Hawaii based food blog with foodie travels!
Peanut Udon Noodle Salad
Meh. Just okay, not great.
Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
Not good.
Truffle Mousse Pate
Yes. A million times yes. This one is made with chicken. Since Chan was not feeling well, I ate this entire thing over the course of the trip. Yeah. I did. Ate it with some golden round crackers (think Ritz Crackers). No regrets here. Chan told me probably get this kine in Hawaii but I haven’t tried it locally yet. IT WAS GOOD AND A GOOD PRICE AND I LOVED IT.
Been back from Vegas for about a week, it was nice to take a breather. I pre-scheduled 3 weeks worth of blogs and it worked out very nicely. I was super looking forward to this trip, not just for the eating and gambling – but just to get away. I’ve been working non-stop with no vacation since early November. I know that sounds like a spoiled statement but especially after my dad’s health scare, I was just deflated.
Unfortunately, poor Chan came down with food poisoning on this trip. I felt so bad for him! That’s awful enough to go through but for him to go through it during travel…awful. No worries, I played nurse and even drove out on my own in Vegas to get nourishment for us. Gotta love navigation on phones – and thankfully the places I had to go didn’t require jumping onto a freeway lol. I enjoy driving but I guess I feel more comfortable with someone if I’m driving around some place unfamiliar. Vegas is pretty good to drive around – anywhere is better than Hawaii to drive around.
Anyway! The night of our arrival, of course gotta go In-N-Out! Just a short post today.
Double-Double!
Animal Style Fries
Long John Silver’s
LOL – yup we went to Long John Silver’s. I had a hankering for some fried seafood. Namely fried fish and shrimp. This didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed it a lot! Yummy…! Too bad we don’t have this here anymore.
Posted in Food, Restaurant, Travel
Straub Benioff | Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi
Shucks, I forgot the price! I got this plate during my Dad’s stay and it was a pretty good deal! I think like $14? They give you two big pieces of mahi and you get to choose two sides. The fish had a mayo sauce drizzled on top which helped to combat any dryness. The cafeteria isn’t too bad! Too bad they don’t post menus online.
Kotetsu Chaya Chicken Karaage Plate | $15.50
My brother felt like chicken karaage (random) so one of their dinners consisted of chicken karaage from Kotetsu Chaya, I never tried them myself but I have heard good things. A small Japanese shop run by a sweet couple. I would call in an order early if you can, if not, you gotta wait like 20-30 minutes. Also, they don’t seem to understand the concept of all rice because I tried to get one plate like that for the bro who doesn’t eat mac salad and all three plates were rice and mac salad. Also, they give super manani amount of mac salad! It was kind of wild. They ate it but I don’t think they consider chicken karaage a main meal you know? I also see it as more of an appetizer.
Kotetsu Chaya Garlic French Fries | $6.00
Like I am pretty sure they just gave them a small container of garlic powder to shake into the fries. LOL, so don’t expect nice garlic butter on their garlic fries okay?
Posted in Food, Restaurant
Chicken Katsu Curry | $6.99
Don’t get to frequent 7-eleven too much now but was excited to see this on my last visit so I had to try it! Not going to be a good judge because I had to microwave it myself and timed it wrong so it was still kind of cold when I was eating it but was too lazy to continue heating it after I already opened it up. They have a transparent sheet that separates the chicken katsu from the curry that you pull out when you dig in. Interesting way to keep the chicken “crispy” but let’s be real, it’s not crispy when we are grabbing this from the fridge lol. This was okay but the chicken portion is small, would rather just go L&L to grab a freshly made one.
Made a variation of the Japanese Udon Salad I usually make, linked above. Same concept, I just varied up the ingredients a bit! The biggest main stay for me is the goma dressing and fresh cilantro. Other than that, you can do whatever you like! I even made Japanese styled seasoned shiitake mushrooms for the first time. Yum!
Corned Beef
Happy Belated Saint Patrick’s Day! This kine food is more Chan’s style but we bought some corned beef so we made it the other week. Threw in some potatoes, cabbage and carrots. He sous-vide the beef and then we threw it in with the vegetables into his pressure cooker insta-pot. It was spewing things out like a volcano when I released the vent. I don’t use these contraptions like ever. Anyway, have a nice weekend!
