Gojee
So I haven’t done a post in a while (clearly), but this website is too good to keep to myself. www.gojee.com pulls recipes from various sites across the world wide web and organizes them in a pretty awesome way. I mostly love the full page images because it makes me feel hungry (in a good way)! Enjoy!!
Filed under: cooking! | 1 Comment
Tags: Cooking, Gojee, Recipes
1427 Makaloa Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 941-6891
yakitori yoshi is a pretty awesome late night spot. i think they’re open from 6pm – 2am every night, which i think is so amazing because usually you end up somewhere like zippy’s after a certain time. anyway, the food tastes a lot like gyu kaku, but the good thing is that you don’t have to cook it yourself and you don’t leave with that grilled meat smell all over your clothes. for the most part, everything is a single serving and sometimes you only get one skewer of whatever it is depending on what you order. the service is mediocre, but that doesn’t bother me too much when the food is pretty good and is at an alright price. oh and this place is located right behind walmart on makaloa street. there’s a very small parking lot in front of the restaurant and if all the stalls are taken, you’ll have to find street parking. that kinda sucks, but i think it’s worth it.
chicken meatball with mentai mayo. this is pretty much the best chicken meatball flavor that they have. forreals.
garlic ponzu chicken meatball. this was just okay. not much flavor. i also tried the shiso ponzu chicken meatball and it tasted very similar to this.
chicken thighs. one salted, one teriyaki. don’t even order the salted chicken thigh and stick with the teriyaki. their teriyaki is super good cause it’s not too sweet or thick
beef with garlic ponzu. this was decent.
pork sausage. for the most part, this tastes the same as everywhere else that serves it, but it’s just so damn good each and every time.
chicken soup. this broth is soooooooooo good. you must try this. now!
other things that i’ve tried that i highly recommend are: bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms, grilled onion with teriyaki, takoyaki (the best takoyaki i’ve had in hawaii so far).
Filed under: Japanese | Leave a Comment
Tags: honolulu, Yakitori Yoshi
Umami Cafe (Downtown Honolulu)
Harbor Court
55 Merchant Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
www.umamicafehawaii.com
So I work in downtown (closer to chinatown actually) and it’s always hard to find decent cheap eats. Don’t get me wrong, you can buy a pretty satisfying meal from McDonald’s for less than $5, but do you really want to be doing that to yourself on a weekly basis? Anyway, that’s where this spot comes in. The prices are sooooo amazing and the food is delicious! Umami Cafe is located in Harbor Court and actually took over the space where Satura used to be. They have a wide variety of foods from bentos to sandwiches to sushi! It is probably the best thing that has happened to me in a while.
veggie pizza (2 slices for $2). so i guess they make a different pizza everyday, but i think the price is always the same. this pizza had avocado, edamame, red peppers, onions and i think water chestnuts although i’m not too sure about that. it sounds weird, but it was really good. instead of tomato sauce, there was some kind of spicy sauce which pretty much set this sucka off!
various sushi rolls ($1 each). they have crab, lobster, unagi, spicy ahi and tempura. all for $1!! you really can’t go wrong with that.
various bentos $5 – $9. didn’t try any yet, but they look good and have reasonable amounts of food.
Filed under: Asian, café / deli | Leave a Comment
Tags: honolulu, umami
Ninniku-Ya (Kaimuki)
3196 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816
so after driving by a gazillion times and hearing a gazillion talk about this place, i was finally able to try it out. i tried not to go in with high expectations (but really, i did) and it did not disappoint. a lot of people on yelp complain about this place saying the service sucks and the food takes forever to come out. i have no idea what those people are talking about!! the service was super awesome and it felt like our food came out in no time at all. granted, we had reservations for 8:30 pm, which i guess is around the time they start to wind down, but whatever. this place is awesome if you want to get your fill of garlic and salt! oh and i should probably mention that there is a $20 corkage fee if you bring your own bottle of wine. i would recommend this if you don’t want to pay $30+ for a bottle.
calamari with lemongrass dipping sauce. this was just okay. the sauce was pretty good and a little on the spicy side. the calamari itself wasn’t really seasoned and it seems as though there is no garlic in this dish at all.
warm spinach salad. i have mixed feelings about this dish. on one had, it’s garlicky and good, but on the other hand, it’s a little greasy. i guess it’s good if you don’t mind a super oily salad. plus there are huge pieces of bacon in there!
garlic toast. OMG! this is soooo good. it’s super garlicky and crunchy on the outside.
garlic rice. confession, i love salt. i love it when there are crunchy salt crystals in food. it just makes everything that much better. this dish has a lot of garlic and it’s fair share of salt. needless to say, i enjoyed it very much.
rib eye steak. first off, this steak is massive. i don’t recommend anyone eating this on their own. seriously. anyway, i thought this steak was very good and nothing like what people on yelp said. it’s perfect with the fried (possibly sauteed?) garlic. the steak comes out medium rare on a hot platter, but you can cook it as much or as little as you want. it comes with three sauces (which i don’t think you really need) and a side of garlic mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini. the garlic mash was just okay. i’ve honestly had garlic mashed potatoes that are wayyyy more garlicky. overall though, this dish is awesome!
