Usually when my girlfriend’s mom flies in from Maui, she brings either fresh-baked Butter Rolls from Komoda Bakery in Makawao or Manju from Home Maid Bakery in Kahului. Today however was an exception, where she brought us Manju from Sam Sato’s in Wailuku, famous for their deconstructed Saimin called Dry Noodle, a.k.a. “Dry Mein”.

She claims since the original owner/operators of Home Maid Bakery have retired, their Manju have gone downhill, therefore she prefers Sam Sato’s over them now.

So let’s check it out…

And how is it?

Well, the last time I had Manju, was from Lawai Manju from Menehune Food Mart in Kalaheo, Kauai. Where compared to that STELLAR example, which had a more rich, golden flaky crust, Sam Sato’s Manju is pretty much more like a basic pie crust, sans that desirable flaky exterior texture. More like a turnover crust, sans the sugar glaze if you will. In fact, Sam Sato’s also sells a variety of turnovers, which I have yet to try.

Sam Sato’s Azuki Bean filling is noticeably more dry and loose compared to Lawai’s Manju filling which was more dense and sticky, so as you eat it, some of the filling crumbles off with Sam Sato’s Manju.

No question if I were to try them side-by-side in a blind taste test, Kauai’s Lawai Manju would INSTANTLY be chosen as the clear winner.

As it stands, I give Sam Sato’s Manju 2 SPAM Musubi, which is “Good”. Of course, take into consideration as I’ve mentioned before, personally I’m not a big Manju or Azuki Bean fan, so your opinion likely will differ if you’re into the stuff.

As always, big mahalos to “Maui Mom” for da’ Valley Isle omiyage grindz! Now she’s on her way to the mainland bringing some Omiyage from Oahu in the form of Baked Manapua and other dim sum goodies from Chun Wah Kam. Always a hit with the ohana living up there.

What? Sam Sato’s Manju
Where did you get it and how much did it cost? Sam Sato’s in Wailuku, Maui. 75 cents each (c/o Omiyage from “Maui Mom”)
Big Shaka to: Consistent shape and baked doneness. Tasty Azuki bean filling and golden-brown crust. Omiyage from “Maui Mom”.
No Shaka to: Texture-wise, the Azuki bean filling is too dry and loose. Crust lacks flaky texture as well, while inside part of it tastes rather “doughy” in comparison to others.
The Tasty Island rating: 2 SPAM Musubi

Goodness gracious, how time keeps a’ flyin’, as it seems just yesterday I said, “Today we celebrate another birthday for she or he at this place or that.” Yet indeed it is, as here I am saying that today we celebrate another birthday; this time once again for Diner C, where on this occasion we check out Lobster King, located at the foot of Makiki, on the corner of King and Keeaumoku, a.k.a. “Koreamoku” Street.

Perhaps like some of you, how often I’ve driven past this place on my way home from work, always wondering what the deal was here with their screamin’ loud “$10.99 Lobster” window sign out front — as well as what the restaurant in general was all about — and now I finally got a chance to cure that curiosity.

Lobster King’s decor is moderately elegant in your typical Chinese restaurant appointments, where with, come to find out by our server, the owners are made up of a husband and wife team whom the Mrs. is Korean and Mr., Chinese.

That said, the cuisine featured on the menu here at Lobster King is predominantly Chinese in the Cantonese and Szechuan styles, while there’s also a twist of Japanese Shabu Shabu thrown in for good measure….

You’d think this window would display a live lobster tank, but NOOOO, it’s Roast Peking Duck..

In fact, there wasn’t a lobster tank to be found visible from anywhere within the dining area.

Not to fret, as after going over the menu with our server, she recommended for our party of four that, instead of each ordering a 1 lb. Lobster, we all share one massive three-pounder, noting that the larger lobster yields more net meat per pound than the individual 1-pounders, collectively. Hence essentially more bang-for-the-lobster-buck.

Demonstrating that, she brought out this MASSIVE live 3 lb. “catch”, which we all unanimously decided would soon become our lunch for the day…

A massive three-pound fresh live Lobster KING

We noticed that they like to “play” with their live lobsters here, encouraging the guests to hold it for photo ops, and overall going over the live lobster that they’ve chosen for you in a tangible, interactive way as part of the dining experience. Very cool. Well, not for the lobster, but for the diners. lol Actually, “not cool” for Diner A either, as when our server held up that massive three-pounder at our tableside, the lobster peed on him. Well not really urinated, but shot a stream of “lobster juice” from its mouth right on Diner A’s arm. Eee-uew. Ha-ha-ha!

Right now Mr. 3 Lb. Lobster’s probably thinking, “One more photo and I’m gonna’ pee on you too, Diner P”. lol

Speaking of cleanliness, the first dish to land on the table may look like some kind of dipping sauce, but it’s actually their house tea mixed with lemon juice, which is meant to wash your hands in after everyone’s done makin’ a crustacean-shelled mess of themselves….

Chinese Black Tea and Lemon Hand Wash (complimentary)

Right after that, the potable version of that, hot Chinese Black Tea arrives…

Chinese Black Tea (complimentary)

Sticking with the tried and true, first order to land on our table is the Honey-Walnut Stir-Fried Shrimp…

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Honey-Walnut. $14.95

Next, you know da’ rulez: gotta’ get rice…

Mixed Vegetable Fried Rice. $9.25

And of course, the star, da’ “King”..

Live Lobster with Black Bean Sauce. $14.95/lb. (3 lbs. total)

That’s the whole 3 lb. lobster, cut up into individual portion, somewhat “easy-to-eat” sections, where even the tail was cut into quarters (all with shell on).

Oyster Sauce Chicken over a bed of Cake Noodles….

