Tag Archives: travel

Yama’s Fish Market


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.

(2332 Young Street, Honolulu, HI 96826)

Fresh Catch

Posted in Oahu by

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.

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Mmm…mmm…good! I want more!

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(3109 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816)

Musubi Cafe Iyasume

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.

Pineapple & Coconut Hut aka Zangu


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!

(1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814)

Kin Chan Sushi

Posted in Oahu by

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.

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The salmon was so fresh, buttery, and smooth that I ordered it twice.

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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.

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The hamachi was fresh, smooth and flavorful, which is rare to find. It was also the best hamachi I’ve ever had.

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By the chef’s suggestion, we ordered the hirame. You can taste the natural sweetness of the fish.

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Limited on options we ordered the fresh maguro (tuna). 

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The Hokkaido uni’s sweetness did not disappoint.

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Beautiful shima aji (striped jack) to end the meal.

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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.

(500 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96813)

Manoa Falls

Nestled among Oahu’s suburbia is the rainforest Manoa Falls.

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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. 

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Despite the stairs, the incline is gradual and the hike is an easy one.

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The trail does get muddy so wear appropriate shoes.

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It took about 45 minutes to reach the 150 feet waterfall.

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(Manoa Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822)

Yamaga Honten (山家)

Posted in Tokyo by

Izakaya is a popular informal Japanese cuisine for those looking to enjoy good food and drinks after work. Meat is cut into bite size pieces, placed on a skewer, and grilled. The type of meat can range from chicken to cow to parts like hearts, gizzards, and liver.

The food here is tasty but the menu is only in Japanese and the staff only speaks Japanese. So I trusted Google translate to decipher the menu. Boy, was I in for an cultural experience.

We ordered the kobe beef but didn’t realize it comes raw. We ate it anyways. 

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The bacon wrapped asparagus were delicious.

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We ordered a combo skewer set of chicken wings, chicken liver, chicken skin, chicken thigh, and chicken heart.

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I enjoy eating chicken heart so I wanted another skewer of hearts. On the menu, it says chicken hearts (5). When I placed my extra order with the waiter, he asked if I wanted 5 and I said yes. I thought that it mean 5 hearts on a skewer. When the chicken hearts came out, I soon realized it meant 5 skewers of heart, which the waiter was trying to that explain to me.

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On second thought, these look to big to be chicken hearts despite what google translates says. Either way, I forced myself to eat three skewers out of respect for my mistake. 

(1-5-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

Hop Chou a la Creme in Shinsaibashi

Posted in Osaka by

Next to Dotonbori is Osaka’s shopping mecca Shinsaibashi. You can easily get lost in the never ending row of stores selling clothes, souvenirs, and jewelry. Beware of the hordes of tourists. I was expecting the tourists to be in Tokyo but soon learned they were all in Shinsaibashi.

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Lured by the sweet fresh out of the oven smell of a cream puff, I stopped at the Hop Chou a la Creme stall for a chocolate cream puff filled with matcha custard. The shell was crispy and the matcha cream was sweet and delicious.

(3-12-3 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture)

Suntory Yamazaki Distillery

Posted in Kyoto, Osaka by

I was not a whisky drinker before I came to Suntory Yamazaki Distillery. In fact, I knew nothing about whisky except for it’s strong distasteful alcohol flavor. I wanted to broaden my alcohol palette to enjoy whisky the way my friends did, and I was able to accomplish that here.

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Founded by Shinjiro Torri, Suntory Yamazaki Distillery is the birthplace of Japanese whisky. Since water is a key factor in determining the quality of whisky, Torri selected to build his empire in Yamazaki due to its exquisite natural spring water “Rikyu no Mizu.” It still bubbles today.

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A glimpse of the thousands of bottles that make up the whiskey library.

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After fermentation, the wash is distilled twice through the pot still (pictured below) to collect the new make, a highly alcohol concentrated clear, colorless malt whisky.

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For my first ever whisky tasting, I tried the Hibiki 17, Yamazaki 18, and Hakushu 18. My friend taught me how to hold the whisky in my mouth, grind it with my teeth and enjoy the smokiness that exudes. I think I had too much fun doing this that at times I would choke on the intense smokiness. 

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Hibiki is a blend of pure single malt whiskies aged in a variety of casks to create one single harmonious orchestra of flavors and aromas. Yamazaki is known to be Suntory’s flagship single malt, multi-layered with fruit and Mizunara, a very rare Japanese oak, aroma. Hakashu is the herbal and gently smoky single malt from the untouched Mt. Kaikomagatake of the Southern Japan Alps. 

Tastings ranging from $15-$40 dependent on the blend and age. Tip: Yamazaki is located in between Osaka and Kyoto. When you’re on your way to Kyoto from Osaka, just make a pit stop for some whisky.

(Japan, 〒618-0001 Osaka Prefecture, Mishima District, 島本町山崎5−2−1)

Kyoto Ramen Koji

Posted in Kyoto by

Kyoto’s JR station is an architectural beauty one stop shop for transit, shopping and food all in one.  An Isetan department store is located within the station.

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Amazing view of Kyoto Tower.

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Go up these stairs to the 10th floor to find Kyoto Ramen Koji, also known as Ramen Alley. There are eight restaurants that cook up ramen from different regions of Japan. 

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Read the boards to select the type of regional ramen you would like to try and head over to its corresponding location. To order ramen, buy a ticket from the menu vending machines in front of the restaurant. Most of it is written in Japanese but there are pictures. Once you’ve selected the ramen you want, wait in the queue forming along the side of the restaurant.

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I tried Menya Iroha’s (麺家いろは) glass shrimp, salt seasoned egg ramen. The broth was clear and the medium curly noodles were perfectly chewy. However, they are famous for their “Toyama Black” broth made from boiling fish sauce for many hours until the flavor mellows out. I didn’t try this but definitely will next time.

(Kyoto Station, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan)