'Ono Kine Grindz

Happy Inn

This hole-in-the-wall next to a busy fast food restaurant probably gets by-passed quite often.  The food here is OK and inexpensive.  I'm glad that I decided to stop in a few weeks ago.

Happy Inn
1160 South King Street Suite A
Telephone: 808.591.2385

OnJin's Café

Quite some time has passed by since my first visit to OnJin's Café.  Back then, the restaurant was hidden from view by a parking lot that was often gated.  With the surrounding area in the midst of redevelopment, gone is the parking lot and in comes a new street.  OnJin's Café now finds itself located on a busy corner and a lot more accessible to the masses.

I've been to OnJin's Café a number of times over the years, but usually for dinner.  More recently, I stopped by during lunch and found it a bit more relaxing since there weren't too many people here.  The restaurant is bright, clean and spacious with a mixture of dark and light colored wood furnishings.

There is also an outdoor seating area which makes al fresco dining the way to go when visiting for lunch -- as long as the weather is nice.  After placing my order inside, and paying for my meal, I take a seat outside in the "garden".  Here there are fresh herbs growing and I wonder if the basil, rosemary or sage is actually used in the preparation of dishes here.  The only thing that distracts is the traffic beyond the gate.

On a recent weekend visit, I ordered the boolgogi and kimchee sandwich (US$7.25).

Thick, tender slices of Korean-style barbecued meat were piled high atop a toasted onion bun before being garnished with a few pieces of won bok kim chee.  Sliced tomatoes and a crisp lettuce leaf were provided as added garnish for the sandwich while a salad drowning in dressing, a small pile of beans and a couple of crowns of broccoli covered the other half of the plate.  The beef was well flavored being neither too salty nor too sweet.  The kim chee, on the other hand, could have been a lot more fiery. 

On a subsequent visit, I decided to order the Korean style ahi don (US$9.25).

Intrigued by the name of the dish, I was a little disappointed when what was basically an ahi salad was delivered to my table.  Seven slices of sashimi-grade ahi were placed strategically on a combination of chopped romaine lettuce and Nalo greens.  Thin slivers of white radish were piled in the middle before being garnished with a spoonful of kaniko (crab eggs) and a few bits of dried seaweed.  Served with a bowl of brown rice and some spicy kochu jang sauce/dressing on the side, the salad proved to be a light, refreshing, and surprisingly,filling lunch.

Whether you stop by for lunch, or for dinner, the food here at OnJin's Café is sure to be enjoyable.  However, if you are the type of diner that requires constant attention (i.e. constant refilling of water, clearing of dishes, etc.) you should consider dining elsewhere.  On both visits, since I was seated outside, the server only stopped by to deliver my food and beverages to the table.  There was no follow up to ask how my food was, nor did she stop by to refill my iced tea or water.  Good food, mediocre service, and moderate to high prices, does not make OnJin's Café a frequent dining destination.

OnJin's Café
401 Kamakee Street
Telephone:  808.589.1666

Arirang House Korean Restaurant

NOTE:  You will not see any prices in this post because dinner was paid for by a couple of friends.

A couple of days ago a couple of friends called and asked me to join them for dinner.  Since it's been a while since I had seen them, I said sure...where?  When they mentioned this place, I was stumped.  It was practically in my backyard and I didn't even know about the place.

Arirang House is just like any number of neighborhood Korean restaurants that you'll find all over Honolulu.  It's on a major roadway, but since I pass by so often, I seldom glance in the restaurant's direction.

When I arrived here, I found the restaurant to be filled with a number of diners.  The restaurant was bright and clean, and in the air was the sweet, smokey aroma of barbecue.

After placing our order, a number of ban chan (side dishes) started to appear at the table.  Some of these were sour, others were bland, a few were spicy and still others were salty.  This is really what I enjoy most about Korean food -- all the side dishes with various tastes and flavors that are included with each meal.

Have another look.

The assortment of ban chan here was excellent, and if I remember correctly, there must have been 8 or 9 different dishes on the table -- definitely something for everyone.  I was also happy to discover that they served this multi-grained rice with the meals here.  This purple-hued rice (sorry, I don't know the Korean name for it) is mixed with different types of grains before being cooked and served.  It has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that I enjoyed.

For starters we had the haemul pajeon (seafood pancake).

The pancake itself wasn't as crisp as I was used to and maybe just a little too oily. 

And finally, the waitress came by with a plate of sizzling kalbi (barbecued short ribs).

Our waitress proceeded to slice the meat for us into bite-sized pieces.

With steam rising fast and furiously from the sizzling platter, I popped a piece of just delivered kalbi into my mouth.  Tender, juicy and well-marinated, the kalbi here was some good stuff. 

And finally, the meal was finished off with a few cups of ginger tea.

In this particular area of town, you're bound to find at least 20 or so Korean restaurants that serve kalbi and ban chan.  What separates Arirang from the rest of these is not necessarily the food, but the service.  The waitstaff is helpful and efficient.  Our waitress came by every few minutes to refill our water and replace any ban chan that we may have finished.  I'm not sure about the value as I didn't pay for this meal, but I guess I've just been introduced to another neighborhood joint that I might just want to visit again.