Oyster Sauce Chicken on Cake Noodles. $10.50

There you see on this first-time visit, we pretty much went with what we’re all familiar with, not being adventurous in ordering any exotic-sounding temptations listed such as “Deep-Fried Pigeon”, “Goose Intestine”, “Steamed Frog”,  “Stir-Fried Sea Cucumber” or “Lady Clam”, or get a load of this one, “Jellyfish Pig Fore Shank BBQ Platter”. Whoah! Andrew Zimmern, we’ve found another restaurant for you if you happen to bring Bizarre Food here to Hawaii once again.

So how is it? Winnahz! Everything was fantastic, really.

Lobster King’s Honey-Walnut Shrimp was delicate and silky-light as ever, giving Little Village’s take on it a run for the money…

While I’m not exactly a chicken fan, preferring beef with my cake noodle, it was never-the-less super moist ‘n tender and deeply flavored with that savory oyster sauce “gravy” coating it. The uniquely “Pake Hawaiian” cake noodle bed the richly-coated chicken strips rested on was prepared just like it should, with a sort of crusty bottom, and a glutenous, integrated texture of the “eggy” chow mein noodle “meat” of it, all fully absorbed with the delicious “umamified” Oyster sauce gravy…

As for the Black Bean Lobster, “O.M.G.” AMAZING. Broke da’ mout’ winnah, winnah lobster dinner. Err, lunch that is. Black Bean sauce is certainly one of my favorite flavors offered in Chinese cuisine, where Guy Fieri’s famous, “I could eat that off a FLIP-FLOP!” tagline certainly applies here. You get that salty, earthy, robust, deep, meaty, “umami” flavor of the black bean sauce that coats the full-bodied, somewhat “fatty” flavor of the super moist ‘n succulent lobster meat, and KUNG-POWWW! BAMMM! Or whatever exclamation of your choice, Lobster King’s Black Bean Lobster simply ROCKS (chime in the B-52′s now).

Like most Chinese restaurants, Lobster King’s menu is so lengthy and extensive, that  you’d probably have to eat here at least once a week for an entire year or more in order to say you tried EVERYTHING on it. there’s certainly a few other dishes I’m eager to return here to try, such as the Live Garlic Abalone, Live Lobster Sashimi, as well as any preparation they have using Sea Cucumber and Jellyfish; the latter two of which I’ve never had before.

Service was friendly, attentive and quick, with our entire order landing on the table within ten minutes of being placed. Ambiance is clean, cozy and comfortable, with a quiet sound level, which I personally always appreciate. There’s ample parking right on the premises, which is also a major plus. Best of all, it’s a great value, especially for larger parties, making this a good choice for the office gang or the gang at home.

Based on our first-time experience – especially with the Black Bean Lobster — Lobster King is highly recommended.

Lobster King
1380 South King Street (on the Ewa-Mauka corner of “Koreamoku”)
Honolulu, HI 96814
Tel. (808) 944-8288
The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• Crustacean (San Francisco ’11 – Part – The Tasty Island
• Fried Dace with Salted Black Beans – The Tasty Island
• Lobster King – Yelp user reviews

P.S. Check out this 7.5 POUND, 3 FT. LONG LOBSTER reader KenW eMailed me!…

Ken, while the glass of wine and serving utensils are a good “in situ” touch to give it a sense of scale, it would have been great if you had a tape measure laid out so that we could see the size in cold hard fact numbers!

I’m surprised after it was cooked that it turned red, and not Incredible Hulk-colored GREEN! “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” lol

According to Ken, this 7.5 lb. 3 ft. long “LOBMONSTER” was their Friday night dinner one lucky (or frightful?) night back when he lived in New England.

That’s beast, man, totally beast.

First of all, you may be asking “What or where the heck is Moanalua 99?” Well, it so happens to be primarily this MASSIVE food court hidden within the industrial depths of Honolulu known as Mapunapuna, just a highway across from Honolulu International Airport (HNL).

I mean, common, where have you been? Don’t you ALWAYS drive around and visit Mapunapuna? lol Seriously though, there’s TONS of needed, as well as hidden gems in this industrial district, from speciality repair shops, to home, commercial and industrial equipment, electrical, hardware, plumbing and automotive suppliers, to eateries in their given forte that can wager against the best this island has to offer.

So here we are at Moanalua 99′s Food Court, formerly known as 99 Ranch, which was essentially a Korean/Asian Market on steroids. Now’s it’s an international food court on steroids, especially if you consider the mammoth size of the warehouse it’s in.

I’ve actually blogged this place way back October ’08, way before they named themselves ‘Moanalua 99′. That time — I supposed being named “Da’ Kine 99″ (there really was no name) — having visited Diem 99 Cafe, a Vietnamese eatery, while my partner in culinary crime, Diner E, grabbed some grub from 99 Local Mixed Plate; both of which are still there.

Pictures don’t do this place justice, as you really have to be IN here to fully experience the cozy-in-an-ENORMOUS-way Moanalua 99 is. Not only do you have the main food court area as shown in the photo above, but as you see in the directory map, there’s also this labyrinth of small retail shops, as well as this quite elegant-looking Chinese restaurant called Wah Kung located at the back side of this partitioned warehouse building in a separate area.

Enough about the venue. We’re hungry, which we came here intently to sample the grindz at Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen…

Mary’s Mediterranean menu…

The Baklava was pretty much the ONLY thing on the menu that was pre-prepared…

Everything else is made to order, which of course is always a good thing.

With that, Diner E went with Mary’s Gyro combo’…

Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen – Gyro Value Meal: Gyro, Garlic Fries (or Tossed Salad) and Drink for $8.

