Whoa!
How does one begin to describe this…
We got lunch from Sugoi’s in Kapalama (near Woodcraft and the Driver’s Licencing office). They had breakfast stuff, so I ordered the “Hash Loco Moco“. Lo, a more amazing thing I have never before had! Imagine if you will, a Loco Moco made with a 3cm thick, 15cm diameter breaded and deep fried corned-beef hash patty instead of the hamburger patty! Essentially corned-beef hash katsu and a fried egg on rice smothered in brown gravy! The gravy was a tad salty, but the hash was very good. Continue reading ‘Sugoi!’
Archive for the 'Food' Category
Right next to one of our work clients is a takoyaki shop. It’s located on corner of Kuhio and Nohonani St, Waikiki Marketplace. Finally got a chance to try it. Small shop set up with a bunch of tables and folding chairs to hang out in while munching on your tasty snack. You’ll commonly see takoyaki translated as octopus balls, although I think octopus dumplings is a more appetizing western description. Spheres of glutunous batter with chunk(s) of tako cooked on a special shaped grill. No, it’s NOT deep fried! It’ll have a lightly browned outside, inside soft and mouth burning lava hot. Best eaten while said lava hot, they definitely lose much appeal if allowed to cool and deflate. All takoyaki places I’ve been feature the grill in open view so you can watch the cook deftly spin the takoyaki into spheres, and Takoyaki Samurai is no exception. I believe it’s part of the experience, it wouldn’t quite be takoyaki if you don’t get to watch them being made. Continue reading ‘Takoyaki Samurai’
Mmm… it’s good. Very good. I’ve never had good luck with the “plate lunch”-style entrees at KK, but their sandwiches are good. This one and the pastrami are my favorites. The Reuben is their own spin on the classic recipe with their own proprietary dressing. Choose seasoned fries or a Nalo greens salad. It’s a little pricy at around $9 USD, but it’s worth it. If you aren’t from Hawai’i or don’t know who Russell Siu is, just do a websearch and you’ll get some background on this restaurant and his upscale 3660 on the Rise. Continue reading ‘Kaka’ako Kitchen Reuben Sandwich’
Taking someone from the office to the airport before lunchtime means, “Byron’s Little Red Hen fried chicken,” to us. For around seven bucks, you get three pieces of crispy fried chicken, a roll, fries, and a little tub of cole slaw… oh yeah, and a packet of honey. The chicken is great! It is crispy on the surface, and moist on the inside. On par or better than Zippy’s fried chicken. The roll is average, and the slaw is a little on the wet side. The take-out box is generally taped shut id you order more than one, so open it as quickly as possible so your fries don’t get soggy. I haven’t ever used the honey on either the chicken or the roll. The chicken gets a definite A! If you have a fax machine, give them a call and they will send you a menu. There are 10% discount coupons on the bottom of the menu, so you can save a little that way. Continue reading ‘Byron’s Drive-In Little Red Hen Fried Chicken’
Pilsner, Pilsen, or Pils beers are one of the original lager-style beers, and get their name from the city of Pilsen in what is now the Czech Republic. These lagers were originally created in response to the advent of Bavarian-style lagering technology and the associated bottom-fermenting yeasts, as existing brewing techniques yielded inconsistent and often unsatisfactory results. This Pilsner from Otaru Bakushu Brewery in Western Hokkaido has the bright flowery hop flavor common to some examples of this variety. The aromatic is sweet, but not sickeningly so as in some Belgian or Dutch Pilsens. There is however very little initial or finishing bitter. The malt flavor is very faint, and is barely detectable below the hopping. The color is the typical clear amber. The initial flavor is clear and flowery, and the finish earthy. There is very little aftertaste. The carbonation is moderate. This is an easily drinkable Pilsen. One could say it has no character, but I instead find it is without the bad traits that make certain Pilsens objectionable. Continue reading ‘Otaru Bakushu Organic Beer Pilsner-Type Jibiiru’
