'Ono Kine Grindz

Kirin Restaurant

Open for a little more than a year now, Kirin first arrived on the scene as Hei Chin Rou.  Since I am a frequent visitor to Ala Moana Center, I was highly anticipating this new restaurant, but each time I visited, I was unable to go inside for one reason or another.  This past weekend I was shopping at Ala Moana for a birthday gift when I decided to stop in with a couple of friends.

The interior of the restaurant is well appointed -- dark carved wood panels and recessed lighting.  Unlike the interiors of most Chinese restaurants, this one was actually quite pleasant and calming.

What makes this different from most dim sum restaurants in Hawaii is the lack of carts.  Instead of carts making their way through the restaurant, your dim sum order is placed via an "order form" of sorts.  At each table is a large picture menu and a small sheet of paper with most of the dim sum items listed on it.  Check off the box next to each item, hand it to a waiter or waitress that just happens to be passing by, and your dishes will start to arrive in a few minutes.

We ordered a number of dishes and the first of these to arrive was the crispy green onion patty (US$2.95).

Lots of green onions were scattered throughout this crispy and slightly chewy pancake.  By the time was placed on the table, the pancake was a little cold and started to turn a little greasy.  The pancake itself, while tasty, was just a little too "doughy" for me.

Next came the seared bean curd rolls with vegetables (US$2.95).

Thin sheets of bean curd skin were wrapped around julienned mushrooms, carrots and bamboo shoots.  These were fine for what they were, but I would have liked just a little less filling and a lot more crunchiness.  These bean curd rolls were just a little too "tender".

The bean curd rolls were quickly followed by the deep-fried shrimp puff with thousand island sauce (US$3.25).

Huge pieces of succulent shrimp filled these deep fried puffs.  A dipping sauce consisting of a standard thousand island dressing accompanied this dish.  While the dipping sauce was unconventional (these are usually served with mayonaisse), these were quite good. These were not as good as the ultra thin skinned ones found at Legend though.

After we were done with the shrimp puffs, we waited a while before the next dish, the spicy Szechuan pork won-ton (US$2.75), arrived.

Four won-tons were filled with pork and arrived at the table floating in a mildly spicy gravy.  After taking the first bite, I discovered that these won-tons were overly salty and decided not to eat anymore.  I did taste the gravy and discovered that it contained coconut milk.  In fact, it tasted very much like laksa!

Finally, the steamed items started to arrive at the table.  First up, were the steamed barbecued pork buns (US$2.95).

Sweet chunks of barbecue pork (char siu) filled the over-steamed bun.  The barbecued pork filling had an unusually intense flavor (it seemed to be anise) and the bun lacked the standard fluffiness.

After the disappointment with the char siu bao, I was happy to see the next dish arrive at the table.  That dish was the glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf with chicken and dried scallop (US$3.75).

Unwrapping the lotus leaf , I discovered this...

Lots of chewy, al dente-style glutinous rice filled with minced chicken and dried scallops.  There was a lot of gelatinous fat here as well as something gooey that I couldn't quite make out.  The overall flavoring of the rice was good, but I found that it was much too "wet" for my tastes.

The final dim sum item of the day was the Shanghai style juicy pork buns (US$3.25).

Four small buns, if you can call them that, arrived in a steamer basket.   

Previously, when I had eaten xiao long bao, the "skin" was paper thin and translucent.  When you picked up the bao with your chopsticks, you could see the liquid "sloshing" around inside it.  Here the skin was thick, just as thick as a normal won ton skin.  When I pierced the skin to take this photo, there was hardly any liquid inside it.  There was, however, quite a bit of pork filling inside each tiny "bun".

After a somewhat mediocre experience with the dim sum, I decided that I was going to  order something for dessert.  I settled on the almond tofu (US$3.25).

Chilled almond flavored tofu was topped with a couple of spoonfuls of fruit cocktail.  The sweet, smooth tofu was refreshing and really hit the spot.

Upon entering the restaurant, we thought that the room full of people meant that the food here was good. After the first couple of dishes, we knew that our assumptions were wrong.  Did people just come here because it was convenient?  The food here was OK, and with each dish, something seemed to be lacking.  For a lot less than the premium prices charged here, better values, and tastier food, can be had elsewhere.