Garlic Fries

I went vegetarian, opting to sample Mary’s take on the mediterranean classic, Falafel…

Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen – Falafel: Mild-seasoned meatless delight made of garbanzo beans, parsley, onion, special herbs and spices. Served with Pita bread, hummus and Tahini sauce. $7.75

Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen – Falafel: Mild-seasoned meatless delight made of garbanzo beans, parsley, onion, special herbs and spices. Served with Pita bread, hummus and Tahini sauce.

Falafel: Mild-seasoned meatless delight made of garbanzo beans, parsley, onion, special herbs and spices.

Hummus

Lettuce and Tomato drizzed with Ztatzitki sauce

Tahini sauce

Pita Bread

Put it all together…

And? Delicious. Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine is still relatively far and few between here in Honolulu, so anytime I get to try a new place in town that serves it, it’s always a refreshing, exotic novelty. And Mary’s doesn’t disappoint, doing at least what I think the cuisine proud.

Mary is actually Chinese, while her husband, chef owner Varouj Artinjian is Armenian, born and raised in Lebanon; both of whom were there on the day of this visit preparing our order. Nice.

Back to my Falafel plate, I’ll have to admit, Da’ Falafel King in the Waikiki Trade Center has them beat, mainly because DFK uses a wider variety of fresh and pickled vegetables that go into the sandwich, along with of course being certified Kosher, which is VERY rare to find in Honolulu restaurants.

Still, Mary’s Falafel delivers the goods quite well, having an almost “meaty” characteristic to it with its complex blend of spices and herbs mixed with the ground chickpeas and onions. My only complaint is that they were slightly overcooked in the deep-fryer, with the crust being a bit darker in color and flavor than “GBD”. Not really a problem though, as the absolutely PERFECT Hummus and more mild Tahini Sauce picked up any slack in that regard, giving this Falafel Pita sandwich a truly exotic flare, packed with spices and herbs, rounded out being creamy, earthy, and ultimately very refreshing.

Best of all, being meatless, you feel so light, vibrant and full of energy after eating it. Which has me pondering whether to go on a vegetarian diet once again. I’ve done it before long ago for about 6 months when I used to body build, and let me tell you, I was super RIPPED. I swear my body fat percentage was somewhere near or at 4%. Now it’s more like 40%, and I seriously need to do something about it. Well, not that bad, but enough where I need to make some dietary changes, as well as get back on my exercising regimen to whip back my metabolism (or at least try).

Back to meat (I mean,hey it IS Superbowl Sunday!), Diner E raved about his Gyro, noting how nicely spiced, moist and tender the thinly-sliced beef and lamb was, while the Tzatziki sauce gave it that always-appreciated snappy, cool and creamy finishing touch. Bam!

As for the Garlic Fries, they were served pipin’ hot and perfectly cooked, having a nice-sized cut and great texture. However, calling it “Garlic Fries” when it’s just bottled Garlic Salt is always a disappointment, if not an insult. Learn from Gordon Biersch and use real MINCED GARLIC and parsley, please, thank you very much.

Summing it up, we both give Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen a very solid 3-SPAM Musubi. If I decide to go vegetarian, I may change the rating system here to 3 Ume Musubi. lol

Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen
1151 Mapunapuna Street #8 (in the Moanalua 99 Food Court)
Honolulu, Hawaii  96819

Tel. (808) 839-7777
www.MarysMediterraneanKitchen.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

P.S. Right across the area where Mary’s Mediterranean Kitchen is located, is Watanabe Bakery. Here for “dessert” I picked up this Azuki Bean Honu (turtle) Bread…

Watanabe Bakery – Azuki Bean Honu (Turtle) Bread. $1,850,000.00. Nah, just kidding, it’s $1.85 each. 

And? OISHII! Way, way, WAY better than I expected of what looked like basically a whimsically-shaped, yet otherwise plain ole’ bread bun. The bread turned out being sort of sweet on its own, while also being very delicate, fluffy and moist. FANTASTIC texture!

I’m not particularly an Azuki Bean fan, but in this case, the already slightly sweet, soft ‘n supple bread surrounding the also mildly sweet Azuki Bean paste made for a perfect marriage of the two.

4 SPAM Musubi for Watanabe Bakery’s Azuki Bean Honu Bread. Sugoi!

Finding a place to eat in Chinatown can be a game of Jan-Ken-Po (rock-paper-scissors) if you don’t know who’s the best at what. Should I go for Dim Sum at Tai Pan (rock), Fook Lam (paper) or Yee Hong (scissors)? Last hand to win is it.

Another case-in-point is here at Maunakea Marketplace Food Court, right in the heart of Chinatown, where there’s a variety of Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese delicatessens; all of which serve the same ethnic specialties in their given category.

Like Filipino food? Well, there’s not just one, not two, but SIX different vendors in there offering their take on the likes of Adobo, Pinakbet and Dinuguan. Take your pick. Actually, I’d recommend Naty’s if you want some masarap-sarap Filipino grindz.

Here today we stop by two Chinese/Malaysian/Singaporean noodle shops set-up next to each other on one end of the food court, with one called Triple One Fast Food, and the other 369 Singapore Asian Food, who also both compete side-by-side serving practically the same variety of noodle soups.

Note, the photos in this post (except for the last 3 postscript) were taken with an entry-level Powershot A470, which I’m not familiar with its settings

We didn’t know the name of these places before going there, which had I known, I would have “Yelped It” beforehand to help me decide which one to try and what to order. Could have used my phone, but ah, nevah mind. At this point, my choice is made on a whim, along with one unknown “insider” who suggested to me as I stood there pondering, to go with 369.

