W & M Bar-B-Q Burger – Honolulu, HI

Jul6

I haven’t been to W&M for YEARS. Firstly, their parking lot is horrendous and they are always busy. Haha and I don’t naturally break rules so I never thought to park in City Mill and mosey over. Well this time, I actually did go to City Mill for something and decided to walk over after my trip to grab some burgers for me and the boys. There’s a reason why they been around forever, the burgers are bomb. The boys LOVED it. I was surprised…but hey, can’t beat a good burger right?

CHEESE burger (Cheese and Lettuce only) | $5.10
Add Bacon (2 pieces) | $1.25

Got the boys two burgers, this was the first one. Was good! They enjoyed.

CHEESE burger (Cheese and Lettuce only) | $5.10

Just one burger for me, I went for it man. Well for me this is going for it, was delicious. Love their BBQ sauce.

Onion Royal Hal (No Tomato) | $7.55
Royal hamburger with layers of our BBQ steak served with Cheese, Lettuce, Onion

One thing I love about this place? They make customization of your burger toppings super easy. The boys don’t like tomatoes but already get options on the menu that exclude specific toppings. It’s a bit crazy ordering here cause you gotta say what you want, specify the dressing and even when I ordered this, she was still questioning me about the tomatoes and if I wanted when I ordered the Onion Royal Hal specifically, it was kind of confusing and I could hardly hear cause of the mask so I just kept saying, yes no tomato please. Haha, anyway, the boys LOVED this burger.

French Fries | $2.40

No combo meals at this joint, gotta buy things ala carte. I don’t think it is worth $2.40 for a small bag of these fries but gotta make do. They aren’t bad fries but nothing great you know?

Crab Flavored Salad | $2.95

First of all, wat? Look I had to try it cause it said crab and yes now I noticed it says “FLAVORED” but like, no get even the flavor when I tried this. Had much too much mayonnaise, no crab flavor, plenty peas…every bite was like the same cause it was just drenched in mayonnaise. Would not get again.

Just wanted to end the post with a little laugh. I mean, I hope the driver of this car is/was okay. I was doing my walk around Manoa and this car stay parked here. No one was in the car. He/she just parked it right here and left. I was confused to say the least…and took them an entire day to get the car towed cause it was there the next day too. LOL! I mean even if the car broke down, could have pulled up to ANY curb at all…why the crosswalk? Anyway, hope the driver stay okay.

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Dell’s Kitchen and Bakery – Honolulu , HI

May31

Dell’s Kitchen and Bakery is an interesting name for a Japanese eatery, I wonder where the inspiration came from? They share the space with Mio Pastalogy which I am assuming is the same owner because I saw the worker run over to this side to help answer phones and they share a kitchen. They also have a great bakery in the shop with fresh baked Japanese pastries. Sorry I didn’t get pictures of my baked goods, I tried their spicy curry pan and regular an pan. So good. The curry pan was interesting because it’s almost like a hamburger curry inside. I’m used to curry with mainly veggies cooked to almost like a mush…so it was interesting. Both were very good and they are very generous with the fillings. Win!

Yakisoba | $10.00
sautéed pork and mixed veggies with Mio Pastalogy Spaghetti Pasta

I decided to get yakisoba for this meal. I don’t know why. Oh wait, I do. I also got two onigiris so I was trying to eat “light.” Who am I kidding? Anyway, this dish was really good. The homemade pasta is awesome, perfectly al dente. The pork, veggies and seasonings are on point. Only complaint? A bit greasy. As I ate through my noodles, I noticed a lot of oil at the bottom of the plate. So yeah, not exactly healthy. The cabbage salad is…not good. I’m sorry. I’m not a fan of the dressing they use (which I will assume is housemade) – it’s probably an olive oil vinegar based dressing. Something is missing in the dressing, a zing or citrus element. I didn’t finish it. Potato salad is a nice Japanese style and they add pickled veggies on top. The potato salad is good.

Nori/Shiso Chicken | $11.50
marinated chicken thigh, mochiko flour, nori and shiso

Here is what I should have got! And if I were to return here, I would get this. It’s a bit confusing, their online system only lists nori chicken…but then there are copies of their menu elsewhere that lists it as nori shiso chicken. We asked for nori shiso chicken and they said yes of course. Umm, I am still unclear if we got a nori shiso. I guess I couldn’t taste any shiso in the chicken. Not to say the chicken wasn’t good. It is oh so soft and flavorful and stuffed with something green (perhaps it’s nori, perhaps it’s shiso leaf? I don’t know). If it was shiso leaf, this was like least shiso flavored dish I have ever had. This like a delicious hybrid of karaage and mochiko chicken. Would recommend!

