Tag Archive | Chinese Food

HK Cafe – Chinatown, HI

Aug28

If you know me, you know I love myself some good ole Cantonese food! Oh, I think it’s time to introduce my BF by name so I don’t have to say my BF all the time. So this post will be introducing Chan! Not a picture (heck I don’t even have a picture on here) but yes, when I reference Chan – please know that he is the special someone in my life. 🙂

Anyway! Been wanting to try HK Cafe for a while now. They even opened a new location in Waikiki, must be good ah! We made the trek out to Chinatown on a Sunday morning and had ourselves a wonderful meal. Check it out!

Left: Lemon Tea | $5.50, Right: Lemon Honey | $5.50

Yum yum. We actually ordered combos that included hot drinks. We wanted the cold drink so there is just an upcharge of $1.50 per drink. The lemon tea was great! Chan enjoyed the lemon honey too, I tried it and it was very honey tasting…haha

Chinese Donut | $3.99

I traditionally like eating these fried chinese donuts with my congee. Can I just say? I have never had it fried so perfectly before. Usually these donuts are a bit doughy but these were so light and crispy. Chan likes to dip it into his broth to eat…but was delicious to eat as is too!

House Special Fried Chicken Wings (8 pcs) | $12.99

I had a deep yearning for chicken wings this weekend. I really wanted some good chicken wings and these did not disappoint. Nicely seasoned and cooked, it looks like plain chinese shoyu chicken wings but the seasoning was much more than that. I definitely tasted hints of curry. Would get it again!

Noodle Soup Combo | $14.75
Sliced Ham & Egg & Egg Noodle

Chan’s noodle soup combo, he enjoyed it. The ham – hmm, I usually see it served sliced up and not necessarily fried up like this. I think they usually throw the ham meat on top and have it warmed up through the broth. That’s how I would like it.

Noodle Soup Combo | $14.75
Spam & Egg & Instant Noodle (+$1.00)

Here’s mine. Of course I had to upgrade to instant noodle. I don’t know why instant noodle costs $1.00 more?? Eh, I think I can do with egg noodles next time. I wasn’t feel like ham so spam it was! Delicious!

Toast with Butter (comes with the combos)

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. We went right at opening so there was no crowd to contend with. It was a nice and peaceful Sunday morning (well other than the homeless screaming in the streets). They also had some Hong Kong TV playing in the background and that was very nostalgic for me. I would definitely return!

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Cha Kee – Richmond, BC

Jul12

One of the places I wanted to try the most was Cha Kee in Richmond. They actually opened not too long ago and the social media videos just made them look so scrumptious…and the price point? On point! Super good deal for the breakfast set. We came right before they opened at 9AM and get one line already but I was like 2nd in line (score!). The line grew and grew after that, all Chinese people so I was in the right place lol.

Iced Lemon Tea | $4.00 (CAD)

Hong Kong style iced tea, plenty lemon slices! Nice and sweet and refreshing, yum!

Pineapple Bun with a Slice of Butter | $4.00 (CAD)

They are not playing around with butter. Do you see how “tick” this slice of butter is? It was crazy. Too bad I was full from breakfast because this bun was so nice and warm and toasty against the creamy butter.

Hong Kong Style Satay Beef with Instant Noodle | $11.50 + $1.00 (for the instant noodle) (CAD)
comes with Fried egg and toast

This is the deal I am talking about. Look at how much food you get! It was great!! Delicious. You can get it with macaroni or rice noodle too but I paid the $1 extra for the instant noodles. Oh yum. And they had the szechuan pickles on the side you could add to your soup. The couple before me ordered takeout and their food seemed to take a while, my food came out quick! But gotta show up early! I would definitely return!

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Chengdu Taste – Honolulu, HI

May31

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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SEIRYUMON – Ikspiari Mall, Japan

May24

We were starved before we hit up Tokyo Disney so we decided to eat at the Ikspiari Mall before going into the park. Love this mall! We decided to check out SEIRYUMON because we were craving some Taiwanese/Chinese food. It’s going to be a long post but I really enjoyed this meal even if it was tourist trappy.

Egg Drop Soup

Dried Tofu Salad
I know this looks like noodles but it was tofu! It was good!

Dimsum
Bleh

Rice (lol)

Stir-fried Shrimp & Egg with Chili Sauce Lunch Set | ¥1430

This was my lunch set, pretty good price ah? Plenty food! And it’s shrimp! It totally hit the spot, just felt like something tomato-y with rice. Loved it. Well the dimsum was blah but everything else was good!