As it turns out, the “Laksa” from Triple One sounds like the one to try, as according to several Yelpers, including “Alfred S.”, it’s describes like this, “Laksa, laksa, laksa!  I am absolutely hooked on this stuff.  Laksa is a common southeast asia dish.  This malaysia/singapore dish is packed with flavors.  The best way I can describe it is a fish stock with tamarind and coconut milk  served with two different types of noodles, fish cake,tofu, bean sprouts and shrimp.” Sounds awesome, and certainly a dish I’ll definitely return there to try.

Similar to Triple One (which I didn’t get any photos of, sorry), next door here at 369 Asian Foods, there’s seemingly 1001 ways to dress asian noodle soup…

As you can see, like that Furniture Discount Warehouse guy says on their commercials, the prices here at both these noodle shops truly are “so low, it’s INSANE!” Everything averaging right around $4? That is insane. And these are regular-sized saimin bowls now, not no mini-bowls.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

As it turns out, the shrimp aren’t quite as large as the ones depicted, yet who am I to complain for the price!

Ah, I see they have Singapore Laksa here at 369 Asian Food as well. I suppose when we go back, we’ll have to do a Laksa shootout!

That roast duck sure looks good.

The golden round wonton balls are shrimp wontons, white round balls are fish, and the green stuff Choy Sum (a Chinese variety of cabbage). I LOVE Choy Sum, and keep it in my refrigerator crisper bin on a regular basis, often simply sauteing it in garlic butter as a side dish or snack. Yum.

I remember shmall keed (small kid) time, our neighborhood “Manapua Man” in the infamous white cargo van used sell these Honey Twists…

That, along with Chow Funn in the wax-paper-lined paper tray and Hau Flakes. Ah the memories of the good ‘ole “hanabaddah dayz”.

So here’s Diner E’s dish, err, make that bowl from next door neighbor Triple One…

Triple One Fast Food – Asian Noodle Combo “E” (hypothetical designation): Lo Mein Noodles, Shrimp, Roast Duck, Charsiu and Choy Sum. $4.25

Diner A’s…

Triple One Fast Food – Asian Noodle Combo “A” (hypothetical designation): Lo Mein Noodles, Shrimp, Pork and Shrimp Wontons, Charsiu and Choy Sum. $4.25

Finally my choice from 369 Singapore Asian Food…

369 Singapore Asian Food – Asian Noodle Combo “P” (hypothetical designation): Lo Mein Noodles, Shrimp, Pork and Shrimp Wontons, Charsiu and Choy Sum. $4.25

I just can’t over the price. INSANE.

O.K., let’s try it. Here you see as Diner A picks up the Lo Mein noodles from Triple One, just how STICKY they are, remaining all clumped together…

Same deal with mine from next door neighbor 369 Singapore Asian Food…

I actually found the lo mein noodles a bit TOO sticky, glutenous and outright chewy for my taste. However Diner E said he likes his noodles like that. I certainly rather have it more chewy than soggy, but not THAT chewy. I mean so much so, where I had to chomp on them at least several times before being able to swallow it. Any more, and it’d be bubble gum in noodle form. lol

As for the broth, it tasted like your typical Chinese style shrimp-based wonton min in its flavor profile, being rather subtle at that. There wasn’t any distinct flavor I could make out of it, I suppose because of all the different toppings that sort of muddled it.

Speaking of toppings, the best of the bunch by far was the pork and shrimp wontons, where I’d recommend if you go here, make sure that’s a part of the combo’ you order. There’s a whole piece of small shrimp tail in it, surrounded by mildly seasoned ground pork. Tasty!

The charsiu was, eh, O.K., however I’ve had better. At least it was tender. The shrimp tails were also just eh, O.K., but as you can imagine, didn’t absorb any of the flavor of the broth, so eating it by itself or with the noodles was pretty ordinary.

Finally, Choy Sum always works for me, so that of course sealed the deal in green.

Summing it up, I give 369 Singapore Asian’s Combo “C” Noodle Soup 2 SPAM Musubi, while Diner A and E gives their Noodle Soup from next door neighbor Triple One, 3 SPAM Musubi.

I’m definitely gonna’ go back for that Singaporean Laksa!

Triple One Fast Food
1120 Maunakea Street (in the Maunakea Marketplace Food Court)
Honolulu, Hawaii  96817

Tel. (808) 533-4264

The Tasty Island rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

369 Singapore Asian Food
1120 Maunakea Street (in the Maunakea Marketplace Food Court)
Honolulu, Hawaii  96817

Tel. (808) 524-3409

The Tasty Island rating:

(2) Good. I’m glad I tried it. (Ono)

Related links:
• Triple One Fast Food – Yelp user reviews
• Singapore Asian Noodle – Yelp user reviews

P.S. Taking a stroll through Chinatown right around Maunakea Marketplace, I noticed a shop (the name escapes me) had the elusive Fried Dace for sale…

Since getting my Canon S95, I’ve been experimenting with the manual settings in both Aperture Priority and Custom mode, but gosh darned it, I couldn’t get shallow depth-of-field, where the background of the beach and Diamond Head would be blurred out in this shot…

2012 Year of the Dragon Boat

Canoes at “Kaiser’s”

Hilton Lagoon

O.K., I know, I know. You’re as enthusiastic to read a review on a new menu item from a corporate fast food mega-chain on this blog, as you are about watching the latest episode of Life with the Kardashians, right?

Yet, you have to admit, like the Kardashians, once you get “sucked” into the utter hype (or insert your favorite term of opinion here) that these fast food titans attempt to hook us with — all wrapped-up in one neat, handy-dandy, well-honed, albeit controversial business model and marketing concept — makes them all that much more alluring and irresistible, right? No? Whatever. Think what you want. Click away to another website NOW, or get “sucked in” and read on! lol

So anyhow, I get this press release emailed to me about a week ago from one of McDonald’s Hawaii marketing reps that goes like this:

TAKE A BITE OUT OF McDONALD’S NEW CHICKEN McBITES

HONOLULU – Beginning January 24 for a limited time only, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii is offering the Chicken McBites, a new menu selection conveniently packaged for today’s busy lifestyles.

