Yi Xin Cafe

Yi Xin Cafe has the frozen teddy bear drinks which come in a lemon tea or milk tea. They serve Southeast Asian cuisine and their specialty is the curry crab. I enjoy coming here with a group since they have tables that can accommodate 8 - 10 people. I've also been here for quick lunches with 2-3 people. Their menu has a lot of Cantonese food which I love but my favorites are the salted egg yolk chicken wings, salt & pepper pork chops, and the sizzling beef with black bean sauce. Their crab dishes are delicious but it's pricey at $68 - $73 for 1 Dungeness crab. Their other dishes are reasonably priced compared to other Chinese restaurants. 

Their dining is modern and spacious. It can get loud if the restaurant fills up. If you're going with 4 people or less, doing a walk in for lunch or dinner is fine. If you have 5 or more, I recommend making a reservation since they do get busy. They may not have crab available everyday so if you're going there from crab, make sure you ask them or pre-order it. The staff can speak English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. They are located at Market City Shopping Center. There is ample parking but the spaces are tight and if the upper lot fills up, you can park by Ben Franklin.

Market City Shopping Center
2919 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 738-0818

Ginger & Onion Crab

Ong Choy w/ Sambal Shrimp Paste

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings

Fried Green Beans w/
Minced Meat & Sambal Shrimp Paste

Salt & Pepper Pork Chop

Salted Egg Yolk Crab

Sizzling Beef w/ Black Bean Sauce

Singapore Rice Noodles

Teddy Bear Iced Lemon Tea

Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar

Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar has the best gyoza. Their gyoza are small but it's crispy on the outside and filled with pork and vegetables. They also have a special dipping sauces that go with it. For their ramen, I enjoyed the Tanto shoyu ramen since the broth had bolder flavor compared to the Tanto goma ramen. Their space is small but they have seating inside and outdoors. The staff is attentive and the food comes out quick. Their ramen is priced between $13 - $18. If you're not interested in ramen, they have rice bowls and a large selection of appetizers. 

They are located at Puck Alleys on the ground level inside the parking lot. It's across from the back entrance from Nijiya Market. They get busy during the peak dinner hour; 6pm - 7pm, so I recommend making reservations at least 1 day in advanced. The parking is Pucks Alley is free for the 1st hour, no validation is needed. 

For more information about Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar, visit tanto-hawaii.com. 

1035 University Ave., Ste 105
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 942-1000

Tanto Gyoza

Salmon Yuzu Carpaccio

Tanto Goma Ramen

Tanto Shoyu Ramen

Heavenly Island Lifestyle Waikiki

Heavenly Island Lifestyle Waikiki is a breakfast, lunch, and dinner restaurant located in the Shoreline Hotel. Their menu is American Asian fusion and they have local favorites like poke, garlic shrimp, and loco moco. I enjoyed the Hainanese chicken rice and the rack of lamb. Their food is not heavy or greasy and they include a side of vegetables in most of their dishes. Since they are in Waikiki, the prices are high. For dinner, their entrees are priced between $20 - $30. The entrees can be shared with 2 people but I would recommend getting some appetizers too. If you are on a budget, check out their happy hour from 4pm - 6pm. There is a good selection of drinks and appetizers. The happy hour appetizers are priced between $6 - $20. 

The interior space is tight and the tables are close to each other. They have outdoor seating but the restaurant gets loud with the music in the background and customers talking. The staff are friendly but the wait time for food does take a while especially if you go during happy hour. For parking, there's metered street parking or park at the Royal Hawaiian Center or International Marketplace to shop and get your validation and then walk over to the restaurant. 

For more information about Heavenly Island Lifestyle, visit heavenly-waikiki.com. 

Shoreline Hotel Waikiki
342 Seaside Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 923-1100

Hainanese Organic Chicken Rice

Rack of Lamb Grill w/ Roasted Nuts &
Lilikoi Balsamic Sauce

Fried Chicken Wings

French Fries

Ribeye Steak w/ Grilled Vegetables & Truffle Sauce

Milky Cereal Bar

Milky Cereal Bar creates custom frozen desserts. You select an ice cream flavor and a cereal; they blend it up till it's smooth. Then you select a topping and a drizzle to add over your swirled ice cream. If you don't want to do a custom dessert, you can select from their "favorite combinations" menu which has creative names like apple of my pie, beggin' for s'more, tropic like it's hot, and we're a perfect matcha. I went with a custom milky swirl dessert because I was curious if my own combination would taste good. I choose vanilla ice cream with Reese's PB puff cereal, with teddy grahams and honey drizzle. It worked out well and I liked the slight taste of the PB in the ice cream along with the honey drizzle. I used the teddy grahams to scoop up the ice cream. If you prefer to have your frozen dessert as a milk shake, you can get a milky cup.  The prices range from $7 for a mini milky swirl to $10 for a regular milky cup.

They are located inside Ka Makana Aliʻi at Kapolei. For the shortest walk to Milky Cereal Bar, park near GEN Korean BBQ House and walk into the mall. They have seating inside the shop and there's a waffle cone wall which makes a great backdrop for photos. 

For more information about Milky Cereal Bar, visit milkyhawaii.com or follow them on instagram, @milky.hawaii. 

Ka Makana Aliʻi
91-5431 Kapolei Pkwy
Kapolei, HI 96707
(808) 202-2277

Milky Swirl (mini)

Straits Hawaii - CLOSED

Straits Hawaii serves Singaporean dishes with bold flavors. If you like spicy food, you'll enjoy this place since a lot of their signature dishes have chili peppers in it. I ordered dishes that were mild and they were delicious. My favorites were the garlic noodles, Yeo's chicken salad, and the bone marrow. The drinks are interesting and worth trying. The service was good and our food time came out in a timely manner even with a full restaurant. The prices are high with entrees ranging from $25 - $30 and the seafood items for double that price.

I recommend making reservations in advanced if you want to sit at a table. If you plan to do a walk in, the bar is available. They are located at Ward Village in the former space of Big City Diner next to the movie theater. The interior of the restaurant had dim lighting and loud music during my dinner. As far as space, it is tight. I tried to find the big gaps between 2 chairs so I wouldn't hit anyone getting to the table and leaving after dinner.

For more information about Straits Hawaii, visit straitshawaii.com.

Ward Village
1060 Auahi St #4
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 888-0683

Singapore Satay Sticks

Straits Frites

Yeo's Chicken Salad

Garlic Noodle

Roasted Bone Marrow

Pandan Soda