Posted in Food, Recipe, Restaurant, Snapshot
Sunday Breakfast
This is me trying to take a bougie picture of breakfast I made for Chan one Sunday morning. I made this pesto tomato mozzarella salad that I served up with toasted french bread. I put a bit of olive oil on the bread and put it in the air fryer to toast. I then rubbed raw garlic onto the toasted bread immediately while it was still warm so the garlic would melt into the bread. Smart yeah? I also fried up two eggs for each of us (in this economy??) and it was good. Well I don’t know the dosage of his salt grinder so I went a bit too heavy handed – he didn’t say anything but mine was salty lol. Good breakfast!
Sausage, Egg & Cheese English Muffin
Seasoned Potatoes
Did you know Wendy’s served breakfast? I didn’t! I saw it on one of Chan’s YouTuber videos and the guy was trying all the fast food breakfast joints. I decided to pick some up for us for a weekend breakfast. The sausage english muffin was just alright. Not great, I prefer McDonald’s. The seasoned potatoes were good! Not what you would expect from the name of it, and they look like potato wedges but they are actually sliced quite thin length wise. They were good!
Posted in Food, Restaurant, Snapshot
YogurStory has been around for a very long time – I think the last time I came here was in their old location. They are now located where the old Like Like Drive Inn is. They are a trendy breakfast/brunch place so if you’re into that, go for it! I’m not into ube so that would be wasted on me. This is a quick post because we both ate the same thing lol. We came at 7AM on a weekday and it was empty, nice to beat the crowd.
Fat Pig Fried Rice | $10.95
bacon, kalua pig, portuguese sausage, scrambled egg
This is the second time I ordered this, I think the first time I ordered it – I was disappointed because I thought those meats would be served on the side of the fried rice! I learned very quickly that it’s just the meats chopped up and fried up with the rice! $11 bucks for this dish is actually quite a steal, I think it tastes great! So much flavor, it’s like a local style omurice (sorta). I really enjoyed it!
Aloha Pancake | $16.95
buttermilk pancakes with macadamia nuts, strawberry, blueberry, banana, maple syrup and butter
I wish they had version of this for waffles because I wanted all the berries and bananas on top so we settled to share the pancakes. They were good! Then again, I’m not a huge pancake fan so I just had half my serving. But can’t go wrong with all that butter and maple syrup! Tasted great!
Posted in Food, Restaurant
Lee Kum Kee Sriracha Chili Sauce
This is a very niche post. I really enjoy the chili sauce packets from Panda Express, it’s not like sriracha so I wasn’t sure where I can find it myself. I know Lee Kum Kee makes the chili sauce for Panda Express but I don’t know if it’s then just Panda’s proprietary product you know? I decided to buy this hot sauce in the store even though it has the word sriracha in it and guess what? It’s close enough for me! To me it tastes like the Panda Express chili sauce so woohoo! I gotta buy more bottles now lol.
Holy Grail Donuts (4 pack) | $18.00
From top left; clockwise: Hail Mary (cardamom, rose), Hot Single (local honey, flakey sea salt), Original Sin (real maple, smoked coconut and Hawaii sea salt), Hot Single (again)
After dinner in Ward, I wanted to treat Chan to Holy Grail since he has never tried before! I had to eat the hot single while it was hot because these folks make it fresh! Chan really liked the hail mary, I wasn’t around when he tried the other flavors. I better ask how he liked them not fresh. Pretty pricey at $18 for 4 donuts and of course their register system automatically asks for tip. Sigh. Also FYI, they do not take cash.
Ba-Le Sandwich Shop Phoggie | $14.00
U.S. wagyu beef, house-made “pho” mayo, thai basil, red leaf lettuce, shaved onions, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, pho dipping broth
I’ve loved the Phoggie sandwich for many years but haven’t been able to try it in a while. They sell it here at the UHM campus and also at La Tour Cafe. While I’m sure the La Tour version is fancy, it costs $5 more there than at UHM. I’ll go for UHM! We watched a student order it and ask for extra mayo…what a great tip! What a game changer, this is one messy sandwich to eat especially since you gotta dip it in the pho broth! So delicious, definitely worth the price! My coworker at it two days in a row lol.
Posted in Food, Restaurant, Snapshot
No. (Don’t go shopping hungry)
Remember the huge tree that fell over onto Keeaumoku/Kapiolani during the heavy rains for that ONE day? That was so crazy because I drive there all the time! Freaked me out a bit. I took a picture of it the day after as I was driving there (proof I drive there all the time lol). Isn’t that crazy? And the way it’s planted, I think it might belong to Pacific Guardian. I really hope no one was harmed because that tree looked like it crushed at least 2 cars.
