Mixed Plate Friday

Just a super cute gift I got from my coworker for Girl’s Day! Isn’t this so cute and thoughtful??

Bi Bim Kook Soo | $14.49

I got this from Yummy Korean BBQ – the Moanalua Shopping Center location. To me it was pretty good! Everything was seasoned perfect so I enjoyed this a lot! One of the better take-out bibimkooksoo dishes I’ve had in a while!

Air-fried Roast Pork

Did you know you could make chinese style roast pork in an air fryer? I didn’t. Okay, well I’ve never made chinese roast pork ever in my life but take a look at this! Look at the skin and how crispy it is! I don’t have a recipe lol but it was delicious!

Recipe: Easy Beef Bulgogi Meatballs

Super short post – another TikTok recipe! Super easy and I used Halm’s Hawaiian BBQ Bar-B-Que for the seasoning which made it even easier!!! The meatballs are good, a little sweet for my taste but that’s what happens when I use the pre-made sauce but well, that’s what makes this easy right?

Easy Beef Bulgogi Meatballs (adapted from Two Plaid Aprons)

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1.5 cups Halm’s Hawaiian BBQ Bar-B-Que sauce
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
2-3 stalks green onion thinly sliced (plus more for garnish)
1/2 teaspooon cracked black pepper
Toasted sesame seed optional for garnish


Instructions
Make and assemble the meatballs:
In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, 1 cup of the Hawaiian BBQ Bar-B-Que sauce, finely chopped onion, breadcrumbs, green onion, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Using a 1 inch cookie scoop or a tablespoon (I used a heaping T), portion mixture into 1 inch meatballs. You should get about 40 meatballs. Then, round out the meatballs by rolling each between your palms.

Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a sheet pan lined with foil.
Arrange the meatballs on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, generously brush each meatball with the remaining 1/2 cup of Hawaiian BBQ Bar-B-Que sauce. Return the meatballs into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the meatball is cooked through with the internal temperature registering 160°F and the the sauce on the outside is sticky.

Mixed Plate Friday

Steamed Tapioca Pearl Dumplings Stuffed with Peanut Pork

I know nothing about this dish. All I know is it was delicious and I would probably never attempt to make it, I found it at Lao Asian Market and would absolutely get it again.

Vietnamese Steamed Dumplings | $11.95
marinated shrimp, pork and onions wrapped into a thin layer of tapioca flour dough, then steamed – served with special House fish sauce

Absolutely banger of a dish from Bac Nam – I don’t see these dumplings in a lot of Vietnamese restaurant menus so I was ecstatic to try it! They did not disappoint.

Braised Mackerel with Radish

I don’t have much information on this. I got it from Palama Supermarket and ate it hot with some white rice at home. It really hit the spot, a real comfort dish.

Jagalchi – Ala Moana, HI

Vicki, this post is for you. Well it’s for everyone but especially for Vicki. I got to check out the new Jagalchi last weekend and well, it’s nothing like the old one. Starting from the complete renovation to the complete menu rehaul. Same name, completely different restaurant. In fact, I don’t think the Yelp page should be featuring both restaurants you know? It’s not the same at all!

This restaurant is going to be known for their great seafood, I was told that they get their fresh fish straight from Korea. Wowow, so how was the food? Let’s take a look!

Sashimi Salad (free!)

Since they are new, I think they are letting customers taste different dishes! This dish included the fresh fish flown in from Korea. Oh it was delicious. We mixed it together and let the cabbage marinate a bit in the sauce…the fish was great quality and the crunchy veggies were perfect.

Banchan | cabbage salad and japchae

Both were great! I really enjoyed the japchae! Perfectly cooked and seasoned. The noodles were nice and chewy and I loved that it had a strong black pepper taste. Yum!

Half Jokbal (pig’s feet) | $28.00

Vicki – they have bossam here! But I had bossam the other day and reacted poorly to the raw oysters so I didn’t want to risk it this night. The jokbal was good…I even ate the raw veggies! I definitely want to try the bossam next time though!

Haemulpajun (Seafood Pancake) | $25.00

Oh man, this might be the winning dish of the night. Fresh off the heat, nice and crispy – nicely fried and seasoned great. We ate it up lol.

Pork Kimchi Soondubu | $18.00

Yes, the pictures are a bit pink in hue but this soup really was this red in person. Whew. Was it spicy? Small kine. I tell you what, had plenty MSG. Haha we were thirsty all night but that means it tasted great! Can’t wait to try their other soups and stews.

