'Ono Kine Grindz

Downtown @ the HiSAM

I have been here about 5 times over the last two or three months and I must say that I have not been disappointed.  For the most part, I usually get takeout from the ASAP! counter upfront, but eating in the dining area on a Saturday afternoon was a pleasant experience as well.  I wish they would allow dining outside so I could work on my tan at the same time.

The spacious dining area.

The ASAP! takeout counter.

Warm Medeiros chicken salad, potato, apple, pancetta, pecans, winter greens (US$12.50)

Seared ahi club sandwich with avocado, bacon & wasabi, Mao organic lettuces (US$10.50)

Churros y chocolate (US$6.00)

Olive oil cake with roasted fruit (US$6.00)

Downtown @ the HiSAM
250 South Hotel Street
Telephone: 808.586.0900

Soul de Cuba Café

When I first heard about this place, I was excited.  You see, I haven't had any real Cuban food since my last visit to Miami in 1994.  All over the city, there were a number of tiny coffeeshops serving media noche and café con leche alongside plates of chuletas fritas, tostones and frijoles negros.  Delicioso, indeed!

Stepping inside, you'll notice the bar along the far wall.  The rich brown color and the photographs that line the walls, make this place feel homey and inviting.

Looking over the menu, the soul sampler (US$15.00) looked like a good place to begin.

On the plate you'll find deviled crab, a beef empanada, a veggie empanada and a small serving of the camarones bailando (dancing shrimp).  The empanadas were topped with a sauce that was a bit like Thousand Island dressing.  I've never eaten them this way, and the light, flaky pastry with its savory filling would have been much better without it.  The camarones bailando, were the stars of the plate.  Perfectly cooked, the tender shrimp were complimented by a smoky, black bean based "Cubano-chinois" sauce.  Last to be eaten was the deviled crab.  This deep fried cousin of the croquette, had a rock hard exterior that concealed a well seasoned and tasty interior filled crab.

On this visit, I also decided to try the pan con bistec (US$8.00).

According to the menu, this sandwich was "thin slices of pan fried Cuban palomilla steak and grilled onions served on pressed Cuban bread with mayo".  When the sandwich arrived, I discovered that it was filled with two thick slices of tough, dry beef and barely cooked onions.  Biting through the beef was a challenge from the very start and I was very disappointed.  The bread, however, was light and crispy, just like Cuban bread should be.

Giving the restaurant another chance, on a subsequent visit, I ordered the Cubano (US$7.00).

Traditionally, a Cubano sandwich is made by stuffing thin slices of pernil and ham, a slice of Swiss cheese and thinly sliced pickles between Cuban bread that is often slathered with mustard and sometimes butter.  It is then "pressed" in a fashion similar to a panini until the cheese barely melts and so that the pickles remain crunchy.  Here there was no mustard, or butter, to be found, instead there was quite a bit of mayonnaise.  In addition, there were small disks of a salami-like meat here too.  The combination of meats made this sandwich salty, and unlike a true Cubano, the pickles had lost their crunch.

Although I am appreciative that a Cuban restaurant has finally come to Hawaii, my only wish would be for the food to be more traditionally prepared with thoughtfulness and care.  The sandwiches were lackluster and uneven, and while the appetizers were good, only the camarones bailando really stood out.  The service is here is friendly and attentive, and if the food were to improve, even at these prices, I could see myself coming back.

Soul de Cuba Café
1121 Bethel Street
Telephone: 808.545.2822

Satura Cakes

Now available at Ward Centre!

Below is a small sampling of some of my favorite treats from Satura Cakes. 

(green tea corone)

The green tea corone uses puff pastry (or phyllo) to create a crisp and crunchy exterior that surrounds a subtly flavored pastry cream (also available in mango).

(chocolate gâteau )

The chocolate gâteau is rich, dense and chocolaty and is presented topped with some whipped cream and a shard of chocolate.