Another version of dim sum

Crispy Fried Chicken with Sweet & Chili Sauce

Fried Rice with Meat & Seafood | ¥1540

Not my dish, but this was also a set meal. I think the chicken was part of it? I don’t remember, it wasn’t my meal. 🙁

Taiwanese Stir-fried Pea Sprout | ¥1100

I was in dire need of vegetables and always wanted to try pea sprouts. Oh my gosh, hands down my favorite dish of the meal. I would definitely order this again!!

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Lam’s Kitchen- Chinatown, HI

May3

Took a little jaunt over to Chinatown on a Sunday morning to eat a hearty breakfast and walk around the nicely scented (ha!) streets of Chinatown. Being in Chinatown and running into relatives? The odds are pretty big to me but I guess not big enough. I saw two relatives within 5 minutes of each other. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of good fresh seafood. But it was still nice to eat at Lam’s Kitchen! Very efficient place and having online ordering must be making them bank!!

Steamed Won Ton

Oh yum, I love won ton. This isn’t technically listed on the menu so I forget the price already. We just asked for a side order of wonton with no soup. This is what comes out, yum yum yum. They serve it on a bed of greens too!

Beef Flank & Tendon Look Fun | $12.99

Very nice steaming bowl of comfort food. Delicious. This place has AC but I was sweating. I think it was also all the hot sauce I used. The parking is non-existant but if you have a buddy, maybe you can illegally sit on the side and wait while they run in! At least they have online ordering. 🙂

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Uncle’s Chicken – Kalihi, HI

Apr26

When Uncle’s Chicken opened up a while ago, I really wanted to try it. I was intrigued by the whole fried chicken (well it’s a cornish game hen). My initial craving went away so I didn’t try it until last week. They have a supposed website to order online but it didn’t work the entire day so forget that.

Crispy Fried Whole Chicken | $15.95

How was it? Okay. The sauce that comes with it…it’s like a tangy creamy sauce. I’m not raving about this but I didn’t dislike it too you know?

Shrimp Sandwich | $9.25

Another thing we were excited to try. Maybe V would be excited to try it too but ehhh, no need. I tried it so you don’t have to. It’s texture is like fish paste so it’s not like you get any distinct shrimp flavor nor are there any nice morsels of shrimp in there. No can tell what you even eating.

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SXY Szechuan – Ala Moana, HI

Apr19

It is very hard for me to take a restaurant seriously with a name like SXY Szechuan. Also, how do you even pronounce it? Do I just say sexy szechuan? If you read my blog, you know I have a thing for spicy foods. I love Chengdu Taste with all my heart but we pass by SXY all the time and we decided it was finally time to try it. How was it? Good, but not better than Chengdu. Wouldn’t mind returning to try other dishes but Chengdu still reigns supreme in my heart.

Stir-fried Green Beans | $15.99
with szechuan flavor

Nice dish, nicely seasoned. Love the crispy garlic on top! The reason it tastes so good is probably because they deep fry the beans in oil.

Griddle Pork Intestines | $23.99
with vegetable mix

Super cute presentation. A mini wok! I almost wish they served it with like a mini spatula but we got just a spoon. It also comes with a tealight candle at the bottom keeping the dish warm. There is a similar dish to this at Chengdu and I think it’s better at Chengdu. I guess I like that Chengdu cuts the intestines a bit thicker and I like the meatyness. They cut it thinner here but you may like that because it’s crispier that way! Good flavor. Spiciest dish of the night even though we asked for the same spice level through all.

Spicy Fried Chicken Wings | $17.99

Good dish. Not spicy. Tons of garlic. You can’t lose!

Stir-fried Jiangxi Noodles | $16.99

Boo, junkest dish of the night. Absolutely no flavor, and not at all spicy, forreal. It was so disappointing and this is coming from someone who loves noodles. I would have asked for hot sauce on the side but I didn’t. Blah!

Spicy Pork Dumpling | $12.99

You can order either won tons or dumplings, I wanted something a bit more substantial so I went with the dumpling. It was good!

Lychee Beer | $5.00

Ha! If you know me, you know I don’t drink (don’t make me bring up Suntory) but I was curious about a lychee beer. Well it was super good. Why? Because it just tastes like lychee soda. I could probably down a 6 pack of this. I heard you can find this at Hmart or Don Q so no need spend $5 for one can here.

