Tag Archive | Japanese Food

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Honolulu, HI

Jul21

This might sound like an exaggeration but I don’t think I’ve been to Hokkaido Ramen Santouka for over a decade. I know for sure I haven’t been there since the pandemic and we’re already 5 years from that. Santouka never went down in quality but when I used to go, they were super super busy. I guess at a certain point, I didn’t feel like it was worth the wait and also tend to visit restaurants I can make online reservations at. Well, I’ve been hankering for some good ramen lately and decided to go on a weekday lunch break and take my chances. There were people dining in the restaurant but we got seated right away!

Toroniku Shio Ramen | $16.80

Toroniku Karamiso Ramen (Small) | $16.30

B Lunch Set (3 pc Gyoza & Salmon Ikura Rice Bowl) | $6.99

I loved that they have a lunch set! And I also love that you can size down or up your ramen bowl – so I downsized my ramen to get the set (yes, I bodied it all). It was SOOO good. The ramen was perfect cooked and seasoned. The gyoza tasted house-made and was grilled perfectly crispy and the rice? Oh the rice, high quality white rice with perfectly seasoned fresh salmon and ikura. It was just a perfect set. I mean, I am sitting here thinking about my next trip already. Gotta drag Chan here lol. So good!

Spam Musubi Rating:

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Mixed Plate Friday

Jul11

TKG Sauce Packets

Sorry, I’m late to post this. I wasn’t late on the trend but just late to post lol. I was lucky because my cousin actually went to Japan and bought me this whole pack to try before it arrived in Hawaii (and got sold out in like a day). I love TKG rice – I don’t know how they do this. Is the “yolk” part real yolk? How is it shelf stable? I was surprised when they were able to import it here. Have you folks tried it yet?

It looks just like the ketchup and mustard packets Japan made famous years and years ago

Hmmm…

Hmmm…!

Verdict? Ehhh…to me, it doesn’t taste like TKG rice lol. I’m trying to pinpoint what it does taste like but I can’t quite think of it right now. It tastes okay but like I’m not a huge fan. I gave the rest to Chan so he can have quick meals with this. I don’t think I would buy it if I saw it, I rather eat fresh TKG rice!

Spam Musubi Rating:

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Kaiseki Sanga – Las Vegas, NV

Jun30

Kaiseki Sanga is a omakase restaurant that Chan was really excited to try. Unfortunately, this was at the peak of Chan’s food poisoning spell. This restaurant is one that requires a deposit to make the reservation and there is a fee if you don’t cancel with at least 24 hours notice. So…we had a big dilemma. What ended up happening was Chan’s friend and I decided to go dinner to avoid the fees and explained to them about our third diner being out. The restaurant was very nice and understanding about it but wished that we had given them an earlier heads up and just requested that we go for the alcohol pairing and didn’t charge the no-show fee. I don’t drink alcohol but Chan’s friend could definitely do it up, he enjoyed every thoughtful sake pairing they had! The cost of the kaiseki was $250 per person.

The night’s spread before the meal started – yes, you already know this meal will be pricey…

Amuse
Amadai (Tilefish), Hokkaido Uni, Tofu Skin

Appetizer
Sakura Mochi with Ma Tai / Kani Chawanmushi / Hataru Squid / Hotate / Cuttlefish with Miso

Soup
Cherry Salmon, Goma Tofu, Edamame

Sashimi
Aka Ebi with Caviar, Chu Toro, Hirame

Grill
Sawara, Bamboo Shoots

Turf
Wagyu, Iberico Pork

Akami

Ma Aji

Wagyu

Anago

Otoro

Negitoro with Uni

Red Miso Soup

Dessert
Strawberry Ice Cream and Warabi Mochi

Matcha Tea

All in all, it was a wonderful meal. I did however miss Chan too much to enjoy it, really wished he could be with us to enjoy it. It is a bit pricey but I guess you are paying for the high quality imports from Japan. It’s a very small restaurant, just enough seats at the main bar to serve maybe 10 people or less? I can see why they have to be serious about no-shows. Would love to experience this place with Chan one day in the future!

Spam Musubi Rating:

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Mixed Plate Friday

Jun27

I saw this sign the other week and thought it was so funny and oddly specific. It’s like this place had it UP TO HERE with Nan, Inc. vehicles in particular and had a special sign made for them. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Tuna Mayo Omusubi | $2.49

Unagi Hijiki Omusubi | $3.99

I went to Marukai Wholesale Mart the other day and love to peruse the ready made food section – especially after work since they are marked down (I am Chinese after all). I was super excited to try these musubis because I think they are made with a special rice and you even have to get the fresh nori from the cashier as you pay. The tuna mayo musubi was basic, exactly what you would expect. The unagi unfortunately was a bit of a bummer for me. The mixed rice was a bit mushy and sweet for my taste and the unagi was just okay. I probably wouldn’t get this again.