Kirin Restaurant
Ala Moana Shopping Center Street Level
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard Space 1215
Telephone:  808.946.1888

Buk Chang Dong Soon Do Bu

It's been a little cool and rainy lately, so making a decision on what to eat for dinner was not a difficult one.  I initially felt like having some Korean food, and soon du bu sounded just right.  I was actually on my way to So Gong Dong when I decided to take a detour and stop here instead.

I had passed by Buk Chang Dong quite a number of times, and if I'm not mistaken, this hole-in-the-wall spot used to house So Gong Dong.  Anyone?

When I arrived, it was quite late -- almost 9:30 pm.  It's a good thing this restaurant was open until 10:00 pm.  Clean and bright, I sat on table number 2 right near the front door.  There was only one other party in the restaurant, a group of Japanese nationals, that were enjoying some soon do bu as well.

After placing my order, the ban chan arrived at the table -- seven little dishes in all.

Top photo: Clockwise from top - sukju namul (mung bean sprouts), sweet potato roots (I thought it was doh rah gee, but I was told that it wasn't.), won bok kim chee, radish kim chee.

Bottom photo: Clockwise from top - nokdu muk (green pea jelly), odeng (fish cake), cabbage.

I decided to order the bi bim bap + soon do bu combo (US$9.95).  First to arrive was the bi bim bap.

A bowl of hot rice was garnished with vegetables -- mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, cabbage and sweet potato roots -- and some pieces of marinated beef (bul go gi) before being topped by a sunnyside up egg that had been sprinkled with some sesame seeds.  Add a liberal amount of kochujang sauce, mix and eat.  The combination of flavors and textures in the bowl are was really make this enjoyable to eat.  This bowl of bi bim bap was no exception.  The quality of the ingredients, not to mention the perfectly cooked egg, make this worth eating again.

Shortly after the bi bim bap was delivered, the soon do bu arrived at the table bubbling hot.

Large chunks of soft tofu floated within the pot that also contained pieces of beef, thinly sliced onions and mushrooms, and a light sprinkling of chopped green onions.  There was a lot of the soft, silky tofu in the pot and the stock was just the right spiciness for me.  In fact, it was so spicy that I could just make out the beefy undertones of the stock.  This was the perfect dish for a rainy evening dinner.

At US$9.95 for a combination set, the price here is definitely a bargain.  The food is fiery and well prepared, and the portions are sized just right.  The food arrived at the table promptly and the service was friendly.  Given all of the above, it should be no surprise to discover that Buk Chang Dong has been added to my rotation of favorite dining spots.

Buk Chang Dong Soon Do Bu
1518 Makaloa Street Unit B
Telephone:  808.953.2299

Cuisine Tony

UPDATE:  November 2005
Cuisine Tony has closed.
Pho One now occupies this space.

Several years ago, Cuisine Tony used to serve up some eclectic dishes with some pretty far out names like Saturn pork chops and escargot de France.  A couple years later, you could find such things as African chicken and Hungarian oxtail soup on the menu.  More recently, I paid another visit to Cuisine Tony only to find that the menu had been revamped yet again.

When I arrived here for dinner with a friend a couple weeks back, we found the place to be quite empty.  There were a couple of tables that were occupied near the front of the restaurant, but the rest of the restaurant, which was filled with soft, high backed booths, was empty.

(This is a bad photo, but you get the idea right?)

While looking over the menu, I noticed that the funky menu items, like those mentioned above, as well as the Italian-inspired ones, were gone.  The menu had been totally revamped with Chinese specialties. While we looked over the menu to make our selections, we decided to start with an order of the crispy chicken wings with shrimp sauce (US$6.95).

As the plate made it's way to the table from the kitchen, I could smell the distinct aroma of shrimp paste wafting through the air.  Pungent, and smelling of the sea, I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into those crispy wings.  Crunchy and slightly salty, these chicken wings were moist and juicy on the inside.

The next item to arrive at the table was the fish fillet with Szechwan hot chili sauce (US$9.95).