(Kona coffee blancmange)

If you love coffee, you'll love the Kona coffee blancmange.  Take some coffee-flavored pudding (that's what I'd call it), add a few squares of coffee-flavored gelatin, then top with a dollop of whipped cream.  The perfect combination of flavors makes this smooth, creamy dessert one of my favorites.

(mille crêpe)

The mille crêpe takes a stack of 15 delicate crêpes and layers them with whipped vanilla cream.  Light and airy, this is what a Beard Papa cream puff in cake-like form would taste like.  Can I have this flavored with green tea, please???

(salty chocolate cookies)

The salty chocolate cookies are made with Valhrona cocoa powder, Himalayan salt, macadamia nuts (I'll have to ask again) and organic sugar.  Taking a bite of these cookies, you first taste the bittersweet chocolate.  As the cookie starts to dissolve in your mouth, the flavors of sugar and salt come through, making these the perfect cookie.

Since they opened, I must have visited about a dozen times, each time trying something new.  I've had almost every dessert and have yet to be disappointed.  I heard that they will be starting a limited menu for breakfast and lunch.  Let's hope these offerings are just as good.

Satura Cakes
Harbor Court
55 Merchant Street Suite 110 (lobby)
Telephone: 808.537.1206

Jun Bo Chinese Restaurant

POST IN PROGRESS

What's a Chinese restaurant doing hidden away in a dark alleyway?  Is it any good?

The Mandalay

For a while now I've been walking by the old Yong Sing location in downtown Honolulu wondering if that space would ever be occupied again.  Then about 9 months ago, I noticed a bit of activity around the restaurant.  First, the entryway was cleaned -- it actually looked like someone homeless was camped out there.  A few weeks after that, I caught the doors open and it looked like the insides had been gutted.  Shortly there after, I would pass by every now and again to check out the progress.

At the end of June 2005, I visited the Mandalay's booth at the 14th Annual Taste of Honolulu.  After speaking with the owner, Linda Chan, I learned that the restaurant was planning an October opening (if I remember correctly).

Soon, October came and went, and the Mandalay still had not opened.  Then on Wednesday, January 18th, I saw a "Now Open" sign in front of the restauarant as I was walking back to the office from Great Harvest.

[insert photo here]

Interested, I walked in and got a menu.  When I got back to the office, I called the restaurant and attempted to make a reservation for the following evening, only to be told that the restaurant was going to be closed for a private function.  From what I was told by a co-worker that had lunch there that day, the restaurant was closed for an industry party. 

Since I wasn't able to enjoy dinner here on Thursday, I decided to have lunch here on Friday.  Walking up to the restaurant, I noticed a small area dedicated for take out lunches (great idea) which was set off to the side from the main dining room.

[insert photo here]

Looking over the options, I decided to try the dim sum which is noted on a sign right inside the door.  There were two options -- the "A" plate and the "B" plate. 

Since I was hungry, and because I wanted to sample as many items as possible, I decided to try the dim sum plate "B" (US$6.95).

The plate contained one of each of the following (individual photos where necessary):

Steamed sticky rice with chicken wrapped in lotus leaf, steamed pork dumpling, steamed BBQ pork bun, deep fried shrimp dumpling, deep fried mixed meat dumpling, mini egg tart in crispy shell & mochi with peanut and coconut.

Here is a photo of the steamed sticky rice with chicken wrapped in lotus leaf after it has been upwrapped.

And here is the inside of the steamed BBQ pork bun.

As a whole, this plate of dim sum wasn't very good.  The steamed BBQ pork bun was mostly bun and not enough filling.  What was there was mostly fat.  The deep fried shrimp dumpling was soggy and cold -- almost as if it were sitting on a cart for a long, long time.  The steamed pork dumpling was cold and oily.  I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth for a while.  I wish that I had ordered, or brewed, some tea to wash away the oil.  The other two fried items were really oily as well.  The mini egg tart in crispy shell?  Well, it was named incorrectly because the shell wasn't really crispy.  And the steamed sticky rice with chicken wrapped in lotus leaf was probably the best thing here, even though the rice was a bit "wet", it was still flavorful and stuffed full of ground chicken and dried shrimp.

After the lackluster experience with the dim sum plate, I decided to go back for something else.  This time, I decided to have something from the hot food station.  I decided on a two choice plate (US$5.95). 

All of the plate lunches are served with white rice, seafood fried rice or gon lo mein.  Since I didn't feel like eating rice, I had gon lo mein with orange beef and stir fried green beans.  The orange beef was overly tenderized and really sweet.  It didn't feel like I was eating meat.  The stir fried green beans were selected because they had just brought a fresh pan out of the kitchen.  The beans were crisp and stir fried with ground pork and dried shrimp.  I really enjoyed these and would have asked for a double order had I known the beef was going to be such a failure.  The gon lo mein, on the other hand, was dry and flavorless.  Some chilli sauce improved the taste a bit, but not enough to make this worthwhile.

After the poor showing during lunch, I am reluctant to visit the Mandalay for dinner.  I've come to two conclusions here.  One, don't order the dim sum for take out.  By the time you get back to the office, it's sure to be cold and nearly inedible.  Maybe the Mandalay should reconsider offering dim sum to take out.  Two, when visiting during lunchtime, make sure you select whatever has just been brought out.  I had a feeling that the gon lo mein and the orange beef had been sitting a while.  The stir fried green beans were a hit because they were freshly made.

Was it worth the wait?  Definitely not and it definitely wasn't worth the cost.  Will there be a next time?  It's hard to tell.  Ask me in a few weeks.

The Mandalay
1055 Alakea Street
Telephone:  808.525.8585

Fook Lam Seafood Restaurant

Several weeks ago I was in Chinatown hoping to have some Taiwanese food for lunch.  As luck would have it, it was a Monday, and K C Kitchen was closed.  I also thought about visiting Season's Ice & Eatery, but remembered that the owners of the shop were out of town for two weeks.  Since I was already in the area, my friend suggested having something to eat here.  After that first visit, I decided to come back again and try a few different things. 

Upon arriving at Fook Lam, I found the restaurant to be crowded.  Stepping inside, I left my name at the counter and was given a little slip of paper with the number 71 on it.  Below that was written the number 2 (for two guests).  After waiting for about 5 minutes, I heard over the loudspeaker "chat yap sat", "qi shi yi", "number 71" -- funny!  At least they gave me three chances to respond.

Once inside, we were seated at a table in the far corner of the restaurant.  This is the crowd at 1:30 pm.  Can you imagine how many more people are here at 11:00 am?

Once seated the carts started coming around to visit.  This one was on it's way and contained mostly fried stuff in the bottom and a number of desserts up top.  See the hungry look on the man in red's face?  And how's the girl with her mouth open.  I think she saw something she wanted.

We chose a few items off the carts and also ordered a few items that are not on the menu.  Let's start with this -- #24. honey tripe (US$1.90).

Sweet and just a little spicy, the tripe retained just enough bite to make this enjoyable.  One thing that I don't usually like about tripe, is that it's most often overdone -- too tender, with not enough texture. That was definitely not the case here.  If you like tripe, you'll definitely like this.

#9.  Chicken feet with black bean (US$1.90).

After the first bite, I couldn't really tell that the chicken feet were braised using black bean sauce.  Instead, the flavorful chicken feet seemed to have been flavored more with chilli and star anise.  Distinctive in flavor, I wish this would have been braised for just a little while longer so the chicken feet would have been just a bit more tender.

#21.  Steamed spinach & scallop dumplings (US$1.90).

Tiny bay scallops and wilted spinach were surrounded by a thin, semi-translucent rice flour skin.  Soft and tender, with just the right amount of filling, these dumplings were nearly perfect.

#33.  Beef look funn roll (US$2.75).

Thick and slippery look funn noodles were wrapped around lots of flavorful minced beef before being topped with sweet soy sauce and a healthy sprinkling of chopped green onions and cilantro.

Pan fried turnip cake with XO sauce (US$4.95).