The Chicken McBites are made with juicy pieces of bite-sized premium chicken breast meat and a savory home-style breading. Customers will be able to purchase the Chicken McBites in three convenient sizes to accommodate any appetite – Snack (3 oz.), Regular (5 oz.) and Shareable (10 oz). Chicken McBites come with the same selection of dipping sauce flavors as the Chicken McNuggets® and Chicken Selects, including the new Hot Habanero (for a limited time), Tangy BBQ, Creamy Ranch, Honey Mustard, Sweet & Sour, Sweet Chili, Spicy Buffalo, Chipotle BBQ and Hot Mustard.

 “The Chicken McBites are tasty and bite-sized treats perfect for our on-the-go customers or someone looking for a snack,” said Melanie Okazaki, regional marketing manager of McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii. “With a wide variety of dipping sauces to choose from, they’re also perfect for sharing.”

First of all, I’ve always been SO NOT A FAN of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, likening them as essentially breaded and deep-fried, nonnutritive, barely edible CARDBOARD.

Well, apparently McDonald’s is officially waging a full-scale fast food chicken WAR against KFC, with Ronald right in the face of Colonel Sanders with the introduction and aggressive marketing of not one, not two, but now THREE new chicken items on the menu that feature a spice-blended batter and real, whole, non-mechanically separated chicken meat.

Or at least what we THINK is “real” and wholesome, in case you’ve ever watched the eye-opening, appetite-reductive documentary FOOD, Incorporated. But that’s another story for another blog and/or day.

Those three key deep-fried chicken menu items McDonald’s now has in their arsenal against KFC (and Popeyes, and Jollibee, if you wanna’ go there too) would be their Premium Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, Premium Select Chicken Breast Strips, and now, their “limited time only” Chicken McBites. Although I have a feeling Chicken McBites will become a regular menu item. And I think it should, as you will soon find out!

First let’s check out the Colonel’s Popcorn Chicken…

KFC – Popcorn Chicken (5 oz.). $3.99

Now here’s Ronald McDonald’s answer to that…

McDonald’s Chicken McBites regular size (5 oz.). $3.99

Since you can’t see what’s inside McDonald’s box packaging, they had to print a photo to depict the product within, which surely must cost more to produce vs. KFC’s spot color design. Adding to that is the rather elaborate way MickyD’s McBites packaging is constructed. But hey, they’re huge, they can afford it.

While I like how you can can actually see the Popcorn Chicken in KFC’s typical fast food fried stuff package (or box) design, it’s too small (it really is tiny) to hold the 5 oz. of product, as about 1/3 of it spilled over out the top and into the paper bag they hand it out in…

Not to fret, as I had the luxury of a photo op’ to put it all back in place…

Otherwise, let’s be honest, if you were driving or walking, you’d probably dump the whole darned thing in the paper bag anyway so you can easily whack away at it.

Speaking of driving or walking, McDonald’s new Chicken McBites box packaging is CLEARLY designed with that in mind…

McDonald’s Chicken McBites

Some may find it an unnecessary or unused novelty, but I think this handy-dandy sauce holder integrated into the McBites lid design is BRILLIANT…

McDonald’s Chicken McBites

Add to that the size of the base of the container, which will fit nice ‘n tight in a standard-sized car cup holder, and you’ve got yourself some good-to-go, easy-access meals on wheels, sauce ‘n all, baby!

KFC’s Popcorn Chicken is available in only one size (5 oz.), other than various combo meals that include it with other menu items. While McDonald’s Chicken McBites are available in three sizes: Snack (3 oz.), Regular (5 oz.) and Shareable (10 oz). So in this shootout, we have an equal 5 oz. serving of each, which I’ve laid out on salad plates so you can see exactly how much is in there…

As you see, I have one each of EVERY sauce offered, which they’ll do if you ask… nicely. Otherwise, they’ll just give you one sauce of your choice.

To which, I don’t know about you, but for me, when it comes to fried foods, it’s all about the SAUCE!…

As expected, McDonald’s Chicken McBites sauces are the same ones offered for their Chicken McNuggets, including Spicy Buffalo, Hot Mustard, Creamy Ranch, Sweet ‘n Sour, Sweet Chili and Tangy Barbecue…

Come to find out WAY AFTER THE FACT of the tasting session, there was actually one more sauce in the form of Honey Mustard stashed under the HUGE pile of napkins in the paper sack…

There’s also supposed to be a new Hot Habanero sauce, but the Aina Haina McDonald’s didn’t receive them yet as of the time of my visit. From what I understand from someone who reviewed these on YouTube, the Hot Habanero basically tastes like a creamier, slightly hotter version of the Spicy Buffalo sauce, which is by far my favorite of all the McDonald’s sauces.

Back to the popcorn chicken, let’s have a closer look at the plates so we can see the variety of shapes and sizes they come in…

KFC Popcorn Chicken (5 oz.)

vs…

McDonald’s Chicken McBites – regular size (5 oz.)

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know what’s next. Yup, the venerable cross cut view…

Cross-cut view: KFC Popcorn Chicken on the left and McDonald’s Chicken McBites on the right

In that photo above, I chose the largest piece in the batch and the smallest piece from each contender. McDonald’s clearly has more meat. The crumb-sized pieces in KFC’s Popcorn Chicken don’t even have any chicken in it, but was just breading! They could just as well be called “Popcorn Crisp”, or more realistically, “Popcorn Crumbs”. Tasty crumbs though!

