Foodology
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Hawaii

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In Cafe

Nana’s Green Tea: Matcha Drinks and Soft Serve in Waikiki

Inside Yokocho Gourmet Alley in Waikiki is Nana’s Green Tea, a Japanese Tea House that specializes in tea-based drinks and desserts. Vancouver has one opening up very soon, but when we were in Waikiki, we had to come for a treat and enjoy the air conditioning inside the building.

At first the shop was a bit hard to find, but we eventually found it in the centre with the fake cherry blossoms.

Iced Uji Cha

This green tea is iced and isn’t sweet, which is great because it was refreshing and went well with the sweet soft serve. I highly recommend it if you want something to cool down from the hot Waikiki weather.

Hojicha Soft Serve with Warabimochi

My friend ordered the hojicha soft serve in a cone and you can eat it with a spoon. Great depth of tea flavour in the soft serve and that warabimochi went so well with it.

Matcha Soft Serve Sundae

This has the matcha soft serve with red bean, rice flour dumplings and warabimochi. Great combinations of flavours and textures that don’t overshadow the matcha soft serve.

Final Thoughts

I really liked Nana’s in Waikiki and happy now that it’s open in Vancouver as well. You really can’t go wrong with Japanese soft serve ice cream. It’s great for the Summer and Winter. hahaha. If you’re ever in Waikiki, make sure to stop by for a taste of Japan.

Address:
2250 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI

Website:
http://www.nanasgreentea.com/

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In Cafe

Honolulu Coffee: Kona Coffee in Hawaii

Honolulu Coffee has been around since 1992 in downtown Honolulu. They have locations all around the world and there is one in Vancouver that I’ve been to before, but when in Honolulu, I had to come here to see how it really supposed to be like.

Kona Coffee

When we first walked in, there is tons of Kona coffee packed and ready to take home. Given this is in Waikiki and right beside a hotel, a lot of people like to buy them and get them as gifts.

Gibraltar

This fancy drink comprised of a smooth espresso shot with milk, served with a glass of sparkling water and 3 espresso beans. I enjoyed it as the espresso used in it was great. I liked the addition of the sparkling water and espresso beans.

Final Thoughts

It was a good stop in the morning for some coffee before we went to our next eating adventure on this Hawaiian vacation. I definitly liked this a lot more than the location in Vancouver. Coffee here is really good and won’t disappoint. I would come back again.

We Rate Honolulu Coffee: 

Address:
2365 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI

Website:
https://www.honolulucoffee.com

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In Bakery

Kamehameha Bakery: Poi Glazed Donuts in Hawaii

Kamehameha Bakery is best known for their poi glazed donuts located right in Honolulu since 1978. We were told by several people to come here to check it out if we were in the area.

The interior there isn’t anything special but they do have lots and lots of pastries for sale.

Poi Glazed Donut

We grabbed one and it was a dollar each.

It looks brown on the outside with glaze, but when you bite into it, it’s purple like poi, which is taro stem. It was delicious and definitely hard to find elsewhere around the world as its a local specialty.

The next day, we were on a tour around the island and tour included some poi glazed donuts from Kamehameha Bakery. Not a bad thing to have it twice on our trip to Hawaii.

If you’re close by, I would suggest it as it makes for a nice sweet treat in Hawaii.

We Rate Kamehameha Bakery: 

Address:
1284 Kalani St, Honolulu, HI

Address:
http://www.kamehamehabakeryhi.com/

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In BBQ

Helena’s Hawaiian Food: Must Visit in Hawaii

Helena’s Hawaiian Foods in Honolulu is a must for locals and visitors since 1946. In 2000, the James Beard Foundation awarded Helena’s Hawaiian Food the Regional Classic Award, which is awesome. Everyone told me to come here, so we made it a mission to visit when we were here. They aren’t open Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, so you have to be aware of that before visiting.

We visited on a Friday morning and there were no line ups. We were seated promptly and given menus and water. The atmosphere is very casual and has the Hawaiian hospitality.

Menu

Kalua Pig

The kalua pig was shredded and it was deliciously smoked and had a lot of moisture as it is served with the drippings.

Poi

Poi is the stem of taro and a Polynesian staple. It is crushed and then left to ferment. We heard that most people don’t like the taste, but we had to try it for ourselves. The initial taste was good and earthy but then the sour taste from the fermentation lingered for a little bit. It was like eating kombucha.

Short Ribs Pipikaula Style

At first we didn’t order, but they insisted we order it as its one of the most popular items on the menu and we were glad we did. it was deliciously marinated and tender. So much flavour.

Fried Butterfish Collar

This was another must! Moist in the centre and super crisp. So damn addictive. I would highly recommend this too.

