Honolulu, Hawaii - Day 2

Day 2 was a busy day for us. We had a lot of things planned! But first things first, a delicious breakfast to start the day!

Eggs n’ Things - Waikiki Beach Eggspress

2464 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu

Eggs n' Things is a popular place for breakfast and brunch. There happened to be one located a couple steps away from our hotel! Score! This particular one is a quick and convenient sit-down style fast food version instead of a traditional restaurant.

We had to line-up outside, study the menu while waiting in line, and when we reached the front, an employee took our order and gave us a buzzer to place at our table (which vibrated to let us know our food was ready). After placing our order, we lined up again to pay at the cashier and then waited again for the next available table inside. When we sat down at our table, we enjoyed the views of Waikiki Beach while waiting for the server to bring out our food.

Spinach, bacon and cheese omlette with pancakes ($11.95) - made with 3 fresh local eggs, with choice of cheddar, mozzarella or pepper jack cheese

As always, W and I chose what we wanted to eat and then we shared it together. W ordered the omelette which came with a stack of pancakes. The omlette and pancakes were not bad but they weren't very exciting either haha... 

Hawaiian Loco Moco ($12.25)

When I looked at the menu, I immediately knew I wanted to get the Loco Moco. Come on, it's a Hawaiian staple dish! The Eggs n' Things version had a ground beef patty on top of white rice, with sauteed mushrooms, onions, carrots, a gravy sauce and 2 sunnyside-up eggs. It was a pretty heavy dish for the morning but it was a delicious savoury medley of beef, rice, and eggs. The loco moco felt very heartwarming and homey.

Plantation Iced Tea ($4.25) – iced tea with pineapple juice

I also had the Plantation Iced Tea to drink. It was sweet and refreshing; perfect for a warm sunny day!

When we finished breakfast, we hopped in our convertible Mustang (top down, of course!) and drove to the Byodo-In Temple located within the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. Look at the backdrop behind the temple! Stunning and awe-inspiring mountains!

The park was peaceful and serene. And walking towards the temple really felt like I was suddenly in Japan rather than in tropical Hawaii! We walked leisurely around the temple grounds and a small bamboo forest. If you do visit here, be sure to spray lots and lots of mosquito repellent. I didn't feel it at the time but I was attacked by a swarm of hungry mosquitoes here ~_~ I had about 2 dozen bites all over my arms and legs. So, y'know, you've been warned!

It was really hot and muggy in the afternoon so we decided to hit up a beach. What better way to relax and cool off?! We drove east and made many pit stops at places that caught our attention. Finally, we arrived at Waimanalo Beach! The soft sand, white sea foam and the turquoise water all together were so beautiful! I could just sit there for a long time listening to the waves crashing against the sand but alas, it was getting close to evening and we had to nurse our empty stomachs.

Ichiriki
510 Piikoi Street, Honolulu

Heading back into Honolulu, I suggested we try a Japanese restaurant that specializes in 'nabe' (food cooked in hot pots filled with savoury broth) called Ichiriki. I noticed this place when I was doing research for the vacation and it was recommended by a magazine but I didn't realize it was immensely popular! We waited probably 45 minutes for a table... Other than the food, I would say reservations are highly recommended as well!

Miso Chanko nabe for 2 

Miso flavoured soup stock, served with Chinese cabbage, enoki mushrooms, tofu, kuzukiri, abura age, chives, gobo yam, beef or pork slices, homemade Tsukune pork/chicken meatballs in a bamboo holder, and rice

At Ichiriki, there are pre-set meals like the one we chose or you could select your own combinations from the menu. There’s also sukiyaki, happy hour appetizers, and extras to add to your meal. 

What was unique about our hot pot set was that the "pot" was actually a paper bowl set inside a mesh basket! Of course, the paper was coated with some sort of food-safe, non-flammable material so the fire wouldn't burn it to ashes.

The ingredients were fresh and plentiful for the 2 of us while the miso broth was incredibly rich, thick and flavourful. AMAZING. It was fun to scoop out our own meatballs too!

When we finished the meats and veggies, the waitress brought us ramen noodles to cook in the leftover concentrated miso broth (or more like a thick miso sauce by then!). There was a selection of udon, red bean rice, or ramen noodles but we picked the ramen. By this time, we were stuffed to the max.