Filed under: Fusion | Leave a Comment
Tags: honolulu, ninniku-ya
1288 Ala Moana Boulevard, Suite 120
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 593-7288
so, i’ve always wanted to eat here because it looks super cute inside and i love super cute places. prior to coming here, i haven’t heard much about this place. i wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, so i figured i’d find out first hand. overall, it was a very bleh experience. i hate giving bad or mediocre reviews, but if you’re going to spend a lot of money, you need to know what you’re getting into. by the way, this isn’t a bad review, nor is it a good one. i’m willing to try this place again cause i’m thinking i just didn’t order the right dishes.
beef and vegetable soup. this was okay. i kept comparing it to a similar soup i had elsewhere and it just was not the same. oh and this was an add on to my entree ($6.50 will get you a soup or salad and a dessert).
hamakua mushroom risotto with garlic shrimp sauteed with asparagus. this was okay. the risotto was very rich and undercooked (i should know, i love risotto). the shrimp was just regular sized shrimp, which is not really what i was expecting for $19.50. just sayin’.
lobster and goat cheese ravioli. this was pretty good. it does get a little rich after a certain point, but it’s good for the most part.
lychee sorbet. the best lychee sorbet i’ve ever had.
Filed under: Fusion | Leave a Comment
Tags: honolulu, tango
Downtown (Downtown Honolulu)
250 Hotel St. 1st Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 536-5900
Downtown is another one of my new favorites. This place is located inside of the Hawaii State Art Museum and is owned by the same people who own Town in Kaimuki. Like Town, they use local ingredients so the menu is always changing. With that being said, these dishes may or may not be available when you stop by. I’ve been here twice and it’s probably better to go on a Saturday because it doesn’t get as crowded. The weekday crowd is ridiculous because it’s right across of the state capitol and the traffic court. Oh and this is a total bummer, but they’re only open for lunch.
fresh made strawberry lemonade. SO GOOD.
pork and white bean soup. at first i was thinking it was gonna be like portuguese bean soup because of the portuguese sausage, pork and beans, BUT it’s nothing like it! it’s really light and not greasy at all.
ahi club. this is probably my favorite sandwich in hawaii! this has everything you get from a club sandwich (bacon, avocado, tomato and lettuce), but with ahi! disclaimer: i love ahi, especially if it’s cooked like this. anyway, they also throw a wasabi aoli on the bread which is just spicy enough.
lasagna. this was pretty good in the beginning, but was a little cold towards the center. i think this was the leftover special from the day before, but i’m okay with that. and this is not to say they have bad pasta because the first time i came here, i tried the pasta special for that day and it was super awesome.
chocolate tart with passion fruit. this doesn’t look like much, but it is sooooo good. this was very much welcomed after the mediocre dessert i had at nobu the other week.
Filed under: café / deli | Leave a Comment
Tags: Downtown, HiSam
Nobu (Waikiki)
Nobu Waikiki
2233 Helumoa Road
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 237-6999
This place might be my favorite four dollar signs restaurant (you know, according to yelp or whatever). They have a happy hour menu which offers a lot of dishes at discounted prices, but you really need to experience a regular meal here to fully appreciate this place. This was my third trip here, but probably the best trip so far. We actually ordered so much that our server had to tell us that we kinda went overboard. With that being said, we ordered 3 less dishes and left completely satisfied.
yellowtail scallion cut roll. probably the best yellowtail scallion roll in the world. we also go a salmon avocado cut roll, but i forgot to take a picture. the fish is soooo fresh that you can’t not order sushi here.
ahi and salmon sashimi tacos served with 3 different salsas. it sounds a little weird, but this was good. i mean, it makes no sense but it’s super delicious!
asparagus and enoki mushroom tempura. confession, i love fried food. i mean, i really really love fried food. so i just had to. the tempura is ala carte style so you can pick and choose what you want, which i think it awesome because don’t you hate it when you get veggies that you don’t even like??
scallop with jalapeno salsa. this is probably my favorite dish here. i don’t know why because it seems pretty simple, but it just is. it’s never over/undercooked and it’s served on a bed of brussel sprouts that are cooked perfectly. i realize that i may be hyping this dish up so only try it if you are a fan of scallops… and brussel sprouts.
brick oven ribeye steak. this thing is huge! it’s 16oz of awesomeness. the server suggested we get it medium-rare so we did. it’s perfect. there’s a super tasty crust on the outside, while the inside is super soft and… meaty? oh and it’s served with three sauces. all are super good and they all go with the steak as well as the veggies. anyway, i suggest splitting this because no one person should be eating that much meat on their own.
roasted veggies served with the brick oven steak. i wasn’t expecting this many veggies, so i was pleasantly surprised.
gianduja cremoso. ummm. ok. not what i expected. it was good, but i’ve had better.