This dish is actually not on the menu, but they will make it for you if you ask.  Mashed turnips were mixed with flour and dried shrimp before being pan fried until crispy with savory XO sauce.  Garnished with slices of cut red chillies, chopped green onions and cilantro, this was one of my favorite dishes here.  It reminded me of the chai tow kway that I had in Singapore.  All this needed was some of that sweet, dark soy sauce.

Xiao long pau (US$3.80).

Ever elusive, this dish is another that is not on the menu.  Xiao long pau, or pork dumplings with soup, are a rare find on dim sum menus here.  If you know to ask, you'll be in for a treat.  Eat them while they're hot, otherwise, the soup will be absorbed by the skins.  These were nicely filled with ground pork and well flavored with lots of ginger.  The skins could have been a little thinner though.

#43.  Fish rice soup (US$3.95).

Rice soup, or congee, is another favorite of mine, but one that I don't indulge in too often.  Normally, I will have the century egg (pei dan) with pork rice soup, but this time I decided to try something different.  Large chucks of fish were swimming in the bowl of smooth textured rice soup.  Add a little vinegar and a sprinkling of pepper and you're set.

After all that, I still had room for dessert.  I decided to have the red bean jelly (US$1.90).

Cool, refreshing and not at all sweet, this red bean jelly hit the spot.  It's not often that I indulge in dessert after having dim sum, but was so irresistable. 

The dim sum here at Fook Lam is, in many ways, just as good as the dim sum at my favorite place, Panda Cuisine.  The selection of items here is good and the dishes are thoughfully prepared, flavorful and well portioned.  In addition, the service here is better than at most dim sum places and given the quality of the food, the prices are very reasonable. 

Fook Lam Seafood Restaurant
Chinatown Cultural Plaza
100 North Beretania Street Suite 110-112
Telephone:  808.523.9168

Seasons Ice & Eatery Ltd

This is actually a Taiwanese snack shop located in the Chinatown Cultural Plaza.  Here is a sampling of what's available here.  I've actually tried almost everything on the menu and it's all pretty good.

--------------------------------------------------

Several months ago, I was on my way to meet a friend for lunch at K C Kitchen. On that particular occasion, I parked in a different location and ended up walking past Seasons Ice & Eatery and that's how I discovered this place.  It's kind of funny to think about because both of these places serve Taiwanese food and they are within walking distance of each other.  The atmosphere inside each restaurant is quite different and so is the food. 

As you approach Seasons Ice & Eatery, you'll notice the food photos on the window facing the mall.  The photos do give you an idea on what's on offer here and most of it looks good...especially when I'm hungry.  When I arrived, there were only a couple of people here inside the small shop -- there are only 3 tables (or was it 4?) inside this tiny shop.

There's a small area in the front of the shop which contains a refrigerator full of cold drinks, and a small ice shaver to make some icy treats which are especially good when the weather is hot and humid.  To be honest, I have never had dessert here, only because I'm usually too full after eating all of the delicious food.

If you've been to the Taiwanese restaurants that are in the area, then you're probably familiar with the bright colored strips of paper that adorn the walls -- I've been told that this is the menu.  Now, if I was able to read the Chinese characters, then I'd probably place my order based upon what I read there.  But...

...instead, on the table is a menu covered in tiny photos with the name of the dish in English as well as a number.  You'll soon find out why this is helpful.

You see, on each table is a laminated sheet of paper and a black marker, like what's shown below.  When you're ready, you indicate which dishes you want by writing the number of servings in the little boxes next to the description of the dishes.  Now, it's much easier, in my opinion, to look for numbers rather than the names of dishes and that's why I like the numbering system.  Besides, there should be no confusion with having an incorrect order brought to the table, or an incorrect tab, right?

I often order this combo -- #17. seasoned boiled egg (US$.50) and #18. seasoned tofu square (US$2.00).

The tofu is braised before being topped with some yellow bean sauce and chopped green onions.  The tofu has an interesting flavor, one that I've become accustomed to over the last several months.  The seasoned egg is tasty, but could use a bit more flavor.  Perhaps they could braise it for a longer period of time?

