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‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon – Kalihi, HI

Dec13

Honolulu Aunty told me about ‘Ōlena by Chef Ron Simon a few months ago when I posted about banh mi. Well, I finally got a chance to order from them this past week along with some office folks! Sad to share that they are closing down on December 24th but are looking for a new location so I am sending good vibes their way. I am not sure the name of the lady in the front but boy is she friendly and vivacious. That’s the best way to describe her, what a difference awesome customer service makes. Well if you can order before they close, do it! They have an online ordering system that makes it super easy to order, pay and pick-up! Also, they are super busy so that’s probably the best way to get your food.

BBQ Pork Ribs | $16.99
slow-braised tender, pork ribs with lilikoi BBQ sauce. served with choice of white or brown rice and fresh pineapple coleslaw.

Two office mates ordered this dish and both enjoyed it! I like that you can really customize the sides. Not sure what Olena rice is but that’s $2.00 extra. No one ordered Olena rice so I couldn’t tell you!

Red Wine Beef Stew | $14.99
gluten-free braised beef stew with choice of white rice or brown rice or local greens

Feedback on this dish? They felt like the stew could have been braised longer and the sauce/stew could have been reduced more. I can see what they mean…doesn’t look as thick and it could be huh?

Blackened Ahi Sandwich | $16.99
Regular Fries Add | $4.50
served with sweet aioli

Feedback on this was…the ahi is cooked perfectly. Nice and pink inside. Do I think it’s worth $4.50 to add fries? Personally no, but if you are able to eat it fresh…it’s nice and crispy! Not so good cold.

Chicken Lemongrass Banh Mi (Sandwich) | $13.99
Add Fries | $4.75

Whoa whoa whoa, how come the fries cost more to add to a banh mi plate? Hmm…

Chicken Lemongrass Banh Mi (Sandwich) | $13.99
Extra Cilantro | $0.25

Okay, this was mine! I got my sandwich without the fries and added more cilantro because I freaking love cilantro. So how was it? Good! I think it’s a great lemongrass chicken banh mi and I like that the lemongrass isn’t overpowering!

Spicy Ahi Roll | $16.99

A co-worker was nice enough to order this to share with us! I got to try a piece. How was it? Eh, it was good. I guess I prefer my spicy ahi rolls fresh and not fried.

Organic Beets with Caramelized Onions | $3.00

Another dish I got to try. How was it? Ehh, okay. I didn’t taste that much of a caramelized onion taste. Tomatoes are a nice addition, I can just eat my Costco beets though.

Soba Noodle Salad | $10.99

I got this dish to eat for dinner. Okay, I don’t know why I always fall for this. Me being a carb queen assume it’s like a full soba noodle bowl but it’s actually a layer of soba noodles and the rest is spring salad mix. That’s okay and that’s better for me. I love the toppings on this. There was gari (red ginger), ocean salad, egg omelet, kamaboko, julienned carrots and of course green onion. I like their dressing too! I would get it again.

Seared Ahi | $8.99

I got this seared ahi to share and to supplement my sandwich. It was good, the ahi was seared perfectly. Wish the outer layer had flavor, also wish the sauce wasn’t just wasabi with soy. I guess I am too spoiled by Ethel’s and their amazing ahi tataki sauce.

All in all, it was a good visit! I would absolutely return back to try their food again! Hoping they find a new spot so that we all can try. They update their instagram regularly so check them out. Support local!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Dec10

Happy Aloha Friday! We are creeping closer and closer to Christmas. You ready or what? I am writing this post early but I’ll just say yes to move this along. I plan to do some baking this season as well so let’s see how that goes. This is probably going to be my final Florida post on food – then we can get back to the regular schedule. Can you guess where my first meal in Florida was?

It’s a laugh I even walked around the store beforehand. Get me to thee meatballs!!!

Swedish Meatball Plate | $5.99
Traditional 8 pc. Swedish Meatball Meal served with Mashed Potatoes and Lingonberry Jam

This dish is my comfort food. After my bout of food poisoning while in the air to Florida, I just couldn’t wait to nourish my soul with some Swedish meatballs. Did they hit the spot? Absolutely.

Smoked Salmon Salad

I never saw this dish before and I can’t find the price, it’s just a simple salad with smoked salmon. The dressing is very strong in dill flavor.

