Category Archives: Restaurant

15Mar / 2024

Mixed Plate Friday

Gumbo Bowl | $16.00
chicken & sausage gumbo with rice

Unfortunately, this post does not start with a winner. I’ve always wanted to try Soul Fusion and now that they’re on the UH campus, I had my chance! How was it? I mean it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. Is gumbo supposed to be more soupy liquid than thick? Maybe I was expecting more of a stew, this had very little guts (if you know what I mean). Tasted fine but then my coworker and I both had to run to the bathroom very quickly after eating our dishes. Heh, sorry for the TMI, just letting you folks know. Not that the food went bad or anything – just might be a bit rich for those who are sensitive to that.

Shrimp Dumplings Soup (Hong Kong Wonton) | $11.95

Okay, this post might be full of complaints (in fact I think it is. I got this from Yung Yee Kee Dim Sum and while I am usually a big fan of their food, this is not it. It tasted fine! It’s just that this is what $12 gets you. It was like I think maybe 5 wontons? I didn’t pour my soup in yet. I think I can go Chinatown and at least get noodles with it for this price. That was a bummer. Tasted fine but was not worth it.

Dry Mein | $5.99

I saw this at 7eleven and wanted to try it. I love dry mein but it was a small portion. The taste was fine, I just don’t think it’s filling enough to be an entire meal. Also, you can see my awesome skills of overheating things in the microwave. Yum, melted plastic with my food.

Thanks for the patience everyone. We finally got the house tented. It was a horrendous week. We were originally supposed to tent on a Saturday but they called us the day before telling us it had to be rescheduled due to weather. I mean, we had a hotel booked and it is very hard to transport my father (who is very much immobile) around. It was an absolute nightmare.

The day before our rescheduled day was also windy and I was scared they would cancel again but it wasn’t, yay. They gave me a window of 10AM – 1PM for the tenters to come so I figured maybe I just take half day off work. 1:30 rolled around and no one came, I called them asking for status. She tells me they are finishing a job in Kailua and will be here in 30 minutes. Kailua to Kalihi in 30 mins? I don’t think so. I estimated moreso 3PM. Guess WHAT. 3PM – still no one. I call at 3:30PM and they had to call and try to track the guys down and told me it would be another 20 minutes. I’m sure you know where this is going. They arrived at like 4:30PM. We decided to stick around to watch the tent go up, that takes another 2 hours. It’s hard work! These guys were all wearing like slippers and slip-ons…didn’t look too safe to me but I guess they get super grip or something.

This was just an awful week because it was the peak busy week for me at work and then having to deal with tenting, cleaning and packing stuff out – it was hell week. Just glad it’s all done. There’s gotta be an easier way to fumigate, this was insane. Anyway, hope you folks have a great weekend!

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13Mar / 2024

Mr. Ojisan Neo Bar & Sushi – Honolulu, HI

Mr. Ojisan Neo Bar & Sushi moved from Kapahulu to I guess the Moilili area a few years ago, this is my first time at this location. They are located in the same building as the old Sanoya Ramen – private parking lot in the back! Chan and I had a great time with our dining companions, great food and company! They were playing sports on 3 TV screens and Kpop videos on another one. I kept my eye out for my baby Jimin (BTS). 🙂

Shishito Peppers w/Yuzu Miso | $8.00

Yum! I don’t know how strong of a yuzu taste I got from these peppers but the miso was a nice touch. I loved the sweetness!

French Fries | $8.00

Can’t go wrong with fries ‘bah. Perfect food for drinking (not that I would know).

Misoyaki Butterfish | $20.00

Can’t go wrong with a perfectly cooking miso butterfish. Perfectly seasoned and cooked, so moist and tender. Yum! Pricey but worth it to me. You can make it a teishoku meal for $4.00 and get tonjiro soup, tsukemono and rice too.

Wafu Steak | $27.00

Anything coming out on a sizzling plate is good ah? It’s smothered in onions, ponzu sauce, daikon and garlic chips. How can you go wrong? Was delicious and perfectly cooked!

