19Feb / 2025

Sushi Que – Honolulu, HI

We were fortunate to be invited by friends to dine at Sushi Que. Sushi Que is a newish-still sushi joint, very small mom and pop run shop on King Street. They are located near Golden Pork Tonkotsu Ramen Bar. Parking is obviously very limited so we actually caught an Uber over. This is a very small shop so you definitely should not show up as a walk-in. And it also seems like their reservations are booked out months in advance so keep that in mind when you plan your trip. For an omakase restaurant, it’s about $100 which is very cheap compared to the other omakase restaurants (where it’s usually $150 minimum). Even though it’s a cheaper price, they do not skimp on quality or service. It’s BYOB but no corkage fee, wow! That’s a super rare find, just make sure you offer up some drinks to the Taisho and staff! 🙂 This is going to be a long post, strap in.

Seafood Bouillabase Soup Starter

Deeply rich in seafood flavor, you can taste every layer. Rich flavor in a light broth.

Ankimo (Monkfish Liver)
monkfish liver, cucumbers, wakame, daikon and goma served with a sweet ponzu sauce

Ankimo is one of my favorite dishes in any Japanese restaurant. This was no exception, so creamy with a clean taste – no fishiness at all. Delicious!

Himalayan Pink Salt

I have never seen this before! They served each dinner your own slab of himaylan pink salt that you can add a squeeze of lime to (I think it was lime). This goes with the sashimi slices coming up in the next picture.

Sashimi
Hamachi, Red Snapper, Salmon, Octopus (2 pcs), and Snapper Belly (for me, amaebi for everyone else)

They were very nice in accommodating my raw shrimp allergy and the red snapper belly was amazing. The octopus pieces actually contains a sucker, very interesting texture – crunchy and fresh. A bit chewy but not tough. So yes, you can use the himalayan salt slab to dip the sashimi into if you want! No soy sauce. It was wonderful.

Fresh Washington Oyster
served with sea grapes and ikura

I love oysters so much and these were so fresh and delicious. Clean ocean taste, the crunchiness of the sea grapes and the richness of the ikura only help to accentuate the fresh taste of the oyster.

South African Lobster Tail

This was the same lobster used to make the bouillabase soup. Very light on the seasoning for this lobster which was good because it allowed the tasty and fleshy piece of lobster’s taste shine through!

Otoro

Do I really need to say more? Can you get much better than Otoro? No. It was everything you could hope for. Melt in your mouth goodness. Love the tare he brushes on, nice dashi taste.

Flounder Fin with Ume Shiso Leaf

Ding ding ding. I don’t know if I have ever had flounder before this night and now I will never forget it. This was probably my favorite dish of the night. I loved it. Soft and tender piece of flounder with a light punch of ume and shiso – they blend so well together.

Hotate Scallop (not pictured, oops – got too excited to eat)
served with yuzu pepper, fresh, tender and sweet.

Caledonia Shrimp

Best shrimp I have ever tasted. Simple preparation and seasoning, nothing to overpower the natural taste of the shrimp. So good. This one is cooked so I was able to partake!

Ikura Nigiri

Another miso soup? Gosh I’m getting confused with the order of my photos!

Uni Wrap

Fresh uni from Japan wrapped with a crunchy piece of nori. Oh gosh, you know this is good uni because there is absolutely no bitterness to it, just sweet creamy goodness.

Otoro with Takuan Hand Roll

Omakases usually end with a nice handroll and this was great. Nice negitoro with otoro meat and the minced daikon adds a nice sweet crunch.

End of the omakase brings out the ala carte menu in case you want to order any extras or maybe a dish that wasn’t part of the omakase!

I ordered another flounder fin sushi – it was that good.

Shirako | $9.00

IYKYK what this is…was excited we could order it! Super creamy so I know it was fresh and good quality. They warmed the dish up in a broth and it was so nice.

Saba

Egg Omelet? I don’t even remember getting this??

Sujiko Hand Roll

Another order of Otoro!

Salmon with Nira Sauce

Konbu Roll with Fresh Wasabi and Daikon Cubes

I don’t remember lol

Fresh Fruit

It was a wonderful perfect night of great company and food. The folks who run this place are SO nice and down to earth. It’s a nice restaurant but the humble atmosphere makes for a very relaxing experience. All the diners seem to talk story with one another and the Taisho, his wife and the staff. Lots of drinking (not me lol). We super enjoyed this experience and are looking forward to our next experience. In fact, one couple flies out from Maui to eat here. I wanna have that kine money (lol!). Would definitely recommend this restaurant!

