03Jul / 2023

Le’s Banh Mi – Ala Moana, HI

I love myself a good banh mi and am always in search of a good one. I grew up with the ones from Bale, and while they are good, they are not great. Can’t go wrong when you go to a shop that specializes in them! I’ve wanted to try Le’s Banh Mi for a while now and recently got a chance to try them! They are located in the 808 Sheridan building on the 3rd floor.

The customer service was a bit lackluster but that’s okay, I’m there for the food. Maybe I went on an off day for service. This place was pretty warm when I walked in, like it was the oven. But I was excited to see that they bake their own bread! So I waited outside for my sandwiches in anticipation.

Roasted Pork Banh Mi | $10.50

Sorry the pic is a bit blurry, but take a look at the innards! They pack it in! And roast pork, they mean Chinese style roast pork, you know…with the crispy skin. Although, by the time you eat the sandwich, not really crispy. It still tasted great!

Saigon Special Banh Mi | $10.50

My favorite one, hands down. Anytime I see the saigon special, I know that’s the one I need to get. They put in a variety of meats and a handsome dollop of pate. If you don’t like pate, don’t get this sandwich. Can I praise the bread please? It is SO good. I don’t know if you can tell but it’s not at all doughy, perfect amount of fluff and it’s super light and crispy. Such a good sandwich…I like go back already. Highly recommend!

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30Jun / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Have you folks tried those furikake wonton chips at Foodland? They now sell it alongside their housemade tortilla chips. Those wonton chips are TOO DAMN GOOD. It’s not hard crispy, it’s a nice and light crispy. And everytime I go into Foodland and look at their dips because I bet they would be good with those chips. I broke down and got this dip to try. It was okay, I think it’s a gimmicky name. It’s really just creamy salmon dip with furikake haha. But I enjoyed it! Glad I tried, not sure I would buy again (cause it’s pricey!).

Oh yum. I forget the price of this but it was a good sandwich, this was also from Foodland. And a bit blasphemous but I ate it cold. I bet it would be super good warmed up in a toaster oven.

Don’t you love a good ‘ole Hawaii style potluck party? Look at all this glorious food on one plate. I was in heaven, can’t go wrong. Loved it!! Spinach rolls are one of my favorites of all time!!

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28Jun / 2023

21 Steps Kitchen + Bar – Whistler, BC

21 Steps Kitchen + Bar was one of the restaurants we went to for dinner in Whistler. It’s a cute little place and yes, there are 21 steps to get up to the restaurant! Not the stairs pictured here but inside the place, I counted on the way up. 🙂

It’s a cute eatery and as you can see we were one of the first diners there. No worries, the place filled up real quick after we started dining. I’m a senior citizen diner as you know. During the off season (which is when we were there), they offer a prix fixe menu. That’s what we went with! $44 for the 3 course meal, with upcharges if you decided to go a little fancier. 🙂

Sangria

Sangria is one of the few drinks I can drink. And it was delish! Did I have two drinks this night? One of the nights I did…lol

Basket of Warm French Bread | $6.00 (CAD)
with housemade garlic butter

Yup, you gotta pay for bread but hey, they give you a lot! We had so much food, probably didn’t need this bread. But it was good bread and who can resist garlic butter?

Garlic Chili Prawns | $21.00 (CAD)
scallions, peanuts and crispy wontons

I’m giving you folks the ala carte prices but these dishes were all included in the $44 three course meal. Can hardly tell where the prawns are yeah? They’re GREEN. The dish was good! I liked that they had asian dishes on the menu!

Tiny Bacon Wrapped Beef Filets | $21.00 (CAD)
horseradish aioli

Not my dish but it was enjoyed. Can you go wrong with meat wrapped with bacon? I’m not a bacon fan so I didn’t partake.

Braised Boneless Beef Short Rib | $35.00 (CAD)
leek, shallot and red wine demi sauce with crispy onions

My entree! Yum! Delish. And it came with rice, I think it was brown rice. Not at all sticking to each other, I have a not so nice phrase for this kine rice but I won’t share it here. The dish was super good! I really enjoyed it.

