | $4.00
Tolentino Farms neighborhood honey + flakey sea salt

If you’re at Ward, you gotta go to Holey Grail Donuts for dessert. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be dessert, just go there and try their donuts. Look, it’s expensive. $4.00 a piece but you’re supporting a small local business…it’s delicious and it’s donuts. Come on. Well I think I have overdone it so I won’t be going for a while now but it doesn’t make these donuts any less good!

My absolute favorite is their Hot Single…the other flavors always sound so intriguing but in the end, I think the Hot Single is the winners. And thankfully, the hot single is a main stay on their menu. I am usually a huge fan of lilikoi but found it a bit lackluster on this donut. The L&L looks pretty and sounds amazing but eh…tastes just alright. I actually preferred the Strawberry Fields donut more though you can hardly taste the green tea (which is fine with me). Hot Single all the way!

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05Mar / 2021

Mixed Plate

Time to bring back mixed plate posts! Happy Aloha Friday!

This is very much part of being my friend. I found this online and had to get it for my friend’s birthday. If you haven’t seen it…the box actually contains air to blow up the balloon (not helium) so you make the giftee press the big red button and it blows up the balloon. Do you know what OLD AF means? One of the waitresses actually asked me what it meant and I couldn’t bring myself to give her the answer…until her coworker came by and said it straight out (Ha!).

So OLD AF means…Old as F**k. My friend and I just love ribbing each other on age. We are the same age but he likes calling me noona when my birthday comes and I am a few months older than him. Haha…I loved embarrassing him in the restaurant. Was WELL WORTH THE COST.

Saw this online the other week and thought it was pretty cool. I guess if you already have these kind spices in your cabinet, you can just make your own seasoning mixes! I also found it interesting to know what is actually in these mixes! Handy key.

Another neat TikTok recipe. Doesnt it sound refreshing? So easy too. I bought a bottle of sprite (either 20 oz or 16 oz) and stuck two tea bags into the bottle…closed the lid and place it in the fridge to “marinate.” I think I did it for two days and yes, the sprite turns into a nice light golden color. No bitterness at all from the tea bags…added some lemon slices and voila…black tea sprite. So good!!

Okay this one is a bit of a tip and secret. I don’t know about you guys but I was sweating it out finding clorox wipes (still hard to find!). I’ve lucked out twice so far at Costco…when I was there and they had a small pallet out.

I’ve been watching Amazon and they sell out of the wipes quite easily too. They sell three bottles (versus the five pack at Costco) for about $12.00, not as great as a deal as Costco but I will take what I can find. Well let me tell you, they sell it in these soft packs too for the same price and amount. For some reason, people snap up the canisters but these soft packs have been available this whole time. Here’s the link to it if you want to purchase some for yourself: click here.

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03Mar / 2021

Chicken & Brisket – Honolulu, HI

A new fried chicken place in Kalihi? Okay, yes I am there. Always happy to give business to a new local start-up, especially during such a tumultuous time. No question about what they serve here, Chicken and Brisket – it’s in the title! And let me tell you, boy am I glad I ordered. You can either order delivery or curb side pick-up through their website. I don’t know if the deal is still going but the first order you put in, you get a discount from their online ordering service!

When you order curbside pick-up, they send you an email with the ETA on how long your order will take. Then you will receive a text from the restaurant with directions on where to park and to text the color and make of your vehicle and they will bring it out to you! They are actually using the kitchen of another bar and grill so they don’t have a storefront for you to go pick-up your food right now. What a breeze! Let’s take a look at the food!

Sweet Hawaiian Chili Chicken – Very Spicy & Sweet | $15.00
Breaded & Deep Fried Chicken Thighs Tossed in Sweet Hawaiian Chili Sauce with Choice of Dipping Sauce.

Okay they’ve changed some names and prices on their menu but I posted the new names and prices. This chicken was GOOD. The chicken is fried to perfection and the skin is so light and crisp. The seasoning is great and I love how they just throw the fried chicken skins in too. They forgot my dipping sauce but it’s okay, the chicken is so good on its own anyway!

Spicy Brisket Chili Bowl | $10.00
Spicy. House brisket chili, steamed rice, sour cream, house cheese sauce, onions and jalapenos.

Not bad, not great. I think it’s sweeter than I would like but I don’t know, maybe I am just biased towards Zippy’s chili. I wouldn’t order this again.

Loaded Fries | $9.00
Sour cream, green onions, house cheese sauce and bacon.

Good, it was thoroughly enjoyed. Was it worth $9? Eh…I’m not big on fries so I wouldn’t say it is. Can I just go Teddy’s and get cheesy tots? Hahaha

Brisket Fried Noodles | $12.00
Wok Fried Noodles with Brisket, Char Siu, Kamaboko, Cabbage, Onions, Green Onions & Carrots.

Okay, I don’t know if I have proclaimed this before but I am a huge fan of noodles. I can’t resist getting noodles. I didn’t resist getting these noodles. I was so excited. Was it good? Well…sorry to say it was just basic to me so I didn’t think it was worth the $12. It wasn’t like the brisket in it was that good…in fact, it was like full of the hard pieces that I am not a fan of.

Okay I talked up this place but realized I didn’t rate 3 out of 4 items that great but the chicken for sure is GOOD. Go order that at least!

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