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Mixed Plate Friday

Feb3

Mai Musubi Set A Bento | $12.00
salmon musubi/konbu musubi

I am really digging Mai Musubi being in Manoa now. Makes it so easy to grab and go food in the morning! I’ve noticed they get some bentos out earlier in the morning now! I think I got this bento at like 6:30 AM? Yay! Score! Love their musubis, not a huge fan of the chicken karaage, was kind of hard and of course cold (no can help the cold). All in all, great value for the quality.

Chicken & Mushrooms | $16.00
boneless fried chicken, cremini mushroom sauce, white rice, potato mac salad

LOL chicken and mushrooms. Okay, I just call this mushroom chicken because I love mushroom chicken. I was waiting forevers for Hamada General Store to have this as a special and be able to actually get down there to get it!! We called right when they opened to place our order. Good thing, they sold out FAST. It was a good dish! They fry the chicken very well. This has actually made me want to make it myself. Although I don’t need fried chicken, maybe I can do an oven baked chicken. Yum Yum Yum.

Kimchee Fried Rice | $14.99

Okay, let’s see who is an old fut like me. Do you folks remember when Taiyo Ramen used to be on the other side of Ala Moana? Before the current Target building (or former Nordstrom), it was a small building that contained Taiyo Ramen. I remember this so clearly! Man, they have been around forever and I used to always go and eat their kimchee fried rice. They are still alive and kicking in their current location. They will close when they close down that plot of land. I’m assuming it’s another development. As if we need more developments in Ala Moana. I am still sad when I think of all the great places on Keeaumoku that closed. Blah!

Anyway, I decided to grab my last kimchee fried rice before they close. No set date yet so if you have a craving, go go go! I say last because I did not feel good after eating this. Maybe I overdid it? I don’t know, but I felt quesy after and didn’t even eat dinner that night cause of it. I will say, in the past when I’ve gotten their food…felt super heavy with MSG seasoning. I think had the strongest reaction to MSG with this restaurant. Anyway, I think it’s just me so no use me as the guide. Also, if you want extra kimchee, just ask!

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Japan Glasses & Wifi

Dec20

Hi folks! Just a quick side post for some things I found neat! My eye doctor mentioned that I could get glasses in Japan for cheaper – and that the frames are better made for Asian faces, are lightweight and can be done quick. SOLD. I am due for a new pair of glasses anyway. Thank you so much to kat for answering all my random questions and sharing this place with me! There was a JINS in Ginza so I checked them out!

A pretty painless process! They have all the frames out for you to look at, when you are ready, you bring the frame to them and show them your prescription. I asked how long it would take since I am a tourist and they said it would depend on the power I needed. If they have the lens in stock, it would take 30 MINUTES. I was like dumbfounded. I showed them my prescription and they had it! So they did something real quick with a machine and my face and took to work.

You pay for your glasses and they give you a ticket telling you what time to return. Yup, it was ready in 30 minutes. When I came back, they showed me the glasses and then had me put them on so they could adjust the frames to fit my face perfectly. The glasses also come with a free hard case. I almost wish I got another pair! Highly recommend!

Do you folks have a preferred wifi provider in Japan? I’ve been using Global Advanced Communications for all the years I’ve been traveling to Japan. This is not an ad, no one is paying me anything. I just think they are reliable and the cost is pretty good! Just wanted to show you what you get – and the package with all of this is waiting for me when I checked into my hotel. I could use this unit all through Japan and they give you a pre-paid envelope to return everything in when you’re at the airport. It was great. This wifi pocket is a pretty old unit, I mean, I am pretty sure this is the same one I got the last time I was in Japan like 3 years ago lol. It’s okay, it worked great.

I also used an IC card for the first time this trip, what a breeze. Why didn’t I do this earlier? I actually went to a JR station to look for the Welcome Suica card made for travelers. Why not? I didn’t have to pay a deposit and it has a cute cherry blossom design. Using that card to just scan my way through all the train stations was great, it works at basically all the subway and train stations. It also worked in both Tokyo and Osaka and it’s very easy to refill the card at all stations.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Dec2

Yo Mama’s Sampler Pack | $13.00
Chocolate, Pumpkin and Ube Mochi

We finally had a craft fair this year! Yay! And Yo Mama’s was a first time vendor I was super excited for. I was able to grab a sampler pack before they sold out. This was very good! Surprisingly I liked the ube one the most, to me it just tastes like butter mochi and I love butter mochi. I thought all three were good!