Apple Cake | $1.99
tart with layers of almond paste, apples and crumble

Oh yes, my apple crumble adventures continues. It happens here in Hawaii and of course twice in Florida. It was pretty good! Served cold. I was kind of good, I mainly ate the topping and left most of the crust. I guess that makes it a diet dish? Ha. Ha. Ha.

There was an AYCE hot pot place right next to our hotel so while our meals were usually spoken for, we did make it out to this restaurant once. And well, once was enough. It’s not even worth sharing the name of this restaurant – they are incredibly busy so reservations are highly recommended. They have a gimmick, one of those cute robots that take you to your table. Cute and creepy? Anyway, the service was severely lacking and we didn’t even get the drinks we ordered until we had to remind them and they made them wrong but it wasn’t worth the effort to flag someone else down. The buffet was okay, had some people (ahem Asians) just grabbing all the good stuff to take to their tables. Come on guys, leave some for the rest of us and just grab more later. Ah what can you do. I miss Little Sheep so much. 🙁

So like, I think we ended up at Chipotle like every night. Hahahaha long days of walking led to getting late dinners at Chipotle. Boy did the locations differ in staff and ingredients available. The first bowl pic was basically all I could get because they ran out of everything. The second bowl was much better. Must be the Asian in me, I just wanted one big bowl of rice. Love their toppings and the fresh ingredients. Also love their chips with queso dip. Augh, wish we had a Chipotle here in Hawaii too.

You know what else I did? I bought Shake Shack burgers and Chick-Fil-A sandwiches the night before my return flight home. Threw them in the fridge over night and then straight into my luggage. Yup, I risked another bout of food poisoning. I wanted the boys to experience these burgers/sandwiches because they never have. Happy to report that none of us got sick and I was informed that Popeye’s Chicken sandwich is better than Chick-Fil-A. Have a great weekend folks.

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Seito Sushi – Orlando, FL

Dec8

Saved the best meal of the trip for last! It’s not easy to find good Asian food you know and while Seito Sushi was definitely more for the hip/trendy types, I still enjoyed it. We went after our day at Universal and got there in time for happy hour specials. Let’s check it out!

Salmon Hand Roll | $4.00 (each)
aji amarillo vinaigrette/pickled onion/fried capers
Yellowtail Hand Roll | $4.00 (each)
kizami wasabi/yuzu tobiko/powdered shiso

Did I expect sushi tacos? No. Did I like it? A resounding yes. We really enjoyed the salmon handrolls so we even order an encore of them. They mix all kinds of flavors together but they all work very well. Capers and salmon huh? Can someone try do that here too?

Amaebi Nigiri | $6.00 (each)

Look at how I positioned this shot. You can’t even see the actual nigiri. It was good, highly enjoyed and re-ordered. Don’t judge us, this was our splurge meal of the trip. I would have loved to eat the amaebi but I have an allergy to raw shellfish, it’s my cross to bear. The plus is that I get to eat the fried heads lol.

The Distinguished Gentleman Roll | $24.00
wagyu tataki/lobster/avocado/wasabi aioli/masago/jalapeno/scallion/truffle salt

We shared this roll and it tastes as good as it sounds. Yum yum! A bit wasted that the lobster is chopped fine – would not be able to tell if this was lobster or imitation crab, you know? Anyway, it was good!

Foie Gras Torchon | $10.00 (each)
five spice/cherry gastrique

I know I know. This is not the most ethical dish to eat. I never have foie gras but do want to try it once in a while and this was my opportunity. It was good – was it worth the $10 bite? Sure, I’ll go with yes since I enjoyed it!

Tonkotsu “Bone Broth” Ramen | $17.00 (add chili bomb $1)
Seito’s house broth/Bershire pork belly/shiitake mushroom/charred corn/black garlic/hearts of palm/Lake Meadows Naturals egg

Here’s what’s missing in Hawaii. Good Japanese restaurants that can do both sushi AND ramen well. We either have just ramen restaurants or Japanese restaurants that do noodle dishes but they are more of an afterthought or prepared very simply. I noticed this in Chicago too, one of my favorite restaurants did both regular Japanese food and ramen very well! Oh sorry for the offshoot. I really enjoyed this dish! Great broth, loved all the veggies and a whole soft boiled egg. The chili bomb isn’t in the shot but like I was hoping it would be shaped like a bomb or something. It was just a big glob of chili sauce on the side, boo.

Anyway, this restaurant was great and the waiter was good! Well he was good in the beginning. You know how it goes, they always seem to disappear as the night goes on. This is definitely worth a return visit!

