Archives

Gyotaku Hawaii – Honolulu, HI

Apr12

I’m going to tell you a little bit about my history and through this story you will know how old fut I am and if you remember this, you gonna be one old fut too (sorry that’s just how it works). Gyotaku Hawaii used to be Kyotaru Restaurant, do you folks remember? They had their Pearl City location and the South King Street location but for those in the know, they also had two bento shops in downtown Honolulu. I was one young kid looking for work and found a job at the bento shops as the “breaker,” I’d come in during the busy lunch hours to help give full-timers at both locations their lunch break. One bento shop was located in Bishop Square and the other bento shop was located in Pioneer Plaza.

Oh man, those were the days, I had a great time working there. Probably wasn’t supposed to but I definitely kept some leftover bentos at the end of the day to take home. I remember some menu items vividly, including their “Special Bento” which I compare to 7-11 “Big Bento,” it was a great deal…a big bento with a soda for $3.95!! At lunch rush, me and the other cashier memorized all the totals for the bentos and would just ring with our drawers open and give change from memory. I also fondly remember the HECO ladies who would come and get a large cup of ice for 25 cents (26 cents with tax). Anyway, when Kyotaru decided to close down their operations, our managers decided to buy the restaurants and named them Gyotaku and ultimately decided to close down the bento shops. I was young still yet so for me it wasn’t a huge deal, it allowed me to move onto another job since I was just doing part-time work then. I got to visit Gyotaku the other week for lunch and their restaurant is nicely renovated (South King Street anyway)! Thanks for reading through story time, let’s get to the food!

Shrimp Tenpura & Sashimi | $26.95
shrimp & vegetable tenpura served with ahi sashimi, rice, miso soup & salad

Assorted Poke Don & Tenpura | $24.95
assorted fresh poke served over rice served with tenpura

This is my absolute go to dish at Gyotaku. And you gotta get the assorted poke don, not the all ahi poke don. This is one of my favorite all time pokes ever, forreal. The assorted seafood bring different layers of flavors in the scrumptious sauce over good ole white rice. A fair warning, the sauce is very strong in sesame oil flavor so if you don’t like sesame oil, you won’t like this don. Their tenpura is always coated and fried light and crispy. So good. Kind of pricey for lunch but it’s worth it. Comes with the salad and miso soup too!

Side Salad (with their famous Wafu Dressing)

Miso Soup

Okinawan Sweet Potato Pie | $5.50

STOP. If you come here, you HAVE to get this dessert. I’m not even like big on desserts all the time. I usually go without ordering dessert but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t order this. I would go as far as to say this is my favorite pie of all time. Is this made in-house? I don’t know, but if anyone has the hook-ups to the recipe, please let me know. I’d like to make it myself so I don’t have to pay $5.50 a slice but boy is it worth it.

Top layer is a light whipped cream, second layer is haupia, third layer is okinawan sweet potato and then the crust. Oh the crust, it’s gotta be like a sugared ginger graham cracker crust. I don’t usually like whipped cream but the whipped topping on this is so good, I don’t mind it at all. The haupia is the perfect texture and the okinawan sweet potato filling? Not at all dense…it’s just a perfect pie. Please try it and tell me I’m wrong.

Post Views: 3,724

Murphy’s Bar & Grill – Honolulu, HI

Apr7

While I’m not a big drinker, I am down to go to a homey bar with good food as I have displayed in past posts. Murphy’s Bar & Grill has become one of those places for me, I also love walking through downtown past all the historical buildings to get here, one of my few favorite things. While they are an Irish pub, they do serve some local foods too! Check out their menu! On Fridays, they have special pies of the day.

Open Face Turkey Sandwich | $17.50
in-house roasted turkey on white or wheat bread topped with gravy, served with mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and fresh cranberry sauce

Irish Dip | $15.00
thin sliced sirloin on baguette with horseradish mayonnaise, served with Guinness au jus

My dish. Was okay, exactly what you would expect out of the description lol

Asian Chicken Salad | $17.50
chicken breast, won bok, tomatoes, cucumber, peanuts, snap peas, tossed with a sweet Oriental dressing

This is one of the only salads my friend will eat. What do I think? Well it tastes like Chinese Chicken salad, I don’t know what else to say. I’m not going to hype this up for $17.50 lol.

Fried Spicy Chicken Wings (Half) | $12.00
serve with ranch dressing

These wings are good, but nothing special. Good drinking food.

Grilled Pork Chop
marinated with chipotle, honey, garlic, ginger and mae ploy sauce, served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables

Sorry, no price for this one. It was a weekly special so I can’t find it on the menu. I hope I got the description right, this dish was okay. Not great. Not satisfying.

Kalbi Special

No price again! Sorry, this is one of their specials. They do a good job with these kalbi ribs. Kalbi ribs in an Irish pub, who would have thunk it? They did. Tastes good!

Lemon Meringue Pie

I wasn’t a fan of this. Maybe it’s just me…I know meringue is made of raw egg whites but I didn’t realize how overwhelming the taste of the raw egg whites would be.

Banana Cream Pie

Apple Crisp Ala Mode | $7.00

Yum. I love me some apples and cinnamon with a nice crumble…and vanilla ice cream? This is the only time I don’t mind vanilla ice cream, when it’s mixed in with an apple pie-like dish!! Would recommend!

Post Views: 2,104

Restaurant Suntory – Honolulu, HI

Apr5

I’ve always walked past Restaurant Suntory to walk to Cheesecake Factory (lol) but never tried the restaurant. I always saw the tenppanyaki side but don’t care much for that style of dining…didn’t realize they actually have a washoku side for dining too! Yay, let’s see how it went…

Okay, I honestly forgot what both drinks were. Hahaha, but the fruity one is mine and I ordered it virgin. Was good, I felt like one tourist kid. Good times.

Ebi Shinjo | $12.00
deep fried shrimp cake

Was good, nothing spectacular. I liked the fried shishito pepper on the side. I still prefer the shrimp cake from Katsumidori Sushi.

Sweet Potato Tempura | $7.00

I liked this dish. Well, I like sweet potato and tempura so what could go wrong. I would order this again!

Salmon Sashimi | $16.00

Surprisingly good! They have good quality salmon, would order again!

Wafu Steak Gozen | $34.00
5 oz. sirloin with sesame miso sauce (includes green salad, rice, and miso soup)

Sorry, I didn’t get the picture of the whole set. This wasn’t my dish but I was told this dish was WINNAHS. Great seasoning on the steak.

Unagi Kabayaki | $14.00
broiled eel basted with kabayaki sauce

What was I thinking this night? I decided to order small. I don’t know if you can tell by the picture but this unagi bowl was like small. Like keiki size small. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but…small.

Cold Ume Somen | $7.50
thin somen noodles in cold ume dashi soup

Here is the other half of my entree, I decided to try their cold ume somen. I don’t even like ume so what prompted me to try this? Well, I think I am warming up to ume so…I really wanted to try this. It was good! It was a huge ume to eat but…I guess I gotta transition over to ume lover somehow. Nice and refreshing.

Tempura Ice Cream | $5.00
deep fried vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry liquor sauce

I don’t know why but I expected tempura ice cream balls, you know? Like balls of ice cream individually battered and fried. The waitress kept asking if we wanted the strawberry liquor sauce on the side…I thought it was stemming from me asking for a virgin drink in the beginning. Well we said it was fine to just put it on top and now I kind of wish we didn’t. The sauce sits on the tempura and makes it all soggy…I think the sauce would be better to maybe dip into right before eating. The sauce was good! Wish the tempura ice cream didn’t get soggy.

So how was it? Pretty good all in all! They have a pretty big variety of menu items to choose from. I don’t know the whole restaurant layout but the washoku side of dining was pretty small. If you go here, I would highly recommend making a reservation. Give them a try!

Post Views: 2,642

Matsuri – Honolulu, HI

Mar29

Always on the hunt for a killer Japanese restaurant. We can’t help it, we enjoy what we enjoy. I’m surprised we haven’t tried Matsuri yet, small Japanese restaurant located in a very non-descript building on Young Street. I like that you can make your reservation on OpenTable! It’s a cute modern restaurant and the customer service is attentive and friendly. How was the food? Let’s take a look!

Oboro Tofu (Home-made) | $6.00
Add Ikura | $3.00

Oh yum, if I ever see homemade tofu on a menu…gotta try! The sauce on the size is not like a ponzu…it’s actually a thickened (almost jelly like) sauce…my only caution, no pour the whole thing onto the tofu. Was kind of salty and we added the ikura so that’s another layer of salt. I enjoyed the dish but I think the over saucing ruined it for me. Sigh…

Hamachi Sashimi | $24.00
Salmon Sashimi | $20.00

I’m not trying to brag but you folks know now that we usually try Otoro in restaurants to see how it is. Well, we found a restaurant that is too rich for our blood. It costs $13 for ONE PIECE OF OTORO. No can brah. So we stuck with hamachi and salmon. Can I just say…this hamachi was amazing. I honestly felt like I was eating otoro already, who needs to pay otoro prices when you get quality fish like this. Highly recommended!

Tamago Nigiri | $5.00

Always trying the tamago in restaurants. This one is more sweet than savory FYI.

Kotobuki Dynamite Roll | $18.00
crunchy roll inside, seared ahi, ika with dynamite sauce on top

This is one of the most highlighted rolls on their Yelp reviews so I had to give it a try. I’m not usually big on rolls but I have to admit, this was really good! I would order this again!

Ribeye Steak (10 oz.) | $28.00

Oh my gosh, hands down one of the best steaks on a sizzling plate I got from a Japanese restaurant ever. Seasoning was on point, the meat was beautifully tender and the chunks were sliced HUGE. It was sooo good. So good that we need one more picture…

Look. At. That. That’s just one slice of the steak…I’m salivating just thinking about this. Wish I had one nice bowl of white rice to eat with this. Great first experience, would love to go back to check more items out!

Post Views: 2,963

Romano’s Macaroni Grill – Honolulu, HI

Mar26

Remember the scathing Olive Garden post I wrote a few weeks back? Well, I am back to write on Romano’s Macaroni Grill which I believe is the superior choice if you find yourself at Ala Moana with a hankering for pasta. If you find yourself standing in front of Olive Garden, turn yourself around and head towards Macaroni Grill.

Mom’s Ricotta Meatballs + Spaghetti | $21.00 (Bolognese Sauce)
house-made beef, veal, pork + ricotta meatballs, romano, spaghetti

Pollo Caprese | $20.00
grilled chicken breast, fresh mozzarella, imported pomodorina, pasta

I’ve discussed this little health journey I’m on and while I still go out and eat…I do try to be a little more healthful in my choices (though you will be seeing my dessert picture very soon). I was intrigued by this dish because the description sounds pretty dang good to me and came in only at 448 calories (compared to the 1000 plus for other pasta dishes). Can I just say something? It was delicious! I didn’t know it would come with this nice little arugula salad on the side and I chomped that right up which actually filled me up so I could take home a lot of the chicken and pasta. The chicken breast was nice and tender (thankfully not dry) and the pasta was flavorful…it was like an angel hair pasta. Delicious!

New York Style Cheesecake | $8.95
shortbread crust, fresh strawberries

Lemon Passion | $7.95
citrus cake, lemon curd, fresh whipped cream

Yeah, I ate the healthier pasta and then ended with dessert. Live your best life okay. Haha, I think I’ve talked about this dessert before. It’s just a super moist lemon cake…and gosh I just love lemon desserts. Sometimes, lemon desserts can be almost acidic to the point of a metallic-y taste. I don’t like that. I like this, just a nice smooth lemon taste. The cake is like practically sopping wet from being so moist. If you like lemon, you’d like this dessert!

Post Views: 5,053

The Social Eatery & Bar Honolulu – Honolulu, HI

Mar24

I’m not a drinker. Never have been and probably never will be. But can I appreciate a good bar that serves great food? Absolutely. The Social Eatery & Bar is one of those places, hands down one of the best places to get food. Love that they open early so I can sneak in before all the rowdy drinkers, eat and then go home and probably sleep already because I am old (lol).

