27Feb / 2023

Yung Yee Kee Dim Sum – Ala Moana, HI

If you can’t make it out to Chinatown, I found you a good alternative in the Ala Moana area. Forget going to Jade Seafood, check out Yung Yee Kee! We came right at opening time on a Sunday and there was absolutely no wait. We ate yummy dim sum to full satisfaction and was off on our merry way. I thought the flavors were good and comparable to Chinatown so do it!!!

Chicken Feet with Black Bean | $6.50

I know, I know. Not many of you like chicken feet, I get it. I grew up eating this which is why I am able to eat it. Juicy and flavorful, I would recommend this dish if you like chicken feet!

Pork Hash with Shrimp (Siu Mai) | $6.50

Yum, a classic and always a favorite of mine. Nothing memorable but nothing bad which is good. I would get it again because I just like siu mai.

Seafood Bundle | $7.50

One of my favorite dim sum dishes, it usually includes a piece of fish, shrimp, scallop and a whole shiitake mushroom wrapped in tofu skin (yuba).

Signature Steamed Beef Tripe | $7.50

Another dish not everyone can eat. This was nicely seasoned but had a strong white pepper taste. Good but no wow factor.

Shrimp & Chives Dumplings | $7.50

I like to get this in dim sum restaurants but I like when they pan fry it and steam too. This one is more dry on the outside, tasted good but I guess I like it more like potsticker style.

Mochi Puffs w/Pork | $6.50

Deep Fried Shrimp Dumplings | $6.00

Taro Puffs | $6.50

Good! Nice amount of filling! Tastes great.

Stir-Fried Sticky Rice | $8.50

Meh. I can make this way better. I will make this way better. 🙂

Look Funn w/Beef | $7.50

Basic, simple, good.

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24Feb / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Crab Curry | $24.95
French Bread | $3.00

Bac Nam has great crab curry. That is clear. The restaurant is very popular. That is clear. The crab curry is freaking $25 and comes with no rice or bread…so we had to pay $3.00 for one french bread. No ma’am. But was it good? Oh yes. The nicely toasted crunchy bread with the crab curry was delightful. We had leftover curry so I went to Bale the next day and paid $4.00 for 3 FRENCH BREADS which we toasted up to eat with the leftovers. So good. Next time just sneak in your own french bread like you from France (lol).

Fried Saimin Bento | $11.39
fried saimin, 2 pieces garlic chicken, egg omelet, 3 pieces portuguese sausage & rice with furikake

Mitsu-Ken Okazu and Catering reminds me of childhood days. Remember their old location? How popular they were even with zero parking? Well their current location get choke parking so no worry but for me, they are located completely out of the way. Also, they pack a lot of MSG into their food. Tastes ono but if you’re not good with MSG, avoid!

Roast Duck & Chicken Rice Plate | $13.50

Remember Mini Garden Express in Ranch 99? They re-opened by the Airport and they have online ordering for pick-up! Here is the website for the online ordering site. They are still located Salt Lake side so I can go grab food when I go out to Target. This is one of my favorite dishes, love it! It’s actually served over a simple fried rice, I love roast duck and chinese style shoyu chicken so it’s a winner. Give them a try if you’re in the area! I highly recommend ordering ahead, we had to wait quite a while.

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22Feb / 2023

The 220 Grille Restaurant – Diamond Head, HI

Kapiolani Community College has a wonderful culinary arts program and I am sorry that I never got to try their dine in restaurant when they had it pre-covid! I don’t know if they plan to bring dine-in service back but was happy to hear that they offer take-out! They open their restaurant during the modules of their program so you should follow their website for the most up to date dates and menu. By the time you see this post, they will be finishing up their current module and probably won’t start up until April. Find their menu here. And you know what else is great? They have an online ordering system – so easy to order and pay to pick-up! All the dish prices include tax already and no tipping system online. But if you are so inclined, they have a tip box when you pick-up for cash tips that will help the students!

Another plus? Free parking in front of the building for restaurant customers! No can lose!

Old School Teri Burger | $10.00
old school teri burger made with locally sourced grass fed beef with sauteed onions and mayo served with fries garnished with local lettuce, tomato and house made pickles

I shared this with my coworker, bugga was ono! And 10 bucks?? What a steal! Nice handmade patty with a nice sized bun. It was one full size burger, everything was great! I don’t remember getting house made pickles but that’s okay, was good!!!