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Yama’s Fish Market – Moilili, HI

Dec6

I had a hankering for Hawaiian food one day and wanted to grab and go from somewhere quick. I haven’t been to Yama’s Fish Market in years and years so we decided to give it a go! Kind of realized why it has been years since I been there…(sorry!)…

Sweet Sour Spareribs | $11.85

This was not my dish. Feedback shared? Was just alright, nothing special.

Baked Seafood Salmon Belly | $11.85

Feedback shared, overcooked and smallish portion!

Mushroom Chicken | $11 (around there, I forget, sorry)

Okay, this was my dish. This was a daily special and in my head – I imagined a nice creamy mushroom chicken dish. They run out of Campbell’s soup or something? Haha nah, just joke. It tasted alright but I really expected it to be the creamy mushroom gravy so it wasn’t enjoyed as much. The gravy was a bit more soupy too so I didn’t feel like it stuck onto the chicken as much as it should have. I wouldn’t get this again.

Squid Luau (16 oz.) | $9.65

I used to love getting their squid luau. The only way I can eat squid luau is with choke choke choke sriracha. I don’t know why, why do I even eat this dish if I drown it in hot sauce? But somehow the combination just works so well for me. The taste is still the same and still tastes good, maybe my own tastes have changed. Anyway, I splurged a bit for this – this side cost as much as my plate!

The plus side was that we got there and the lot was basically empty…when the lot is full, you know it’s crazy to get in and out of. Does anyone know what that empty lot next to Yama’s is? It’s like a huge parking lot but I don’t know what for? It’s just locked up.

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Amorette’s Patisserie | Disney Springs

Dec3

Okay, there were two things I had to eat while I was at Disney for this trip. First was the apple crumble tart which I got to try at Epcot (and loved), the second was the 50th celebration petit cake at Amorette’s. The first night we arrived in Florida, we came to this mall but the cake was all gone. It was such a bummer. The last night of our trip, we made one final trip to the mall and guess what? THEY HAD IT. So here is a post dedicated JUST TO THIS CAKE.

50th Celebration Petit Cake | $22.00
Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Celebration Blue Mousse, Blueberry Jam, and Lemon Curd

Do you folks watch the Great British Baking Show? I love that show so much. And when they talk about cakes, they are always talking about chiffon, mousse and LEMON CURD. Look, every part of this cake was my jam. I knew I had to get it. It’s 22 freaking dollars…it’s a petit cake. Maybe a 3 inch cake? But do you see all the beauty? Yes, there are gold flakes on it…alongside with the pretty rock candy (I don’t eat rock candy). The inside of the cake was delicious. I don’t care much for fondant so I mainly ate the inside and it was all worth it. I was sad that it was on our last night so I couldn’t even enjoy the whole cake. Why don’t we have these kind cakes here in Hawaii??

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Universal Studios Florida

Dec2

Only one day at Universal but that’s all I really needed, just wanted to check out Harry Potter there. Walt Disney required masking indoors but Universal didn’t require masks ANYWHERE. Yeah. I kept my mask on the whole time yet again. Better be safe than sorry!

Louie’s Italian Restaurant Jumbo Supreme Slice | $13.49
mozzarella, italian sausage, pepperoni, tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, herbs, house made dough

Surprisingly really good. And it had a bit of a kick to it too so even better. Yes, pricey for one slice of pizza but I love supreme pizza. Also, when is Costco gonna bring back their combo pizza?!

Louie’s Italian Restaurant Spaghetti & Meatballs | $9.99

This was good, not great but not bad. It just hit the spot and I love meatballs. Was satisfying enough.

Frozen Butterbeer | $7.99
a non-alcoholic sweet drink reminiscent of shortbread and butterscotch

Always gotta get this drink when you’re here. To me it’s like a frozen root beer, not really my thing. I tried the hot version in Japan when it was cold weather and that was nice to sip on.

The train ride from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade is pretty cool! The windows are all covered by video scenes so you feel like you’re riding your way to Hogwarts, complete with dementors! Super cool.

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Be Our Guest | Magic Kingdom

Dec1

I didn’t realize it was so hard to make reservations for certain restaurants at Disney. This is definitely one of them so if you are planning a trip, make sure you make you reservations early! We happened to keep checking the day before for any last minute cancellations and was able to score one! A very cute restaurant with a Beauty and the Beast theme. There is the main ballroom (where we dined) and two other rooms – I am happy we got to dine in the main ballroom. All meals are three course meals at $62.00. A much better price than the dang steak we got at Tokyo Dining! Anyway, the Beast comes out to make his rounds but no Belle! Bah!

