With over 29 toppings to choose from, you are able to build your own meal to your own tastes… a customizable curry palette for your curry palate! Chris and I were lucky to catch the seasonal Squid Ink curries, available with cheese or spinach, the former being tops in our book.

In college, en route to work, I rode many times on The Bus past Chef Mavro, a cute little building with a continuous frosted wave of etched glass ebbing and flowing around its perimeter, hugging the “sandy” apricot-colored walls, a pleasant oasis amidst the low-rise tenements and eyesores of another era lining busy King Street in Honolulu. Back then, though, food was food, just an essential and not much else, thumbing my nose at “pinky’s up”. Now I am apparently making up for lost time, taking/dragging Chris to …

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 small hill I suppose. With a name like 3660 on the Rise, one might expect grandiose nosebleed views, but you’ll soon discover that the best view is right on your plate.
3660, the …

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 a shiny wooden stool at a pristine counter in front of a revolving circular track which propels the plates past you and you pick up whatever catches your fancy. No hesitation now, it’s snatch …

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 lanai seats, enjoy the green mountain glimpse.
Another reason you might want to sit outside is the noise. Although I didn’t notice it (um, I’m in California now where diners’ decibel levels rival that of …

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, sorry to say, I don’t think there will ever be a next time. While their organic health food is packed with vitamins and minerals, it is bland and boring. I’ve actually had better …

I have three words to describe Indigo 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 buffet, we poked around to peek at the platters they proffered and jumped on the buffet train. There stood a little lady who heaped greater than generous spoonfuls of whatever you were currently coveting onto …

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 Kahala Resort (formerly the Kahala Mandarin, before that the Kahala Hilton) surrounded by a pristine white sand beach (away from dingy Waikiki) and their very own dolphin lagoon, but it’s the food that will blow …

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; it’s a giant corrugated steel-sided warehouse with the bright neon sign.
Chris had the Island Catch of the Day sandwich, which was a generous slab of mahimahi (dorado) on a round bun with some tartar sauce …

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 remember the atmosphere. From the complimentary champagne and lobster amuse bouche to the free desserts, La Mer treats you like royalty. The wait staff is jovial and unobtrusive even though they are there …

Sometimes I ponder the oddities of life. Okay I ponder about them a lot. Like why would people in Hawai’i stand in line all day for a cream puff? Well, that’s what happened when Beard Papa first opened up shop. Well, at first they kinda piggybacked on Shirokiya, a local Japanese department store/supermarket/bakery located in Ala Moana, the largest open air mall in the world. Hawai’i loves cream puffs; everyone praises Liliha Bakery’s Coco Puffs and Komoda’s, so of course word traveled fast and soon …

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 front of you, where you watch them gently puff up and expand on the griddle next to the shameless mountain of pure grade A butter and neon strawberry jam. When you receive the enormous …