A popular Hawaiian treat is malasadas from Leonard’s Bakery. Malasadas are Portuguese versions of a sugar donut filled with creams. They were invented in Madeira to use up the lard and sugar before Lent and are generally eaten on Fat Tuesday. The concept traveled to Hawaii for Shrove Tuesday, which is also known as Malasada Day.
Leonard’s Bakery offers a variety of seasonal fillings such as guava, macadamia nut, pineapple, and original (with no filling). They reminded me of a dense sugar donut. I recommend eating them while they’re fresh. They don’t sit well overnight.
The pineapple dole whip was delicious but eat it quickly. The intense Hawaiian sun will melt it in a heartbeat.
When in Hawaii, kalua pork is a must try. Generally, they are served at a luau, where they unearth the pig from the ground. If you want to skip the expensive luau price but try kalua pork, visit Yama’s Fish Market to get a taste of the delicious pork.
Above is order #7 which comes with kalua pork, laulau, lomi lomi salmon, and rice. Kalua in Hawaiian means to cook in an underground oven (imu). The imu is created by digging a deep pit, lining it with hot rocks and a layer of veggies. Then te pig is placed on top of veggies, covered with a wet burlack sack, and another layer of hot rocks. After hours of smoking, the pig comes out super tender and smoky.
Laulau is pork wrapped in taro leaf that has been cooked for many hours. Today’s modern method steams them on a stovetop. The classical method cooks them in an imu. The laulau at Yama’s Fish Market is tender and juicy.
Lomi-lomi is raw salted, diced salmon, tomato, and onion salad that is mixed by massaging. It’s a side dish that is sold all around Hawaii. The name of this dish comes from the method of preparation. Lomi-lomi in Hawaiian means massage. Lomi-lomi salmon reminds me of salsa with salmon.
Hawaii was the first place I tried poke. I haven’t been able to find a place in the states that makes it just as good. So when I came back to Hawaii, I was excited for more poke. Fresh Catch just blew the poke game out of the water. If you’re on the hunt for the best poke, look no further. The fish is fresh, and the marinades will delight your taste buds. None of them are too salty or sweet. Sold by weight, buy as much as your heart desires.
The tuna was the perfect savory balance to the salmon’s sweet marinade.
I stopped by Musubi Cafe Iyasume every morning to pick up fresh musubis before starting my day. These lightweight snacks kept well throughout the day whether I went hiking or snorkeling at the beach. My favorites were the double salmon onigiri and egg and spam musubi. The perfectly cooked sweet egg balances out the saltiness of the spam. They also offer a bacon, spam, and egg musubi and a egg, avocado, and spam musubi.
Below are all the Musubi Cafe Iyasume locations in Oahu.
If you’re in search of some pineapple dole whip and Yelp tells you to check out Pineapple & Coconut Hut, be prepared to be a chicken with it’s head cut off. First, it’s located in the Maikai food court of Ala Moana Center. People don’t know the name of this place. I asked a girl for help two stalls down and she said she had never heard of it. Second, it’s also named Zangu.
The pineapple dole whip was tangier than expected but it definitely was soft!
Owned by a little Japanese man and whom I presume to be his wife, although she spoke Chinese to him, this little hole in the wall place will electrify any sushi lover’s taste bud.
We called Kin Chan Sushi and made reservations for 8 pm but arrived late at 8:30 pm due to traffic. When we walked in, they were surprised to see us and tried to send us away because they were out of rice. We told them we had reservations, so they seated us but informed us the selections were limited. I was sad we didn’t get to try the omakase but after the meal, I was overly satisfied because this was one of the best sushi meals in my life.
We started with the negitoro roll. Most places will give you low grade toro but this was a decadent piece of toro. You can taste the fattiness.
The salmon was so fresh, buttery, and smooth that I ordered it twice.
Chef Kinji took five minutes to build this aji, but it was worth it. My taste buds exploded from the freshness! Hands down the best aji EVER! I’m drooling over this as I type.
The hamachi was fresh, smooth and flavorful, which is rare to find. It was also the best hamachi I’ve ever had.
By the chef’s suggestion, we ordered the hirame. You can taste the natural sweetness of the fish.
Limited on options we ordered the fresh maguro (tuna).
The Hokkaido uni’s sweetness did not disappoint.
Beautiful shima aji (striped jack) to end the meal.
The chef’s knife skills and sushi knowledge is shown when you taste each piece of fish. Do not be deterred by the chef’s lack of English because it makes the dining experience better when he tries to communicate with you. He was shocked to learn people from California had found his little restaurant and knew Japanese sushi terminology. Look out for this “must go” restaurant at the Waterfront Plaza. I will be back! I just hope he’ll still be running it.
In search of poke, this place kept popping up in recommendations, but I didn’t try it until I attempted to go to Haili’s Hawaiian Food. To our dismay, they were closed. Ono Seafood was across the street so I decided to give it a shot.
I ordered the super bowl with an additional poke flavor for 50 cents more. The super bowl comes with rice, extra poke and a drink. I chose the Shoyu Ahi Poke and Haw’n Style Tako Poke. The Shoyu Ahi has tuna, shoyu (soy sauce), green and white onion, limu (algae), kikul, chili pepper, and sesame oil. The Haw’n Style Tako has octopus, sea salt, green and white onion, limu (algae), kikul, and chili pepper. Overall, I found the pokes to be mediocre. Nothing was outstanding.
Hawaii is well known for it’s shaved ice. Having never tried the famous summer snack, I decided to give it a go. Above is strawberry, guava, and lilikoi (passion fruit). The flavors were strong and tasty but when melted down, it tasted like syrup water.
At Matsumoto’s you can order a large or small, above is the small, with up to three flavors. Extras include condensed milk, ice cream or mochi.
Nestled among Oahu’s suburbia is the rainforest Manoa Falls.
You will experience many ecosystems in this arborous rainforest. It rained on and off throughout the 0.8 mile hike to the waterfall. Note: Bring an umbrella and wear appropriate clothes.
Despite the stairs, the incline is gradual and the hike is an easy one.
The trail does get muddy so wear appropriate shoes.
It took about 45 minutes to reach the 150 feet waterfall.
A summer favorite of mine is Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc Addendum. Open only in spring and summer from Thursday to Saturday 11 am to 2 pm, they serve boxed versions of Ad Hoc’s critically acclaimed fried chicken. It’s also a great alternative to try Ad Hoc if you can’t make it to their dinner only seating.
The BBQ pork ribs falls off the bone easily. I love their moist cornbread. You won’t find it anywhere else. Thomas Keller sure knows how to make southern comfort food.
When I came last summer, they only offered a boxed version of the fried chicken. They now offer a BUCKET of chicken. Fried chicken lovers, rejoice! Seasoned with salt and sprigs of fresh rosemary, this is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. It’s moist and packed with flavor.
Look for Addendum at the picnic area behind Ad Hoc.
YUMTRAVELS 