12oz. Ribeye Steak | $50.00 (CAD) – $13.00 (CAD) upcharge for prix fixe menu
chipotle garlic butter and crispy onions

Oh yum. Another winner dish. I was too full to try it that night but when we heated up the leftovers the next day to eat, I thought it was great! And even reheated tasted great.

Creme Brulee | $13.00 (CAD)

Not my dish but it was enjoyed! Think it would have been nice to included some berries on top.

Raspberry Sorbet

I was too stuffed so I wanted a dessert that was somewhat light. This was nice! I think the usual menu comes with the sorbet and chocolate mousse, I wouldn’t be able to do that with our meal this night! The meal was lovely! I would definitely return in the future!

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26Jun / 2023

Daan Korean Cuisine – Richmond, BC

I am always down for Korean food and I knew I had to get my fill of Asian food before heading up to Whistler. Well, Daan Korean Cuisine was close by and had bossam so duh, we had to go! It was pretty busy for a weeknight, we had to add our name to a waitlist but we got called in quick! It’s nice that they call you on your phone when the table is ready. Dining audience was a mix of Korean and other ethnicities! A big variety. I was actually surprised to be seated next to a Chinese family. I guess when I go Korean restaurant, I don’t usually see Chinese families? Do you folks? Anyway, let’s get to the food!

Beef Short Rib Stew | $19.99 (CAD)

Would I call this a stew? Emmm no. It’s very soupy as you can see. A nice little kick of spice and they were pretty generous with the rib meat. Had a small amount of the glass noodles but they were all the way at the bottom of the bowl! I was feeling like something brothy, hit the spot!

Seafood Tofu Soup | $15.99 (CAD)

Not my dish, but it was enjoyed (by a Korean no less!). Looks nice a flavorful. I had a sip of the soup, was nice!

Complimentary Banchan

Always gotta show you folks the banchan. Didn’t love the kimchee but it was alright. The bean sprouts and potatoes were okay too. Nothing to write home about (even though I’m writing about it on a blog).

Small Seafood Pancake | $19.99 (CAD)

Okay. If you like super crispy pancake, this is the place to go. It was super crispy. What threw me off? The use of imitation crab. Nothing against imitation crab but I’m just not used to it being used in this dish. Was good though! I was stuffed so was hard to get all this food in…

Small Bossam | $23.99 (CAD)

The highly anticipated dish of the night! How was it? Good! Very strong doenjang (Korean soybean paste) taste on the pork. What did I miss? The raw oysters in the kimchee veggies but maybe better for my tummy that I don’t eat that. Would I order this again? Yes!

Funny story about this restaurant too. The two servers were a young girl and young man, both looked like they could be Kpop trainees. I’m used to being served by older Korean ladies so it was an amusing turn, and both of them were very nice (also not used to that lol).

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23Jun / 2023

Recipe: Mixed Eggplant Bucatini

A trip to the mainland means a trip to Trader Joes. Especially if you’re from Hawaii! Another TikTok recipe, I saved this and decided to give it a try! Easy easy recipe. 4 ingredients!

That’s basically it! Cook up your pasta according to your preference (doesn’t have to be bucatini, choose what you like!) – save the pasta water. Heat up the eggplant with tomatoes and onions and jar of eggplace garlic spread with sweet red peppers on the stove top. Add maybe 1/2 C of your hot pasta water to make the mixture more “saucy” – do it to your liking. Throw in the cooked pasta and mix it up! Top with shredded parmesan cheese (whatever cheese you like).

Looks good ah? My own notes, not enough salt. It’s a bit sweet for my taste. Perhaps you can salt your pasta water (I didn’t) or add salt when you’re making it to your taste. I ate it with hot chili oil so it tasted great for me. I’m glad I bought two servings worth, I can still make another batch!

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21Jun / 2023

Spot Prawn Festival – Vancouver, BC

My coworker follows a lot of travel feeds and told us about a Spot Prawn Festival and we signed up right away! I don’t usually go to these big food events but I couldn’t resist prawns! I was very happy we signed up, the food was great! Where else can you get a tasting from the best chefs? This was also where I got my sunburn on my left shoulder. It’s really odd, only my left shoulder. Anyway, on to the food!