Chunks of tender fish were first deep fried then stir fried with lots of dried chillies in this spicy, yet savory dish.  Dark soy sauce, minced garlic, slivers of ginger, green onions and just little shrimp paste were used to create the mouth watering sauce that soaked each bite of fish.  The amount of heat was just right and the gravy was perfect spooned into my bowl of rice. 

Besides the two dishes mentioned above, we also wanted to order the stir-fried snow cabbage with dried tofu.  When we attempted to order it, we were told there was no snow cabbage.  So just as I was about to choose the bala chaung on-choi, the waitress recommended the pe pa tofu (US$12.00).  Since this dish is not commonly found on menus here, I was easily persuaded to order this.

As the dish was brought out to the table, I was delighted that the waitress recommended it.  Silken tofu was first mixed with bits of shrimp and lots of cilantro, then coated in batter and deep friend until golden brown.  Served on a bed of sautéed spinach, it was then covered in a light soy based sauce.  For me, this dish was the evening's highlight.  The unmistakable flavor of cilantro was enhanced by the subtle flavor of soy sauce in every soft, yet crunchy bite.  Excellent.

It's been a while since my last visit to Cuisine Tony and I'm so glad I came back.  The dishes are expertly executed and are made with quality ingredients.  The service here is attentive, friendly and helpful.  And the food?  The portion sizes here were the perfect size for sharing, and judging by the dishes that I ordered, the food here is worth every delicious penny. 

Cuisine Tony
1617 Kapiolani Boulevard
Telephone:  808.941.1234

Shabu Shabu House

Shabu shabu ("swish-swish") is the Japanese term for the sound created by the swishing action used to cook the thinly sliced cuts of beef, or other meats, in a boiling pot of broth.  It's said that when the meat is "swished" around in the broth-filled pot, the unhealthy fats are released from the meat, making shabu shabu a "healthy" dining option.

For more than a year and a half, I've been driving past the Shabu Shabu House with the intent of stopping in for either lunch or dinner.  However, it wasn't until just recently that I actually managed to visit the restaurant with a friend for lunch. 

When we arrived at 1:00 pm, there were a number of diners inside the brightly colored, and sparsely decorated, restaurant.  There was a counter area surrounded by bar chairs and there were individual tables for four situated throughout the dining area.

After selecting a table near the front of the shop, we looked over the menu.  For lunch there were a few "set" menus -- beef & pork, pork, beef, vegetable, seafood or beef or pork with shrimp.  There were also quite a few a la carte menu items that could be selected to either add on to your existing set, or to create your own mix-and-match meal.

After placing our order, and while waiting for the meats and vegetables to arrive, I looked over the condiment tray.  I found squeeze bottles filled with sesame, ponzu and ginger sauces available in the middle of the table.

There were also these containers of grated daikon and chopped green onions as well.

Each lunch set comes with a plate of vegetables.  On this plate here was some won bok, spinach, bok choy, a small handful of udon noodles, a slice of kabocha, two blocks of tofu and one gyoza.  Seems like quite a bit, doesn't it?

As the pot bubbled on the table, with a piece of konbu thrown in for good measure, the vegetables were slowly added and cooked to the desired level of doneness.  We were almost done with our plates of vegetables when the plates of thinly sliced meats arrived at the table.  The waitress apologized for forgetting our order.

The set that we both ordered was the beef & pork shabu shabu (US$8.95, large portion add US$3.00).

Eight ounces of thinly sliced, well marbled beef and pork arrived at the table at long last.  Dip each slice of meat into the "broth", if you'd like to call it that, swish it around a few times until cooked through, dip into some sauce, and pop each tender slice into your mouth.  The meat was nicely tender, with the beef being the better of the two quality-wise.  Of the three dipping sauces present on the table, my favorite had to be the ponzu. 

After we were finishing up both the plate of meat and vegetables, we decided to order a dessert to share.  We ordered the green tea and azuki chiffon cake (sorry, not sure of the correct name of the dessert; US$4.95).

We waited more than 10 minutes for the dessert to arrive.  When it was brought to the table, it was starting to melt.  Our waitress again apologized for forgetting about us and our order.