Let’s check another piece…

Cross-cut view: KFC Popcorn Chicken on the left and McDonald’s Chicken McBites on the right

Same deal. MickyD’s BLOWS KFC in the meat department. Wait, that didn’t sound right. lol

Seriously though, KFC, where’s the “beef”? This is just as bad as their Original Recipe Chicken thighs and drumsticks that seem to have come from chickens that were anorexic. Which is why we call them “Kentucky Fried Rat”.

Flavor-wise, KFC’s original “secret blend of spices” recipe is still one of my favorite fried chicken (with Soul Cafe right up there with them), but KFC seriously has some issues with their chicken supply, which I understand is through Tyson.

Enough looking. Let’s eat some, first trying KFC’s Popcorn — ehem — Chicken… cough-cough…

KFC Popcorn Chicken

Having first trying it without any sauce, it comes across as super crunchy; which would be great if there was MORE CHICKEN IN IT, but since the chicken within is so “manini” (lacking/small), it’s almost too “stiff”, being a battered morsel of tasty KFC-flavored “nothingness”, if there ever was a self-denying way to describe it.

Seasoning-wise, it only tasted like there was salt, and hardly any pepper. It certainly didn’t taste like KFC’s famous original “secret blend of spices” recipe, nor did it have the texture of that batter. If they can somehow capture the flavor of the original recipe while keeping this stiffer popcorn-textured batter, while putting more chicken MEAT in it, they’d definitely have a much better product. As it is in plain form, pass. I’d rather just have a side of their awesome seasoned Potato Wedges and call it a day.

Let’s try McDonald’s answer to that…

McDonald’s new Chicken McBites, featuring juicy pieces of bite-sized premium chicken breast meat and a savory home-style breading

Much, MUCH better. You can definitely taste the seasonings in it; especially, quite simply, yet distinctively, black pepper. The ample amount of chicken meat in it is tender, moist and flavorful, thanks to those spices in the batter. Texture-wise, the batter is crispy, yet noticeably more airy and light, compared to the cornstarch-stiff KFC Popcorn Chicken.

I think McDonald’s has a winner here, and really, with this on the menu now, I don’t know why anyone would order the now-INFERIOR Chicken McNuggets. Perhaps some folks will still buy McNuggets, preferring that processed taste and texture of the mechanically separated chicken meat. Whatevahz. To each their own.

Let’s go back and try the KFC Popcorn Chicken with some of their Creamy Ranch sauce…

The Ranch definitely helps, especially for KFC’s barely-seasoned batter. On the downside, what it does is drown out the flavor of the chicken even more, due to the shear lack of chicken meat within.

Let’s try the McBite all sauced-up…

First of all I must say, as far as sauces, while KFC has only three to choose, all three of them are WAY better than all but ONE from the seven McDonald’s offers. KFC’s Creamy Ranch and Honey Barbecue are particularly FAR BETTER than MickyD’s take on it.

McDonald’s sauces just have this super-processed artificial taste, and wierd, over-gelatinous texture. While KFC’s sauces taste more natural and familiar, if you will.

With that, KFC gets the win for sauce.

The only sauce I really liked from McDonald’s was the Spicy Buffalo, as it tastes like authentic Buffalo Hot Wings sauce, having just the right amount of vinegar-laden acidity, kick of cayenne pepper flavor and pleasantly silky creaminess to it…

A dip in the Spicy Buffalo sauce truly turns the McDonald’s take on popcorn chicken into a handy-dandy, “pop-able” Buffalo Wings Chicken McBite. Winnahz! Or, em… rrrr… “I’m lovin’ it®!” lol

And reiterating again, just about every bite of the McBites were generously made up of moist and tender chicken meat…

So the verdict is in: McDonald’s Chicken McBites for the win, having much more tasty seasoning in its delicately light and crispy batter, along with adequate to plentiful amounts of moist ‘n tender WHOLE (non-mechanically separated) chicken meat in each morsel.

While I didn’t care for most of McD’s sauces, with KFC’s quality vs. quantity array of sauces pretty much blowing McD’s away, the McD’s Spicy Buffalo sauce comes around and saves the day, in an enviable hot way at that. Add to that a handy-dandy box that fits nicely in a car cupholder, along with its “I’m cool and you’re not” sauce holder, Ronald gets the “W”. Or “M”.

I think I’m going to start a burger joint called “WcDonald’s”. lol

Not stopping there, I wanted to see who was better at doing Popcorn Chicken’s big sister, Chicken Tenders, a.k.a. Chicken Strips…

KFC Extra Crispy Strips ($5.49) on the left and McDonald’s 3-piece Chicken Selects ($3.59) on the right

Intently looking over the menu board at the Niu Valley McDonald’s, somehow I didn’t notice KFC offers an ‘Original Recipe’ version of their strips, which I surely would have chosen had I known. Oh well.

Let’s check out the cross-cut view…

KFC Extra Crispy Strips

McDonald’s Chicken Selects

What I realized after looking at the photos, is that I should have torn them apart with my hands instead of cutting it with a sharp knife, as cutting it doesn’t reveal how juicy it is between the meat fibers. Which it truly was, for both KFC and McDonald’s strips.

The generous cut of chicken meat in the “tenders”, compared to the relatively “itsy-bitsy” pieces of chicken in the Popcorn Chicken versions make these fingers-sized “tenders” truly as advertised: TENDER, moist ‘n juice-ay!

In fact, while most keiki will probably prefer Popcorn Chicken for their fun shape and “poppability” factor, if you’re older than say, 10, go for the strips. They’re much, MUCH better as far as fried chicken is concerned.