This Japanese nabe dinner was so so satisfying. A great marker to end the night!

Honolulu, Hawaii - Day 1

Our first official full day in Honolulu, Hawaii!!!! This was the view from our hotel room and it was phenomenal!! We overlooked Kuhio beach park and the vast expansiveness of the Pacific Ocean. It was awesome!

McDonald’s

2476 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu


For our first breakfast, we decided to head to the McDonald's across the street from our hotel to try the "famous" breakfast only available in Hawaii. This particular McD's was open 24 hours a day so that was pretty convenient for us hungry travelers when we arrived really late the previous night due to a delayed flight.

Back to breakfast. When people think of a local food specialty of Hawaii, what do people think? Loco moco? Pineapple? How about Spam? Yup! One of the well-known items of Hawaii is the ubiquitous Spam and rice. At McD's, you can find it on their deluxe local big breakfast platter. 

Deluxe local big breakfast – Spam, Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs with rice, packet of soy sauce for seasoning, orange juice

It also came with a couple slices of Portuguese sausages. W and I shared this for breakfast and it was just enough for the two of us. That's a pretty hefty portion of rice you know. Aside from the eggs not being the fluffy scrambled eggs that I wanted (what else do you expect from McD's?), everything else was the way you'd expect it to be: salty, meaty goodness paired with plain, tummy filling starch.

Marukame Udon

2310 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu

After breakfast and a breathtaking (literally and figuratively) hike up Diamond Head, we headed back down to the city for lunch. A couple of our friends recommended Marukame Udon for their fresh, handmade, authentic udon noodles.

Marukame is famous for their Sanuki style udon noodles. Sanuki is a region of the Kagawa prefecture in Japan known for producing their signature chewy, toothsome, al dente noodles. I think, on any given day, the line-up to eat here goes out the door. There's also a window at the front to let you see the noodle-making and cooking process.

The restaurant actually employs a cafeteria-style ordering system in which you walk along a counter and go through the following:

Step 1: order your choice of udon (employees will take your order and cook it on the spot)

Step 2: add your choice of tempura or musubi (each type is differed by price; self-serve style)

Step 3: add your own sauces and condiments to your liking; also self-serve style (tempura sauces, chili flakes, wasabi, tempura crumbs, green onions)

Zaru Udon – cold udon served with a side of cold dipping sauce

It seemed pretty logical to eat something cool on a hot sunny day so that is why I chose the Zaru udon. For my sides, I had tempura prawn, asparagus, Kabocha squash, and a piece of deep fried chicken.

Ontama Bukkake Udon – bukkake sauce topped with a soft poached egg

W had the Ontama Bukkake udon which was a bowl of noodles bathed in a savoury and sweet-ish sauce and topped with an incredibly silky soft poached egg. Breaking the egg yolk into the sauce added extra depth and helped the sauce adhere to the smooth noodles. YUM! For his sides, he selected a tempura prawn, Kabocha squash, and mushrooms on a skewer.

Waiting in the line up was definitely worth it as the noodles were everything I expected. The sides were actually a bit of a let down but the fresh, toothsome udon, the Ontama egg, and sauces more than made up for it.

Cheesecake Factory

2301 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu

For dinner that day, we decided to get take-out from The Cheesecake Factory. There was no way we were going to wait 2 hours for a table inside. That's crazy!! From ordering to cooking to retrieving our food, it only took 30 minutes. I felt so smug when we walked away with our dinner passing through the huge crowd of hungry, waiting patrons HAH!

I forgot to take pictures of our meal that night but this was what we ordered.

Garlic Noodles ($15.50) – spaghettini, fresh asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, oven roasted tomatoes and parmesan in a delicious garlic sauce

Seared Tuna Tataki Salad ($18.50) – fresh ahi tuna lightly seared rare with avocado, wasabi pesto, tomato and mixed greens, tossed with shallot vinaigrette 

From taking in the view up the top of Diamond Head to taking a dip in the crisp blue waters at Kuhio beach, while filling up with tasty, satisfying food along the way, I'd say our first day in Honolulu was a blast!