Pepperoni and Cheese Fries | $10.00
melted shredded cheese, nacho cheese, fried pepperoni, and marinara sauce

Do I even have to say more? Yes, it’s a heart attack on a plate but is this really a bad way to die? It’s greasy and good okay.

Fried Boneless Chicken Bites (Korean) | $15.00
sweet garlic soy with Korean chili flakes

Not your typical Korean fried chicken taste. Korean fried chicken is usually smothered in a very thick sweet and spicy sauce yeah? Hard to remember the taste of this too, it wasn’t bad but honestly not memorable. Wouldn’t recommend for $15 since that’s the case.

Garlic Bacon Fried Rice | $15.00
sautéed garlic, caramelized onions, bacon, corn, special sauce, 2 sunny side eggs

This is the for sure winner of the night and just…in life. I love a good fried rice but as simple as a fried rice recipe should be, I am easily disappointed by fried rice. I don’t know how to explain it but I don’t think a lot of care and finesse goes into the creating of fried rice in all restaurants. Sometimes, you can tell they are just throwing in old ingredients into the fried rice before it goes bad (and charging you extra for it to boot!). Now, when restaurants focus on the fried rice and treat it like the main dish that it is…magical things can happen. That includes this fried rice. Yes, $15 is a bit steep for fried rice but to me, it is worth it. What’s in this special sauce? I like make this at home because I cannot afford to pay them $15 each time I like eat it! They don’t list it in the description but get takuan all over the rice too which nicely offsets the smokiness of the bacon flavor. You may get this dish and wonder what the big whoop is about, ah well, guess you aren’t the carb queen like I am. I just appreciate simple good dishes. Give it a try folks.

Post Views: 2,784

KYM Bento Sushi & Catering (Formerly Akyth) – Kalihi, HI

Mar10

Remember the old school bentos from Akyth? They hold a special memory for me because I remember them from all the high school fundraisers we used to do. Either fundraisers or these bentos would be what was used to feed us for various events. Some people can be haters but I always enjoyed these bentos. They charged cheap prices for these bentos and it always tasted great. And yes, I am one of the few people out there that does like luncheon meat (I don’t prefer it over spam, I am not an animal).

They are no longer called Akyth, they are called KYM Bento Sushi & Catering. Anyway, I must have seen someone’s post about their bentos recently and had a real hankering to get it. SO I DID. I think in the past, you really had to plan early to get their bentos because everyone orders through them. Well this time, I called early on a Saturday morning and asked to put in a take-out order and they were fine with it! I ordered 4 bentos, maki sushi and a few musubis. Let’s check it out!

Chicken Bento with Luncheon Meat | $6.45
rice, mochiko chicken, luncheon meat, kamaboko, takuan & andagi

I loved the nostalgic taste of their mochiko chicken, I haven’t had it like this in any other restaurant. I love it. It’s a unique taste that is just so comforting for me. Now that I realize how easy it is to pick up bentos from them, I will definitely be returning soon. And $6.45? How can you beat that price??

How the bento looks after slicing and removing the huge piece of chicken thigh! I inadvertently sliced the luncheon meat too, two birds with one stone! Oh and the mini andagi is gone, lol.

Deluxe Maki Sushi (8 pieces) | $7.25
red and green ebi, egg, tuna, kampyo, mushroom, choy sum

Absolutely love maki sushi, especially when they include the ebi. This is sooo good, so full of innards. Maki sushi takes so much prep work, I would definitely prefer to pay professionals for it. They also have a mustard cabbage roll but I didn’t try it, saw from reviews that it’s very good. There’s always next time!

Spam Musubi | $2.65

Yes, it’s just a spam musubi. Nothing special. In fact, the spam isn’t even seasoned with teriyaki sauce (which I actually like) but I liked it! And I like that they give you a piece of takuan with it! I like spam musubi of all kinds so this was great for me.

Hot Dog Musubi | $2.65

Can you go wrong with Hawaiian hot dogs? It’s the best. This is what you get when you order the hot dog musubi. Winners (wieners?)!!!

I updated their Yelp page with the current menu if you want to check out the options and prices…support local folks!

