3660 on the Rise Restaurant munchies review

I don’t know how many times I’ve driven past this place and missed it (and of course by “driven” I mean “being driven”, haha). Well, never again because it is a “don’t miss”. In an expensive-looking building on the iffy strip of “thrift haven” Waialae Avenue, 3660 on the Rise sits “atop” a [...]

Karaoke Room 2

I could have sworn there was already a Karaoke Room 2 but by the McCully Times supermarket(?). Maybe that was Karaoke Room 1? I even asked the clerk about it and I’ve already forgotten the info. Erg, I have got to pay attention. It was awesome ‘cos you could get drinks [...]

Genki Sushi munchies review

Genki Sushi is the place to go for a quick, fast and yummy lunch, just ignore the scowling foreboding yellow logo face. It’s not just truly tasty sushi at a verrry reasonable price (starts at around $1.95 per plate of 2 nigiri), it’s the thrilling element of capture. There you are seated on [...]

Alan Wong’s Restaurant munchies review

Located conveniently (or maybe not so conveniently) on South King Street, in an unassuming narrow three-story office-type tenement, Alan Wong’s dining room overlooks lush Manoa Valley scenery that’s unfortunately blocked by a bunch of apartment buildings and condos, dammit (just kidding, I love the skyline… “Honolulu city liiiights”). This is a big tip: reserve [...]

Mountain View Stone Cookies munchies review

Can you say ow? You might not be able to after eating a Mountain View Stone Cookie. These thick golden brown oblong discs are forged for fantastic gum-busting fury!! You’ll wish you were stranded on a deserted island somewhere just so you could invent new uses for them; building tiles, adze blades, [...]

The Contemporary Museum Café munchies review

I think I’ve only eaten here once before and clearly cannot recall the food, but when I wandered briefly with the older wealthier artsy crew, they always insisted I should go to The Contemporary Museum Café. But I often visited the museum, never the café. “Next time”, I thought, “next time”. Well, [...]

Indigo Restaurant munchies review

I have three words to describe Indigo Restaurant and that’s “oily as hell”. Not a greasy oil, but extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette to the max. The pair made technicolor Willy Wonka swirls on my emptied plate; I’m not kidding, I thought I was on drugs.

When the waiter suggested the lunch [...]

Hoku’s at the Kahala Resort munchies review

Ah, Sunday Brunch at Hoku’s. Where else can you get melt-in-your-mouth sake (salmon) nigiri and fresh tender lobster tail (the kind that’s so sweet you devour it without any seasoning or butter) at 10:30 in the morning?
Sure Hoku’s is in one of the prettiest settings; decked in whitest white linens at the [...]

Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch, Crab & Big Aloha Brewery munchies review

Sam Choy is a big man so his restaurant portions are for big men. Super hefty entrées and heaping piles of country wedge fries await you at Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch, Crab & Big Aloha Brewery, located right next to that infamous tourist trap Hilo Hatties. And oh man you can’t miss it; [...]

La Mer Restaurant at the Halekulani munchies review

La Mer is one of the most elegant restaurants I’ve been to, and I think that’s actually the best part about it. Don’t get me wrong, the food is nice and the waiters hover attentively to make sure they brush every single crumb before it even flitters to the 800-count tablecloth, but you’ll certainly [...]

Red Coconut Balls munchies review

I love coconut. Co-co-nut. But I never thought I’d like it formed into bite-sized balls rolled in sugar and dyed a bright crayola red. It’s dewy and chewy in the center with a crispy coating of gravelly granulated sugar. Because the candies are held together with corn syrup, and corn syrup and sugar come [...]

Waiola Shave Ice munchies review

What is this giant bowl of …stuff? It’s shave ice (”sno cone” in Mainland-speak, kakigori in Japanese), where a blade whips across the surface of an ice block creating a cup of scraped snow, covered with azuki (sweet red beans), “cream” (condensed milk) and surrounded by mini mochi (steamed and pounded chewy rice cakes). [...]

MUNCHIES [HI] . Punalu’u Sweet Bread

Tucked away in the teeny tiny little town of Punalu’u in the Southeastern crook (Ka’u district) of the Big Island of Hawai’i, you will find the longest sweet bread loaf from the southernmost bakery in the entire US. To be honest, driving through Punalu’u is no picnic. There’s a long winding stretch of nothing road [...]

Freaky Forecast: Snow and Hail hit HI

Here in the Bay Area we were recently “treated” to some unconventional hail and frost and ice and with it, slippery car accidents and many many cellphone photos. But what if I told you that just last week the same thing happened in an even more unconventional area: Hawai’i! Yes, it happened on [...]

MUNCHIES . Restaurants [HI] . Liliha Bakery

It seems like forever since my last Liliha Bakery breakfast, where the pancakes are bigger than your head. The fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth Japanese-style (according to my friend) pancakes soak up syrup like a sponge and beckons for more, glistening wtih desirable air pockets. The gigantic, perfectly golden brown bad boys are prepared right in [...]

We’re Back!

We just got back from a two week trip to Hawai’i (Big Island and O’ahu) . We’ll be posting a trip account, reviews, and pictures hopefully later this weekend :)