Le’s Banh Mi – Saigon Special add Roast Pork | $11.50 + $2.00
When I say that Le’s Banh Mi is the best on the island, please take me seriously. I don’t think you can get a better banh mi anywhere else. We’ve talked about this. Have you tried them yet? They make their own bread and it’s so soft and light yet crispy. And the toppings, I love their pate and the roast pork is chef’s kiss. I just give them a call before I head in to get it…takes them about 10 minutes and it’s ready when I’m there! This was even good reheated because we couldn’t eat it right away.
Posted in Food, Restaurant, Snapshot
Kalihi Bar-B-Q Drive-Inn BBQ Chicken & Garlic Fish Combo Plate | $17.50
I saw someone feature this place on TikTok and I am so easily swayed because it looked so good. I was super craving it so I got it during my Saturday errands. I didn’t even know this place existed even though it is in my hood. I ordered it without knowing the price and wow $17.50!! But I guess it’s expected for a seafood combo plate. Yes, it was actually very good. Look at all that garlic, how can it be bad? BBQ chicken is on par with other BBQ places. I enjoyed it! And they give big portions so it’s more than one meal!
Pringles Mingles | Cheddar & Sour Cream
When I am hungry and go shopping, purchases like this happen. I was curious how this would taste. It was interesting cause it’s puffed up like a cheeto puff but it’s harder in texture. How do I explain that?? I guess cause it’s made of pringles material? It’s just okay, the seasoning isn’t great. I rather just eat the cheddar and sour cream ruffles, those are the best.
Chan and I recently celebrated our anniversary and I try to do thoughtful things and the gift for this anniversary was cotton so I decided to cross-stitch this for him. I’m not good with knitting/sewing, etc. Boy, did I fumble this a lot. It is not easy for me already and I was getting quite frustrated. I definitley used up too much of the thread from the kit and had to go on the hunt to find extra thread. Then I had to find a way to fit it into this frame lol. Don’t pay attention to it being crooked okay? I tried my best and this was made from hours and hours of my love. Cute yeah?
Posted in Food, Restaurant, Snapshot
We had a gift card for MW Restaurant so we came for a little holiday dinner. What a nice treat! We enjoyed ourselves very much and the food was ono!
Lilikoi Yuzunade | $10.00
My non-alcoholic drink! Chan drank beer, you can see it in the background. I enjoyed the drink even though I’m not usually a fan of yuzu!
Brandt Brand Beef Tartare | $22.00
OK Farm Egg, Baguette
I know raw beef is not everyone’s thing. It’s my thing and I love it! Thankfully Chan is also an adventurous eater so we can share in all the goodies. Very good dish.
Crab Cakes | $27.00
Wasabi Koji Sauce, Corn Relish
Another great appetizer! Push aside those weeds and go for it (lol). Tasted great.
Miso Honey Glazed Butterfish | $49.00
Kimchee Potato Salad, Taegu, Bok Choy
My entree, a little pricey for butterfish but it was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I saw a friend eat it last time so I wanted to try it myself and it was so good! I enjoyed it a lot.
Here is the accompanying banchan for the butterfish, ehhh…they were just okay. Not my favorite. Maybe I didn’t like the taste of their kimchi…sorry!
Steak Au Poivre | $65.00
Brandt Brand Ribeye, Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Potatoes, Vegetables
Chan’s entree. It was good but SUPER peppery. Like choke whole peppercorns in the sauce. I tasted a bite and yes, you better like pepper if you get this dish.
Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi | $18.00
We got these on the side with our entrees, it was like super buttery rich tater tots. So good, we couldn’t finish it so we took it home. Tasted good reheated in the air fryer!
Strawberry Shave Ice | $17.00
Strawberry Yuzu Sorbet, Coconut Tapioca, Laie Vanilla Panna Cotta, Strawberries, Shaved Strawberries
When you go MW, gotta get dessert. We were stuffed but shared this shave ice together. It was nice and refreshing! I enjoyed it! Oh! And they gave us two free cookies to take home too. Valet parking only and it’s a bit pricey. It was a nice experience!
Posted in Food, Restaurant