Filed under: Fusion, Japanese | Leave a Comment
Tags: Nobu, Waikiki
Yogurstory (Honolulu)
First off, it’s a new year so I’m going to try to blog more. Please check back frequently because my New Year’s resolution (starting today) is to blog at least once a week.
815 Keeamoku St.
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.942.0505
can i just say, this might be my new favorite brunch spot! it’s sooo pretty inside and there’s tons of parking! yogurstory is located next to sorabol and you actually enter the parking lot on rycroft. they serve brunch from 8am – 8pm, which i love because i hate when i get up late on a sunday and have missed brunch. they don’t serve alcohol, but it’s byob (another plus!). they’ve only been open for a month, so i’m using that as an excuse for the mediocre service. other than that, this place is awesome! oh and i didn’t eat all of these things in one sitting. the photos are from 2 different trips with 2 different people.
cobb omelet. this is super delicious! it’s the world’s best salad in an omelet. i was wondering how they were going to incorporate the avocado, but right on top worked perfectly fine. oh, and the potatoes are sooooooo good!
belgium waffle with yogurt (not shown). this was a little cold when we got it so it was just okay.
bahn mi sandwich with potato salad. okay, i know that sounds like a weird combo, but i heard so many good things about the potato salad that i had to try it. their bahn mi sandwich is a nice light version of a traditional bahn mi. it’s made with chicken and has mango slices in there. they also serve it with a sriracha aoili which pretty much makes the sandwich super good. the potato salad is just okay.
philly cheesesteak sandwich with a cobb salad. this philly cheesesteak is awesome. they put actual cheese whiz, which i know doesn’t sound special or anything, but most places in hawaii use other kinds of cheese in their philly cheesesteak. get it!
Filed under: Brunch | Leave a Comment
6800 W Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 804-4646
www.hashhouseagogo.com
This is probably my new favorite place to eat in Las Vegas. They’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I highly recommend having brunch here! I think the wait can get pretty long (we went on a week day and had a 30 minute wait), but it is sooooo worth it! The serving sizes are huge, but everyone ordered their own dish so we could all try a little bit of everything. If that isn’t your style, I’m sure one dish can feed 2 people.
house hash of mushroom, artichoke, spinach and sundried tomato. this is soooooo good! it’s not greasy at all (like most hashes) and the potatoes are a good crispy contrast from all the veggies.
andy’s sage fried chicken benedict with maple reduction, 2 eggs, bacon, mashed potatoes and a biscuit. you or someone in your party MUST ORDER THIS! this is also known as the man vs. food favorite aka the mmm… food blog favorite. just try it.
french toast. griddled french toast dipped in banana cinnamon cream with pecan maple syrup. THE BEST FRENCH TOAST I’VE EVER HAD!
Filed under: Brunch | Leave a Comment
Tags: hash house a go go, las vegas
new post! BLT Steak (waikiki)
I know I haven’t blogged in a long time, but this place is too good to keep from the world! BLT Steak is located in Trump Waikiki Hotel and is only open for dinner. The food was really good and our server was awesome. I hate when I spend a lot on a meal and your server is not attentive and you can’t even get your drink refilled. Anyway, if you feel like splurging, I highly recommend this place.
chicken liver paté with toast. this was free and very tasty!
popover served with gruyere cheese salt and butter. again, super good AND FREE!
spicy tuna. super random, i know, but my boyfriend was really craving sushi. i thought it was a weird choice to go with our meal, but i am sooo glad we got this. super fresh fish and they roll the sushi in garlic chips for that extra kick of flavor.
jalapeno mashed potatoes, onion rings, spicy bbq kahuku corn. the mashed potatoes were good. not spicy at all, but very much tasted like jalapenos. bbq corn was pretty good. i think there were bits of bacon in there.
8oz. filet. i don’t like to eat too much meat so this was the perfect size. the presentation was really cute and they cooked it perfectly! it’s served with herb butter on top. highly recommended if you like filet mignon!
roquefort & chimichurri sauce. each steak comes with your choice of 2 sauces. the roquefort was just okay, but i LOVED the chimichurri!
braised short ribs. this literally fell apart with your fork. super tender and good!
maui pineapple sundae. i’m not too big on sweets, but this was the best thing i had there. not to say the meal overall wasn’t good, because it was great, but this was so so good. really good. this is pineapple sorbet, whipped cream, fresh caramel with what i think are meringue. i know the combination sounds a little kooky, but YOU MUST TRY THIS!
Filed under: Steakhouse | Leave a Comment
Tags: BLT Steak, Waikiki