Kimchee Pork | $2.00
Mentaiko/Takana | $2.25

I am a sucker for onigiri. You know this. We got there right before 11 and that was perfect timing because that was when they put out their onigiri! Thank god. Why is it that dishes that are generally pretty easy to make…the best things to buy. Spam musubis…onigiri, etc. I enjoyed both! Kind of pricey so I don’t know if I would get it again (let’s be real, I probably will).

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Guieb Cafe – Kalihi, HI

May28

Been wanting to try Guieb Cafe for a while now, and I thought I was going to try it about 2 months ago but figured out I was in the wrong part of Kalihi. I have no idea why I imagined them there when I never knew where they were in the first place. Okay that was confusing. Guieb is located in the little strip mall that contains New Diner’s and The Old Saimin House. A pretty trendy brunch place located in a not so trendy area…so how was it?

Guieb Garlic Shrimp with Sautéed Vegetables and Brown Rice | $14.00 (+$1.00 Brown Rice)

Crab Cake Benedict with Sweet Potato Fries | $14.00
crab cake with avocado and hollandaise

This dish was enjoyed. The fries do not hold up in transport…but do sweet potatoes ever?

Guieb Garlic Shrimp with Crab Salad and White Rice | $14.00

Garlic shrimp wasn’t my dish but it was enjoyed! If you have a hankering for garlic shrimp and no wanna drive out to north shore (or H-Mart I guess), try it here!

Poi Mochi Waffles | $11.00
served with haupia sauce

LOL, waffles? Sorry I just have to laugh cause this is a singular waffle. Anyway, I was talking with someone on IG about mochi waffles and she is right, mochi waffles are not crispy. If you like crispy, you should not get this waffle. We did have access to a toaster oven so we crisped up the waffle a bit. The sauce is okay, a bit sweet. Was the waffle good? Ehh, like I said it wasn’t crispy and I usually like crispy waffles. It’s not worth $11 to me and I probably wouldn’t get it again.

Seared Cajun Ahi with White Rice and Crab Salad | $15.00
topped with honey wasabi aioli

Not my dish but was very much enjoyed by the diner. If you like truly seared ahi, this is the place to try! I thought the pinkness made it look like prime rib or something so I must just always be thinking about prime rib lol.

Adobo Fried Rice Omelette Combo with Sweet Longanisa | $12.00

This is a surprising choice for me. Kind of a plain dish to try when they have some fancy stuff. I don’t know, I just felt like fried rice. Their adobo fried rice is good, they have nice chunks of pork belly adobo in it so it wasn’t at all dry like I was expecting. The egg on top is like overcooked to the max, so thin and dry. Ugh. And I couldn’t finish the dish so when I reheated the next day, felt like I was eating sand paper. And you can never go wrong with longanisa. I would get this dish again if I was feeling like adobo fried rice, tasted good. Oh but wait, I got super thirsty after lunch which is a sign of MSG. Just a warning.

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Angelo Pietro – Honolulu, HI

May19

I had a hankering for some fusion pasta this week so you know where you gotta go, Angelo Pietro! I made my reservation pretty early in the week and then realized it was on the Saturday of graduation weekend. Good thing I made it early, I think they were pretty booked solid that night. I don’t come here often but boy was service…fast. I don’t mean that in a good way this time. The waiter couldn’t be bothered with us (it was only two of us). They have a happy hour special from 4-6pm for their appetizers, $6! The way it’s listed on the menu, it says, “Raw Potato Salad, Mozzarella Sticks, Calamari Rings” – all in a single line! Makes it look like you get all three. No, it’s $6 each. This is on their temporary paper menu, I think the way they show it on their regular menu is much more clear. Anyway, when I tried to order it (the number 6), the waiter cuts me off and says they don’t have that. Umm…I’m pointing at the menu and look perplexed. He sees what I’m pointing at and says oh, okay yes we have that. Okay like, guys, no other menu items have numbers on it so I don’t know what they don’t have.