Post Views: 8,357

Gomatei – Ward Village, HI

Mar8

Gomatei been around long time yeah? I remember when I used to go all the time when they first opened. I believe Ward was their first location and it was SO popular when they first opened and I remember how good it was. I don’t know what happened, maybe my tastes changed but I stopped going there but we decided to give it a try again. I think I haven’t been to Gomatei in like over 5 years. Poor things, they have adjusted to the pandemic by offering takeout ordering but each time they answered the phone, they had to clarify each time that they are the Ward location and not the Ala Moana one. I can see why there is confusion, their street address also has Ala Moana in it! So many phone calls ended with no orders…

Won Ton Shoyu Ramen | $11.75

Served with Japanese style Won Ton (with chopped shrimps and minced pork, marinated for 24 hours in our special soy sauce and essence of dried scallop. Then chopped baby bamboo shoots and shredded wood ears are added for an unique flavor) and vegetable garnishes.

Garlic Tan Tan Ramen | $13.25

Served with Japanese style Char Siu (tender pork belly) and vegetable garnishes. And added garlic bits, blanched in oil for a slightly crispy finish.

This my bowl. I love garlic. Have I told you this? LOVE GARLIC. Now that I’m looking at the price difference between a simple garlic ramen and a won ton ramen…do I think it was worth the extra money? Not really.

There is something lacking in their broth now. I remember how flavorful and deep the flavors of the tan tan ramen used to be. And look, this is coming from a person who no like salty food anymore (bland city for me usually) and it just felt underwhelming. One of the fun things about eating there in the past was finishing up the noodles and slurping up some of that good soup…and finding bits of chung choi that helps flavor the soup. No such luck this time. And the garlic? Barely added any taste! How’s that!

Curry Loco Moco | $12.99

Served with Hokkaido rice, Japanese style hamburger, and an egg.

Funny story, we had a hard time figuring out where to eat. I love a curry loco moco and told my friend that if we didn’t share this dish, our friendship would end. Friendship survived. First funny thing, where’s the hamburger?? Well it’s underneath that egg, lol. It was a good hamburger patty but yeah it was kind of small. Delicious dish! I would order this again for sure.

You know, me staking our friendship on a curry loco moco dish could have saved us some stress. I won’t name the restaurant, but we almost went to another place. Well, we made a reservation for the previous restaurant for this week and I got a call cancelling the reservation due to a possible covid case. ALWAYS THREATEN FRIENDSHIPS OVER FOOD. You’re welcome for the lesson.

Lilikoi | $4.00
Wild Jamacian and Yellow Passion Fruit

Lydgate Farms | $4.00
Locally grown vanilla bean glaze, cacao nibs, cherry drizzle

Hot Single | $4.00
Tolentino Farms neighborhood honey + flakey sea salt

L&L | $4.00
Lemon and lime baby. Meyer lemon sugar, Tahitian lime curd, citrus caviar

Strawberry Fields | $4.00
Kula farms Maui strawberries and green tea

Hot Single | $4.00
Tolentino Farms neighborhood honey + flakey sea salt

If you’re at Ward, you gotta go to Holey Grail Donuts for dessert. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be dessert, just go there and try their donuts. Look, it’s expensive. $4.00 a piece but you’re supporting a small local business…it’s delicious and it’s donuts. Come on. Well I think I have overdone it so I won’t be going for a while now but it doesn’t make these donuts any less good!

My absolute favorite is their Hot Single…the other flavors always sound so intriguing but in the end, I think the Hot Single is the winners. And thankfully, the hot single is a main stay on their menu. I am usually a huge fan of lilikoi but found it a bit lackluster on this donut. The L&L looks pretty and sounds amazing but eh…tastes just alright. I actually preferred the Strawberry Fields donut more though you can hardly taste the green tea (which is fine with me). Hot Single all the way!

Post Views: 3,493

Chicken & Brisket – Honolulu, HI

Mar3

A new fried chicken place in Kalihi? Okay, yes I am there. Always happy to give business to a new local start-up, especially during such a tumultuous time. No question about what they serve here, Chicken and Brisket – it’s in the title! And let me tell you, boy am I glad I ordered. You can either order delivery or curb side pick-up through their website. I don’t know if the deal is still going but the first order you put in, you get a discount from their online ordering service!