Haupia

Haupia is a traditional coconut milk-based Hawaiian dessert made, essentially a coconut pudding. It came served with raw onions. I tried it together but was a weird combination for myself. If you stick with just the haupia, you’ll be ok.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed Helena’s as the prices are good, food is tasty, and I liked the casual friendly vibe. My favourite items were the fried butterfish collar, short ribs, and kalua pig. If you’re in Honolulu, you need to make a stop here. Just remember to bring cash as it’s cash only.

We Rate Helena’s Hawaiian Cuisine: 

Address:
1240 N School St, Honolulu, HI

Website:
https://www.helenashawaiianfood.com/index.html

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In Hawaii

$1 Beer at Shirokiya Japan Village Walk in Honolulu

Inside Shirokiya Japan Village Walk on the bottom floor of Ala Moana Center is $1 beer all day. We were walking around around all morning and afternoon, so we decided to take a little break and sit down. To our discovery, they have $1 beer specials. We had no idea what type of beer they serve, but apparently it rotates. The day I was here, they had a lager from Primo Brewing Company, a Hawaiian beer company.

Just follow the signs and you’ll find the central bar with all the glasses and taps.

$1 Beer

This pale lager from Primo Brewing Company is very light and refreshing like a Pabst Blue Ribbon. It goes very well with the Japanese food in the Shirokiya Japan Village Walk, especially deep-fried foods. For $1, it’s not bad.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to make a special trip here just for $1 beer, but if you’re in the area, you can’t go wrong with the price.

Address:
1450 Ala Moana Blvd #1360, Honolulu, HI

Website: https://www.shirokiya.com/

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In Hawaii

Maguro Brothers: Sashimi, Poké bowls, and Sushi Bowls in Hawaii

Maguro Brothers Hawaii is a little shop inside Kekaulike Market in Honolulu. It’s a bit hard to find as you have to navigate your way through the market to find this stall. They are best known for their fresh sashimi and rice bowls. It is cash only, so make sure you have some with you.

Menu

Sashimi platter

We ordered the sashimi platter and they had various kinds, so we went with the $20 option that comes with 4 different sashimi. There was tako, hamachi, ahi and salmon. All of the sashimi was fresh and delicious, but it really depends where you come from. Being from the Vancouver, we really have a good variety of salmon, so I was more critical on their choice of salmon. Hamachi and the ahi were of course my favourites.

Their knife skills could have been a bit better or use a sharper knife, but now I’m just being picky.

Hawaiian Limu Ahi Poké Bowl

There is limu seaweed, salt, chili pepper, green onions, onion and sesame oil over rice. The delicious marinated mixture was really good. A little kick of heat with the chili peppers. I really like the limu seaweed as I’ve never had this before.

Chutoro Sushi Bowl

There are 6 pieces of chutoro, which is the cut of the tuna belly that is medium. It was really delicious over the sushi rice. There is also 2 pieces of tamago, ginger and wasabi.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the sushi bowls and poke bowls were delicious. I am so-so about the sashimi as I come from Vancouver, which has outstanding sashimi. If you are from a land-locked city, you’ll love what they have here.

We Rate Maguro Brothers: 

Address:
1039 Kekaulike St #113, Honolulu, HI

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In Food Carts

Fumi’s Kahuku Shimp: Butter Garlic Shrimp in Hawaii

Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp serves up freshly cooked shrimp adjacent to their farm. A lot of people frequent this stretch of highway for the variety of Kahuku shrimp sold by a lot of different food trucks. Giovanni’s is definitely the most popular option. Our tour guide took us to Fumi’s instead.

Seating Area

The seating area has rows of picnic tables to handle large amount of visitors.

Butter Garlic Shrimp

There are about 8 pieces of Kahuku Shimp, rice drench in the garlic butter sauce, pineapple and salad.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp

This is similar to the butter garlic shrimp, but with their spicy sauce. I loved it as it has a spicy kick and has loads of delicious garlic. The shrimp aren’t really large, but they were fresh and sweet.

Final Thoughts

The meals were filling and if you come from a place that doesn’t have fresh shrimp available, you’ll love Kahuku shrimp from the source.

We rate Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp: 

Address:
56-777 Kamehameha Hwy, Kahuku, HI

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In Hawaii

Aloha Circle Island Tour: Full Day Deluxe Circle Island Tour Review

We had 4 days in Honolulu, Hawaii and wanted a quick inexpensive tour to take us around the island of Oahu. I gravitated towards browsing on Groupon and stumbled upon the Full Day Deluxe Circle Island Tour by Aloha Circle Island Tour. It was 57% off plus an additional 20% from Groupon, so it was $52.80 before taxes. It has very good reviews, so we took a chance.