Anyway, we got the raw potato salad within 5 minutes of ordering. The pastas we ordered came out 5 minutes after that. We literally got all our food 10 minutes after sitting. Fast is usually good but this was a bit too fast…we barely even ate our salad. Anyway, our waiter was kind of curt in his responses which did not make me want to stay anyway. So how was the food?

Raw Potato Salad | $6.00 (HH Price), $8.95 (Regular)

We picked sesame miso as the dressing. It was very hard to mix the oil into the dressing in those small little containers. I think I should have ordered something fried like the calamari (always with the regrets)

Takana & Bacon Pasta | $17.95
pickled mustard cabbage and bacon in a shoyu sauce topped with nori

Not my dish but I was intrigued by this dish too since I really like pickled mustard cabbage. Not that this dish was junk but it just wasn’t what was expected. The diner expected more of a sweet and sour taste to the takana but it didn’t offer that. The bacon is also not cooked crispy so that was a lowlight in the dish too.

Pork Eryngii Spicy Cream Sauce | $19.95
eryngii mushroom, onions and spicy pork in a garlic cream sauce topped with fried onions & garlic chips

This is my go to past dish here. It’s really good and is actually kind of spicy so that’s my warning to you. It was good! I always enjoy it and it certainly hit the spot for me. Is it worth $20…hard for me to say. Since it’s so delicious and the portion is good, I would say yes!

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Bob’s Bar-B-Que – Honolulu, HI

May10

Kalihi is my hood. Yet, I can only report that I’ve been to Bob’s maybe once? What is it? I don’t know. I know I hate their parking lot (though they have expanded it) and I guess I have never craved their food. Well, on this fateful day, I needed food but didn’t know what. I did have a hankering for teri cheeseburger (what is with me lately?) and I looked them up…and ask and you shall receive. How was it? Delicious. My brother tried their bacon cheeseburger and fell in love, I couldn’t believe it. I guess this is going to become a mainstay.

Bacon Cheeseburger Combo | $10.35
w/fries and large drink

Teri Cheeseburger | $4.60

Really good, it includes mayo and some lettuce. I don’t recall any tomato but who needs that? It was good! Hit the spot. I would get this again.

Polish Sausage w/Baked Beans | $11.50

Interesting combo. I saw a picture and it looked like chili so I wanted to try it. I can’t refuse sausage and beans (sorry for the imagery). Well I only had a few bites of this to try, gave the rest away (not cause it’s bad, it’s good and it was gobbled up!). Delicious. It comes with mac salad but they serve it on the side separately (environmentalists beware). I like that they serve the mac salad separate, no mixing! I think it’s a little pricey but look at the portion!!!

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Maile’s Thai Bistro – Honolulu, HI

May5

Always a bit hesitant when I have a review to write and it’s more on the blah side than on the praising side, but I figure you come to my blog for honesty and pictures so here we go. We were feeling Thai one weekend and decided to give Maile’s Thai a go, usually we go to smaller Thai restaurants and love it. How do I explain the feel I got from Maile’s, more commercialized? I guess I’m used to small mom and pop restaurants and this one felt a bit too fancy for my taste, and when it’s a fancy Asian restaurant, I get a bit hesitant about how good the food will be. I think you know where this is going…

Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp | $16.90
rice fried with egg, onions, and green onion in Thai spices

Can never go wrong with Thai fried rice. I loved this dish, it was definitely my favorite. I need to learn how to make my own Thai fried rice already.

Chicken Satay | $11.90
chicken breast kebobs marinated in curry spices, sautéed with coconut milk and served with peanut sauce (4 skewers)

Ehhh…chicken breast already throws me off. Is it usually done with chicken breast? I’m too much of a dark meat gal, this was okay but not great. Would not recommend.

Yellow Curry (Kaeng Leung) with Chicken | $14.90
house yellow curry sauce, coconut milk, potatoes, carrots and onions

Basic curry, edible but nothing special. Good enough to eat but wouldn’t get this again.

Thai Short Ribs | $15.90
cross cut beef short ribs marinated in a sweet soy ginger sauce grilled and finished with Chinese parsley and green onions

Not to say Koreans own short ribs but I was surprised to be a short ribs dish at this restaurant. Tasted good but it tasted like Teriyaki-ish, it was good but not Thai to me. Well why did we order it then? We just wanted meat okay? Was a good dish! Wish I had a bowl of rice with this.