As for the comparison between the two, again the McDonald’s batter was much better seasoned with a distinct black pepper flavor, while the KFC’s Extra Crispy batter actually was an advantage here, since there was so much chicken meat in it. So you get that extra crispy crunchy texture from the batter, followed by a burst of super moist ‘n succulent chicken as you bite into it, where I also thought KFC’s chicken meat itself had more flavor than McDonald’s Chicken Selects.

So by points decision, KFC gets the win for Chicken Strips. Had this been the Original Recipe Strips, they’d probably win by a knock-out.

STILL not stopping there, we’re not done with this yet folks. Oh no we’re not!

Chicken Tenders ‘n Popcorn Chicken Katsu, anyone?…

KFC Popcorn Chicken and Extra Crispy Strips Katsu on the left, and McDonald’s Chicken McBites and Chicken Selects Katsu on the right

Ah yes my friends, I went there, oh YES I did. lol

And NO, you can’t find this at your neighborhood KFC or McDonald’s, as it’s not a menu item. At least not yet. But it may be one if their marketing reps sees this and thinks it has potential! I think it’s a freekin’ GREAT idea, and something that should have been done a long time ago, especially for the Hawaii market, as we all know Chicken Katsu is one of the most popular plate lunch dishes in the islands.

And you know what sauce MUST be used for this, right? Bull Dog…

A closer look at each plate…

Shucks, you know what I forgot to put on the plate, is Takuan. I LOVE Tsukemeno with fatty fried foods, as it helps to cut the heaviness from the grease. Thankfully the all-important bed of finely sliced cabbage helped to serve that purpose, as well as provide that crispy fresh contrast to the fried chicken.

Hai, itadakimasu! First let’s try the KFC Popcorn Chicken, served katsu style…

Oh man, that is sooooo ono! Sugoi! Oishii!

So much of an improvement that, you know what? See all those sauces from McDonald’s and KFC? Well, don’t even bother opening them, because Bull Dog has just made them all OBSOLETE.

There’s just something about the uniquely spicy, fruity, acidic, deep, bold and zesty Tonkatsu sauce — especially the Bull Dog brand (Ikari would be my second choice) — that takes any fried food from ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY. Umami x’s TEN.

Then you add the crispy freshness and texture contrast from the finely sliced cabbage when eaten in unison with the breaded chicken (whatever there is of it), and POW! Winnah, winnah, Popcorn Chicken Katsu Dinnah!

Let’s try McDonald’s Chicken McBites, done katsu style…

Goodness-katsu-gracious. You don’t even know how much BETTER this is.

Actually, in this case, I liked the KFC Popcorn Chicken better, as the super-crispy batter held up better to the sauce. But they’re both excellent this way, and you can’t go wrong with either one.

Let’s try the KFC Extra Crispy Strips Katsu…

This brings a tear of joy to my eye. The added surface area of the sliced chicken breast helped to soak in more Tonkatsu Sauce, so when you bite into it, it’s like an explosion of Chicken Katsu goodness.

All I can say is, go to the supermarket and buy a head of cabbage and a bottle of Bull Dog Tonkatsu sauce, along with a jar of Takuan. If you can’t find the Bull Dog brand, the nationally-distributed Kikkoman Tonkatsu Sauce will suffice. Then head to McDonald’s or KFC and pick up preferably their chicken strips. Then go home and prepare it just like you see here. Serve with Tsukemono and rice and enjoy. You can thank me later.

Extra Crispy Strips and KFC Popcorn Chicken Katsu on the left, and McDonald’s Chicken McBites and Chicken Selects Katsu on the right

Dang, that was oishii!

The KFC Popcorn Chicken and Extra Crispy Strips were purchased at the location in Niu Valley Shopping Center (East Oahu)…

KFC @ Niu Valley Shopping Center (east Oahu)

The McDonald’s Chicken McBites and Chicken Selects were purchased at the Aina Haina Shopping Center location (east Oahu)…

McDonald’s @ Aina Haina Shopping Center

The Tasty Island site related links:
• McDonald’s Saimin
• McDonald’s Haupia & Taro Pie
• Taco Bell Goes Hawaiian
• The Great Tonkatsu Sauce Shootout

External link (latest news!):
• (Ray) Kroc Center Hawaii set to open

Yesterday our office gang rang in the new year with a celebratory lunch at Restaurant Epic, located in the Chinatown side of downtown Honolulu.

Restaurant Epic is a rather contemporary affair, aptly suited for the yuppy crowd that swarms the area during the bustling daylight and early evening hours of the work week.

To the left of this main dining area is a full bar to service the downtown pauhana crowd, while to the left in front, there’s also a private room with a single large table to accommodate up to 8 guests, which is where we sat.

Let’s check out Epic’s lunch menu…

With Roy’s alumnus, Chef David Hoffman at the helm, the menu reflects a similar Eurasian/Pacific Rim fusion theme, with just about everything listed — at least in writing — sounding exotic and absolutely mouthwatering!

Getting right to it, not listed on the menu, Diner CM decided to try one of their daily specials, as explained verbally by our server, which would be the Togarashi-spiced Pan-Seared Ahi…

Restaurant Epic – Shichimi Togarashi Crusted Pan-seared Ahi, with Beurre blanc and Kabayaki Sauce drizzle, served with an Asian Slaw . $17

Diner C kept it light as well, going for Epic’s Seared Ahi Salad…

Restaurant Epic – Seared Ahi Salad: Togarashi Crusted Yellow Fin Ahi, Mesclun Greens, Fingerling Potatoes, Asparagues, Tomatoes, Lemon Vinaigrette (opting for Red Wine Vinaigrette instead). $17

Diner A loves always enjoys a good Teri’ Burger, opting to try Epic’s wild take on the classic…

Restaurant Epic – Spicy Teriyaki Angus Burger: Swiss, Teriyaki Glaze, Wasabi Aioli, Asian Slaw, Tomato. $10 + $2 for side of fries (angle Ewa)