Purchasing the Groupon

Prior to purchasing, you should call them to ensure the dates you are looking for are available. When I called the date I had in mind was available and I can book over the phone, but they didn’t have the additional Groupon 20% discount, so as we were still on the phone, they waited patiently for me to purchase via Groupon. I provided them my confirmation code and they took my contact information. They will make sure you get an email and text as an official confirmation.

They will also mention their Pearl Harbour Tour, Ziplining and snorkeling tour, and the Dole Plantation Tour, but I said I wasn’t interested.

By the end of the call you should know the time and location for your pick up for the day of the tour you selected.

If you don’t want to call them, you can fill out a reservation form or use their live chat box on their website. I called because I wanted to get a hold of them right away.

Meeting Up

My meet up time was 7am at Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and they told us to show up 10 minutes earlier.  As it is an early morning, make sure you have everything ready and packed. They want you to make sure you have:

  • towel
  • swimsuit
  • dry clothes
  • beach bag
  • sunglasses
  • sunscreen
  • camera (underwater case for your cellphone to capture snorkeling adventures)
  • cash

We saw the vehicle and Uncle Anthony welcomed us and everyone else on the tour. There was around 27 of us on the bus.

Diamond Head Beach Lookout

It was a weekend and there was a cycling and running competition happening, so they closed the roads to the Diamond Head Beach Lookout. We missed this stop but Uncle Anthony made it up to us by taking us to a few extra stops along the way.

Hawaii Kai Scenic Lookout

At this quick stop, took a few photos for East Honolulu and Koko Crater. This scenic poiint is on Kalanaianaole Highway.

As we stopped, we got a taste of Taro Doughnuts from Kamehameha Bakery.

Hanauma Bay

The views here were unbelievably beautiful. Uncle Anthony told us a little bit about the area.

7 Eleven

A hilarious stop here to grab some beer and snacks. 7 Eleven is definitely different from North America. There is a lot of Hawaiian food and Japanese influenced snacks.

Halona Blowhole

This natural structure is made of molten lava thousands of years ago. When waves crash into the crevices, it shoots water up in the air creating the blowhole.

Uncle Anthony sang us Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of Over The Rainbow.

Macadamia Nut Tropical Farm

At this stop, we can take a look at a local Macadamia Nut farm and see it grow from a flower to the nut. We can have as many macadamia nut samples, cups of Kona Coffee and got to crack out own nuts.

Chinaman’s Hat

We are now on Oahu’s windward coast. This geological formation looks like a hat from China, this the name. Across the street where we were stopped is Maui’s hook.

Kahuku Shrimp at Fumi’s

It’s not Giovanni’s, but they still have very fresh shrimp and the truck is located adjacent to their farm. The most popular items are butter garlic shrimp and spicy garlic shrimp. The prices are higher at $13, but it was worth it. Make sure you bring cash as this is additional.

Sea Turtle Beach (Alii beach)

We got ample time to snorkel at this stop. We picked up out gear and headed down to the beach. As I am not a swimmer, I picked up a life jacket just in case.

Others were prepared with snorkeling shoes as the rocks hurt the bottoms of your feet. Also a waterproof iPhone case is good so you can take pictures and record video under the water. Or a waterproof go-pro is great as there were 2 sea turtles spotted in the waters.

Fruit stand at Kahuku Land Farms

You will see lots of fresh tropical fruits and banana lumpia. A lot of people bought cut fruit to get a taste. The banana lumpia was delicious!

We tried pineapple with Li Hing Mui Powder, a salty dried plum powder.

Dole Pineapple Plantation

A short visit was made here and we grabbed some dole whip and walked around the area. There is no time for the maze or train ride, but we weren’t interested in those activities.

The thing to do is get some dole whip and look at how pineapples grow. Since pineapples aren’t grown in Hawaii for export, it’s really just a tourist attraction.

End of Tour

We got back to our hotel around 3:30pm. The traffic was light, so we were back way before 5pm. The tour was worth the price that we paid. It hits most of the stops around the island. Uncle Anthony was a great guide, very enthusiastic and funny. The only downside is that some people on the tour found cockroaches on the bus that made its way into their bags. None of that happened to us as we weren’t carrying any food with us. Other that that, we didn’t have any issues.

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In Hawaii

Ramen Nakamura: Over Hyped Oxtail Ramen in Honolulu

Ramen Nakamura is known for their oxtail ramen. We came right in the morning when they opened to avoid any line ups, plus we were up early due to the time difference. When you look on the internet, a lot of people say their oxtail ramen is really good, so we came to see if it live up the the hype.