A thin layer of cake was topped first with a thick layer of azuki ice cream and finished with an equally thick layer of green tea ice cream.  The plate was covered with some azuki bean sauce and garnished with a thin rolled chocolate wafer.  The dessert, while sweet, was definitely not as sweet as it looked.  It was a light and refreshing end to our meal.

Specialty restaurants such as this one, can be a good thing or a bad thing.  The good thing is being able to focus on a single item, which in this case is shabu shabu, to provide the best possible product to your customers.  The bad thing is a customer expecting the best and coming away feeling slightly cheated by either the quality or the freshness of the ingredients. 

While the prices here were very reasonable, I felt that the quality of the ingredients could have been a little better.  The service, while pleasant and friendly, was often lacking.  And even though I found the lunch to be satisfying, I'm highly unlikely to return unless the quality of both the food, and the service, improves.

Shabu Shabu House
1221 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite 108
Telephone:  808.597.1655

TacoLicious Taco Truck

A while ago, I used to see this taco truck parked in the Daiei Kaheka parking lot during the afternoons.  In fact, the truck used to be parked adjacent to the one occupied by Tae's Teppanyaki.  Lately, though, I've been seeing this truck parked there in the evenings instead.  Nowadays, there are a couple of stools out front and there have even been times when a line has formed at the window.

The menu is quite short, consisting of 3 types of California-style soft tacos in two sizes -- steak (Angus beef), chicken (white meat chicken) and veggie in either border (1/4 pound) or grande (1/2 pound).  I opted for the grande steak taco with a whole wheat tortilla (US$4.80).

Chunks of Angus beef are topped with some fluffy rice, black beans and homemade guacamole.  The beef was lean and tender, well-marinated and tasty.  The rest of the ingredients proved to be complimentary and I enjoyed the combination of the flavors found in each bite.  Half way through the taco, I asked myself why I waited so long to try this.

Although this may seem a little pricey, what gets served out of this truck is some good quality stuff.  Concentrating on a single menu item (or 3), makes things even better as consistency should be guaranteed, right?  Early evening/late night dining options just got a little better with my visit to this truck.  I'll definitely be back again...soon!

Tacolicious Taco Truck
Daiei Kaheka parking lot
801 Kaheka Street
Telephone:  808.265.1986

Karen's Kitchen

I first heard about Karen's Kitchen about three years ago when the office I work in had a pot luck.  Someone brought the potato salad from Karen's and it was so delicious that I just had to visit the restaurant to sample some of the other food.  Due to it's close proximity to my apartment, Karen's had become a pretty regular hangout over the last couple of years, but since starting this blog, my visits here have been infrequent at best.  One night several days ago, I left the office earlier than usual and decided to stop by Karen's on the way home.

It was already 8:00 pm, but the shop was quite crowded when I arrived.  In fact, Karen's seems to draw a steady crowd no matter what time of day it is, even though it is in a small strip mall in a mostly industrial area of town.

Tonight, I decided to have the hamburger steak with macaroni salad (US$6.95).

A huge piece of hamburger "steak" was topped with mushrooms and onions before being covered with lots of brown gravy.  The plate also came with two scoops white rice and some macaroni salad.  Delicious is how I'll describe this thick, well-seasoned piece of hamburger.  I'd probably go as far as saying that this is one of the better hamburger steak plates that I've had the pleasure of eating.  The gravy is the perfect consistency, though it can be a little salty at times.  The macaroni salad here is good too -- mixed in with all of the elbow macaroni, you'll find pieces of egg and potato as well.

For dessert, I had a slice of blueberry cream pie (US$2.50).

Although the blueberries used as topping for this pie are probably canned (?), the crust is flakey and definitely homemade.  The cream filling is dense and rich without being overly sweet.

On another night recently, I had the hamburger curry with tossed salad (US$4.95).

First of all, I have to mention the fact that the girl behind that counter was very nice.  It was late, a little after 8:00 pm, and when I had ordered the hamburger curry, she ended up putting whatever was left in the warmer into the "bowl" which is probably why the portion looks so huge here.  In fact, I couldn't eat it all.  The curry was very meaty and just slightly spicy, not really spicy enough for my tastes.  I got a lot of salad with some wonderful "oriental" style dressing that had the taste and armoa of sesame oil.