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Mixed Plate Friday

Apr14

For those who know, know! Gateway Cafe is located in the Gateway Student Housing for UH students but their cafeteria is open to the public! For $12.25 at lunch – you can get a pretty good buffet! They put up daily menus every week so you can take a look and see if you are interested. Here’s a sampling of a recent lunch I had. The pasta is hit or miss but on this day, it was a hit! The pink vodka sauce is chef’s kiss. I can’t forget to eat my hot dog. They also advertise their in-house baked bread but I am pretty irked that the last few times I’ve gone…no bread!!! I would pay just to eat that bread. Give me the bread!

Jajangmyeon | $12.95

Is it time for me to compare the different black bean noodle restaurants in Hawaii? This dish is from Dowon Chinese Restaurant, it was alright. To me the sauce was a bit watered down and kind of sweet. A bit odd. I guess I gotta try On Dong again to compare. Also, I don’t know if they give it for dine in but when you order take out, they don’t give you the raw onions and black bean paste as a side. Boo.

Pan Fried Dumplings | $5.00

This is a funny story. I am usually the runner for food pick-ups in Chinatown. This time, my coworker helped do the run and boy did she get a sweat. I ordered pan fried dumplings from Heaven Chinese Noodle and BBQ Cafe. This place is a super hole in the wall Chinese place at the Chinese Cultural Plaza. And when you find it, it’s hit or miss if you are able to communicate with the staff. I gave an easy enough order, pan fried dumplings for $5.00. They go and ask my coworker how many dumplings. Like what??? How many pieces. So she’s texting me asking and I’m like…whatever comes in that order? I was so confused. I think they eventually said it’s 5 pieces, okay that works great. She got super flustered because they weren’t that friendly too lol.

Anyway, the dumplings were really good and they ended up giving I think 7 dumplings so thank you. I really enjoy their food, very home cooking kine and their prices are good! If you’re curious where they are, they are right next to Royal Kitchen.

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Recipe: Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Apr12

I eat broccoli all the time and after a while, I get tired of the same old roasted broccoli. I saw this recipe on TikTok and wanted to try it because I always love how the vegetables are made in Chinese restaurants but I never made them myself before. I love this, it’s super savory and flavorful and chock full of garlic. I adjusted this recipe for my own needs since I buy the big bag of broccoli from Sam’s/Costco. I also probably add way more garlic.

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

2-3 lb Broccoli (I get the ready to use bags from Costco/Sam’s Club)

2 T neutral oil

2 t salt (for boiling broccoli)

3 T minced garlic (I used a whole head of garlic lol)

6 T oyster sauce

3 T shaoxing wine

¾ C Water

Cornstarch slurry: 3 t + 3 t water

Directions:

Steam the broccoli to your liking. I boil it in a big pot of salted water for about 2-3 minutes, I don’t want the broccoli too soft. Drain broccoli from water and set aside.

Heat up oil and garlic until fragrant in a pan, no need to brown the garlic. Add the oyster sauce, shaoxing wine and water and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry and stir immediately, take pan off the heat. Pour the sauce over the steamed broccoli, mix and serve!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Apr7

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

Just wanted to share a new dish I tried at Chengdu Taste, not new for their menu just new for me. It was pretty good. It’s a pure spectacle to see each piece of meat or vegetable on a skewer. It comes with plenty of that “soup” but unless you like burn a hole in your tummy, I wouldn’t eat it over rice. I tried, I couldn’t hack it. Good dish though! Got a good mixture of vegetables, chicken and quail eggs.

Poke Nachos | $17.95

Aloha Cones started offering up Poke Nachos so I treated my brothers to lunch there. Gotta support local but also look at the price. LOL, I’m a broken record about price. What I will say is…they give a good portion and I am pretty sure they fry the chips fresh when you order it. They really enjoyed the dish and I guess this is the running price for poke now so I guess I would recommend!

Guava & Cream Pie ($2.19 for 1 | $3.19 for 2)

Hawaii McDonald’s has a limited time Guava & Cream Pie and it was all over social media so of course I had to try. The day I wanted to try it, all the locations close to me were sold out. I think they make a batch for the day and when they’re out, they’re out. So I went to a location and sent my brother in to buy it. I’ve had bad luck with online ordering sometimes and I didn’t want to order it online and then get there and get told no more. Well instructions were misunderstood and he picked up 4 pies instead of the 2 I wanted. Ha! Anyway, so how was it? Pretty good. Like a guava cheesecake! And I may be in the minority on this but I actually like baked pies, more so than fried pies.

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