Sashimi Platter | $39.00

Gotta give the Ojisans behind the sushi counter something for do! Very nice sashimi platter! Was full from all the ono food! I also tried their lava cake for dessert, forgot to take a pic! But the lava cake was really good too!

Nice restaurant, super laid back with folks from all walks of life dining here. I would definitely return!

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11Mar / 2024

‘Ili‘ili Cash & Carry – Moilili, HI

I have wanted to try ‘Ili‘ili Cash & Carry ever since they opened up a few years ago. Chan had a hankering for pizza this past weekend so we ordered some in! I would call this like elevated pizza so expect to pay a pretty penny for it, but hey, what doesn’t cost a pretty penny these days right? They have online ordering available so you can place your order and head in to grab your food! Let me show you what we tried.

‘ili‘ili Supreme | $31.00
tomato/olives/pepperoni/sausage/onion/peppers

How was it? Good, not great. Nothing spectacular you know? Feel likes it was lacking a little something – spice? More seasoning? Not enough veggies?

Funghi | $31.00
fiore di latte, mushrooms, herbs, pancetta, parmesan

Once again, good but not great. It feels like each pizza is just lacking one thing that could make it great. This one? I think if it had the addition of garlic – it could have really made this one awesome.

Choke Garlic Balls | $13.00
add pepperoni | $2.00

Ding ding ding, and we have a winner! This was my favorite dish but how could you go wrong with garlic balls (lol). I mean it was soaked in garlic butter – so good. So so so good. Definite must have! Even though the pizza was a bit lackluster, I do still want to try their sandwiches one day.

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26Feb / 2024

Omakase by Aung – Kapahulu, HI

Chan’s birthday was last week so we went out for sushi at Omakase by Aung, new restaurant to both of us! Let me tell you something, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been blown away by a restaurant but I can safely say this was one of them. Great service and great food. It is a bit pricey since it’s an omakase but I think it was well worth the cost (and you know that means a lot because all I do is complain about price and I am Chinese). I wouldn’t even try to park in the lot behind their restaurant, it’s like 5 stalls and shared by everyone in the building. I just parked in the public lot for Side Street Inn and crossed the street over. It was only $2.00 for 2 hours, not bad! This restaurant is very small, there is only the bar and it can probably seat 8 people maximum. Reservations are highly recommended through Open Table.

Sea Bream topped with Uni

Smoked Skipjack Tuna with Garlic Sauce

Grilled Spanish Mackerel topped with Caviar

Chutoro

Buri (mature yellowtail) topped with Orange Zest

Shima Aji (Striped Jack from Ehime) – topped with yuzu

Kanpachi (shabu shabu style) served with Ponzu Sauce

New Zealand King Salmon

Uni Rice with Ikura (house marinated)

Akami (leanest part of the Blue Fin Tuna)

Scallop (wrapped with bougie fancy nori from Japan)

Aori Ika (topped with lime zest)

Otoro

Japanese Tiger Prawn

Cherrywood Smoked Golden Eye Snapper topped with Caviar
(smoked right before our eyes!)

Macadamia Nut Ice Cream (House-made)

You’re going to think I’m a dork but my god if this wasn’t the best scoop of ice cream I have ever had?? The taste of the fresh nutty macadamia nuts – was heavenly. I don’t know how to explain but when I have mac nuts nowadays, they always seem to be kind of stale already you know? But this ice cream had a fresh nutty taste and it was magical.

Birthday Treat for Birthday Boy Chan

There were two people celebrating their birthdays so he whipped up a quick poke for the two of them. Super cute, he turned down all the lights and play a birthday song while presenting the dishes. How wonderful! 🙂 Everyone wish Chan a happy belated birthday!! Hehe…I didn’t add much comments to each dish because honestly, it was all good. I didn’t have a single dish I disliked. We will definitely be returning.

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23Feb / 2024

Mixed Plate Friday

One of the many gifts Kat gave us! I finally cracked open the Japanese Sriracha, I didn’t even know they had one! And you know we had that shortage for a while so it as hard to even get a hold of a bottle. And then people were saying it doesn’t taste the same anymore? I think they started using different chili peppers, boy oh boy. I was able to get a new bottle and I guess I agree that it tastes a little different but not awful. Sorry, got off-track. So how was the Japanese one? I liked it! Good balance of garlic and heat with a nice sweetness to it. I enjoy it a lot!! Thank you again Kat!

