Casual Grindz: Pho Bistro 2

Yet another stop on the Food Hunt for Charity! My wife and I stopped in to Pho Bistro 2 this past weekend when it was nice and rainy. The weather unfortunately ruined our plans for hiking, but it made for excellent pho eating! Pho Bistro 2 is the one place where I love the pho, but never order it. To date I have never ordered pho for myself. Instead I always cave in to ordering... Read More

Casual Grindz: Hakkei

A couple of years back when visiting Japan my family and I made it up to the Hakkei “onsen ryokan” (hot spring inn) in Yubara, Okayama Prefecture. There we enjoyed exceptional local Japanese cuisine along with the refreshing hot springs. Here in Hawaii we can’t drive up into the misty valleys of Yubara for a relaxing soak in natural hot springs, but we can enjoy... Read More

Casual Grindz: Roy’s

On Monday night my wife and I spent the day celebrating our one year wedding anniversary. After a day spent together, reliving fond memories of the years we’ve spent together, we drove off to Hawaii Kai to enjoy a meal at the original Roy’s Restaurant. Roy’s is such a household name here in Hawaii with a reputation of great food and excellent service. Our meal... Read More

Casual Grindz: Nico’s Pier 38

The recent feature segment on Guy Fieri’s “Triple D” (Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives) finally pushed me to getting around to trying out Nico’s Pier 38. I have heard the name Nico’s time and again. Their standing reputation is for extremely fresh fish deliciously prepared at affordable prices. Having finally experienced this establishment, I can say... Read More

Casual Grindz: Raraya Iekei Ramen

We popped in for a quick lunch the other day at Raraya located on South King Street. This small ramen shop serves a ramen broth based around pork or chicken bones. Unlike other ramen places (at least from those I’ve seen), Raraya gives you the option to request the saltiness and oiliness of your ramen broth. Our orders were all “regular” so the salt and oil... Read More

Casual Grindz: Pho My Lan

With all the rain we’ve been having lately I had a craving for a nice hot steaming bowl of comfort food. Whenever I’m away on the mainland for business trips and meetings, I always make it a point to drag my colleagues out to the nearest pho place I can find. The warm, delicious broth of pho always speaks of home. Luckily for pho lovers like me Hawaii is in no way... Read More

Casual Grindz: Gyu-Kaku

Two weeks ago my wife and I had a failed attempt at eating at Gyu-kaku. We had made the fatal mistake of not making a reservation for dinner during their popular happy hour from 5:00-6:30pm. This past week we learned from our mistakes and made sure we had a reservation for 5:00! Not only were they running their normal happy hour specials, but right now at Gyu-Kaku there is a... Read More

Casual Grindz: Anytime Cafe

We stopped in on Easter Sunday to Anytime Cafe located in Market City. I had seen mention of this establishment once before on TV, and at my wife’s suggestion we decided to give it a try! As soon as we walked in and got seated I commented that the restaurant was a little… different than what I had expected. The decor, furniture, and restaurant arrangement almost reminded... Read More

Casual Grindz: Hifumi

Headed over to the Chinese Cultural Plaza on Saturday to grab some food from Hifumi. I know what you’re thinking: “A Japanese restaurant in the Chinese Cultural Plaza?” Yes it’s true! Hifumi is hidden away pretty well; if you’ve never been to this place before, or if you aren’t familiar with the plaza, you might find it challenging to find. Hifumi... Read More

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... Read More