On the same evening, I decided to go home with a slice of the key lime pie (US$2.50)

When I ate this, my first thought was that it was really good.  I liked the graham cracker style crust and the key lime filling, which was thick and custard-y, was just the right tartness.  The whipped cream topping was sprinkled with something as well.  I couldn't really taste what it was, but my guess is grated lime zest.  Anyone know what it is?

The food here at Karen's is good without being fussy, and fresh, just like homemade.  The people here are helpful and friendly, making this a great place to eat at.  Taking the prices into consideration, the portions here can be considered extremely generous, thereby making a meal here a great bargain. 

Karen's Kitchen
614 Cooke Street
Telephone:  808.597.8195

So Gong Dong

UPDATE:  November 2005
So Gong Dong has relocated.

A couple of weeks ago, I drove past this place and saw quite a line outside.  I had never been here before and I was curious as to the type of food this place served.  Tonight, it was a little cold and slightly rainy when I drove past.  Again I saw a few people waiting outside, so I decided to take a chance and have dinner here.  

So Gong Dong is located on Kapiolani Boulevard fronting Ala Moana Shopping Center.  Upon entering the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised to see the place full of not just Koreans, but lots of Japanese tourists as well.  I guess they (the tourists) found out about this place before I did. 

After looking over the menu and placing my order, the food started coming to the table quite quickly.  First to arrive were the ban chan (side dishes).

Steamed (?) Gai lan (Chinese broccoli).

Marinated fern shoots.

Won bok (Chinese cabbage) kim chee.

Mung bean sprouts.

Daikon (white radish) kim chee. 

Each of the different side dishes was wonderfully fresh with my favorites being the marinated fern shoots and the daikon kim chee.  What I really liked was that they were each prepared a bit differently.  The daikon kim chee and the won bok kim chee were slightly spicy.  The gai lan and the bean sprouts were plain, and had very little seasoning.  The marinated fern shoots, on the other hand, were a bit sweet and savory.

Next came the kalbi & meat jun (US$7.99)

There were two pieces of local-style kalbi here.  The meat was tender and the marinade just a little sweet.  I would have preferred the meat to be "charred" just a little more as I really like the crispy bits.  The meat jun was quite delicious as well.  Here the egg coating was not too thick or greasy.  In fact, there was a bit of "crispiness" to the egg coating covering the meat.

Finally, the restaurant's specialty, the original soondubu chigae (beef & pork soup/stew, US$6.97)

The pot arrived at the table hot and still bubbling.  I let it bubble for a few minutes before attempting to dig into the spicy broth.  Here you'll find lots of minced beef and pork, slivers of mushrooms, soft tofu and chopped green onions.  In a way, this dish reminded me of mapo tofu.  It wasn't as spicy as I had expected it to be and the broth had a fairly "beefy" flavor to it.  It's quite difficult to describe the texture of the tofu, but just know that it was soft and "quivering" and easily slipped down my throat as I took each bite.

How does this look?

All in all, this was a satisfying meal.  The prices for a majority of the menu items are reasonable, although a few of the items such as the kim chee pancake and the chop chae were a little pricey (over US$10.00).  The service was excellent especially since the food appeared at my table in under 10 minutes even though the restaurant was practically full.  I enjoyed the food here so much that I've already planned my next visit and have already invited a few friends.

So Gong Dong
McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Boulevard
Telephone:  808.946.8206

Mariposa

A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping at Ala Moana looking for a new wallet and a pair of shoes.  I didn't realize it was so late until I got a call from a friend reminding me about a dinner I had later that night.  I was right outside Neiman Marcus, so I decided to make that my last stop before lunch.

On the way up to the third floor men's department, there are hundreds of strands of white butterflies hanging from the ceiling.  Here's what it looks like.

After taking a quick look around, I found a case for my iPOD mini and a stripey Paul Smith knit cap (no wallet or shoes, it always happens).  Since I was already here, I decided to pay a visit to Mariposa. 

It's been quite sometime since I've been here, but I would imagine that the food would be the same as it always was. 

Here's the dining room at about 2:30pm.  When I arrived here about an hour earlier, it was full of people.  This was taken as I was leaving.  It's a huge airy space that's filled with light.