Interior

There isn’t a lot of space inside, but most of the seating is around the counter.

Menu

Oxtail ramen

We ordered the combo and it comes with gyoza and fried rice. 3 items for $23, which was a bit pricey in our opinion since ramen shouldn’t be so expensive. Nonetheless, it does use oxtail, so that isn’t a cheap ingredient.

There is a good amount of oxtail in the bowl. The oxtail was tough and wasn’t fall off the bone as anticipated. It didn’t retain much of the broths flavour and needed a bit of effort to take the meat off. There was also quite a bit of harder fat around some pieces as you can see in the photo. The broth was light and packed full of vegetables that it didn’t compliment the oxtail very well.

I think it would have been better if it was a richer spicier dish, but the both of us though this dish was over hyped. We couldn’t order this again.

Gyoza

The gyoza were pan-fried and comes with 3 pieces for the combo. They tasted ok, but didn’t wow us. A pretty standard gyoza.

Fried Rice

The fried rice came in a mound and was good with bits of pork, egg, and green onions.

Hakata Tonkotu Ramen

This bowl of ramen was a lot better in my opinion. It was slightly milky but it could have had more depth of flavour. It was cheaper too at $11.50.

Final Thoughts

There was definitely too much hype with their oxtail ramen. It could have been better executed and the flavours and tenderness were missing. I wouldn’t come back as there are other good ramen restaurants in Waikiki like Hokkaido Ramen Santouka.

We Rate Ramen Nakamura: 

Address:
2141 Kalakaua Ave #1, Honolulu, HI

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In Cafe

Musubi Cafe Iyasume in Waikiki: Spam Musubi, Poke and Rice Bowls

Musubi Cafe Iyasume is one of the top restaurants to eat in Waikiki. Located under the Aqua Pacific Monarch Hotel is this little cafe serving up musubi, a popular snack and lunch food in Hawaii. It is made up of a slice of Spam on top of rice, wrapped with seaweed. It is inexpensive and tastes great. It’s hard to find good musubi in North America, so when visiting Hawaii, this is a must have.

Interior

The cafe is narrow. One side is the area to order and the other half is seating. There isn’t too many seats but it looked like most people were taking to go. We came here twice on our trip and the first time we ate in the shop and then the last one was back at the hotel. Both times it wasn’t too busy here are we came in the evening around dinner time.

Menu

The menu is large but you will find poke, onigiri, musubi, rice bowls, and bento boxes. Everything is under $10 which is great.

Ordering

When you put in your order, you get an electronic device that buzzes when your order is ready. Then you know when your food is ready.

Spam Musubi

The classic spam musubi has spam with a teriyaki glaze with rice and seaweed. Even with the big mound of rice, the saltiness of the spam and teriyaki sauce work well with all that rice. The texture and heat of the rice was spot on.

Eel, egg, shiso leaf and spam musubi

This is one of the more deluxe musubi was delectable toppings. I loved the eel as it had a great flavour and melts in your mouth.

Bacon, egg, avocado, and spam musubi

Mmmmm bacon. The avocado adds a creamy texture to the musubi, but this makes for a great breakfast.

If you’re out and about, you can grab them to go as it’s all wrapped up in plastic wrap.

Ahi Poke Bowl

The Ahi Poke Bowl is made of tuna, sesame oil, soy sauce, onion and a bed of rice. I thought it was pretty good and not overly marinated. It is a tad salty, so you’ll need to eat it with a bite of rice.

Mini Eel Bowl

The mini bowls are a good size. It has rice, sauce, two pieces of eel, and one piece of tamago. I really enjoyed it.

Final Thoughts

You’ll definitely want to come here for the musubi, but don’t forget about their other items on the menu. If you want something small as well, try their mini bowls. The eel bowls, curry bowls, and poke are good too.

We Rate Musubi Cafe: 

Address:
2427 Kuhio Ave, Honolulu, HI

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/musubicafeiyasume/

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In Cafe

Kai Coffee Hawaii: Artisan Hawaiian coffee in Waikiki

Kai Coffee Hawaii has locations in Oahu – Downtown and Waikiki. We came here as it was recommended for good local coffee. We went to the Waikiki location inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel. We were up early and needed a kick of caffeine before starting the day.

In the morning there was a constant line but didn’t take too long. There are a few seats in the shop and then a few more tables outside.

What I like about this location is that there is an indoor waterfall which makes the atmosphere serene.

Piccolo

Piccolo is a latte popular in Sydney Australia, which is an espresso shot topped with steamed milk. This is essentially a mini latte. It was strong but delicious.