Van Soba @ Tama Organic Life

2 - 1600 MacKay Road

North Vancouver, BC

Reading the newspaper daily is good for you. Not only will you learn about the current events happening at home and around the world, you will learn of any new, unique, or good eats that you would not normally encounter.

Case in point, Van Soba @ Tama Organic Life. This little hole in the wall is literally hidden from the main street, tucked away inside a tiny organic grocery store. Even from the side street you wouldn't be able to find it! I only found out about it through The Vancouver Sun with specific instructions on how to get there!

Van Soba is located beside the Ethical Kitchen cafe, with access either through their parking lot-slash-garden entered through a back lane or actually walking through Ethical Kitchen's door and bee-lining to the cafe's patio to get to the back (which we did). I wouldn't suggest walking through someone else's cafe to get to another business but the staff at Ethical Kitchen were really nice and even let us sit on their patio for lunch.

Van Soba is actually a small shop owned and operated by the same folks who run Tama Organic Life, the organic grocery story. The son of the Japanese owner specializes in freshly made soba noodles so that is their selling point. Since they only open during lunch hours, their menu is small and concise. The set-up is that you walk up to the cashier, make your order, and then step outside to find a spot to sit at one of the picnic tables.

After ordering, we wanted to find a shady spot to sit so we sat at Ethical Kitchen's patio (don't worry, we bought a drink from them so it'd feel like we were patronizing them too =P). Our view was of Tama Organic Life's garden beside the parking lot. We picked a really nice day to go! It was sunny and warm; perfect for alfresco dining.

Buckwheat noodle in hot soup ($9.95)

Rice mixed with mushrooms and carrots ($1.95?)

Since there were only 2 choices for the soba noodles, it was natural that we ordered one of each to try! To showcase their buckwheat noodles, they were served plain without any toppings aside from sliced green onions. This hot soupy version also had some lemon zest to bring out the umami flavours of their broth. The owner recommended that we try their bowl of home-made mixed rice too. 

The fresh soba noodles were definitely different from the dry, commercial-grade noodles. They were toothsome and you could feel a slight gritty texture from the freshly milled buckwheat flour that the owner-chef used. The simple bowl of rice added to the warm, wholesome feeling of eating a home-cooked Japanese meal.

Cold buckwheat noodle ($8.95) - with green onions, wasabi, and dipping sauce

Although the cold soba noodles were pure and plain, they were refreshing on a hot day. The owner taught us how to eat their cold noodles with the savoury dipping sauce. We were to pick up some noodles and dip it slightly in the concentrated sauce. After finishing the noodles, a tea pot filled with hot water that the buckwheat noodles were cooked in is to be poured into the remaining sauce and drunk like soup. Despite being a hot sunny day, the buckwheat water soup was calming and gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I like experiencing the small traditional touches of Japanese food.

This place is definitely out of the way for some, but if you do happen to venture out to North Vancouver, or you're in the area, it's nice to step back and appreciate the simple things in life.

Crepe Montagne

116 - 4368 Main Street
Whistler, BC

For my birthday, W treated me to the Scandinave Spa up at Whistler!! What an awesome fiancé (now husband!) eh? We only planned an overnight trip so we didn't have much time to venture around.

I found Crepe Montagne on the Internet and it seemed like a quaint place to have breakfast so off we went to Whistler village before our spa day!

Crepe Montagne states that they are an authentic French creperie. In addition to sweet and savoury crepes, they also serve Western style breakfasts, raclette, cheese and chocolate fondues, and ice-cream sundaes.

Since their namesake has "crepe" in it, W and I both decided not to deviate and just stick to their savoury crepes for breakfast.

Slalom ($11.95) - 1 egg, Ham or Canadian Bacon, 3 cheeses and fresh tomato

There weren't any photos of their crepes so I was expecting one of those triangular folded crepes with the ingredients tucked inside. To my surprise, it was square folded crepe that has an egg enveloped inside and the ingredients on top like a pizza! Regardless of the construction, this was still one tasty crepe. The crepes here are of the buckwheat variety and it's a nice change from regular flour as it adds a slight nuttiness to the flavour. The gooey, melted cheese under the lean, but juicy, Canadian bacon and the fresh tomatoes creates a delicious breakfast that satisfies the four food groups!