Captain Nemo Octopus | Appetizer
Seaweed Salad, Cucumber, Pickled Beets, Hearts of Palm, Tapioca Crackers, Beets Mousse, and Carrot-Ginger Silk

Assorted Meats and Artisanal Cheese Selection | Appetizer
Chicken Rillettes, Shaved Serrano Ham, Chorizo Sausage, Pleasant Ridge Cheddar, Truffle Tremor, and Stilton Blue with Seasonal Garnishes

My appetizer and ummm…I might have gotten sick from the cheeses. This is the second time I got sick. I felt really junk after this meal, I found myself a seat on a bench with a wall and like just sat there for hours. I didn’t mind haha…maybe I just reacted poorly with the food.

Center-cut Filet Mignon
Robuchon Yukon Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Cipollini-Garlic Purée with a Red Wine Purée

We both chose the same dish and it was delicious. Once again, much better than the Japanese steak dish. And they cooked the steak to our specifications perfectly. Lovely dish.

Lemon Jam Macaron
White Chocolate “Chip” Cup – with grey stuff and crisp pearls
Dark Chocolate Truffle – filled with dark chocolate grand manier ganache

You don’t have a choice for dessert – their menu lists these dishes all separately but you actually get this trio. I was already pretty full so I wasn’t really feeling dessert. I didn’t try the grey stuff but I heard the waiter having to tell every table to try the grey stuff it’s delicious, don’t believe him, ask the dishes. Poor guy. Hahaha

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Murphy’s Bar and Grill – Honolulu, HI

Oct11

I know I’ve written about Murphy’s before, oh here is the previous post. Just your friendly neighborhood Irish pub, a much needed escape when you need it. Well I don’t really drink so I just like to go and eat and boy do they deliver the comfort food.

Started up with a glass of Blue Moon, I think I need to stop drinking period. The past two times I felt junk after drinking and I didn’t even drink hard stuff. If I had to pick a beer to drink, this is it. Places usually serve it up with an orange wedge and I suddenly act like I have scurvy or like it’s so hard to find oranges or something. I really appreciate that little wedge of citrus, lol.

Fried Spicy Chicken Wings (full order) | $15.00
served with ranch dressing

How can you go wrong with deep fried chicken wings and beer? No can right. They do it right here. Probably a bit salty but that’s what bar food is for right?

Beef Stew (Thursdays and Fridays) | $10.00

My friend only got the bowl so no rice. You can get it with steamed rice for $3.00 extra, is that right? $3.00! I hope that is with veggies too or something?? Anyway, I was able to try…very tasty. How you eat beef stew without rice? Boggles my mind!

Fish N’ Chips | $15.75
cod fish and fries served with malt vinegar

Okay, I was totally craving fried food this day. I just really wanted some fish and chips. Boy was it good. I don’t eat it with the vinegar, sorry I never learned how to eat it that way. Also, karma caught up with me after this meal cause I got a big zonking zit overnight!

Pumpkin Pie (Weekly Special)

Sorry, I forget the price of this, I believe it’s $7.00 a slice. Doesn’t this picture just scream autumn? Loving the vibes…wasn’t my dessert but it was enjoyed!

Apple Crisp A La Mode | $8.00

Okay, I’ve gotten this before and I’ve tried their pies before but this one is the most winner-est dessert they have. I absolutely love it and abhor it but abhor it just because I know I must be inhaling calories enough for the day with this dish alone. Warmed up apple crisp (who doesn’t love crumbles!) and the vanilla ice cream topper? Gosh, I am salivating just thinking about this.

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Kukui Cafe – Chinatown, HI

Oct6

Have you ever been to Kukui Cafe? They’ve been around since I was a small kid (that’s a long time) though I was never a customer until now. I used to go to Chinese school at Sun Yat Sen school and this restaurant is located right at the edge. I was mainly a customer at a small shop that sold ice cake and sometimes Kent’s Drive In for their fries. There also used to be a little Chinese shop nearby where we would go to buy snacks (remember crushing up the instant ramen packets to eat like chips?), I think the store used to be called Cheung Chau, though they are no longer there. Oh the memories! So how would I characterize Kukui Cafe? I would say they focus on Cantonese or Hong Kong style food. It’s good stuff! Also…probably get MSG so be aware of that. Here’s a few things I got recently.