Mediterranean Salad | $10.00
mediterranean salad with mari’s garden greens, grape tomatoes, pickles veggies, braised beets, olives, cucumbers, chickpeas, red bell peppers and a creamy feta dressing

This was the salad I ordered in hopes of being healthy and to balance out the burger. The salad was okay. I mean, it’s a salad. It’s exactly as pictured and described, was great for fiber and tasted good but it’s a salad. LOL

Kauai Style Fried Ginger Chicken Plate | $12.00
kauai style fried chicken with steamed rice and old school spaghetti salad

My coworker got super excited for the kauai style chicken! She let me sample a piece and it was ono! They used fresh ginger in the breading so the chicken had a great ginger zing to it. It is served with two drum sticks which is a bit different from how it’s served usually, which is more like karaage style. I don’t know, I like drum sticks so I wouldn’t have minded. The spaghetti salad has eggs and onions…and the noodles are left long.

Shoyu Pork | $12.00

Warm Pineapple Peach Cobbler with Fresh Whipped Cream | $4.00

A lot of these dishes weren’t mine so I can’t make too much commentary. I would say what I did have was good and I would definitely return!! I hope you try them too!

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17Feb / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Ichiran Ramen Home Kit (5 servings) | ¥2000

You’ve seen this kit sold at Don Quijote. Too rich for my blood, they charge around $30 yeah? I bought a pack home for family members to try and eat. I don’t think I would buy it for myself – I rather have an excuse to go Japan to eat it fresh there!

I made my own soy marinated eggs, the char siu is from Marukai. They have a high quality pack of sliced char siu in their meat section. Was worth it! Family enjoyed the ramen.

Jenny style Cobb Salad

Just made any kine cobb salad at home. Chopped up some romaine, fried up some bacon, baked up some chicken patties, red onions, cucumbers and hand-shredded cheese (again). Served it up with some ranch, I had some leftover ranch from Wingstop (omg the best ranch) and it was divine! Kids love this salad because hello, bacon and chicken patty!

Instant Yakisoba with Soy Marinated Eggs

Bad cheat meal. I did this at least twice in Japan, I love that instant yakisoba cup noodle…and who can resist these eggs from the combini? I took full advantage! You know, I could probably eat the majority of my meals at the combini and be fine with that. I’m not picky. I miss this meal.

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15Feb / 2023

Jagalchi – Ala Moana, HI

Vicki, this post is for you. Well it’s for everyone but especially for Vicki. I got to check out the new Jagalchi last weekend and well, it’s nothing like the old one. Starting from the complete renovation to the complete menu rehaul. Same name, completely different restaurant. In fact, I don’t think the Yelp page should be featuring both restaurants you know? It’s not the same at all!

This restaurant is going to be known for their great seafood, I was told that they get their fresh fish straight from Korea. Wowow, so how was the food? Let’s take a look!

Sashimi Salad (free!)

Since they are new, I think they are letting customers taste different dishes! This dish included the fresh fish flown in from Korea. Oh it was delicious. We mixed it together and let the cabbage marinate a bit in the sauce…the fish was great quality and the crunchy veggies were perfect.

Banchan | cabbage salad and japchae

Both were great! I really enjoyed the japchae! Perfectly cooked and seasoned. The noodles were nice and chewy and I loved that it had a strong black pepper taste. Yum!

Half Jokbal (pig’s feet) | $28.00

Vicki – they have bossam here! But I had bossam the other day and reacted poorly to the raw oysters so I didn’t want to risk it this night. The jokbal was good…I even ate the raw veggies! I definitely want to try the bossam next time though!

Haemulpajun (Seafood Pancake) | $25.00

Oh man, this might be the winning dish of the night. Fresh off the heat, nice and crispy – nicely fried and seasoned great. We ate it up lol.

Pork Kimchi Soondubu | $18.00

Yes, the pictures are a bit pink in hue but this soup really was this red in person. Whew. Was it spicy? Small kine. I tell you what, had plenty MSG. Haha we were thirsty all night but that means it tasted great! Can’t wait to try their other soups and stews.