Freestyle ($11.95) - 1 egg, Ham or Canadian Bacon and 3 cheeses

W chose the Freestyle which basically is the Slalom without tomatoes. W does not like to eat tomatoes =P The crepe at the edges were a bit dry because the toppings and the egg inside didn't reach all the corners. The browned, crispy cheese crisps stuck to the side were really addictive though!

I really liked Crepe Montagne. The servers were warm and attentive and the décor of the restaurant was also charming with a rustic flair. The crepes, although not anything to-die for, were simple and yummy and we left with our tummies filled without a greasy feeling in our mouths. It felt like a healthy and delicious way to start our spa day!

Marutama Ramen

780 Bidwell Street
Vancouver, BC

Another ramen joint has opened up near the west end of Robson again! Why is it that all these ramen places like to congregate together in the same area?! There’s Santouka, Kintaro and Motomachi Shokudo all within walking distance. Too bad Benkei on Robson closed or else I would’ve included them in the list too.

This time, the new-comer is Marutama Ramen, located on the corner of Bidwell and Robson.

The interior is spacious and has this rustic wood-themed décor going on. In addition to some small tables that accommodate 2 diners, there are 3 separate counter seats – one facing the kitchen, one facing the noodle making room, one facing the window, and a large wooden communal table.

Before we get to the food, I just want to point out their washroom. No, it’s not something disgusting, don’t worry!

I think they did a really fine job of renovating and designing the washroom, the women’s washroom at least! The focal point has to be the sink because I think it’s beautiful! It looks so traditional with the small floral dots all over, perched on top of a natural-looking wood vanity, yet cool because of the black and red contrast paired with the brass faucet. Anyway! On to the food!

Marutama is a little different from the rest because they use their own specially-made chicken broth as their ramen soup. I believe G-Men in Richmond used to claim that their soup was chicken-based but I’m not sure if it still is right now when they merged with Nan-chuu. Ok, digressing again…

According to Marutama’s menu, “time, care and experience are put into the extraction of ‘umami’ from the chicken. Our ‘chicken only’ based broth is loaded with collagen which adds to the richness of the soup”. That is why they named it the Ultimate Richly-Textured Cloudy Chicken Soup!

Marutama Tamago Ramen ($10.50) - mild

Marutama doesn’t have a lot of variety on the menu (just variations of the same ramen) so W and I both chose the Marutama Tamago Ramen. W had the spicy version and I had the mild one.

The soup was true to its claim. It was milder than the broth made from pork bones but the essence of chicken was prominent and it left a sticky feeling in the mouth due to the collagen present in the soup. The ramen was the thin kind. I’m not a fan of the thin noodles but I think it matched well with the lighter soup. There weren’t a lot of accompaniments in the bowl; just 2 slices of cha shu (BBQ’ed pork), which was yummy and tender, and a pile of Aosa sea lettuce. Now, what is this “sea lettuce”?? It’s a mild kind of seaweed and it’s lighter in colour though it still does have a bit of slimy texture to it. It was not bad and unique in its own way but I still miss my favourite bamboo shoots.

The bowl of ramen also included their signature medium boiled egg. It's been marinated in a sweet soya sauce so a bite of the flavourful egg white with the creamy egg yolk blended quite well together.



Cha-shu gohan ($4.75) - roasted pork filet on rice

On our second visit the following week (W’s idea, not mine!), I wanted to try something other than their ramen so I went for their Cha-shu Gohan. This is basically a bowl of white rice topped with shredded cha-shu mixed with some onions and sauce. After taking a bite, I wasn’t fairly enthusiastic about the Cha-shu gohan. It could have used more sauce because the meat was a bit stringy and dry while the white rice was bland. The waitress dropped off a bottle of their house-made garlic chips and it added an oomph to the rice bowl but still, more sauce would have been better.

Dashiyaki ($7.00) - Japanese omelette

Thinking that their Japanese omelet would be similar to the one I had at Aki Japanese Restaurant, I decided to order Marutama’s Dashimaki. The dashimaki had a sweeter profile and the texture was springy-soft rather than melt-in-your-mouth soft. The egg at Aki still wins in this case.