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Fukuya Delicatessen | Moilili, HI

Jun25

Now that it’s summer time, I am more willing to venture out to various places because I know traffic won’t be a nightmare. Don’t you love summer? Less people, less traffic. I am a total introvert. Anyway, Fukuya Deli is located close to my work place but I hardly go because it’s always so crowded. Well, lazy me didn’t think to just park on the road. Why do I stress about parking in their lot? I’m so crazy. I go to work early anyway so I can go right when they open.

Medium Mixed Sushi | $8.20

Got this to share with some coworkers, ate a maki sushi and cone sushi myself. Was okay, nothing special.

Hot Dog Roll (lol) | $7.40

Of course I bought the hot dog roll cause I’m crazy. I didn’t even know they include a piece of spam in it? How funny. Fun to try but wouldn’t get it again.

2x Chow Fun | $7.50
1 Fried Chicken Thigh | $3.75
1 Spicy Tofu Stir- fry | $3.30
1 Nishime | $3.30

My first lunch plate – was good. I always gotta try the chow fun at the different delicatessens. I think what inspired the visit was someone bringing chow fun to a gathering and me trying to figure out where it was from. The chow fun is pretty on-par with Toshi’s. I liked the tofu stir-fry a lot and I love nishime – they do it well, the vegetables are nice and soft but not mushy.

1 Fried Noodles | $3.75
1 Chow Fun | $3.75
1 Nori Fried Chicken | $4.25
1 Ahi Burger | $4.00
1 Spicy Tofu Stir-fry | $3.30
1 Nishime | $3.30

Second lunch plate – this time I wanted to try the fried noodles to see if they were good. They were! The nori chicken is good but mochiko chicken has never been a favorite. I got the tofu and nishime again cause I like it! It’s a delicatessen so it’s pricey as usual but oh! I almost didn’t talk about it but the ahi burger is so good! Nicely seasoned and so soft, I would definitely get the ahi burger again!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Jun6

Kamamalu Market Spam Musubi

This is my lesson in…just because it’s on social media doesn’t mean it’s good. This may be a controversial opinion since the ratings on Yelp are so high for this place and their spam musubi but it was not good. It’s just plain spam musubi. The spam I think is full sodium so no thanks already and there is no seasoning to the spam…so what am I missing here? I got the regular and the spam and egg one – both were just whatever. I mean, I make better musubi at home (sorry). Would not recommend.

Toshi’s Delicatessen & Restaurant | $18.70

I’ve expressed my love for Toshi’s in the past and will continue to do so. They have great food and I love that’s it run by hardworking folks but I definitely could not afford to eat here regularly. I’ll just continue to do my random check-ins when I have time and money lol.

This plate includes 2x chow fun, 1x veggie stirfy, 1 shoyu chicken thigh, 1 hot dog (lol). This was almost $20 – whew. But as always, I love the old school wrapping and we just don’t have shops like this anymore. Gotta keep them in business!!

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Mixed Plate Friday

May9

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?

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Ringer Hut – Ala Moana, HI

Apr2

Quick post today! I already posted about Ringer Hut before so Chan and I do come here once in a while. See previous post here. It’s a good casual sit-down restaurant. The food and service is good and they bring out the food pretty fast!

5 pc Karaage | $10.00

Our favorite appetizer, these are huge pieces of chicken so I think it’s worth the $10.00 price tag! You might be tempted to get the 10 piece but don’t, the 5 piece is PLENTY. Moist and juicy with a wonderful crust, delicious!

Spicy Karamaro Champon | $19.50
spicy, tantanmen taste

Spicy Saraudon | $18.50

Do I regret getting the spicy version? A little bit. Don’t tell Chan. This has somehow become my go-to dish, though I think I would like to try their tempura don next time. It looks so good and they give huge pieces of tempura! This dish is like a Chinese crispy chow mein dish, slathered in thick gravy. Delicious!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Mar28

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.

Homemade Udon Salad

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!

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Alii Fish Market – Moilili, HI

Mar24

I’ve seen various social media posts about Alii Fish Market and even tried a bit of their poke at a party once but never got to experience it myself. Since last week was Spring Break, I was willing to venture off campus for lunch due to decreased traffic and better parking options when I return! Alii Fish Market is located in…and correct me if I’m wrong, old stadium mall? It’s the one with Kozo Sushi, Aloha Vietnamese Foods, Golden Eagle Chinese Restaurant. It used to house Sweet Home Cafe before it closed too…oh and Tori Ton! Anyway, Alii is nowhere you would expect but it’s definitely in the same lot…just more towards the Young Street side.

