Koi Catering & Takeout – Kalihi, HI

I coordinated a lunch order with Koi Catering & Takeout last week and they must have had a heyday with me. I called constantly to change and add orders in but each time they picked up the phone, they were nice as could be. I really appreciate great customer service. When we went to pick up the food, the cashier was sweet as pie too! We were running late with lunch this day so I wasn’t able to take much pictures of the food. I hope to return there soon so maybe I’ll have more pictures then! The food was good. I got the wrong dish so I definitely have to go back and try one of their ahi plates, I heard that was good. I originally wanted the mushroom chicken but they were out of it so I had to get the pork chops, it wasn’t a good choice for this order.

140604-02It doesn’t look THAT bad but it really wasn’t good. It was overcooked and dry, I was disappointed.

140604-01Steak and Portabello Mushroom Salad – looks GOOD ah? My coworker loved it, I’m pretty sure she did because she cleaned it out!

Taste of Manoa – Manoa, HI

Every semester, UH Manoa holds a Taste of Manoa festival. It’s great because they offer up $1 plates and the plates are very generous! They held one about two weeks ago in conjunction with the opening of the new recreation center. It was super crowded but I loved seeing the new recreation center, it took a while but I think everything looks great now!

The dishes they had were pretty good, but I ended up doubling up on a few because I didn’t like the soup or dessert. I’ll share two highlights! I forgot to take a picture of the chili cheese dog – that was good too!  Full size!

140425-01Mahi Puttanesca Bruschetta with Island Greens and Citrus Vinaigrette
Pretty good and the fish was cooked perfectly!

140425-02Deep Fried Garlic Pork Ribs with Asian Slaw
Look at that! Only $1! Seriously, a great deal. And surprisingly, I enjoyed the cole slaw again. Am I starting to like cole slaw in general? Uh oh…

Tango Contemporary Cafe – Honolulu, HI

If you know me, it would be no secret that I am a constant yelper. I’ve been a user of yelp for a few years now and I’ve learned how to decipher legit reviews and not so legit reviews. Generally, I agree with a lot of the reviewers but I can’t say I do with this one. Tango Contemporary Cafe is currently averaging a 3.5 star review, I think that’s pretty low! I would give this place 4 stars at minimum! I really hope people who had a bad initial experience gives it another shot!

140120-01I don’t know if we were just hungry or what but the bread was so good. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and a big ball of butter. There’s nowhere to go wrong.

140120-02Garlic Herb Grilled Sterling Silver Pork Chop – my friend Kristian had this dish. He LOVED it. He said the pork was cooked perfectly, delicious and tender. Wish I had a better picture to share!

140120-03Mustard Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb – my dish and it was delicious as always. Oh man, compared to what I just ate for dinner…I am drooling at this picture. Perfectly cooked and seasoned – no complaints!

140120-04Kona Coffee Ice Cream Cake. Our favorite dessert. When we ordered it, they thought we were sharing one. We had to correct them immediately and get another slice (lol). This dessert is so good. There is a slight bitterness in the cake due to the coffee but it’s offset but the chocolate sauce and fruit on the side. We pretty much cleaned off every plate. 🙂