All in all, it was a great experience! Great service and great food. I would definitely return. The only sad thing was that they are currently only open for dinner, wish I could try this place with co-workers. Give them a try!

Yu Chun Korean Restaurant – Ala Moana, HI

Looking for a good naengmyun? Look no further, gotta try the OG place! Yu Chun Korean Restaurant, and can you believe it, I have never been here before this visit. The Yelp reviews could certainly deter you. We came early, brought cash and made sure we left tip (lol). The service was super good so the tip would have happened anyway! The food was good! A little on the pricey side for me. I guess I would be good with just buying the supermarket package and making it at home, but no one can make the broth the nice icy slush they do!

Daikon and White Kimchee – they also ask if you want regular kimchee!

Black Noodle in Iced Soup | $16.95 (ala carte price)

Black Noodle with Spicy Sauce | $16.95 (ala carte price)

This one was my dish, it’s like a bibimnaengmyun. It was super good and they actually gave me a small bowl of the regular naengmyun slush broth on the side too. I poured it into my noodles and it tasted great.

Kalbi | $35.95 (!)

We actually ordered the combo set which comes with two black noodle dishes and the meat of your choice. Who wouldn’t choose kalbi? But the set comes out to $54.95. Not bad considering the ala carte prices yeah?

The parking lot is pretty tight and they share it with I think two other businesses. We came right when they opened so we got parking no problem. Would I return? Ehhh…probably not soon. Price tag is a bit steep but the food is good!

Mixed Plate Friday

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!

Hormone Dedesuke – Ginza, Japan

One of the goals in Japan was to try some good A5 Wagyu. We were hungry and just trying to find a restaurant for dinner and stumbled upon Hormone Dedesuke. We weren’t sold on it initially and did a lot of back and forth before we finally went in. I’m glad we did, it turned out great! Pricey but it’s A5 wagyu, what do you expect??

Our waitress was a nice young lady from the Phillippines so her English was great. Whew. They have a wagyu set you can choose but I would opt against it, you don’t get to choose what cuts of meat the kitchen gives you. She basically pointed at the good ones and said don’t expect that if you order the set. So yeah, we went ala carte on our own. One thing I didn’t love, the service charge? Sitting fee? Service charge? This was the only restaurant we encountered that.

Yay for vegetables. The only veggies to be grilled are the corn, asparagus and mushrooms. Yup, you eat the big hunking chunks of cabbage raw. It was fine. It was seasoned with sesame oil and salt and pepper. I liked it.

Beef Tongue (unsure if this was A5 lol, kidding) | ¥1800

The tongue was good. But I don’t think I’ve had bad tongue (that’s what she said).

Flap Meat | ¥2420

Oh yum, first of the A5 courses. Delicious. Yup, you grill it yourself. I laugh cause the sign looks like it says flop meat. LOL.

A5 Sirloin | ¥4800

I gotta say, I would never choose a sirloin over other cuts but I think the sirloin was my favorite cut of the night. It was so good. I mean all the meats were melt in your mouth kine tender but this one just had a special touch.

A5 Rib Roast | ¥4800

Look at the hunk of fat you use to I guess season the grill, mmmm. I liked that they included wasabi, it was a nice topper to cut into the richness of the meat. They give dipping sauces, it’s very similar to Korean BBQ sauces.

Bibimbap | ¥1300

This might sound silly but dang this bibimbap was good. Like, maybe one of my favorites I have ever had of all time. Crazy right. I just loved the seasoning and vegetables they used. It was just…made perfect. I loved it. I’ll dream about it. I had weird cravings during this trip, because TMI, I was PMSing. 🙂 Meal well enjoyed!

Recipe: Cowboy Butter

What is cowboy butter you ask? I don’t know. I saw this video on TikTok and it’s just been on my mind. It’s just a sauce you can serve up with your main protein. I bet it would work well with any protein! I served it up with rib eye steak. How was your thanksgiving? We don’t really do turkey, we’ve never been a huge fan of turkey anyhow. So yeah, I bought a few sides from Sam’s Club and a thing of rib eye steaks. I bought a thing of spinach and made it Korean style (just garlic, sesame oil and salt). It was a pretty easy meal to make and was enjoyed by all! A lot!

From clockwise from top right: spinach banchan, twice-baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rib eye steaks, cowboy butter!!