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14Feb / 2025

Mixed Plate Friday

No. (Don’t go shopping hungry)

Remember the huge tree that fell over onto Keeaumoku/Kapiolani during the heavy rains for that ONE day? That was so crazy because I drive there all the time! Freaked me out a bit. I took a picture of it the day after as I was driving there (proof I drive there all the time lol). Isn’t that crazy? And the way it’s planted, I think it might belong to Pacific Guardian. I really hope no one was harmed because that tree looked like it crushed at least 2 cars.

Le’s Banh Mi – Saigon Special add Roast Pork | $11.50 + $2.00

When I say that Le’s Banh Mi is the best on the island, please take me seriously. I don’t think you can get a better banh mi anywhere else. We’ve talked about this. Have you tried them yet? They make their own bread and it’s so soft and light yet crispy. And the toppings, I love their pate and the roast pork is chef’s kiss. I just give them a call before I head in to get it…takes them about 10 minutes and it’s ready when I’m there! This was even good reheated because we couldn’t eat it right away.

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12Feb / 2025

Onkee Korean Grill House – Ward Village, HI

Chan’s friend Mai visited Hawaii last week so we got to try Onkee Korean Grill House for the first time! Onkee is super high end as a warning so you won’t be surprised by the prices. They are located in one of those new condos in Ward right by the theaters. The interior and decor was so pretty, very new restaurant so everything is perfect so far.

Banchan – Kimchee

This was good! I thought by looking at it that it wouldn’t be fermented enough, but it was! This is made from regular cabbage versus chinese cabbage.

Banchan – Shredded Daikon

Banchan – Soy Pickled Red Onions

Banchan – Potato Salad

My least favorite kind of potato salad lol. The potatoes are cooked almost al dente, they were kind of hard. Then you add on big chunks of raw carrots and apple slices and I am out of there. No thanks.

Banchan – Seasond Dried Radish Strips

Soysauce Marinated Shrimp | $32.00

This is the dish Chan was looking forward to. Mai enjoyed it too! I really wish I could eat this. Raw shrimp and raw crab call my name but alas, my body doesn’t want to agree. I did try a bit of the shrimp and my mouth said nope. My mouth and throat immediately started getting tingly – I had to put the white flag up and hand the rest over to Chan.

Stir-Fried Squid | $28.00

Good dish! Not as good as Frog House but I think you folks have heard me say Frog House enough. FROG HOUSE! No wok hei, just okay.

Beef Tartare | $32.00

The dish I looked forward to lol. I love beef tartare – manini portion but it tasted really good. Reminds me of the time I was in Korea and went to their Todai and they had this dish on the buffet. Girl, when I tell you I went for broke…I WENT FOR BROKE. Delicious. You mix it up with the shredded cucumber and Korean pear slices! Yum! This is one of the rare times I enjoy fruit in a savory dish.

Combo B | $190.00
Tenderloin, Ribeye, Hanger Steak, Thin Skirt Steak

Expensive but not awful considering it was for 3 people and we were stuffed after this. Nice quality meat, some cuts were better than others (of course) but enjoyable overall.

Very big plus, your waiter/waitress cooks all the meat for you. ANOTHER UPSIDE: I don’t know what kind of ventililation system they have but you will leave your meal not smelling a single bit like smoke. There’s no big hood hovering over your table so I really don’t know how they do it. Must be some way the grill is built but seriously, I couldn’t smell a single scent of Korean BBQ on us from this meal.

Kimchi Stew | $24.00

A little pricey for stew but they do nice chunks of tofu and pork belly in it. Very nice and flavorful soup.

Steamed Rice | $3.00 each

You see that right. We had to pay for rice separately even with all the entrees we ordered. Crazy yeah?

This ends with a bit of a rant and it could have just been an off night for me but this interaction left a sour taste in my mouth. I ordered soda which comes with free refills because I don’t drink alcohol. Well, they serve it in smaller cups so I had to ask for a refill during the meal. Well, as we are nearing the end, with our waters warm – I wanted one last refill to cut into the taste of the meat in my mouth. When the waitress came over, I gave her the cup to ask for the refill and she made a face at me. This is where my childhood trauma may come in but it reminded me of the faces I would get from older Asian women when they were about to say something really mean to me (sorry, that’s just how it is growing up with immigrant relatives) and I got triggered so I gave her a look back but didn’t say anything.