All in all, it was a great experience! Great service and great food. I would definitely return. The only sad thing was that they are currently only open for dinner, wish I could try this place with co-workers. Give them a try!

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13Feb / 2023

Bikkuri Donkey – Osaka, Japan

My stay in Osaka wasn’t long. I ate here twice for a short trip. Why? Well, Bikkuri Donkey was convenient to get to, easy to order at and the food was just good ‘ole comfort food. Sometimes, that’s all I need you know? They are known for their hamburger steaks which I enjoyed!

Hamburger Steak Topped with Egg and Curry Sauce (300g) | ¥1,330
served with rice & salad

My dish, so nice and comforting. It comes with a spicy curry, didn’t taste spicy to me. I liked this dish so much that I ordered it twice in a row. And yup, if I went back to Osaka – I would come back to this restaurant again!

Hamburger Steak Topped with Egg (300g) | ¥1,330
served with rice & salad

French Fries | ¥440

Thick cut fries are good, what can I say??

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce | ¥765

They have this dish in the snack section of their menu, lol? My friend ordered this dish, I can’t comment much on it. I think it was just basic.

コロコロステーキ | ¥1,400

Can you tell the steak not good already? Looks overcooked to me. I wouldn’t order this myself, my friend ate it but I don’t think he liked it much.

Chicken Karaage with Fries | ¥600

I know, fries again. Leave us alone!

Bacon and Whole Potato Mini Salad | ¥250

I got this as a side because it looked good and sounded good. We had too much food. I couldn’t eat this and it wasn’t that good. Because the potatoes are whole…there isn’t enough seasoning. I wouldn’t recommend.

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10Feb / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Vietnamese Sandwich | $10.99
nguoi (pork belly), cha lua (pork bologna), pate, house mayonnaise, cucumber, sweet onion, pickled carrot/daikon, cilantro, soy sauce

I think…I THINK I FOUND MY FAVORITE BANH MI place. Sorry for the caps. What a name for a place huh? It’s called No Name BBQ Sandwich. I highly suggest calling your order in first, they make it fresh and it’s a tiny little place run by a cute little couple so it takes a bit of time.

I was so hungry, I wanted to open it in the car to take a quick bite. Oh how fast does a quick bite turn into THE ENTIRE SANDWICH IN MY BELLY. The bread was so light and crunchy and warm…and I…I just couldn’t resist. It was the perfect sandwich and oh my gosh, they give SO MUCH CILANTRO. IT’S A DREAM COME TRUE. Anyway, I hope you folks will give them a try. No lemongrass chicken here but who cares, try something else, live a little. Trust me.

Udon Salad

An oldie but goodie, I brushed off the cobwebs to make this dish recently. I just love how it looks pre-mixed. Got to use my fancy carrying case too! Super easy recipe, check out my old post here. Refreshing, can’t go wrong!

Carry Along Shrimp

My coworkers talk about this recipe all the time, you can find it at the Electric Kitchen, here. This is my first time cooking it and trying it. Great dish! We threw it in the airfryer for about 10 minutes at 400°F. I think it tastes great, howw would I tweak it? I think I would add a bit less sugar. Delicious though!

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08Feb / 2023

Posh Caribbean Grill – Kapahulu, HI

I am always on the search for new cuisines to try. I have been wanting to try Jerk Chicken for the longest time and when Posh Caribbean Grill opened, I knew I had to give them a shot! I’m a broken record but hot damn the prices are high. But was it worth it?

Mango Hennessy Wings | $15.00
fried wings tossed in a mango Hennessey sauce

No, we didn’t eat any of the wings already. This is the order you get. How was it? Well, sweet and not a hint of hennessy taste. It tasted too sweet to me, I wouldn’t get this again.

Braised Stew Oxtail | $30.00
served with rice and peas and seasonal veggies
savory oxtail seasoned to perfection in a brown stew with butter beans

I like oxtail and did feel like it was seasoned well and cooked nicely in the brown stew, the flavors were deep. I do not like their rice and peas, it tasted sweet and had a hint of coconut. Not a fan of that. I did like the seasoned veggies even though you can tell it’s the frozen kind. $30!