Singapore Rice Noodles | $12.00

Love these noodles. This one for sure has MSG because I have reacted to it. It’s thin rice noodles seasoned with curry, get shrimp and thin slices of ham in it too. It’s really good.

Beef Brisket Lo Mein | $12.00

Love me some lo mein, sometimes it’s too hot to eat hot soup you know? This is the best of both worlds, I get the beef brisket with the same egg noodles and just enough of the beef brisket sauce to have a great mixed noodle. I really enjoyed this dish too.

Lemon Coke | $4.00

Alright, this was a silly purchase. I mean it’s literally a can of coke with some freshly crushed lemon slices in it. Lemon and Coke is such a great combination though, so refreshing. So anyway, don’t order it, just make it yourself. This was four freaking dollars.

Another thing I love about this place? They make the food real fast. I would say the noodle dish takes 7-10 minutes to make from when you order it. They do phone orders…I park illegally by the river and just dart in to pick it up. I’m sure you can park in the lot with validation but just feels like a lot of hassle to me…haha.

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et al. – Kahala, HI

Oct4

Hey folks. Sorry for the unexpected absence! It got super busy at work so I’ve been just passing out at night…lol. I also wasn’t eating out too much so I didn’t have a lot to share. I have been keeping busy in the kitchen! If you can believe it, I made my own kimchee from scratch and also fresh strawberry mochi! I think I did a pretty good job at it if I may say so myself. Anyhow, today’s post is about et al, a newish restaurant located in the new shopping center across from Kahala Mall. They are located in the new Foodland Farms! Let’s get to the food shall we?

Pineapple Regina | $9.00

This drink is not on their menu but if you go to their Yelp page, it’s all over the place. Of course I would order it. Why wouldn’t I order it? It is so pretty! Looks do make a difference to me, sorry. When we ordered the drink, the waitress said oh I think we can make that drink for you! Well, this must be a ploy because unless they have cleaned pineapple leaves ready to go at all times, this must be a way to get people interested. Well it worked for us! We both ordered it. Was it good? Ehhh…it was okay but not great. I don’t think I am dying to reorder it.

Hawaiian Clam Chowder | $9.00
ulu, smoked meat, clams, grilled sourdough

Not my appetizer but it was thoroughly enjoyed!

Maui Beets | $11.00
sweet land farm chevre, orange, preserved plum, pistachio, lemon basil pesto

My appetizer! I am a sucker for beets…and these were good. So delicious. Interesting combination of flavors but they all came together and tasted delicious.

Short Rib Arancini | $15.00
sumida farm watercress puree, sweet land farm gouda

Ah, I would call this the star of the night. Sorry I didn’t get a shot of the inside, it’s basically like a risotto ball mixed with short rib meat…breaded and fried. Delicious!

Hamakua Mushroom Risotto | $18.00
hon shimeji, truffle, nori

Funny story. One of their specials was a seafood risotto, come time to order, my friend asked for the risotto and our waitress did not clarify which risotto dish. So here we are. We got the mushroom risotto that’s on their main menu. It’s a good dish, only my friend doesn’t like mushrooms so that didn’t work out too well. If you like mushrooms, you would like this dish.

Casarecce | $27.00
braised pork, clams, garlic, truffle, sherry, parmesan

My dish! Okay, so like the menu isn’t super clear on their dishes. I had no idea what a casarecce was. I had to google many things on the menu before I knew what they were. Then I learned that casarecce is just the type of pasta for this dish. I am sorry to report, was pretty disappointed in this dish. Very strong sour taste…strong citrus? I was a bit confused since there isn’t lemon listed as part of the ingredients? The pork was also salty…pork was served up like a kalua pig. Not a great dish, I wouldn’t order it again. Well unless sour and salty is your thing.

E.V.O.O. Sponge Cake | $10.00
mirin strawberries, basil leaf crumble, olive oil gelato

This cake was…okay. Olive oil as the fat in a cake, what do you think of? What do you expect? I think the cake was alright, a bit dry and crumbly. Wasn’t my cup of tea, probably wouldn’t order it again.

Okay, I realized that this is a less than stellar review. Though, I really enjoyed the ambience and decor of this restaurant. Even though the dishes we got weren’t to our liking, I actually wouldn’t mind heading back to give them a second shot!

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