Spot Prawn Spring Roll / Daikon Salad / XO Vinaigrette
Steve Rutherford

Starting dish! Long line since it was the first tent up after you enter. It was yummy! Perfect first dish to have.

Vietnamese Hot & Sour Spot Prawn Broth / Rice Noodles / Pineapple / Tamarind
Phyllis Tanga & Ben Kiely

I though this was good! Not usually a huge fan or sour soup but this one tasted great!

BC Spot Prawn “Thermidor” / Gruyere Gougere, Spring Onion
Bobby Milheron

Probably my least favorite dish of the festival. Unfortunately the potato cake was cold, I bet if it was still warm and crispy, this dish would have been good!

Spot Prawn with Laci-fermented Tomato Water / Heirloom Tomato Jam / Chive Blossoms
John Lance

This dish was impressive. The elements the chef and his team put into each cup. Fancy elements all in this cup and all delicious. I loved it!

Spot Prawn Ceviche / Prawn Aioli / Wonton Crisp / Seaweed
Tommy Shorthouse

This was good, nothing special. It’s hard to compare a chip and dip dish with all those other elevated dishes. I enjoyed it and was glad I got to it before they were out!

Grilled Spot Prawn / Papaya Salad / Prawn Cracker
Steve Kuan

We saved this dish for last. They were grilling the prawns in the tent for this dish, yum! Not my favorite dish of the festival but still very good!

Rain or Shine Malted Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
Homemade honeycomb (free of corn syrup) is coated In 70% dark chocolate and mixed into a Belgian milk chocolate base. Malted Barley is also added to enhance the richness of this ice cream.

Surprise treat to end the festival! I enjoyed it! A bit rich, I would have liked a light fruity sorbet to end the festival but enjoyed it anyhow.

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19Jun / 2023

Kamonegi – Seattle, WA

Sorry for the sudden break in blogging! I finally got to go on a trip and headed up to Seattle and then we drove up to Richmond, BC and then Whistler, BC. It was such a wonderful trip, I had a great time! I would say that Whistler was probably my favorite part of the trip, really enjoyed the small village feel, cold weather and of course my time with my travel companion.

Kamonegi is a restaurant I’ve wanted to try for years and years and years. I think when they first opened, there was an interview with the owner who talked about making their own soba that intrigued me. So anyway, I followed them on Facebook since way back when and when I finally got a chance to return to Seattle…I made the reservation! You have to pay $50 to hold the reservation but they refund the $50 back when you dine in.

They have NO parking but my bf was able to secure parking at a close by motel (lol) so we still had to walk but hey, we got parking right? Well even though the weather is cool, walking in the sun is still hot. My biggest disappointment was that this restaurant had no AC and I don’t think the fans were on. In other words, it was HAWT.

The restaurant is pretty small, we had a tiny two-top for ourselves. Here you see their little soba bar where you get to watch the kitchen at work!

Complimentary Radish Appetizer – yum!

Housemade Soda

Gosh, I should have saved their menu. They change it monthly and apparently the drinks get changed too. Bummer! Well I didn’t like it too much so we’re good. You know what I did like?? This jalapeno umeshu shot they were serving! Oh my, I don’t usually drink but I really liked it when I tried it. The spiciness and vinegary taste of the jalapeno was so good. Where can I find a drink like that here in Hawaii?

Uni Shiso Bomb | $18 for 2pc
fresh uni* from Santa Barbara, served on shiso leaf tempura with uni salt, ikura, wasabi

Pricey but good. Delicious. Would get again! Nice, light and crisp!

Shrimp Tempura | $11 for 2pc
shrimp tempura, daikon oroshi, tempura sauce

Good. Nothing special, would probably skip next time to try another dish.

Broccolini Tempura | $14.00
tempura fried broccolini, spicy cod roe aioli

Probably my favorite dish of the night. I don’t know what to tell you, I love me a good broccolini. And the spicy cod roe aioli? That just made it even better. I would definitely order this again!

