Patisserie La Palme D'Or

Get ready for some light and fancy cake. They have a really nice showcase for the cakes and it makes everything look delicious. Some cakes taste good while others are alright. Don't bother pronouncing the names of the cakes here, I suggest you point. Most of the names are french and if you don't say it right, it's going to sound really weird. My pick is the strawberry shortcake. I guess since it's strawberry season, the strawberries were super sweet and juicy. The next time you're at Ala Moana on the Macy's/Shirokiya side, come check this place out.

For more information about Patisserie La Palme D'Or, please visit http://www.lapalmedor-usa.com.

Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Berry Tarte

Baked Cheesecake

Tropical Fromage

Strawberry Shortcake

Panna Cotta

Framboise Fromage

Chocolat

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining

I'm not a fan of dining at restaurants where I have to cook my food. The whole point of why you eat out is so you don't have to cook. But anyways, I didn't have to cook because someone else on the table did. My job was to sit there, watch food sizzle on the grill, and eat the cooked items. One thing I'm afraid of is when too much oil drips inside the grill, it flames up. The happy hour here is really good and they have a huge selection of items. I recommend the harami miso because the meat was very tender and flavorful. 

For more information about Gyu-Kaku, please visit http://www.gyu-kaku.com.

1221 Kapiolani Blvd Ste 105
Honolulu, HI 96814

Ahi Poke

Assorted Kim-Chee

Garlic Noodle

Chicken Basil (raw)

Harami Miso (raw)

Shrimp Garlic (raw)

Time to eat!

Downbeat Diner and Lounge - CLOSED

This place is closer toward Chinatown and it's about a 10 minute walk from Bishop Square. Downbeat Diner is really laid back and they offer a variety of sandwiches. They also have vegan options. If you're going with a group, I recommend sharing a basket of fries instead of doing the side order with your sandwich because they give a lot. If you have room for dessert, order the apple fritters.

For more information about Downbeat Diner and Lounge, please visit http://downbeatdiner.com/index2.html.

42 N Hotel St.
Honolulu, HI 96817

Cajun Fries

American Burger w/ Avocado

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich

Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Monte Cristo

Otto's Moco

Apple Fritters w/ Caramel Sauce

Hukilau Honolulu

If you work in downtown or you're a guest at the Executive Center, you need to come here for happy hour. The happy hour schedule is Monday to Thursday from 3:30pm - 7:30pm and all night on Friday. Their food is pricey but the portions are huge and they taste good. My favorite item is the sweet potato fries. I've tried sweet potato fries all over the island but they make it just right.

For more information about Hukilau Honolulu, please visit http://www.dahukilau.com/honolulu.

Executive Centre Hotel
1088 Bishop St.
Honolulu, HI 96813

Kalua Pig Nachos

Sweet Potato Fries

Kobe Sliders

Morimoto Waikiki - CLOSED

Everyone is making such a big fuss over this restaurant because it's by an iron chef. You know what, I didn't think it was all that great. The presentation on most of the dishes were spectacular but the taste wasn't there. I thought the Morimoto Style Poke had an odd combination of ingredients. That was the first and last time I will eat cheese with raw ahi. The one item that blew me away was the dessert, Chocolate Peanut Bombe. It was oishi and I highly recommend it! This place is very pricey and it gets busy so make a reservation before you come.

For more information about Morimoto Waikiki, please visit www.morimotowaikiki.com.

The Waikiki EDITION
1775 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96815

Morimoto Smoked Sashimi

Morimoto Style Poke

Pineapple Tempura

Salmon Skin Roll

Ginger Pork

Steamed Salmon

Seafood Toban Yaki

Chocolate Peanut Bombe

Vanilla Roasted Pineapple

Chocolate Mille Feuille

Gazen

If you love tofu, you need to come to this place. For first timers, I highly recommend the "Homemade Tofu Sampler." It comes with 3 kinds of tofu (see photos below). My favorite one was the "Sukui." It has a bit of a cheesy flavor with a hint of salt. It tasted interesting but was also delicious at the same time.

I didn't like their sushi. They were stingy on the ingredients. The unagi roll had too much rice and the inside was 3 pieces of carrot. That was very disappointing. For the ahi roll, the inside was cucumber and carrots. I was expecting imitation crab meat or maybe some tobiko.

They had some interesting desserts. It's desserts you don't normally see in the other izakaya restaurants. I've had milk pudding before but the milk pudding here, wasn't so great. I'm not sure what kind of soy milk they use but it didn't taste good. The warabi mochi looked really good and the waiter described it as chi chi dango. It was not chi chi dango! I felt like I was eating one of those energy gel blocks. I could feel the mochi texture but at the same time as I was biting it was like biting into gelatin. That was not good. But anyways, the other dishes I had were very good so do check them out.

For more information about Gazen, please visit http://www.e-k-c.co.jp/tenpo/honolulu-e.

2840 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96806

Homemade "Zaru" Tofu

Kurogoma Tofu

Homemade "Sukui" Tofu

Deep Fried Tofu Mochi Agedashi

Gazen Style Deep Fried Chicken

Gazen Style Garlic Shrimp

Gazen Style Unagi Roll

Shoyu Flavored Ahi Roll

Soy Milk Pudding

Warabi Mochi

La Tour Cafe

It took me awhile to figure out how to order in here. So you walk in and go straight to the back. The menu is above the cashier. It's a small menu and most of it is sandwiches. The sandwiches are good but I was really impressed with the bread. The bread was fresh, soft, and moist. The top of the bun was slightly toasted, just the way that I like. If you get a chance, try their macaroons.

For more information about La Tour Cafe and to find a location near you, visit www.latourcafe.com.

Italian Sandwich

Chicken Curry Sandwich

Macaroons

Tanaka Saimin

I love saimin but this place was disappointing. I got the Tanaka Special Saimin which consist of a large won ton mein and 2 pieces of shrimp tempura. When someone says "tempura," I think of Japanese style tempura. The tempura here is more like fried shrimp with a huge chunk of batter. I was hoping the sweet potato tempura would turn out different, but no, it was the same. If you're going to make tempura, make it right or don't call it tempura on the menu! The won ton mein, it was okay. I didn't think it was all that great. If you are going to come here, I'd say get something other than the saimin in soup.

900 N. Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817

Tanaka Special Saimin

Sweet Potato Tempura