When I arrived, I actually had a seat inside.  When I asked the hostess if I could sit outside, she said there weren't any tables available outside for me to sit at.  When I motioned to two empty tables, she told me those were reserved.  Not right after she sat me at a table indoors, she gave one of the tables outside to an obviously weathly couple.  Peeved?  You bet.

When my waiter came to the table to take my order, I asked if I could sit outside at a table that another couple had vacated.  He went up to the hostess and told her that he was moving me.  Two minutes later, I had a table with a nice view of Ala Moana Beach Park.

Here's the view of the outdoor seating area from where I sat.  See how crowded it was?

Here's the view.  The weather was beautiful and it was such a nice day for the beach.

As I looked over the menu, still undecided on what to eat, a freshly baked popover with pineapple-papaya butter was brought over to the table.

Crusty and still warm, crumbs flew everywhere as I tore it open to expose the soft, doughy inside.

Eaten with the pineapple-papaya butter, this was delicious.  After I finished this one, the waiter came over to ask if I wanted another, it was so hard to say no.  So I didn't.

Next came a demitasse of chicken broth.

Made for sipping, I suppose, this was lightly favored and quite tasty.  The broth was clear and I wondered how they kept it oil free.  It must have been strained many times over.

For lunch, I decided to have the smoked Maple Leaf Farms duck breast on baby field greens with sliced pear, walnuts, crumbled Gorgonzola and vanilla-orange citronette (US$17.00).

Tender organic greens were topped with smoked duck breast, crumbed Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts and sliced pears.  Not being a duck lover, I ordered this salad because I wanted to see how the various ingredients tasted together.  This was an interesting combination that was further enhanced by the vanilla-orange citronette.  I do have some criticism of this dish though.  I thought it could have used more than just the handful of both the walnuts and the Gorgonzola cheese that was here.  The smoked duck breast, while tasty, was a little dry. 

To drink, I had a plantation iced tea (US$3.00).

To make this drink at home, just use 2 parts iced tea with one part pineapple juice.  This one was really refreshing.

For dessert, I actually wanted to try the ginger and Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée with strawberries and jasmine tea cookies, but it was sold out.  Not wanting to have anything too heavy, I decided to try the warm lililkoi pudding cake with tropical fruit and whipped cream (US$6.00).

The lilikoi pudding cake was topped with a fresh fruit "relish" that consisted of pineapple, kiwi fruit and papaya.  The was also a sweet crisp butterfly shaped cookie and a slice of dragon fruit as garnish.  The fruits here were fresh and sweet, so I was expecting the pudding cake to retain most of the tart flavor of fresh lilikoi (passionfruit).  Unfortunately, the pudding cake was an oozing mess and much too sweet for me.

For the most part, the food here is delicious though on the pricey side, which makes Mariposa an indulgence rather than an everyday dining recommendation.  The salads here make the perfect light lunch, and the desserts are usually quite good as well.  The service is excellent, except for the hostess on this particular visit.  I'll be back again, and hopefully I'll be able to try the crème brûlée.

Mariposa
At Neiman Marcus Ala Moana
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard 3rd Floor
Telephone:  808.951.3420

Crispy Kitchen

A couple weeks ago, I stopped by Palama Super Market and posted that visit here.  On my way in, I noticed this croquette shop out front, but when I walked up to the window, I was told that almost everything was sold out.  I decided to pay the shop a visit again today.

At the window, I had a peek inside the shop.  On the left you'll see some deep fryers and in the middle of the shop is the prep table.  The shop itself is quite small so I can only assume that when the croquettes are being fried, the shop can get quite hot. 

At first I wanted to try the mini curry ball, but was told that it was sold out.  Next on my list was either the cream corn or butter corn croquettes and those were sold out as well!  My final choices before giving up were the vegetable croquette (US$.89 each) and the hamburger katsu croquette (US$1.39 each).

The vegetable croquette was a mixture of mashed potato and mixed vegetables and was OK by my standards.  The hamburger katsu (menchi) croquette seemed to be your average homemade hamburger patty covered in panko flakes, then deep fried.  This wasn't like the minced meat (menchi) croquettes you find in Japan, but this was fine.  It was served with a packet of tonkatsu sauce.