Well let me just say, why did it take so long for me to come here?? Oh my gosh. How good was it? I came two days in a row lol. I first came with my co-workers and got take out for lunch. The next day I was going to have lunch with Chan in downtown and offered to do a pick-up here for him and his colleagues and they all jumped at the chance. So yeah, get ready for a long post…but man the poke here is so fresh and their prices are crazy good. Support local folks! And!! When I came the first time, it was just us in the store and the staff were so so so nice to us. The chef kept giving us suggestions and let us try the different pokes…it was really nice. And like Aunty said, being nice matters!

Clockwise from top: Spicy Creamy Garlic Ahi x2 ($10, 1/2 lb each), Smoked Shoyu Ahi x 2 ($13, 1/2 lb each), Ginger Ahi ($10, 1/2 lb), Spicy Hawaiian ($10, 1/2 lb), and Limu Ahi ($10, 1/2 lb)

Spicy Lomi Ahi (1/2 lb) | $10.00

All the pokes are good, forreal. I actually bought the spicy creamy garlic ahi myself which goes very well with sushi rice (which they have!) and some Korean seasoned nori (which the chef gave us for free – he asked if we were eating now and gave it to us!). This is the spicy lomi ahi, this was very good too, my coworker was nice enough to share a taste with me. For the lomi version, they cut the ahi up more negi style, tastes great!!!

Filet A Fish Market Sandwich | $10.00
buttered bun, fresh fish katsu, takuan tartar sauce, cheddar, local tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise

I feel a bit bad because I am sharing two sandwiches which will probably not be in season when you read this. But hey, I HAD to share it. This fish sandwich was SOOO good. And I don’t know if you can tell but they give you two huge pieces of fish katsu. The takuan tartar sauce is good and different. I enjoyed it a lot! And $10?? Way worth it! If you see this on the menu and love this kind sandwich, GET IT.

Teri Ribeye Beef Sandwich | $12.00
buttered bun, cheddar, local sweet onions, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise

Here is my sandwich on day 2 lol. Again, another sandwich you probably wouldn’t get but it was DELICIOUS. I’m not usually a teri beef kind of gal because it’s usually hard to chew but I was intrigued by ribeye. Well, I was not disappointed…it was delicious! Great flavor and the buttered bun, for both, you can definitely taste the butter. $12 is a great deal too!

Truffle Cheese Fries | $7.00

Good truffle flavor but a bit too greasy and oily for my taste. The fries come with sandwiches so it’s probably not on the menu unless they carry sandwiches again! I actually got the fries with the fish sandwich so I just felt like it was too much fried food for one meal you know?

Poke Yaki Onigiri – Spicy | $5.00

I didn’t get this but all the diners who got this raved about it…and it absolutely remains crispy even though it is sitting out under a heat lamp since it’s pre-made. They have poke inside that’s cooked but remains soft and melt-your-mout kine goodness. Recommend!

Unagi Musubi with Wasabi Aioli | $5.00

This is probably one of my all time favorites. The unagi is wonderfully seasoned and soft, not bony like it can be sometimes. Works so well with the wasabi aioli. This must be a popular one because it was completely sold out when I tried to get it the second day. I highly suggest you utilize their online ordering located on their website! Highly recommended!

AFM Fish Patty Musubi | $4.00

Another favorite of mine. The name and look of it, not too impressive right? Wrong. The fish patty is nicely seasoned, a little bit sweet and the fish patty is moist! Not pressed too hard, no bony bits…and no real filler. It’s the perfect size musubi, didn’t think I would like it this much but I do! Recommended!

Smoked Fried Noodles (10 oz) | $7.00

Good fried noodles but nothing special, and no particularly strong smoked taste either. Good enough to get since I enjoy noodles but again, nothing special.

Ahi Patties | $15.00
Add Sauce | $1.50

Chan got this pack to share with everyone and I got to try a patty. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with it’s smothered in sauce right? But I suspect this is the same patty they use in the musubi so I think it would be good either way but don’t quote me on that.

I didn’t get a picture but got to try the Sesame Garlic Fried Ahi Belly, that was just okay. They bread it and fry it up and then smother it in sauce (imagine Zippy’s Korean Fried Chicken) so to me…it was just okay. The ahi was dry and a bit of a chew which I don’t equate to how belly should taste. I would pass on that one.

All in all, Alii is winnahs! I would definitely return, their hours are a bit hard for me to…10AM – 3PM everyday but Tuesdays (closed). When you’re there, make sure you check out the snacks and sides in the cases! I got a container of chili garlic peanuts which our friends seemed to enjoy a lot!

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