This was a gift from Chan’s friend and I had no idea what it was. I honestly thought it was like a biscuit or senbei. That was until we asked a coworker and was told it was miso soup!! I had to try it immediately and oh my goodness, it was delicious and look!

It is stuffed with all these great veggies and cute fishcake…what a great miso soup! I definitely have to look for this next time I am in Japan!!

Tanto Tonkotsu Black Ramen | $18.00 (includes 5 pieces of Tanto Gyoza)

Don’t have enough for a full post but Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar is located in Puck’s Alley in Manoa. They specialize in gyoza (yes, the gyoza is good) and the ramen is good too! But I think I need to try another broth, this one might be too rich for me so I get tummy ache. I think I get tummy ache from plenty foods…hmm…anyway, worth a try!

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21Feb / 2024

The 220 Grille Restaurant Pt. 3 – Diamond Head, HI

I have this horrible knack of posting this restaurant WAY too late, but it’s also because of their short service runs! If you get a chance, today and tomorrow is your last chance to order for this serving session! They are only open for service on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM. They no longer take phone orders so you have to be ready to order online once the site opens at 11AM (there are no pre-orders)…so, if you can get through all that, try the food (lol)! Here is their current menu, they also have daily specials!

Kansas City Style BBQ Baby Back Ribs | $14.00
with Mashed Potato, Corn and Honey Butter Corn Bread

Teri Provolone Cheeseburger made with Locally Sourced Grass Fed Beef w/ Sautéed Onions & Mayo | $10.00
served w/ Fries, garnished w/ Island Lettuce, Sugarland Tomato & House Made Pickles

This was my lunch. The burger is bumboocha and house made patty! They do cook it like a medium rare so I do recommend heating it up a bit if you don’t like it that pink. I did get a bit of a tummy ache after eating this burger so I did heat up the patty when I ate the other half the next day. How can you beat the portion of this dish, the tastiness and PRICE. It’s $10 bucks even, tax already included. Would recommend!

Roast Porchetta | $15.00 
with Mushroom Risotto, Carrot Puree, Braised Beets, and Jus Lie

Jus lie, haha I just find that funny. Chan ate this for dinner and he enjoyed it! He super enjoyed the sides, said the pork was a bit dry on some parts but overall – good! Pretty high end for $15!

Pan Fried Pa’i’ai | $4.00
w/ Kinako, Haupia Anglaise and Island Fruits

Not my dish but it was shared with us and I’m sorry but I just gotta give a big thumbs down. It wasn’t good. Sorry! Very very bland. Even eating it with the fruit or the sauce, just…you’re eating plain taro essentially cause all this extra stuff did not do anything! No flava!!!

NOTE: Reopening for service on April 2, 2024!

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07Feb / 2024

Chuka Soba Aoba – Ikebukuro, Japan

Located in the Sunshine Mall, Chuka Soba Aoba is just a small little chinese noodles soup that we tried. I actually think this was the first real bowl of ramen we had during the whole trip. It was a nice fill up – nothing too fancy or frou frou. The line was constant and they had a good system of seating. Singles were seated at the bar between the partitions and parties of 2 or more got seated at a table.

Super busy place and actually mostly locals which is a good sign right?

Chan got the tsukemen

I got the regular ramen. I gotta admit, it was the egg in the picture of the mall directory that got me. I just love Japan eggs so much and look at how bright deep orange these yolks are. What I was served looked exactly like the directory photo. Delicious! By the way, this is all they have. Ramen or tsukemen, nothing else. No gyoza, no side dishes, just noodles.

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05Feb / 2024

Nihonbashi Sui – Machida, Japan

Chan found his favorite kaiten sushi restaurant during this trip. On this day, we went to Grandberry Park to visit the Snoopy Museum and stuck around to get lunch. We timed it (by accident) perfectly, we were able to line up for the lunch openings. Plenty restaurants had long lines already so we decided to try Nishonbashi Sui – we were like 2nd in line so that was great! I can’t find too much online about this place, does anyone know if this restaurant has any other locations in Japan? The only cool thing I found was that it’s owned by Kyotaru! What a throwback, I used to work for Kyotaru. So that means I’m technically part of this family right?

