Casual Grindz: Jimbo

Grabbed an early dinner on Saturday night with the family. I don’t go to Jimbo as often as I used to, since recently I’ve been simply taking out an order of their fresh udon noodles and making them at home instead. The noodles at Jimbo are soft and silky, which makes their nabeyaki udon “oh so delicious”! The broth has a lot of depth of flavor, but is very subtle. It definitely embodies the new “umami” concept in cooking. I also LOVE their... Read More

Recipe: Pork Miso Ramen

Growing up I’ve always had an affinity to “soupy” foods. Luckily for me in Japanese cooking there are many, many delicious dishes that make use of carefully crafted broths and soups. I can satisfy my cravings for these savory treats with many meals from nabe to ramen. Recently I’ve begun experimenting with making some of my favorite broths at home. I started out with nabe broths (I can put together a pretty good pirikara broth now) and slowly moved on... Read More

Gulick Deli

When I was a child, living in Ewa Beach, my family would often stop in on “okazuya” places early in the morning to pick up lunch for my sister and I. These lunches were especially good for field trip days when you had to bring home lunch. Nowadays I don’t get to hit up the great okazuya joints around town as often as I’d like. But when I do get the chance my go-to place lately has been Gulick Deli. I had lunch time to myself today so I grabbed a nice... Read More

Casual Grindz: Sushi King

We made a stop in at Sushi King the other night for a late evening dinner at around 9PM. Despite the time of night there were still quite a few people in the restaurant and the parking lot was nearly full! While dining we saw the sushi chefs cranking out dozens of California roll orders, getting ready for the rush of hungry patrons coming in after 10:30PM for their late night specials. Luckily we avoided the huge surge for late night and had an enjoyable meal. Here are some... Read More

Breakfast Burrito

A recipe I whipped up that can become a fast and easy breakfast for two. The ingredients can be easily swapped around based on what you might have in your refrigerator. For the preparation today I used pineapple Portuguese sausge, but you can add any kind of sausage or other breakfast meat! This recipe uses the slight spiciness of cumin along with the flavors of garlic and bacon to create a delicious, yet simple, breakfast treat. Breakfast Burrito Prep Time: 7 minutes Cook... Read More

Casual Grindz: Hank’s Haute Dogs

Unfortunately for us in Hawaii the thought of “hot dogs” either turns our mental imagery to a barbecue, or to a hot dog and soft drink combination at Costco’s food court. Luckily for us islanders relief from the stereotypical hot dog experience has arrived, and it comes to us as Hank’s Haute Dogs. Tucked away on Coral Street near the UH School of Medicine is a venture that aims to defeat the stigma of fast food by “establish(ing) a reputation of... Read More

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

Delicious corned beef & cabbage meal This year since St. Patrick’s Day happened to fall on a weekday, the prospect of making corned beef & cabbage after work was not so appealing. No one really wants to prepare such a large meal after being at work all day. Slow cooker to the rescue! This recipe lets you throw everything into the cooker and come back home to a delicious corned beef meal. The addition of garlic and vinegar give the corned beef broth subtle flavors... Read More

St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef & Cabbage

The day of wearing green or dodging mischievous pinches, St. Patrick’s Day, has come again. Every year I find myself inadvertently wearing something that has the most minuscule amount of green on it, saving myself from needing to be wary all day. This is obviously not my favorite part about St. Patrick’s Day. Although this day reminds us of the color green and corned beef, I can’t help but stop and think about the significance of the the day itself. The patron... Read More

Food 101: Somen

This thin noodle is very well known in the local Japanese community, but perhaps less so outside of that cultural circle. Far less commonplace than its thicker cousin, the udon noodle, somen appears in a few common forms here in the islands. Much like its cousin noodle, somen is made from wheat flour. Unlike udon noodles which are cut from the dough, somen noodles are made by stretching the wheat flour dough to form very thin strands that are usually less than 2mm thick. In... Read More

Casual Grindz: Mitch’s Fish Market

Located near the airport is a hidden gem known as Mitch’s Fish Market. From the outside you would never think that this location held anything like a restaurant, as it appears mostly as a small warehouse. But to our great fortune in this most unexpected of places you will find one of the best sushi restaurants in the state. The inside of Mitch’s Fish Market looks like, well, a fish market. The moment you step through the front door you will be greeted by the strong... Read More