Mini Musubi Bento | $8.00

I went at 6AM to Mai Musubi and scored! They had some bentos ready so I was able to grab this up! I think it was a pretty good deal! I really enjoyed their tofu croquette, can tell it was homemade. It was nice and savory with umami. Yum!

Boba Milk Tea | $5.75

Original Egg Waffle | $7.50
Add Boba Topping | 50¢

Meet Fresh is a new dessert joint in Ala Moana, it’s on the street level located by Spectrum. We had a long day at the mall and had to wait for something at T-Mobile so we came down here to help with the wait time. I got the egg waffle and added boba topping because I’ve had this weird craving for egg waffles lately. I don’t know why. It was very good! Kind of pricey though.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Nov18

Did you folks have a nice Halloween? Okay, it’s been like 2 weeks already but I didn’t get to post this. First time making those mummy hot dogs for the office. I didn’t have yellow mustard so ketchup eyes it is. Make em zombie mummies (sure why not). I didn’t know the recipe calls for a half slice of american cheese too. I thought it was odd. I don’t think you need the cheese. I also made a pan of fudgy brownies that morning, called them graveyard soil or something. Morbid. But it was a nice day because we had a bunch of little kiddos come by the office, they are always so cute. I really missed that during the pandemic.

Char Siu Look Funn | $3 per roll

Used to get a few look funn places in Chinatown but it seems like Chi Kong Look Funn Factory is the last man standing? They only make this so you know it’s gotta be good and yes, it is good. I think this picture shows two rolls. I cut it up myself and make my own dipping sauce. My dipping sauce includes sesame oil, hot sauce, sweet soy sauce and regular soy sauce. I’m extra in all aspect of my life.

Healthy Vegetable Bento | $13.98
combination of our daily homemade sozai with mixed grain rice

I love Kokoro Tei and don’t eat there nearly as much as I want to. Well, I guess it’s a good thing. I bring home lunch to work daily so it’s good I not out there spending too much money. I really enjoy their sozai so I don’t care what comes in it. Just load it up! This one had the following:

From top, clockwise:
Hijiki: Seaweed salad with carrots
Shiraae: Mashed tofu with spring vegetables
Nasu: Simmered eggplant with grated ginger
Kinpira Renkon: Braised lotus root with carrots and sesame
Okura: Sesame seasoned okra
Kabocha: Simmered winter squash

I loved all of it, even the nasu. And if you know me, you know I don’t like eggplant but they make it so good. Give it a try!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Nov11

Deluxe Strawberry Cream Cake (8 inch) | $38.00
strawberry chiffon cake layers filled with strawberry mousse and vanilla creme brulee. decorated with fresh cream, strawberries, white chocolate shavings, and cocoa powder.

My Dad’s birthday is in late October and since my brother also has a late October birthday, we already got our favorite mango cake from Elvin’s. So I made a rash decision to go to 85°C Bakery Cafe in Ala Moana. It was during their soft opening week and I went around 1PM on a weekday. Oh boy, the line was nuts. And the shelves were slim, each time the poor worker came out with fresh goods, people swarmed her like we are all starving.

I didn’t get a picture of it but their egg custard tarts are ABSOLUTELY worth the hype. If you get a chance, go try it. It looks like the custard tarts from dim sum restaurants but the crust is not at all the same. It’s buttery and flakey, light and cripsy. The custard is sweet but not overly sweet. You gotta try it.

Oh sorry, back to the cake. I actually wanted their mango cake but they were all sold out. This was my second choice. It was good. But I don’t like whipped cream so you can kind of guess where I stand with this cake. If you like the description of this cake, you will absolutely love it. And how cute is their writing for the message! The hearts are such a cute touch!

If you ever want to go just to try their drinks, they have a touch screen machine right by the bar so you can order it there and get your drink right there instead of standing in the bakery line. But shoot, if you’re there, get the pastries!

