Rarely do I get to venture to the Leeward side for anything other than business. But this past Sunday was a beach day for me, and after spending some time at Ko’olina, my fiancee and I were quite hungry. We decided to try out Kunio, a restaurant in Waikele Shopping Center that I have not returned to in years. Years ago this small Japanese restaurant was half the size it is today. Over time it has grown in size and reputation. Read the rest of this entry »

Tucked away in the relative secrecy of Kilohana Square on Kapahulu Avenue is a little Japanese restaurant known as Mr. Ojisan. This small establishment was featured in the Honolulu Advertiser’s “Hawaii’s Best Restaurants 2006″ under the “izakaya” category. “Izakaya” is a newer style of Japanese restaurants that are becoming increasingly popular in Hawaii, most often featuring smaller ala carte menu selections that are intended to be paired with beer or sake. Over the years Mr. Ojisan has established a loyal customer base, attracting people with its casual atmosphere and good food. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m always in search of new places to grab a quick and inexpensive lunch that tastes great. Sometimes this is a hard combination to find, but today I discovered a great little place right next to Long’s in McCully. Read the rest of this entry »

One of our friends is coming to the end of her short-term job with Tsukiji in Ala Moana, and invited us to come down and see her at work and grab a bite to eat. I have been to Tsukiji’s buffet for lunch and dinner before, and both times was not overly impressed by the food for the price you paid. This time around our friend recommended we try the Robatayaki & Yakitori Bar, where you could order ala carte some of the more “prime” selections from the buffet and some other grilled items not offered on the line. This promised to be a more satisfying alternative to the buffet. Read the rest of this entry »

In Kaimuki where Kapahulu Avenue meets Date Street is a small ramen shop that looks like nothing special on the outside. To pedestrians walking by and cars driving down the street the yellow doors of this restaurant lead to nothing more than another hole-in-the-wall noodle shop. In reality this restaurant is owned and operated by a huge national chain of ramen noodle shops named Tenkaippin. Read the rest of this entry »

Right across the street from Kaimuki High school stands a rather inconspicuous building. This structure has stood there for as long as I can remember driving or walking by the area, but never really caught my attention. But now that I have had a chance to taste the treasures that lie within, it is a building that I now purposely point out as I drive by. This is the location of a great Japanese restaurant called Gazen. Read the rest of this entry »

Another Friday, another outing! Tonight we went down to Ward Theaters to catch the new Simpson’s Movie. After the movie we were getting a little tired so we decided on going somewhere fast to eat. Inspired by the thread over at HawaiiThreads.com about the best chicken katsu curry, I decided that Coco Ichiban would be a good place to go so that I can review one of my favorite places for that dish! For this review we are talking about the Curry House location at McCully Shopping Center. Read the rest of this entry »

Tucked away on a lonely block along Pi’ikoi Street is just one of the many new nabe restaurants that have opened up in the islands over the last few years. Pulling into the parking lot at the rear of the building is a challenge during the restaurant’s busy hours, often times leading patrons on a hunt for precious street parking. If you are one of the lucky few who find an empty stall in the back of the lot, be sure to take down the number of your stall as Ichiriki employees will ask you for it once inside. Unfortunately, the restaurants rear door is used as an exit only, so those hungry patrons looking to sit down must take a short walk around the block toward the front entrance. Read the rest of this entry »