We ate choke. I don’t have any prices or descriptions, just enjoy the pictures (there are a lot of them).

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02Feb / 2024

Mixed Plate Friday

Taki’s Intense Nacho

I’m not into Taki’s but I saw this online somewhere and super super curious. For some odd reason, it’s so hard to find this in Hawaii. Where did I find it? Oh, I think I found it at Don Quijote! Kind of pricey but was worth a try. Super cheesy, not at all spicy. Worth the try!

Giovanni Rana Beef and Sausage Lasagna (40 oz.) | $14.98

Saw this at Sam’s Club the other week and decided to bring it home to try. I didn’t get to try it but my brother did and he liked it! It’s nice that it’s not the full family size lasagna. It’s also great that it comes in a pan that you can either bake it in or microwave in.

Spicy Pork Plate | $10.00

Yup, back at Kalihi Palama Market snack bar again. No can lose with a $10 plate forreal! So good. You know dang well that it would cost so much more money if I decided to make this myself. I’ll keep “researching” their dishes for you folks okay? 🙂

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31Jan / 2024

Kiharu – Kyoto, Japan

Chan and I took the shinkansen (thank you Rail Pass) from Osaka to Kyoto which was a breezy 15 minute ride. We met up with his friends Mai and Tomomi. Kiharu (NOT KIHARU Brasserie – also located in Kyoto) is Mai’s favorite restaurant, so much so that she makes the journey from Tokyo to Kyoto just to eat here. And when she’s in Kyoto, she’ll eat at this restaurant like 3 nights in a row. She loves it that much! Quite a tall order but my gosh, what a wonderful experience. Yet another restaurant we would never have found on our own, very small restaurant run by the master chef and him alone. It’s all by reservation so no walk-ins, you sit at the bar and he serves you dish by dish. It’s all omakase, you do no ordering, it’s based on his shopping finds that morning. If you’re a drinker, he serves up nice sake pairings with each course.

The master chef was so wonderful and happy, even though us tourists couldn’t communicate with him, he was excited and tried his best! He was also overjoyed to hear we were from Hawaii lol. This was an experience like no other! Highly recommend if you are able to make you reservations and can speak Japanese lol.

Green Pea Soup, Tofu wrapped in Fried Mochi Bits with Yuzu Miso

What an interesting soup, great starter. Awesome flavors, super fresh ingredients. The taste of fresh peas? Can’t be beat!

Green Salad with Fried Yuba and Goma Dressing

Simple enough dish but the fried yuba is so good. Light and crispy, loved this salad anad the different textures!

Buri and Hirame Sashimi

Can’t go wrong with fresh locally caugh fish. Delicious!!!

Big Daikon Oden with Aburage and Yuzu Zest

Simple dish right? But aren’t simple dishes the best? He visually showed us with his hands how big the daikon was that used to make the oden. I believe him. Perfect melding of flavors.

Roasted Onion with Homemade Salt and Fried Soba Miso Dip

Okay, not all dishes can be winners. This dish wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my favorite. He roasted the onion over his grill and…it’s not like the onion takes in the smoky flavor you know? He deep fries buckwheat and mixes it into the miso. It was okay.

Salmon with Giant Shishito Pepper and Garlic Sauce

Salmon? Check. Giant Shishito Pepper? Check. Garlic Sauce? Check. I’m just ticking off all the things I liked in this dish. Yum!

Fried Taro with Fried Pickled Sakura Leaf

Another winner dish! Taking a bite out of the taro and then a bite out of the sakura leaf, the balance or the dense starch with the sourness of the leaf? Delicious! I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Matsutake Mushroom Rice with Carrots and a Chicken Base

Closing dish of the night, to me, just simple home cooked style dish. Comforting on a cold night. Look at how brightly colored the carrots are! It was delicious. Thank you again to Mai and Tomomi for a wonderful dinner and the wonderful company!

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