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Papa Kurt’s – Honolulu, HI

Apr26

Been wanting to try Papa Kurt’s ever since they opened and was excited to get the chance this past week! We had a few folks show up for in-person work so we took advantage and ordered out! The only disappointing thing? They didn’t have teri sticks or bentos…which their website lists but menu doesn’t. Perhaps this is a temporary change due to Covid? Anyhow, they only do takeout during lunch time and they have a nifty online ordering system!

Bottom Left: Ahi Burger | $9.00
Top Center: Teri Burger | $6.00 + $1.00 (Teri Sauce and Cheese)
Bottom Center: Teri Burger Deluxe | $6.00 + $1.00 (Teri Sauce and Cheese) + $1.00 (Deluxe (Tomato, Lettuce and Grilled Onions)
Top Right: Teri (No Cheese) Deluxe Burger | $6.00 + $1.00 (Teri Sauce No Cheese) + $1.00 (Deluxe Tomato, Lettuce and Grilled Onions)

**The soup containers were for the saimin orders.

My burger was the teri burger deluxe, was good! Actually, my coworker split her ahi burger with me so I had half/half. The ahi burger was good too! Not at all dry, I think they cut up the ahi into almost a fish paste so it was very moist mixed in with veggies, had a ginger seasoning. Glad I got to try it but I would probably stick to my teri burger if I ordered again from here.

Fries | $3.50 each

I didn’t order fries myself but got to nibble on some from a coworker. They do a really good job of seasoning and frying up these fries. How do they do it? They stayed crispy for hours, forreal. If you like crispy fries, get these.

Wonton Min | $13.00

I had to try their saimin and actually, their won ton too! I’m a sucker for dumplings, what can I say? They pack your noodles and soup separate. I really like their saimin, and you know what else? I appreciate the attention they pay to each topping. The choy sum was cooked perfectly al dente so I know they cooked it separate and took care in it. The char siu tasted great and I enjoyed the homemade wonton a lot. The soup…very strong dried shrimp taste, in a good way! I enjoyed it! Would order again.

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Chengdu Taste – Honolulu, HI

Apr21

I posted a review of Chengdu Taste in 2019 but decided to do an updated post for now! Still a great restaurant and I am sure glad they have adapted to the pandemic. I have ordered take out and dined in during this time and they have a great website (though it seems to be best used on mobile) they are using for both take-out and in-dining, pictures with every menu item! Why all restaurants don’t do this is beyond me. Let’s get to the food!

Flavored Spicy Beef Noodle | $11.99

Tender Chicken with Double Chili Pepper | $16.99

Looks super spicy, is it? I can’t say it is TOO spicy, the chicken is nice and tender like the title says. I mean don’t order this if you can’t handle spicy, just look at the name of the dish! I think it’s delicious.

Special Red Tofu with Intestines and Beef Tripe | $19.99

Ooooh this is a newer dish I tried recently and I loved it. I love intestines and it’s just swimming in hot chili oil goodness. Can you see some other things? Pig’s blood…SPAM…I love this kine dish.

Toothpick Lamb with Cumin | $18.99

One of my favorites, delicious! And yes, there is a toothpick on every single piece of lamb. Do I really need the toothpicks in this dish? No, I would order it to eat without the toothpicks.

Wonton with Red Chili Sauce | $10.99

They have two versions, this one and one with the szechuan numbing pepper sauce. I’ve tried both and I rather keep sensation in my mouth so I order this one.

The next series of photos are how they serve their dishes for take-out! Happy to say their portions remain the same.

Kung Pao Chicken | $15.99

Twice Cooked Pork | $15.99

Spicy Crawfish | $19.99

Toothpick Lamb with Cumin | $18.99

Special Shrimp with Fries | $21.99

Don’t even ask. Let’s just say we have kids in the dining group, hence this order. It was okay but…shrimp and french fries? Hahaha

Chengdu Style Fried Rice | $10.99

I said this in my previous post, this dish is a must order each time I go. I still can’t seem to get a consistent order…sometimes it’s super good and sometimes it’s just alright. What is it?? Anyway, it’s never been bad so that’s why you can order it. Give this place a try!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Apr16

Today’s post forreal going to be one mixed plate. From three different restaurants! Let’s gooooo!