I wonder if she knew then that she pissed me off because for sure the rest of the night I was not even looking at her and my vibe was not good. I just didn’t want to deal with her any longer which is fine since Chan was doing the ordering all night anyway. She certainly didn’t make any face when my dining companions were ordering more beers but I guess it’s all about money. I do wonder if that’s why we got the above slice of cheesecake for free. Whatever. I could be projecting my own emotions at this situation but I usually have a pretty good read on people and it just soured the night for me. In the end, the restaurant was beautiful, the service was good (up until that point) and the food was good. Now, do I think it was worth the price? Ehh…I think I would rather come and check out their lunch specials because you get more bang for your buck. By the way, I’m looking at their menu and they even charge for lettuce to make wraps ($6) and the green onion salad ($9!). This was definitely a splurge of a meal.

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03Feb / 2025

Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar – Manoa, HI

Decided to give Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar another try! It’s close to my work and yeah I did get tummy ache before but I think that’s just me and not their food. They are known for the gyoza but the ramen is good too! I’ll admit that I still like Wagaya better but this place is good too! And they are pretty fast at whipping out the gyoza and ramen! Tanto is located in the same lot as Nijiya Market in Manoa, free one hour parking. This is yet another restaurant where we went over the hour by like five minutes. I had to pay by machine again!!! This time it was $3.00.

Tanto Gyoza Hamamatsu Style (16 pcs) | $15.75

From top to bottom: Magic Gyoza Salt, Garlic Chili Sauce, Gyoza Sweet Ponzu Sauce

We got the gyoza to share as a table! Delicious gyoza. It was kind of funny, they brought out the gyoza and apologized that it was missing one piece and that it was coming out soon. Well, they then brought out three more so I guess we got a few for free! Score!

Mix Black Mazesoba | $17.75
tonkotsu shoyu & miso sauce with black garlic oil
mazesoba is a type of brothless ramen made with thick ramen noodles topped with spicy minced meat that has been stir fried with soy sauce, chili and garlic, and freshly chopped chives/spring onions and a poached egg

Tanto Creamy Goma (Chicken Broth) | $17.75
sesame paste/peanuts/meat miso/green onion/spinach/red onion

Tanto Tonkotsu Black (Tonkotsu & Chicken Broth) | $17.75
black-garlic/char siu kikurage/green onion/red pickled ginger/ajitama

My ramen! Yummy, I love black garlic oil. And I was hangry so I ordered kaedama (extra noodle) too which was $2.50 extra. I didn’t need that kaedama but I ordered when I was hangry so there we are. Very good ramen! We all enjoyed our dishes! I would recommend!

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31Jan / 2025

Mixed Plate Friday

Kalihi Bar-B-Q Drive-Inn BBQ Chicken & Garlic Fish Combo Plate | $17.50

I saw someone feature this place on TikTok and I am so easily swayed because it looked so good. I was super craving it so I got it during my Saturday errands. I didn’t even know this place existed even though it is in my hood. I ordered it without knowing the price and wow $17.50!! But I guess it’s expected for a seafood combo plate. Yes, it was actually very good. Look at all that garlic, how can it be bad? BBQ chicken is on par with other BBQ places. I enjoyed it! And they give big portions so it’s more than one meal!

Pringles Mingles | Cheddar & Sour Cream

When I am hungry and go shopping, purchases like this happen. I was curious how this would taste. It was interesting cause it’s puffed up like a cheeto puff but it’s harder in texture. How do I explain that?? I guess cause it’s made of pringles material? It’s just okay, the seasoning isn’t great. I rather just eat the cheddar and sour cream ruffles, those are the best.

Chan and I recently celebrated our anniversary and I try to do thoughtful things and the gift for this anniversary was cotton so I decided to cross-stitch this for him. I’m not good with knitting/sewing, etc. Boy, did I fumble this a lot. It is not easy for me already and I was getting quite frustrated. I definitley used up too much of the thread from the kit and had to go on the hunt to find extra thread. Then I had to find a way to fit it into this frame lol. Don’t pay attention to it being crooked okay? I tried my best and this was made from hours and hours of my love. Cute yeah?