Jerk Chicken | $25.00
served with fried rice and cabbage
chicken marinated with traditional caribbean herbs and spices

I was most excited for Jerk Chicken. Bah. It tasted fine, but nothing special. They serve a spicy BBQ sauce on the side, that was actually nice. The fried rice is nice, I liked it much better than the rice and peas. The cabbage was junk, sorry. But I wanted to try all the different sides to know which I liked best. Well it doesn’t matter I guess since I don’t plan to return.

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06Feb / 2023

Yu Chun Korean Restaurant – Ala Moana, HI

Looking for a good naengmyun? Look no further, gotta try the OG place! Yu Chun Korean Restaurant, and can you believe it, I have never been here before this visit. The Yelp reviews could certainly deter you. We came early, brought cash and made sure we left tip (lol). The service was super good so the tip would have happened anyway! The food was good! A little on the pricey side for me. I guess I would be good with just buying the supermarket package and making it at home, but no one can make the broth the nice icy slush they do!

Daikon and White Kimchee – they also ask if you want regular kimchee!

Black Noodle in Iced Soup | $16.95 (ala carte price)

Black Noodle with Spicy Sauce | $16.95 (ala carte price)

This one was my dish, it’s like a bibimnaengmyun. It was super good and they actually gave me a small bowl of the regular naengmyun slush broth on the side too. I poured it into my noodles and it tasted great.

Kalbi | $35.95 (!)

We actually ordered the combo set which comes with two black noodle dishes and the meat of your choice. Who wouldn’t choose kalbi? But the set comes out to $54.95. Not bad considering the ala carte prices yeah?

The parking lot is pretty tight and they share it with I think two other businesses. We came right when they opened so we got parking no problem. Would I return? Ehhh…probably not soon. Price tag is a bit steep but the food is good!

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03Feb / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Mai Musubi Set A Bento | $12.00
salmon musubi/konbu musubi

I am really digging Mai Musubi being in Manoa now. Makes it so easy to grab and go food in the morning! I’ve noticed they get some bentos out earlier in the morning now! I think I got this bento at like 6:30 AM? Yay! Score! Love their musubis, not a huge fan of the chicken karaage, was kind of hard and of course cold (no can help the cold). All in all, great value for the quality.

Chicken & Mushrooms | $16.00
boneless fried chicken, cremini mushroom sauce, white rice, potato mac salad

LOL chicken and mushrooms. Okay, I just call this mushroom chicken because I love mushroom chicken. I was waiting forevers for Hamada General Store to have this as a special and be able to actually get down there to get it!! We called right when they opened to place our order. Good thing, they sold out FAST. It was a good dish! They fry the chicken very well. This has actually made me want to make it myself. Although I don’t need fried chicken, maybe I can do an oven baked chicken. Yum Yum Yum.

Kimchee Fried Rice | $14.99

Okay, let’s see who is an old fut like me. Do you folks remember when Taiyo Ramen used to be on the other side of Ala Moana? Before the current Target building (or former Nordstrom), it was a small building that contained Taiyo Ramen. I remember this so clearly! Man, they have been around forever and I used to always go and eat their kimchee fried rice. They are still alive and kicking in their current location. They will close when they close down that plot of land. I’m assuming it’s another development. As if we need more developments in Ala Moana. I am still sad when I think of all the great places on Keeaumoku that closed. Blah!

Anyway, I decided to grab my last kimchee fried rice before they close. No set date yet so if you have a craving, go go go! I say last because I did not feel good after eating this. Maybe I overdid it? I don’t know, but I felt quesy after and didn’t even eat dinner that night cause of it. I will say, in the past when I’ve gotten their food…felt super heavy with MSG seasoning. I think had the strongest reaction to MSG with this restaurant. Anyway, I think it’s just me so no use me as the guide. Also, if you want extra kimchee, just ask!

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Monthly Archives: February 2023

Yung Yee Kee Dim Sum – Ala Moana, HI

Mixed Plate Friday

The 220 Grille Restaurant – Diamond Head, HI

Mixed Plate Friday

Jagalchi – Ala Moana, HI

Bikkuri Donkey – Osaka, Japan

Mixed Plate Friday

Posh Caribbean Grill – Kapahulu, HI

Yu Chun Korean Restaurant – Ala Moana, HI

Mixed Plate Friday