Lamb Tartare | $18.00
lamb strip loin from new zealand, iburigakko, caper, chive mayo, nori chips

Oh man, this dish came out so late that it kind of was just not enjoyed as much you know? I had to remind them that we didn’t receive it yet. The lamb tartare itself was just okay, you can’t taste that it’s lamb (no gamey taste) but also I felt like the capers and pickled aspect of the dish was overpowering everything. And nori chips? No. It’s just cut up nori, nori chips are battered and deep fried no? I wouldn’t get this again.

Kamonegi Seiro | $24.00
duck breast, duck tsukune meatball, leek, yuzu zest

I wanted to try one of their signature dishes. Okay, I should have gone for a bukkake dish since it was hot in the restaurant but the bukkake dishes don’t come with duck! Disappointing. How was the duck? Ehh…well since it’s either ground into a meatball or a super thin slice – it’s not like you can tell it’s duck. The dish was okay but not great.

All in all, I am glad I tried the restaurant! Would I return? Not sure yet, maybe. I wouldn’t mind trying the other soba dishes!

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09Jun / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

On a walk around the UH Manoa campus, I spotted this note on the ground. It was the Monday after graduation and I was just so intrigued by the letter. Simple note. Do you think it’s authentic? Do grandparents sign letters with “Grandmother”? I guess I would assume Grandma or something less formal? Not sure. I felt sad that it was littered on the ground. So what do you folks think? Real letter or like a plant to catch attention? Either way, sweet but sad message.

Spicy Tofu Poke Bowl | $11.75

Walked down to Down to Earth (ha!) but didn’t get my usual tofu pockets, decided to try this spicy tofu poke bowl instead. How was it? Well it tastes like a health food store made it, does that help you? Get a big helping of hijiki salad which I love. Rice was kind of hard. The tofu was just alright. I wouldn’t get it again.

Miso Butterfish Bento | $14.00

It is dangerous that Mai Musubi is so close to work, since I walked down to Le Flowers to get a lei, swung by here to grab breakfast and lunch. This bento was supposed to be my lunch but I ate it for breakfast (lol). It was good! Two good sizes pieces of fish, I enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy their fried chicken but I enjoy this.

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02Jun / 2023

Mixed Plate Friday

Lego Typewriter

I don’t usually buy Lego sets but when I saw this one released, I knew I had to get it! It’s pricey but thanks to a friend, I was able to get it at a discounted price. And well it took forever to build! So many little pieces but it was worth it. The keys do work and the carriage moves, I should take a video of it working. It’s pretty neat!! Wish I had a clear display case for it because it will now collect dust (like real life typewrites yeah?)

Poke Bowl (2 Choice) | $12.95

I haven’t been to Alicia’s Market since they had that fire and reopened. Got these bowls for the boys, it’s nice that one choice or two choice is the same price. Kind of pricey for the portion but was good. I believe we chose Shoyu Onion and Spicy Ahi.

Spicy Mixed Noodles (Bibimkooksoo) | $13.95

Next door to Alicia’s is Joon’s Korean BBQ, I didn’t feel like poke bowl so I gave them a chance! When I first got the order, I thought the portion was kind of small. They usually give it in a big lunch plate box but you know what? It was a pretty hefty portion and I asked for spicy and I got what I asked for, it was spicy. My face is leaking kine spicy. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back here but would try it again if I was there.

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31May / 2023

Chengdu Taste – Honolulu, HI

One of our go-to restaurants. What can I say? I enjoy Chinese food and I enjoy spice. I don’t have much else to say about Chengdu Taste so just look at the pictures. 🙂

Bobo Chicken (with Red Chili and Mixed Vegetable Skewers) | $24.99

This dish is served cold and it comes with a nice selection of vegetables, tofu and quail eggs. We enjoy it!

Chengdu Style Fried Rice | $14.99

Must order. Each. Time.

Flavored Spicy Beef Noodle | $15.99

Felt like a noodle-y night. It was good, not great. Would I order it again? Hmm, probably not. I would want to try another noodle dish.

Dry Stir Fried Pig’s Intestines | $20.99

Another favorite dish to order. I love that the intestines are cooked crisp. Must take a long time to cook!

Crispy Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk | $28.99

This is a new dish. I had a craving for salted egg yolk. I don’t know why. But they serve this dish up with rice blocks coated in it too! It was good but I don’t think I would order it again, was just to satisfy a craving, kinda pricey too.

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