In the ramen department, Marutama can be a good contender. The other items on the menu…well it could use some improvement. If there is a long line-up at the nearby Santouka, walk a few steps up the street and try Marutama. It’s not exactly the same type of ramen but it is still good eats!

California Pizza Kitchen [Tigard, OR]

7315 SW Bridgeport Road
Bridgeport Village
Tigard, OR

Boo hoo!! It was our last night in Oregon and after a final shopping spree (which I, disappointedly, came up empty-handed), we had to figure out where to have our final meal. After many deliberations, my bro-in-law suggested California Pizza Kitchen.

Despite being a stone's throw away from our hotel, we never knew Bridgeport Village existed until that night! The village was an outdoor shopping complex with many mid-high end stores and restaurants.

 

Not knowing how we should order (individual orders or a bunch of dishes to share?) we asked our server for recommendations. He suggested that we get 2 salads and 2 pizzas to share between the 6 of us. We were afraid that wouldn't be enough so we added a pasta to share as well.

 

Caramelized Peach Salad - field greens, spinach, warm caramelized peaches, cranberries, red onions, toasted pecans and Gorgonzola cheese tossed in house-made white balsamic vinaigrette

The Caramelized Peach Salad sounded very summery and fresh and indeed, the salad was chock full of fresh greens and warm sweet peaches. The pecans provided some crunch while the Gorgonzola cheese (not my favourite cheese =P) gave the salad some salty depth. Overall, this could be a salad that I would want to hoard all for myself!

Thai Crunch Salad - crisp veggies and cilantro with chicken and crunchy peanuts, wontons and rice sticks, tossed in a Thai peanut dressing

Yes, this salad looked like a big mess but only because we mixed it all together before I could take a picture of it when the salad arrived! I didn't like this one as much since I'm not a big fan of edamame beans but it was unique. The veggies were crisp and there were lots of crunchy things going on like the peanuts, fried wonton wrappers and rice sticks. The Thai dressing also had a bit heat to it.

The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza - CPK's legendary BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda, red onions and cilantro

One of their popular items on the menu, this pizza, naturally, did not disappoint. There was a powerful smokiness and tanginess from the sauce and cheese and there was enough chicken on top for everyone to enjoy. I wasn’t particularly fond of the huge crusty edge since I don’t really like eating plain crust. Would have been nice if the toppings extended more the edge.

Hawaiian Pizza - Pineapple and Canadian bacon with green onion slivers

 

The Hawaiian is my mom’s go-to pizza. Whenever we have pizza, there will most likely be a Hawaiian on the table. CPK’s version was very good. Instead of ham, they used Canadian bacon. The slices of sweet juicy pork were so yummy that we thought it was actual roasted bone-in ham! The pineapples were also sweet and juicy but it did not make the pizza soggy in any way. I really liked this one!

 

Shrimp Scampi Zucchini Fettucini - sauteed with lemon, garlic and white wine tossed with zucchini ribbons, fettucine, parsley and Parmesan cheese

The lone pasta dish of the night was the fettucini that I picked. Boy did I pick the right pasta!! I LOVED this dish!! The flavours were so fresh and aromatic with the lemon and strong garlic wafting out. The shrimp was cooked nicely absorbing the savoury garlic flavour. The noodles were cooked well at a nice firmness, just past al dente but man oh man, the star of the dish were the zucchini ribbons!! They were soft in the middle with just a little bit crunch where the skin was. It soaked up all the essences of the sauce but it was still light and it felt healthy haha… This whole dish just screamed summer to me! I ended up scraping the bowl when everyone else was too full to finish it LOL...

Wild Mushroom Pizza - cremini, shiitake, portobello and white mushrooms, mozzarella and wild mushroom walnut pesto

It was nearing the end of our meal but we all felt like we weren't really full yet so we took a second look at the menu. Not wanting something too meaty and heavy, we opted for the wild mushroom pizza. At first, we were kind of skeptical of this pizza as it looked quite pale and bland. But when we took our first bite, we were pleasantly surprised! The pesto provided an earthy, savoury hit to our tastebuds and the whole thing was full of umami-ness!! The dinner definitely ended on a very yummy note!

We had an enjoyable night at California Pizza Kitchen and it was a good finishing touch to our trip in Portland, or should I say “in Tigard” as that’s where we stayed most of the time!