Arirang House Korean Restaurant
1334 Young Street
Telephone:  808.593.8830

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

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

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

Kim Chee II Restaurant

This one is for Clinton in Southern California....  According to Clinton, this is his favorite place for local Korean Bar-B-Q and a place that he always visits when returning to Hawaii.  As for me, I rarely, if ever, come to Kim Chee II.  Why?  I don't really know. 

When I arrived at 2:30 pm it was empty.  The only sounds were the guys laughing at the TV...wonder what program they were watching.  Since it was empty, I got to sit anywhere in the huge dining area.

After being seated and after placing my order, a bowl of seaweed soup arrived at my table.

(Sorry this one is blurry).

The soup was standard, but in my opinion, just a little salty.

Next came a bowl of the complimentary veggies -- mung bean sprouts (left), seaweed (right) and cabbage (rear).

I ate both the mung bean sprouts and the cabbage.  For some reason, I don't really like the seaweed.  Don't know why though, especially since there really isn't much flavor to it at all.

I tried to remember what Clinton told me he normally orders, but for the life of me, I just could not remember it.  So, giving up, I ordered the mixed plate (US$9.90).

There were two pieces of Bar-B-Q chicken, one piece of Bar-B-Q short rib (kalbi) and one piece Bar-B-Q beef (bulgogi).  Also sharing the plate are three pieces fried mandoo (Korean dumpling).  The plate is served with a bowl of white rice, a bowl of cabbage kim chee (middle bowl) and dried daikon kim chee (I think that's what's in the bowl on the right).  The bowl on the left contains the dipping sauce for the fried mandoo.

The marinade used here is quite good.  Not too sweet, but just a little too salty for me.  Maybe it the amount of shoyu used or maybe it's the brand.  The meats are nicely grilled and though I like my meat to be cooked this way, I really should watch out for eating all those burnt crispy bits.  The mandoo, which was nicely stuffed, wasn't as flavorful as I would like, and I found that the skin was a little too thick, a bit chewy, and a little greasy -- perhaps it was cooked ahead of time.

One thing about the portions here -- they are huge.  I couldn't finish the whole plate.  I ate the kalbi, which is cut in the traditional style, half a piece of chicken and half of the bulgogi, as well as the mandoo.  After that I was stuffed.

Kim Chee II Restaurant
3569 Waialae Avenue
Telephone:  (808)737-7733

Kalani Korean Bar-B-Q

A friend brought me here for my last meal before leaving for Singapore.  My intention was to actually go to Sugoi, but it was closed for some reason.  This shop was located a couple doors down and I'm glad we came here.  The food was cheap and delicious, and the service was excellent.  No more words for me, please just enjoy the photos.

It was crowded when we stepped inside.  We had to take the last table right in front of the door.

Ban chan (side dishes).

I had the bi bim bap (mixed rice, US$4.95).

I'm hungry!  I'm ready to eat now....

My friend had the barbecue chicken and meat jun combination plate (US$4.95).

Doesn't that look good?

I'll be blogging from Singapore in a couple of days, that is, if the hotel's broadband connection is working.  If not, I'll be back in Hawaii at the beginning of March.

Kalani Korean Bar-B-Q
City Square
1286 Kalani Street Suite 104
Telephone:  808.843.2277

Pochon Chicken and Shrimp

This small stretch of real estate near the office is a hot bed for restaurants.  In the past eight years that I've been working downtown, there has been a high turnover of restaurants in this particular spot.  When I first started working here, this space was occupied by Sand Castle Cafe.  Then came Gordy's, which served local-style Korean food.  After that, was the recently departed Zen Restaurant and Catering.  This new kid on the block is Pochon Chicken & Shrimp.

With it's bright logo and it's pictured menu on the outside of the building, it's easy to see what the strategy is.  Get people to see the food, so they'll stop by and order some.  And that's exactly what I did.  I ended up ordering the regular spicy chicken plate (US$6.89).

My plate came with ten pieces of spicy chicken wing pieces on a bed of shredded cabbage, two scoops white rice, and some macaroni salad.  The pieces of chicken were extra crisp and crunchy.  The chicken was spicy -- not too spicy, but just right.  To me, the chicken was perfect.  The macaroni salad, though, was another story.  I didn't enjoy it at all.  The macaroni was a bit rubbery and the salad as a whole was "dry" and flavorless.  It spoiled what could have been an extremely enjoyable lunch.

At US$6.89, this was expensive as far as lunch was concerned, but I could honestly say that I would come here again.  The chicken was spicy and delicious, and I came here for the chicken and not the macaroni salad anyway...right?  Hopefully, I can try some of the shrimp next time.  A friend of mine had it the next day and said it was great!

Pochon Chicken & Shrimp
1148 Bishop Street
Telephone:  808.585.0678