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29Jan / 2025

Middle Eats – Manoa, HI

Middle Eats currently operates out of a kitchen in Downtown and they do take-out orders but how often am I really in downtown? I’ve been following them on Instagram and to my happy surprise, they are doing a stint at the UHM campus! Maybe not enough fanfare going on. I hit them up last week and spoke with the very nice young gentleman, I asked how business was and he said it wasn’t as busy as they would like. I asked if they have to give a semester commitment to gauge if they would stick around, I think they don’t have to do long-term commitments so if you wanna try, better go fast! Here’s the schedule for food trucks at UHM.

Menu | January 2025

I had to ask at first, is it the difference between a mini and regular plate? LOL. It’s actually the price of the plate or a gyro. Duh! Look at the top of the sign but I didn’t make that connection…guess us locals are just too used to regular versus mini plate prices. But look at those prices. I’m sorry, but I can’t see students being able to afford to eat here a lot. I wanted to get a plate but it was a bit too pricey for me so I went for the Lamb Kofta Gyro for $15.00.

Lamb Kofta Gyro | $15.00

Upon first glance, didn’t look so great. But it’s actually a big portion and was very filling. I enjoyed it a lot. The lamb tasted great with the gamey taste I like. There was a almost neon green sauce he poured on, not sure what it was but I don’t think I like that sauce too much. Other than that, it was good!

Cumin Fries with Garlic Toum | $8.00

They have an 8 dollar menu, I guess it’s supposed to be a value? $8.00 for fries? I don’t know, I’m not trying to be a negative sue but that’s not cheap. But I also get that all food costs are so expensive now and they have to make a profit. While my lunch was a bit pricey, the gyro and the fries were absolutely delicious. I loved it! Maybe I can check them out again after payday…lol

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27Jan / 2025

Seasons Taiwanese Eatery – Chinatown, HI

YES! I’ve been wanting to try Seasons Taiwanese Eatery for years! They used to be in the middle of the Chinese Cultural Plaza (near the stage) but now they are located on the river side more towards Legend Seafood Restaurant. They specialize in a Taiwanese Beef Noodle dish and for some odd reason, I was expecting the same kind of beef noodles from other restaurants like Lam’s Kitchen but it is not. Don’t get it twisted! I think the other restaurants serve more of a Cantonese version while this is Taiwanese!

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Medium) | $9.98

Medium portion is huge! More than enough to share between two people and still have leftover! Oh this was so nice. I loved the fried basil leaves and the chicken is spiced nicely. Not a hot spicy, maybe more of a five spice taste? So delicious!

Classic Beef Broth (Beef Only – Mild) | $16.98

Retro Spicy Broth (Combo Beef & Tendon) | $17.98

I gotta go for the spicy one. So they have a level of 1-5, I tried to order number 3 and the waitress’ face turned serious and she sternly said, it’s very spicy. So yeah, I lowered it to 2. Looks pretty red yet yeah? Compare that to the classic broth! Was it spicy? Yeah, maybe small kine leakage but I think I could have still handled level three! How do I describe this dish? There’s a sourness to the broth. It’s very different from the noodle soups I’ve had before, I liked it though. I would definitely return!

Parking, I think the first hour at Cultural Plaza is free, after that, you gotta pay and we just went over by a few minutes…and ugh, I had to pay at the card machine. I hate having to pay $1 with a credit card but they don’t take cash! Technology isn’t always helpful. Anyway, give them a shot!

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24Jan / 2025

Mixed Plate Friday

Baked Charsiu Manapua (U-Choice In) | $3.25 each

I have resisted going to U-Choice In for many many years. For one, I hate the name of it. U-Choice In, what?? I would let them get away with Ur-Choice In but here we are. Chan’s coworker talked about how much she liked U-Choice In so we decided to give it a try during one of our Don Quijote runs. Well, I hate to admit this but this is probably the best baked manapua on the island right now. I do not like the Royal Kitchen one but this one…it’s perfect. They give choke meat inside and the bun is perfectly baked. Small kine cripsy on top but also super soft. It’s a bit pricey for one but you’re getting a pretty big one! I think it’s worth it. I’ve tried their white rice cake and pork hash too and those are good too! Don’t pay too much attention to the Yelp haters – try it for yourself! If you like baked manapua, you won’t be disappointed.