Yeah, the steak is still super pink inside. That’s how okay? SO GOOD. I only salt and peppered the steak and pan fried it for about 2 minutes on each side.

Cowboy Butter

Ingredients

12 T Butter

1 lemon, juice and zest

1 T dijon mustard

1 t cayenne

2 t paprika

8-10 garlic cloves, minced

2 T Chives, minced

2 t thyme, minced

2 tsp chili flakes

4 T fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat pan over low heat and melt butter, lemon juice, dijon mustard, cayenne, paprika, lemon zest, garlic and whisk together. Melting and cooking slowly over low heat (this is to help the butter keep mostly thick and not turning quickly to fat) – about 5 minutes.

Add chives, thyme, chili flakes and parsley and cook together for about 3-5 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to your tastes. Serve up as a side sauce to some great grilled steaks!

Frog House Restaurant – Waikiki, HI

Bear with me. I know the name of this restaurant is very odd but they do not only serve frogs. Do they serve frogs? They must to have this name. Frog House Restaurant has been around quite a while, I tried it once years and years ago and wasn’t impressed so I haven’t been back. Well, I had a hankering for bossam last week and my favorite restaurant Jagalchi closed down (MAJOR BUMMER) so I had to find another restaurant to fill the void. It is not easy finding a good bossam place you know! I think this post will probably be mostly for V. LOL.

By the way, this place has horrendous parking. There are a few stalls fronting the restaurant and they are right next to a noodle shop which I no like even name but there is the word Joy in it and they seem anything but. I was trying for park in front and was having hard time, just as my friend was going to ask Frog if we can park there, I see the “joy” lady screaming and yelling at me from her restaurant and gesturing me to go somewhere else. I couldn’t hear her cause she was inside her restaurant with the door closed. She looked so mad. And you know what? What if I was trying for go her restaurant? Well I won’t ever go now.

Anyway, I found out the parking is in the back of the building for Frog and it’s a very tight lot with tandem spots so basically, you will always be blocked in. They know this so as you’re leaving, the waitress will either help you manuever out or ask the other diners to move their cars.

I judge a Korean restaurant by the quality of their banchan and they did not fail here. In fact, their banchan reminded me of Jagalchi’s banchan in its heyday. Near the end, they were giving less and less banchan and with no variety.

From top to bottom, steamed egg (so savory and soft), choy sum, fishcake, bean sprouts. All four items were marinated to the max, no blandness here!

I also judge a Korean restaurant by their kimchee. Frog has some good kimchee, both cucumber and wonbok. I liked these potatoes, it’s the sweet shoyu one. Cooked perfect, not too soft but not hard at all. All three seasoned wonderfully.

Spicy Beef and Vegetable Soup Lunch Special | $12.95

Not my dish but I got to give it a try. So good. They give really good amount of meat and fill it up with all the good veggies (fern, beansprouts, etc.). A nice helping of long rice. I would absolutely order this myself next time.

Korean Sausage Soup Lunch Special | $12.95

I always go for the blood sausage. I know, not everyone can handle this. In fact, this soup not only included the blood sausage, it included all kind intestine and either sliced pig ear or some kind of cartiledge. I enjoyed it but it’s not for the faint of heart. I would get the yukkaejjang next time though this soup was good!

Oysters & Steamed Pork | $34.95

The dish you have been waiting for (well V). The biggest difference so far? The pork. Jagalchi used to make the pork in a nice soy/coffee broth so the pork always looked so nice and brown and juicy. This one, just looks so white and bland yeah? The wonbok “wraps” had a bit of a vinegary taste. The daikon mixture, gosh it was missing the chinese chives that Jagalchi used to use.

In the end, I think it was still a good dish but here is my warning, but I think it was just me. And sorry for the TMI, but I got major stomach problems (ahem) right after lunch. I’m talking, all afternoon kine. I’m talking, I didn’t ask for a full body cleanse but certainly got it kine. But my dining companion seemed to react with it fine so it really could just be me. I have had bad reactions to raw oysters before. Eat at your own risk.

ALSO, the waitress working in the restaurant is SO NICE. Very sweet, seems like a small family owned place and I really liked how homey the restaurant felt and how homey the dishes cooked felt. Reminded me a lot of Jagalchi. Also, I love that each table has a button/buzzer so you can call for help when needed. And small thing but I liked that she brings every table a pitcher of water. It’s the little details.

Mixed Plate Friday

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.