Lamb Biryani (Spicy) | $16.95
traditional aromatic rice tossed with variety of herbs and spices, garnished with nuts

One day, for some odd reason, I got a hankering for Biryani. It’s weird because I have never even had biryani but I must have seen a picture of it online and really wanted to try it. I love me rice dishes and basmati rice is the best. I looked up Indian restaurants on Yelp and found Kamana Kitchen, they are located in Downtown so it’s not the easiest restaurant to dine in…no parking that I can think of. I was able to grab a pick-up buddy and wait curbside. Fair warning, there are a number of homeless around the area too. I’ve had a few occurrences when picking up (yes, I’ve had this dish more than once!).

I love this dish, they ask what spice level you want and I always say spicy. Well, it is SPICY. Do not go for spicy if you no can handle. Nice chunks of lamb in this dish though you can’t tell in the pictures. They give you raw onions, fresh lemon and side of some type of yogurt sauce (helpful for the mouth fire). I’ve also had their samosas and they were good too! Give them a try if you want some Indian food!

Iyasume Pac | $6.48
fried chicken, arabiki pork sausage, teriyaki sapam, egg tamago-yaki

Okay, when did Musubi Cafe Iyasume open up like 10 locations? Granted they are all located within 5 miles of each other, haha…but still good! I headed to the Keeaumoku location after a shopping errand. I hope that price is still correct, I thought it was a pretty good deal! Nice portion, not too much but not too little.

Ho brah, now that I type up the prices…am I made of money? I took a trip out to Gulick Delicatessen cause I was hankering for some okazuya. Do you folks remember when they used to be on South King Street? It was so convenient to pick food up before work, I was so sad when they closed down. Their Kalihi location isn’t the easiest place to go, get a few stalls for parking but they are hard to secure. I went super early before work one morning and decided to die of carbo loading. I couldn’t help it. When you’re ordering at the counter, there’s no prices so you just go for it. I found the receipt in my wallet and decided to type it out for you folks. HO THE PRICES. That one konbu maki is 3 bucks! But hey, konbu maki is a pain to make I bet so I think you’re paying for the labor. $1.80 for one hot dog? Come on guys!

Nah nah, it’s okay, to me it was worth it. Their chow fun is really good and I enjoy the spam musubi. It’s not like 7-11 kine spam musubi but I like the plain white rice and unseasoned spam…the side nishime was for another meal. The side order nishime comes one of those poke clear containers (I think a 1 lb container). I like their nishime!

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Ethel’s Grill – Honolulu, HI

Apr14

Ethel’s Grill is one of the old school restaurants that you hope will never close down. We’ve had too many mom and pop shops close down so let’s try our best to keep Ethel’s going okay? They’ve adapted to the pandemic well, they only do take-out now but take phone orders and are very efficient! I’ve been able to go twice in the last few months and it’s always good and they never mess up our orders.

Another place with very very very little parking but there is street parking…somewhere. You’re in like the industrial area of Kalihi/Nimitz Highway, good luck to you.

Sweet & Sour Spare Rib | $12.95

Chili Crisp Fried Chicken “Ra-yu Chicken” | $13.95

I was super excited to get this dish. You know my obsession with fried garlic right? Well how can you go wrong with fried garlic and chili oil on top of chicken? I’m scared to even share this, I wasn’t a big fan of this dish. There was something lacking, I can quite put my finger on it. Upon review of the photo, perhaps I should have squeezed that lemon on top of the chicken…it may have lacked that citrus layer…something to cut through the chili oil and fried chicken. Shucks. But what is in their salad dressing? That dressing is like crack.

Ume Shiso Chicken (Ver. 2.0) | $13.95

Okay, this was a special they had one day and I have to say it is probably one of my favorite plate lunches of all time. Not pictured is a shiso sauce served on the side of this dish…it was SO good with this chicken. This whole plate was winners and I wish it wasn’t just a special because I would order it every time. They should make this a main menu item!

I didn’t get a picture of this but they are also known for their ahi tataki and that dish is winners too. We shared it as an appetizer and their sauce for the ahi tataki just MAKES the dish. Ethel’s should just bottle up all their sauces and sell them, especially the salad dressing, I’d get in line to buy that stuff!!!

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maybeitsjenny

Hawaii based food blog with foodie travels!

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