Ain’t no party like a tako party! Takoyaki party that is. Chan provided this wonderful treat for Christmas Eve! He has the fancy pan that we put on top of camper stove (is that the name of it?). He even bought all the toppings…and made yakisoba like I requested…

Doesn’t that look great?? All professional with the sauce, mayo, bonito flakes and even the nori topping! It was so good!

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22Jan / 2025

MW Restaurant – Honolulu, HI

We had a gift card for MW Restaurant so we came for a little holiday dinner. What a nice treat! We enjoyed ourselves very much and the food was ono!

Lilikoi Yuzunade | $10.00

My non-alcoholic drink! Chan drank beer, you can see it in the background. I enjoyed the drink even though I’m not usually a fan of yuzu!

Brandt Brand Beef Tartare | $22.00
OK Farm Egg, Baguette

I know raw beef is not everyone’s thing. It’s my thing and I love it! Thankfully Chan is also an adventurous eater so we can share in all the goodies. Very good dish.

Crab Cakes | $27.00
Wasabi Koji Sauce, Corn Relish

Another great appetizer! Push aside those weeds and go for it (lol). Tasted great.

Miso Honey Glazed Butterfish | $49.00
Kimchee Potato Salad, Taegu, Bok Choy

My entree, a little pricey for butterfish but it was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I saw a friend eat it last time so I wanted to try it myself and it was so good! I enjoyed it a lot.

Here is the accompanying banchan for the butterfish, ehhh…they were just okay. Not my favorite. Maybe I didn’t like the taste of their kimchi…sorry!

Steak Au Poivre | $65.00
Brandt Brand Ribeye, Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Potatoes, Vegetables

Chan’s entree. It was good but SUPER peppery. Like choke whole peppercorns in the sauce. I tasted a bite and yes, you better like pepper if you get this dish.

Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi | $18.00

We got these on the side with our entrees, it was like super buttery rich tater tots. So good, we couldn’t finish it so we took it home. Tasted good reheated in the air fryer!

Strawberry Shave Ice | $17.00
Strawberry Yuzu Sorbet, Coconut Tapioca, Laie Vanilla Panna Cotta, Strawberries, Shaved Strawberries

When you go MW, gotta get dessert. We were stuffed but shared this shave ice together. It was nice and refreshing! I enjoyed it! Oh! And they gave us two free cookies to take home too. Valet parking only and it’s a bit pricey. It was a nice experience!

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17Jan / 2025

Mixed Plate Friday

Chan and I went over to a friend’s house for mochi making before the New Year. This is the first time I’ve ever been to one and wow…they have a freaking system for it! More like 4 systems, look at those mochi makers! They make a whole bunch to share with friends and family. I was a part of the assembly line to shape the mochi. They even bought a new contraption this year that also cuts the mochi down to size! What an efficient process!

Mini Garden Express Roast Duck & Chicken on Rice | $15.50

I haven’t been to Mini Garden Express in such a long time. We used to go to Ranch 99 all the time because they just had so much options for meals. Do we really need another Home Depot so close to the one in Iwilei? I don’t think so. Or could Home Depot have considered my feelings and kept the food court at the bottom and just built on top of it (lol)? Anyway, came here the other weekend to grab dinner. My god, the prices. I mean if I think about it objectively now, I guess this is actually a good price. You’re getting roast duck and shoyu chicken and roast duck is not cheap nowadays. They don’t make the best roast duck but it’s good enough. I used to get it with fried rice but I didn’t want to pay the additional $3, I’m broke right now okay? LOL.

Prime Rib

Christmas calls for a prime rib. Prime rib is so crazy expensive, I think this hunk of meat which wasn’t even that big cost me upwards of $83. It gets gobbled down so fast that I wish I just baked a chuck roast hahaha nah nah. Gotta do it up at least once a year. The cooking method is perfect as always – and because I was tired and lazy, I didn’t even do the slits with garlic inside and it still turned out good. Now I can be even lazier.

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Category Archives: Restaurant

Sushi Que – Honolulu, HI

Mixed Plate Friday

Onkee Korean Grill House – Ward Village, HI

Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar – Manoa, HI

Mixed Plate Friday

Middle Eats – Manoa, HI

Seasons Taiwanese Eatery – Chinatown, HI

Mixed Plate Friday

MW Restaurant – Honolulu, HI

Mixed Plate Friday