When you order curbside pick-up, they send you an email with the ETA on how long your order will take. Then you will receive a text from the restaurant with directions on where to park and to text the color and make of your vehicle and they will bring it out to you! They are actually using the kitchen of another bar and grill so they don’t have a storefront for you to go pick-up your food right now. What a breeze! Let’s take a look at the food!

Sweet Hawaiian Chili Chicken – Very Spicy & Sweet | $15.00
Breaded & Deep Fried Chicken Thighs Tossed in Sweet Hawaiian Chili Sauce with Choice of Dipping Sauce.

Okay they’ve changed some names and prices on their menu but I posted the new names and prices. This chicken was GOOD. The chicken is fried to perfection and the skin is so light and crisp. The seasoning is great and I love how they just throw the fried chicken skins in too. They forgot my dipping sauce but it’s okay, the chicken is so good on its own anyway!

Spicy Brisket Chili Bowl | $10.00
Spicy. House brisket chili, steamed rice, sour cream, house cheese sauce, onions and jalapenos.

Not bad, not great. I think it’s sweeter than I would like but I don’t know, maybe I am just biased towards Zippy’s chili. I wouldn’t order this again.

Loaded Fries | $9.00
Sour cream, green onions, house cheese sauce and bacon.

Good, it was thoroughly enjoyed. Was it worth $9? Eh…I’m not big on fries so I wouldn’t say it is. Can I just go Teddy’s and get cheesy tots? Hahaha

Brisket Fried Noodles | $12.00
Wok Fried Noodles with Brisket, Char Siu, Kamaboko, Cabbage, Onions, Green Onions & Carrots.

Okay, I don’t know if I have proclaimed this before but I am a huge fan of noodles. I can’t resist getting noodles. I didn’t resist getting these noodles. I was so excited. Was it good? Well…sorry to say it was just basic to me so I didn’t think it was worth the $12. It wasn’t like the brisket in it was that good…in fact, it was like full of the hard pieces that I am not a fan of.

Okay I talked up this place but realized I didn’t rate 3 out of 4 items that great but the chicken for sure is GOOD. Go order that at least!

Post Views: 2,622

Sushi Izakaya Gaku – Honolulu, HI

Feb26

Sushi Izakaya Gaku has been around for a long time but somehow it has never become a mainstay restaurant for us. I don’t know why, we always eat Japanese food and this is a good restaurant. One reason could be because of the parking…not a huge fan of the limited parking in the area. Second reason, the prices. I think some items on the menu are pricier than other restaurants. And so sorry! I forgot to take note of the prices for this meal. 🙁 I guess you just have to enjoy the pictures and my somewhat limited memory of the food…

Dashimaki Tamago

We are always on a quest to find the best tamago. Sounds silly right? But here’s what I prefer, dashiyaki tamago that is more savory than sweet. A lot of the tamago served in Hawaii is on the sweeter side, I prefer more on the dashi side. Gaku serves one of the best! The best still goes to Imanas Tei.

Otoro and Salmon Sashimi

The otoro sashimi costs about $40.00 here, that’s the amount you get. It’s a bit costly but it is good quality. My favorite otoro still is hands down Izakaya Torae Torae.

Spicy Negihamachi Tartar

I can never help myself, no matter where I go, I like try the restaurant’s version of spicy tuna/hamachi/salmon. This one is good, and yay for no rice. Delicious!

Seared Wagyu Beef Sushi

Homemade Steamed Pork Dumpling

Tokusen Ochazuke
gaku’s special yokubari chazuke (salmon, mentaiko & ume)

Yummy, just felt like a warm soothing dish. Loved it!

Hiyashi Shiratama Zenzai
cold sweet azuki beans with mochi balls

Warabi Mochi Maccha Ice Cream
fern mochi with green tea ice cream

Another dish I always order if I see it on a menu, warabi mochi! Love the warm soft mochi…this was a perfect pairing!

Post Views: 2,686