Dave had gotten the sudden mysterious urge for okonomiyaki, I guess that happens to all of us. We know Okonomiyaki Chibo in Waikiki, and excellent as it is, we decided to look into alternatives. But where? One place Derek knew of is closed. I learned of a small place in Waikiki next to a shop I did some work for, but there’s no parking. Then Derek mentioned a new place, Shouchan, in Puck’s Alley. Isn’t that near Kohnotori that we reviewed a few weeks back? Yes, and it’s not really an accident that a lot of places we go to are in this general area, it’s where we are at this time of the day. Anyway, we decide to check it out. It’s located on University, across from what used to be Varsity Theaters, up a few shops from Cocoichiban. I find Derek waiting outside. I look at the cloth banner and the first thing that comes out of my mouth is “Hiroshi”! It takes a while to realize it’s not Hiroshi Mayaki. Hiroshimayaki is the style of okonomiyaki served here. Continue reading ‘Hiroshi Mayaki, Shochan’
After last week’s St. Louis downhill, Ckucke and I met Root for post ride food. We went down the hill to Tenkaippin. This time around, I tried the Miso-aji ramen. The broth was lighter and thinner than the broth used with the Kotteri and Assari ramen. Instead of distinct, seperate toppings, there is a cooked mix of moyashi (mung bean sprouts), green onion, cooked ground pork, and diced charsiu. There wasn’t really a strong miso flavor in the broth. Of the three varieties I’ve tried, this was the only one I didn’t really like. This was unexpected, since the other things I’ve had here have been great. Maybe it’s just my personal taste and preferences (the crew knows how much I hate moyashi).
Not recommended unless you are a total miso ramen fan (try the other varieties instead)
One-and-a-half grinning monkeys out of four
Past thursday culinary caper was Hale Vietnam at the top of Kaimuki. Been there a couple times in the past and the experience was good. Pretty good stuff at decent price was my memories. Continue reading ‘Hale Vietnam’
How can you go wrong with meat, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese? If this is in fact possible, then Burger King definitely doesn’t know how to do it. The new seasonal variety of the Steakhouse Burger is tops! Starting with the cornmeal “artisan” bun and oddly-shaped Angus beef patty that is common to the other Steakhouse varietals, they add a sheet of Swiss cheese, and sautéed mushrooms. This is then topped with fried, onions and thick steak sauce. In the sales information images, the layers are beautifully presented: In the actual example, everything sort-of melts and settles into a single layer, such that only the bread and the protruding meat are visible. This may be just a workmanship issue at the particular BK I visited (Beretania, which also had multiple empty soft drink cartridges on both machines – only Coke and root beer worked). The flavor is good, with all the constituent parts detectable, but all complementing each other for a good taste combination. Personally, I’d swap the steak sauce for some mayonnaise, and add some bacon to it and it would become The Best Burger Known to Mankind™. I couldn’t find any published nutritional information on this version, but it is probably between the 950 kcal Steakhouse burger and the 970kcal Loaded Steakhouse burger. The mushrooms themselves have few calories if any (or for that matter any nutritional value whatsoever), but whatever they sauté them in probably does.
About $8.05 USD as a large-sized value meal with onion rings
Recommended
Three-and-a-half grinning monkeys out of four
India pale ales are heavily hopped ales originally formulated to survive the long sea voyage from England to India during the colonial days before the advent of refrigeration. The higher level of hopping along with a higher alcohol level helped prevent spoilage. This IPA from Onuma Brewery in Southwest Hokkaido has the typical sweet, fruity flavor common to the variety. The color is similar to other ales. The initial flavor is sweet and flowery with a fruity finish. There is no significant bitter, and the malt flavor is buried by the hops. The carbonation is low. I personally dislike IPA’s, but from memory, this one is not much different than others of this variety that I’ve tried. This one packs a good buzz, having about 150% the alcohol content of most other beers! Continue reading ‘Onuma Brewery India Pale Ale Jibiiru’