Inside the hamburger katsu croquette.

All in all the croquettes here are reasonably priced and average tastewise.  These make a great addition to any lunch and I actually had mine with some kim bap (Korean rolled rice or sushi) that I purchased at the food court.  I'll definitely be back to try the cream corn croquettes and the mini curry ball and will update this post at that time.

Crispy Kitchen
Outside Palama Super Market
1670 Makaloa Street
Telephone:  808.447.7788

Palama Super Market

A few months ago, Palama Super Market opened a new location right near Daiei Kaheka.  In fact, I passed by often enough during the construction of the building that I completely missed the fact that they were done and that the store had actually opened.  Maybe it's because most of my shopping is done at night, but I'm here today, finally.

Stepping into the store, the first thing that you will see are the check out counters, which are located just beyond the entrance.  To the right is the food court, and to the left there are a few small stalls.  Right behind the check out stations, there is a huge self-serve kim chee "bar".  There must have been about 20 or so different types of freshly made kim chee.  These are some of the vegetable ones....

And the ones on the left in this picture are seafood. I believe the one on the bottom contained mussles.

There were also lots of imported frozen foods such as mandoo, soup bases, fish cakes, breads, etc.

Right next to the kim chee "bar" were some fresh fruits and vegetables at very reasonable prices.  The variety of melon in front is called the gaya.  I've never had it before, but there was a sample of it on a table right in front of the fruits that they were offering for sale.  The melon was very sweet and juicy with a flavor similar to the Korean melon.  I think I'll have to go back and buy some next weekend.

There was a table in front of the produce section that contained pre-packaged steamed cakes, rice cakes and pre-made food kits.  I think some of these were for duk kalbi, kim chee soup and bi bim bap.

After browsing around the store, I decided to visit the food court.  I'm not sure why this was labelled a food court, especially since there was only one restaurant, and one dessert/coffee shop in the place, but here it is.  The space was equal to about 1/4 of the store's entire square footage.

Palama Food Court

The stall that serves the hot food is called the Palama Food Court.  There were a few local-style Korean plate lunches, as well as Korean soups and noodle dishes on the menu for a very reasonable price.

Here is one of the workers frying up some meat jun.  This is truly a local Korean dish as most of the Koreans that I spoke to said that they wouldn't ever think of preparing meat in this manner (in Korea).  Here the thinly sliced beef is marinated, then dipped in egg before being fried.

I decided on the spicy chicken plate (US$5.00).

Six pieces of spicy chicken wings were served with some veggies -- mung bean sprouts, seaweed and kai lan -- two scoops white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.  There was also a container of kim chee on the side as well.  The spicy chicken was just a bit spicy, not overwhelmingly so, but I found that the batter was a bit thick.  The vegetables and macaroni salad were standard, thus making this a lunchtime bargain.  Next time, I think I'm going to try the bi bim bap. 

Joa Joa Café

After lunch, I headed to the other stall in the food court.  Joa Joa Café serves coffees, cold beverages, and desserts.  How convenient.

With so much to choose from, it was quite hard for me to make up my mind.  At first, I thought of a green tea smoothie, but in the end, I decided on the azuki bean shave ice (US$5.00).

There was tons of stuff in this dessert.  A layer of coarse shaved ice was topped with some fruits such as pineapples, canned peaches, cut watermelon and I think papaya.  There was a sprinkling of roasted grain powder on this that tasted a bit like kinako, although I'm not sure what it is called in Korean.  It was then topped with some evaporated milk, some fruit jelly candies, mochi, a sliced banana, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a maraschino cherry.  Wow!  This was refreshing and an excellent way to beat the heat.  I'll definitely be back for this again!

For some uniquely Korean groceries and a wide variety of freshly made kim chee, Palama Super Market can't be beat.  The food stalls in the food court serve reasonably priced and delicious plate lunches, soups, coffees, cold drinks and desserts. 

Palama Super Market
1670 Makaloa Street
Telephone:  808.945.3900

Palama Food Court
Telephone:  808.447.7705

Joa Joa Café
Telephone:  808.447.7770