Look at me being all fancy with this shot. I was curious about the puffed granola so I got it to eat with my greek yogurt. It’s pretty good, I mean it just tastes like sweetened rice krispies or something. Just an FYI. 🙂

Tofu & Watercress Salad (add Salmon Katsu) | $17.00
chopped romaine, sumida farm’s watercress, tofu, tomato, cucumber, soy vinaigrette

We love picking up lunch from Hamada General Store and if you follow their instagram, they get some killer daily specials. I am always tempted. For this lunch order, I decided to go somewhat lighter and got this salad. I enjoyed it very much. The watercress was nice and tender. The watercress is raw if that means anything to you folks, I didn’t mind it since it was so tender. I usually like my watercress quickly blanched. The dressing tasted good and the salmon was cooked PERFECT. Not at all dry. I was kind of expecting like a sauce for the salmon similar to Sushi King but that’s only cause I was used to Sushi King. Didn’t need it. They give plenty dressing for this salad so you can dip the salmon in it if you need more flavor.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Nov4

Do you folks do this? I never had before. I watched a recipe on how to make like a legit fried noodle dish and they said that you gotta remove the ends to make it taste good. Boy were they right. It made SUCH a difference in taste but my god, what a time eater. It takes FOREVER to do this.

Look look look! Zero sugar chocolate chips. I saw it and just had to get it. I was on a baking frenzy so I wanted to give these a try.

What did I make? I think this was a chocolate banana cake. It was enjoyed by everyone and they couldn’t even tell it was sugar free chocolate chips! Cool yeah? I found this bag at Walmart.

The Works Ddeok-Bokki | $15.99
ddok-bboki with sausages, spam, ramen noodle and two mandoo

Been wanting to try bb.q Chicken since they opened in the new Kuono Marketplace in Kahala. They are a newish Korean fried chicken place. And knowing me, of course I deviated. My coworkers all got the fried chicken sandwich so none of us tried their fried chicken wings, lol. They really really enjoyed their sandwiches! I didn’t feel like fried chicken so I went for this. It was okay. I’m used to this dish being both sweet and spicy but this one was moreso spicy so there was no balance. It also wasn’t as saucy as other places. I liked it but wouldn’t get it again.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct28

If you follow Jalna’s blog, you might remember this post about the cured pork strips they got. I remember eating this as a kid, it wasn’t an everyday dish. It’s pricey and also a bit of an indulgence since it’s got a lot of pork fat. It was such a coincidence that I had also bought a pack from Chinatown and it was sitting in my fridge waiting to be made.

I never made it before but remember the elements of it from my memory. I knew I wanted to make it with green beans but only with these flat ones. I don’t know why I had to be so specific with it. I didn’t have a real recipe to go off of, maybe what I had was more of a family dish. I blanched the beans fast kine and then stir fried the pork and beans together. I didn’t want to add too much seasoning because the pork is super flavorful (aka salty) so I added a dash of soy, oyster sauce and sugar. Oh I also started the stirfry with minced garlic. Look. It was damn delicious. I was trying to hold the dish on to last a few days. I ate it in one day. It was just that good. But it could be an acquired taste.

Another family dish I have been making on my own. Ong Choy! Crucial ingredient? Harm Haw. Gotta have that. I just fried up garlic and red chili pepper, add the shrimp paste and then add the stems first….cook for like 2 minutes and then add the leaves and cook down. I must have added some water to this too. I’m sure folks usually do a cornstarch slurry to make the gravy thick. I was lazy. Another vegetable dish I love.

Smoked Chicken Pasta | $18.50
with onions, roasted tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs, in a white wine and chicken stock, tossed over linguini

I got this dish the other week at Murphy’s, it was one of their specials. Eh. Was alright, I mean, I keep comparing the food to the price because how can I not? The chicken breast was good, super moist and there was a smoky taste so I enjoyed it. Wish there was a bit more pasta. I don’t get why restaurants like grinch out on the cheaper stuff. I think customers are easily fooled if they see more pasta haha. And I am adjusting to a new contact power and it’s hard to see up close now…if not, I would have noticed it said chicken stock. Yeah, it’s sitting in a chicken stock. I wasn’t expecting that. Yeah, I wouldn’t get this again.

Apple Crisp a la mode | $8.00

It’s okay, their apple crisp always comes to save the day. It saved the day. I loved it. Warmed apple crisp ala mode. You can’t go wrong. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct21

Popeyes 3 pc Tenders Dinner (Blackened) | $9.39

Did you know Popeyes started carrying blackened tenders? Been wanted to try it, it’s basically grilled chicken tenders. I really enjoy the seasoning and the chicken is not dry at all (though it might look it). I tried it with the Mardi Gras Mustard sauce and it went well together! I would definitely get this again.

