Bubble Puff & Tea - CLOSED

I don't think too many people know about this place yet. It's in the Kapahulu area across from Zippy's. Their specialties are bubble puff (egg puff) and jelea (jelly). The bubble puff takes awhile to make so the owners/staff will "talk story" with their customers while they're making it. The owners/staff are super nice.

The jelea comes in two flavors, coffee or tea, and it's basically jelly but they wanted it call it something different so they ended up with "jelea." (It kind of sounds like how you would say it in Cantonese, "jeh lei.") The coffee jelea is very refreshing and you can have it with whole milk or soy milk. The bubble puffs were good. It's cooked to golden brown and it has a bit of a crisp to it. You can add powdered sugar, chocolate, coconut, condensed milk, and cinnamon as toppings. I choose not to add any toppings because I liked it by itself. If I had the topping I think it would be too sweet. I highly recommend calling before you drive down there because their store hours change.

P.S. Drop my name if they ask you how you found out about the place.

3301 Campbell Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
808.732.2201

Bubble Puff (plain)

Coffee Jelea (before)

Coffee Jelea (after)

 

The Fat Greek - CLOSED

If you live in the Kaimuki area, you've probably seen this place. It's on the corner of Waialae and St Louis Drive across from City Mill. They have 2 other locations which are in Ala Moana and Waikiki. I've tried a couple of Greek restaurants before and the food is good but I think this place is better. Their gyro is sliced thick and very flavorful. The dressing on the side salad is refreshing and not too tart. The fries for the Greek Fries are super crisp.

The down side to this place is that parking is limited. They share a parking lot with the other businesses around them. The interior of the restaurant is also small. They have 5 tables inside and about 10 tables outside. The seating is a bit tight.

For more information about The Fat Greek, please visit http://www.thefatgreek.net.

3040 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

Babaganoush

Greek Fries

Gyros

Baklava

Ginza Petit Custa

I found this place in Shirokiya's Meika Plaza. Meika Plaza is on the mall level and it opened this past Sunday, 7/24. These mini doughnuts were so cute. Everyone crowded around to watch the guy make the batches. I ended up getting one of each flavor. The doughnuts were light and fluffy and the best part was that all of it is baked so it's not bad for you. My favorite flavors were pine cream and caramel flake. It taste the best when it's warm. There were a few that got cold and those tasted a little dry.

For information about Ginza Petit Custa, please visit http://www.petit-custa.com. The site is in Japanese.

NOTE: They will only be there for 2 weeks.

Shirokiya Ala Moana
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 2250
Honolulu, HI 96814

Making Of

Pine (Pineapple) Cream

Caramel Flake

Tsubuann (Red Bean)

Guava Cream

Imanas Tei Restaurant

This Japanese restaurant is a hidden gem in the University area. They get really busy during dinner so reservations are highly recommended. Most of the customers dining here were Japanese. There were very few English speaking customers around me. All the items I had were delicious. I normally don't eat beef tongue but they seasoned and cooked it perfect here.

They only have a few parking spaces in front of the restaurant so I would say park on the street or in Puck's Alley.


2626 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96826

Agedashi Tofu

Kabocha

Grilled Beef Tongue

Sashimi

Fresh Oysters

Steamed Butter Clams

Deep Fried Hamachi Kama

Diem Cafe - CLOSED

If you work in downtown, you definitely need to come and try this place. They have daily specials and most of their items are under $7. The owners are very nice. If the lady takes your order, it will be fast. If you get the guy, watch out. He likes to joke around with the customers but no worries, you'll get a good laugh out of it.

So the picture below with all the different rolls, you have to go on Monday to get this. If you on a different day of the week, it's going to be something else. One time I tried to order "Monday Special #4" on a Thursday and I ended up with Thursday Special #4. Yes, lesson learned. The pho from here is also very good. They pack their soup and noodles together though, so if your office is far you might want to ask them to separate it.

NOTE: They are closing on 8/26/2011.

801 Alakea St. Ste 114
Honolulu, HI 96813

Monday Special #4

BBQ Pork & Spring Roll Combo

Five Spice Chicken & Spring Roll Combo

Sanoya Ramen

This ramen place is open late. The inside doesn't look pretty but the food is good. I thought my ramen soup was a little too salty but for the price I paid, I thought it was a good deal. I'm not a fan of this but I hear the curry is really good.

1785 S King St. Ste 4
Honolulu, HI 96826

Shoyu Ramen

Curry Udon & Chicken Katsu w/ Rice

Max's of Manila

This was my first time eating authentic Filipino food. It's a combination of Chinese and Thai flavors. If you've never had Filipino food before, I'd recommend giving it a try. I thought the sinigang, inihaw na liempo (pork belly), and ube ice cream were very good. One small tip about the ube ice cream, it makes your mouth purple. So don't be surprised.

For more information about Max's of Manila, please visit http://www.maxschicken.com.

801 Dillingham Blvd. Ste 108
Honolulu, HI 96817

Lumpiang Shanghai

Sinigang Na Baboy

Kare-Kare

Garlic Rice

Inihaw Na Liempo

Bicol Express

Pancit Palabok

Ube Ice Cream

Hakone Restaurant - CLOSED

This buffet was a little disappointing for me. I was expecting lots of sushi and sashimi because it was a Japanese restaurant. There was a sushi bar with a chef but you could only get 6 pieces of sushi each time. For sashimi, they only offered hamachi and ahi. They had lots of crab legs! Most of the buffets I go to, the crab legs are always the first to go but for this dinner, the crab was there. For the cooked food, there were very little items.

For more information about Hakone, please visit http://www.princeresortshawaii.com/hawaii-prince-hakone.php.

Sushi & Sashimi

Salad, Sushi, Nabe

Tempura, Yakibuta w/ Veggies

Fruits

Tart, Cake, Bread Pudding

Won Kee Seafood Restaurant - CLOSED

I've been here for dim sum many times but I've only been here twice for dinner since they changed owners. My first dinner experience wasn't so great. I didn't think the food was good. On this second visit, I thought all their dishes were yum! I bet they hired a new chef! The dishes I had was part of a set menu. It serves 10 people and I believe the price was $288 (might want to call the restaurant and double check. I recommend making a reservation if you're coming here for the set menu.

Chinese Culture Plaza
100 N Beretania St.
Honolulu, HI 96817

Seafood Soup

Appetizer Sampler

Ginger Onion Crab

Peking Duck

Peking Duck (w/o skin)

Steamed Fish

Jook Sung w/ Baby Pak Choy

Honey Walnut Shrimp

Scallop Fried Rice

Almond Tofu