Depending on how hungry I am, I will also order the #12. fried rice noodle (US$2.50).

Thin strands of glass noodles are stir fried with vegetables before being topped with a some minced pork and chopped cilantro.  Despite the low cost, this is the perfect portion size for a light lunch and the flavorful noodles taste even better when a healthy spoonful of chilli is added on top.

More frequently, I will order a bowl of the beef noodle soup or niu rou mien (US$5.50).

The piping hot soup arrives with a ton of noodles floating around in the bowl of beefy broth.  Along with the chunks of lean, tender beef, there's a lot of chopped cilantro and chopped green onions in here as well.  The soup here is almost always a little sweet, and more often, almost never spicy enough.  While "fishing" around in the bottom of the bowl, I discovered one of their "secret" ingredients -- tomatoes!

If I don't feel like having too much starch for lunch, I'll order the above mentioned seasoned tofu and this dish, #7. Meat dumpling with beef soup (US$5.50).

Eight thick-skinned and plump dumplings are found floating around in the same bowl of broth as the signature beef noodle soup.  The slightly sweet flavor of the broth pairs well with the beef and chive filling.  Stuffed until they are almost ready to explode, the dumplings are excellent.

Despite being in the vicinity of the more popular K C Kitchen, Seasons Ice & Eatery definitely holds its own.  The food here in inexpensive and tasty, and the service is great.  Now all that's left is to decide who makes the best niu rou mien.

Seasons Ice & Eatery Ltd
Chinatown Cultural Plaza
100 North Beretania Street Suite 117
Telephone: 808.538.1978

Zaney's Restaurant

Located in the space previously occupied by New Century Chinese Restaurant, and the extremely short lived Welcome Inn Café, Zaney's is a somewhat unique player amongst the Asian food establishments that one would normally find in the area.  Situated on the ground floor of the Smith-Beretania Apartment building, Zaney's is far enough away from the heart of the business district to make a visit here a planned event.

Inside, the restaurant spacious and furnished simply with large number of tables and chairs.  The menu is located right above the entrance to the kitchen, and each day is marked with the dozen or so items that are on offer for that day.

On one of my many visits here, I ordered the mini garlic chicken with brown rice and tossed salad (US$4.00; regular US$5.75).

To prepare the garlic chicken, pieces of boneless chicken thighs are battered and deep fried until they are golden brown and crunchy.  They are then tossed in a garlic-shoyu sauce which is sweet, salty and just a little spicy.  Though they were well coated with sauce, the pieces of chicken still had quite a bit of crunch to them.

On other ocassions, I've also ordered the hamburger steak (regular US$5.75; mini US$4.00).  The regular plate comes with two scoops rice and one scoop macaroni salad.

To be quite honest, this really isn't like local style hamburger steak at all.  In fact, it reminds me more of the salisbury steak that you'd find in the freezer section of you local grocery store -- you know, like those in the Hungry Man type of TV dinners.

On other ocassions, I've had the beef stew and the beef curry, both of which had lots of beef, tender carrots and potatoes, and thick gravy.  The only thing that made those dishes less than stellar was the amount of flour/cornstarch used as a thickening agent.

The garlic chicken is the stand out here at Zaney's.  In my opinion, it's probably some of the best garlic chicken around.  The other dishes here are a bit hit and miss, but aren't really too bad -- especially if you take the portion size and price into consideration.  Give it a try, you're bound to find something there to like.

Zaney's Restaurant
1170 Nuuanu Avenue Suite 102
Telephone:  808.523.3380

Ying Leong Look Funn Factory

This is a small specialty shop along the Kekaulike Mall in Chinatown.  Unbeknownst to me, until an introduction by a friend several years ago, this shop sells just one thing -- look funn (chee cheong fun) -- or rolls of flat Chinese rice noodles.

Unassuming in it's outward appearance, you just might miss the shop if you aren't looking out for the sign above the door, or if you don't read Chinese.