Homemade Zenzai

I wanted to be ambitious and make the fresh strawberry mochi again. I didn’t. I got lazy and was too tired. So I had prepped a can of adzuki bean paste (just cooking it on the stove to remove moisture) and it was sitting in my fridge. I also had leftover mochiko that was sitting in my fridge. It wasn’t the full box so I didn’t know what to do with it (no, I am not making mochiko chicken – no frying for me). Sooo…I decided to mess around make my own zenzai and you know what? It came out really well. Super easy to make. I just mixed water with the mochiko I had, didn’t add else and rolled them into balls and boiled them in water and drained. I cooked down the adzuki I had with some water and added a pinch of salt…and reduced it until it looked like this. My coworkers enjoyed! And you know what? It also reheats well! The balls weren’t solid rocks after reheating.

I used this recipe as guidance.

Herb Chicken Breast Chimichurri Salad | $14.95
Chicken Breast seasoned with spices & herbs then charbroiled topped with our house Chimichurri sauce over crispy Romaine, sliced black olives, grape tomatoes, thin sliced red onions, corn kernels, bacon bits, and Parmesan cheese.

This was from a lunch order over the summer from Kahai Street Kitchen. I wish they had online ordering, I had to call early in the morning before they opened to order every single dish. The guy was kind of monotone on the phone and then I got to this dish. He then asked me, how do you want the chicken done. I was dumbfounded. I just sputtered out, how can it be done? And he says, rare or medium rare. I sat in silence and he starts laughing and I bust out laughing too. That guy was too much, he was so deadpan in his delivery of it too. Anyway, this was a good salad, lol.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct14

Birria Banh Mi | $13.00 (maybe?)
vietnamese inspired sandwich with birria meat, mayo, cucumber, pickled carrots, and daikon (radish), and a sprig of cilantro. served on a toasted baguette and a side of consomme

I wanted to try Cocina De Roja when they opened during the pandemic. A birria banh mi? Sign me up. How was it? Okay, nothing great. I rather just get a regular bahn mi. Also when I go look at their online order site now, it’s not even an option to order so maybe this was pointless?

Beef Stroganoff on House-made Fettuccine | $29.00
mustard sour cream demi-glace

Just sharing a picture of this beef stroganoff from Tango Contemporary Cafe in case any of you were curious how it looked. It wasn’t my dish but it was enjoyed!

Seafood Chow Mein | $12.95

Assorted Dim Sum

I don’t usually crave chicken feet but this time, I did and ordered it. This is the only way I will eat chicken feet, it has to be prepared in this manner. I will not digest any other way. I don’t know why, please don’t ask. I can never pass up dim sum and yes, I like to order seafood chow mein as an accompaniment. It reminds me of childhood so I enjoy it. By the way, this is from Ginger & Garlic. I guess the final question is, do you chicken feet?

Have a great weekend folks.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Oct7

Sushi Set #12 | $12.95
garlic salmon and spicy tuna bomb

I love getting sushi at Jay’s Sushi, the sushi tastes great and the prices are reasonable. I would definitely recommend them. They are also located next door to the best bubble tea place haha!

Kimchi Mandoo | $6.99 (sale price)

I went to Hmart in Pearl City last weekend and I was blown away. Oh my god, such a better store than the one in town. Just in terms of space and their offerings, makes it almost worth it to drive out there. They also had sample booths! Sample booths are so smart. This lady was making both the regular mandoo and kimchi mandoo and let me tell you, she was giving out huge pieces. But it works. I bought two bags because this mandoo was so good! I would definitely recommend it if you see it. I like to pan fry and steam…yum!

Roast Turkey Dinner | $18.00
slow roasted turkey, buttered corn, portuguese sausage stuffing, smashed potato, dinner roll, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce

Your eyes do not deceive you, we had ourselves a nice little thanksgiving feast in September. We got this plate from Hamada General Store, it was one of their daily specials. A bit of a funny story, we were actually eyeing out a sandwich place (what is with me and sandwiches lately?) who was offering a seasonal thanksgiving sandwich which was basically the contents of this plate. The sandwich is $18.50 (yikes) and when I went to their online ordering site, they charge $3.00 if you want gravy. What??? That’s $21!!!!! Then we saw this special for Hamada and decided to pay $18 for the whole she-bang. Best decision ever. This was DELICIOUS. The turkey was moist and the sides were all great. Would definitely get this again. Wish they would make it to sell on Thanksgiving.

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