Kona Extra Fancy Pour Over

My friend got their Kona Extra Fancy as a pour over. It takes a little longer to make, but it is worth it to make the fruit and chocolate aromas shine. I tried a bit and I usually don’t like black coffee, but it the acidity is very well balanced so it goes down smooth.

They sell the beans in stores too, but since it is 100% pure Kona coffee beans, it is a bit pricey. Then again, it is locally grown, harvested and roasted so you are paying more for those qualities.

Final Thoughts

Kai Coffee is a great stop in the morning and I liked the variety of coffees they offer rather than just the handful of typical drinks. I loved hearing the sounds of the artificial waterfall hitting water as we enjoyed our coffees.

We rate Kai Coffee Hawaii: 

Address:
2424 Kalakaua Ave #129, Honolulu, HI

Website:
https://kaicoffeehawaii.com/

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In Event

“Coma Pa’ani” (Come Play with Us) in Kāʻanapali with Vancouver Magazine at PICA Recap

Last week, my friend Ross and I attended the “Come Pa’ani!” event held by Vancouver Magazine at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. The event showcased Hawaiian dishes created by two of Kāʻanapali’s top chefs and highlighted traveling to the beautiful island of Maui. Ross and I were greeted with kukui nut leis and a specialty cocktail created by Alessandro Rancan, bartender at Uva Wine and Cocktail Bar. The cocktail was called the “Joyride” and was made with Malfy Gin, Grand Marnier, coconut syrup, pineapple juice, lemon juice and cherry bitters. It was fruity and delicious. With island music softly playing in the background, lei around my neck and drink in hand, this definitely set the tone for the evening and brought me back to my trip to Maui.

Executive Sous Chef Chris Lederer of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, and Executive Chef Ikaika Manaku of The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas spoke proudly about Hawaiian food and how “Kāʻanapali is where it’s at” if you’re looking for Hawaii. Chef Ikaika expressed how he was privileged to communicate and teach us about the Hawaiian culture through our palate. According to Chef Ikaika, “Hawaiian food is not just Hawaiian food. It’s a melting-pot of all different cultures.” This is apparent when we tried the dishes, which included:

  • Pork and Ahi
  • Sous Vide Chorizo Spiced Tako (octopus)
  • Seared Beef Poke
  • Kanaka Stye Poutine
  • Tuna Poke
  • Açaí Bowl

I can personally attest to the cultural fusion of food in Hawaii from my past trips to the Oahu and Maui. In addition to Polynesian influences, there is also Japanese, Chinese Korean and Filipino flavours that can be found in Hawaiian food. Ross and I really enjoyed the pork and ahi. The ahi tuna was perfectly seared with shichimi, which is a Japanese spice blend. The pork had a crispy skin and was full of umami flavour. Both proteins complimented each other in taste and texture. One of my favourite dishes of the night was the tuna poke bowl, which had large marinated tuna cubes on top of rice. It was garnished with tobiko and green onions and was deliciously simple and authentic. It reminded me of the poke I had while I was in Hawaii.

Pork & Ahi

Tuna Poke

My other favourite dish of the evening was the Açaí Bowl, which was served in a beautiful Dragonfruit bowl. An Açaí Bowl station was set up in the kitchen and attendees were able to watch the ingredients come together. It was made with:

  • frozen Açaí berries
  • Dragon fruit
  • Agave
  • Huapia
  • Chia seeds
  • Coconut milk
  • Lehua Honey
  • Anahola Granola
  • Fresh berries and bananas

When I asked about the white topping, Chef Chris said it was Huapia, which is a sweet coconut milk-based custard and is a traditional Hawaiian dessert. He incorporated chia seeds into it to make it healthy and to add texture. This may have been THE best Açaí bowl I had ever eaten! It was as good as it looked and tasted absolutely delicious! The flavours and textures of all the ingredients played so well together and each bite was an exciting experience for my taste buds.

One lucky attendee won a round-trip for two from Vancouver to Kahului, Maui for a four night stay. The winner will stay for two nights at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa with dinner at the Black Rock Kitchen, and two nights at The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas with dinner at Mauka Makai. What a great experience it would be to dine at the restaurants that Chef Chris and Chef Ikaika work at! Even though I have been to Maui and stayed in Kāʻanapali before, I would love to make another trip back there in the future. The island and its people are so warm and hospitable and the food is amazing. In addition to the island’s natural beauty, there are many things you would be able to enjoy that range from relaxing to adventurous.

Thanks to Vancouver Magazine for having my friend and I at this enjoyable event. If you’re thinking about or planning your next vacation, I highly recommend visiting Kāʻanapali in Maui!

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