Once inside the shop, you'll see boxes stacked up to the ceiling near the stainless steel refrigerator on the left.  Straight ahead, you'll find the counter and right behind the front counter is handwritten sign listing what's on offer.  Just three items are available here -- plain look funn (US$.60 each), char siu look funn (Chinese barbecued pork, US$.90 each) or shrimp look funn (US$.90 each).

Here is one order of char siu look funn (US$.90) that has been topped with some soy sauce.

The look funn is sliced upon request, then wrapped in some waxed paper before being concealed in an outer wrapping of pink butcher paper. 

Once home, I unwrapped the package, emptied a tiny packet of soy sauce over the cool noodles, and proceed to eat.  The cool, slightly chewy noodles, the salty soy sauce and the tiny bits of savory char siu, complement each other well.  If you'd like, the look funn noodles can be steamed before the soy sauce is poured over the top.  Another way to prepare this is to stir fry the look funn with a little oyster sauce or a bit of hoisin sauce.  The noodles become crunchy outside with a tender, slightly chewy middle.

For an inexpensive breakfast, or a light afternoon snack, this is definitely something worth considering.

Ying Leong Look Funn Factory
1028 Kekaulike Street
Telephone:  808.537.4304

Maria Bonita's Authentic Mexican Food

Lunchtime dining options in downtown Honolulu rarely rise above the fast food joints, or the usual Asian fare that's found in Chinatowns across the country.  There are a few power lunch spots, Indigo and Che Pasta come to mind, and a few Italian places to be found, but for the most part, the options, though great, are quite limited.  When Maria Bonita's opened several months ago, I was happy, but also quite skeptical.  What in the world is a Mexican restaurant doing here?

The sign announcing the shop declares this to be authentic Mexican food and the gorgeous photos of the dishes lining the windows in front, makes sure that your mouth starts watering before you find your way inside.

The inside of the restaurant is spacious, with a few booths available for customers who want to eat in.  There is no lighting or air conditioning inside, but the place is clean and has a homey feel.  When I arrived for a very late lunch (3:00 pm), there was no one here.  Lucky me!

After looking over the menu, 13 regular menu items and a couple of specials, I decided to order the #6 -- taco salad plate (US$7.00; ala carte US$5.00).  The taco salad, as well as most of the other menu items, comes with your choice of meat -- shredded chicken, carnitas pork, shredded beef, asada beef (steak), or ground beef -- or veggies (grilled green and red peppers, onions, tomatoes and zucchini).  On this particular occasion, I chose the shredded beef.

A crisp fried flour tortilla was lined with beans and shredded beef, then topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, and cheese.  It was further garnished with some chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream and served on a plate with some rice and refried beans.  How does this look?

The crunchy taco shell, crisp lettuce and juicy tomatoes proved to be the perfect compliment to the shredded beef.  Fork tender and well seasoned, the shredded beef used here were more like the chunks of beef found in beef stew.  The refried beans and fluffy rice added just the right touch to round out the meal.

On a subsequent visit, I decided to have the #1 -- tacos (2) plate (US$7.00; ala carte US$5.00).  Again, I chose the shredded beef.

This time I was smart.  I actually snapped a photo of the shredded beef that's used in all the dishes.  Have a look at the chunks of beef that were in this taco.

On my most recent visit, just a couple of days ago, I didn't have time to eat in, so I decided to bring lunch back to the office.  This time, I had the #8 -- burrito plate (US$7.50; ala carte US$5.50).  I was leaning towards the carne asada, but instead, had the shredded beef.  What is it with me?  I guess I'm just a creature of habit. 

The flour tortilla wrapped burrito is filled with rice, beans, and shredded beef.  In addition, there is just a sprinkling of lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro and cheese.

The flavors of these dishes are similar, with the dishes only being different in their presentation.  The food here is excellent and the service is quick.  On the day that I ordered my food to go, it took all of 5 minutes for me to order, settle the bill, and collect my food.  Even though the prices may seem a bit high, they are in line with what you'd expect to pay at other Mexican eateries around town.

Maria Bonita's
15 North Hotel Street
Telephone:  808.536.6185