Diner E was in the same frame of mind as myself, wanting to try something unique to this restaurant, that would be difficult to find similar elsewhere (at least on this island). With that, he went for Epic’s Kiawe Smoked Pork “Grilled” Cheese…

Restaurant Epic – Kiawe Smoked Pork & Avocado “Grilled” Cheese: Provolone, Carolina Slaw, House made BBQ Sauce, Jalapeno & Cheese Biscuit. Served With Roasted Barlic Tomato Bisque. $10

All three “Grilled” Cheese menu items include a side of their Roasted Garlic Tomato Bisque…

Since Diner E  chose the Kiawe Smoked Pork version, I decided to try Epic’s Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese, served with a side of Roasted Garlic Tomato Bisque…

Restaurant Epic: Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese: Havarti, Center-Cut Bacon, Apricot-Caper Spread, Hawaiian Sweet Bread. $10

Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese: Havarti, Center-Cut Bacon, Apricot-Caper Spread, Hawaiian Sweet Bread.

Garnished with their “Grilled” Cheese plate is a baked Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Chip. Ooh-la-lah! Can I have more, please?

Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese: Havarti, Center-Cut Bacon, Apricot-Caper Spread, Hawaiian Sweet Bread.

And how was it? Overall, very good!

Particularly STELLAR for Diner A, who gave his Spicy Teriyaki Angus Burger a “broke da’ mout’ ono” 5 SPAM Musubi, saying that was easily one of the best burgers he’s ever had. Wow.

Which you know what made it? Not only was the Angus Beef patty wonderfully char-grilled and HUGE, easily weighing 1/3 pound to possibly close to 1/2 pound. What made it was the FURIKAKE they sprinkle directly over the patty after it’s grilled. On a burger? Duh! In the famous words of Shallow Hal, “Koo-koo! Koo-koo! Koo-koo!”. Why the HECK didn’t I ever think of trying that in my kitchen!

Restaurant Epic – Spicy Teriyaki Angus Burger: Swiss, Teriyaki Glaze, Wasabi Aioli, Asian Slaw, Tomato. (Diamond Head angle)

Hey, when any given savory dish needs extra kick, Furikake almost always takes it from boring to OISHII-TASTIC, right? Well, according to Diner A, that’s what did it with Epic’s take on this popular local burger classic, especially when further enhanced in depth by the sweetened shoyu Teri’ glaze, along with the spicy kick from the Wasabi Aioli, which certainly wasn’t shy of the sinus-clearing green stuff. He also loved the added dimension texture and flavor contrast of the slaw in the burger. I’m definitely gonna’ try replicating this at mom’s house next we fire-up the grill.

Shichimi Togarashi Crusted Pan-seared Ahi, with Beurre blanc and Kabayaki Sauce drizzle, served with an Asian Slaw

Diner CM really enjoyed the Togarashi Crusted Ahi Fillet, simply noting it was “responsible”. Word. An enthusiastic 4 SPAM Musubi for the dish.

Diner C enjoyed Epic’s Seared Ahi Salad, only noting the Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing was a bit bland, needing “something” to kick it up. 2 SPAM Musubi.

Restaurant Epic – Kiawe Smoked Pork & Avocado “Grilled” Cheese: Provolone, Carolina Slaw, House made BBQ Sauce, Jalapeno & Cheese Biscuit. Served With Roasted Barlic Tomato Bisque. (angle Ewa)

Diner E’s feedback of his Smoked Pork “Grilled” Cheese was the most shocking, as without thinking about his “Saimin Kaukau” (Simon Cowell) reputation, he initially gave it 4 SPAM Musubi, which is practically UNHEARD OF due to his extremely demanding palate. “Whoah, 4!?” So he gave it 3, which is a 4 to you and I.

Kiawe Smoked Pork & Avocado “Grilled” Cheese: Provolone, Carolina Slaw, House made BBQ Sauce, Jalapeno & Cheese Biscuit. Served With Roasted Barlic Tomato Bisque.

With that, he said the super-buttery-rich cheesy ‘n toasty Jalapeno Biscuit is what sealed the deal here. The “bread” is certainly the most important component of any great sandwich, and it’s good to hear this buttery-cheesy-spicy biscuit pulls it off so well in making one onolicious “grilled” cheese sammy. Actually the reduction to 3 SPAM Musubi if fare, as he did note the thick slice of Provolone Cheese wasn’t melted, which actually is taboo as far as a grilled cheese sandwich is concerned.

Kiawe Smoked Pork & Avocado “Grilled” Cheese: Provolone, Carolina Slaw, House made BBQ Sauce, Jalapeno & Cheese Biscuit. Served With Roasted Barlic Tomato Bisque.

Yet really, with all that Kiawe-smoked, BBQ sauce-laced pulled pork stacked in it, I suppose this isn’t even a “Grilled” Cheese Sandwich anymore. So yeah, he really enjoyed it. 3 SPAM Musubi.

Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese dipped in Roasted Garlic Tomato Bisque

Finally, as for my Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese, even for this, I wouldn’t quite call it a Grilled Cheese Sandwich anymore, as once there’s meat in it, that takes the center stage. Especially also in this case, where it’s Maple Smoked Bacon, which easily overpowered the creaminess of the Havarti cheese. Yet in a good way, just not what I was expecting.

Havarti & Bacon “Grilled” Cheese dipped in Roasted Garlic Tomato Bisque

Dipping it in the Roasted Garlic Tomato Bisque is what it’s all about though with these “Grilled” Cheese sammies. That really takes it from the ground floor to the penthouse. You get the almost creamy sweetness from the Hawaiian (actually originally Portuguese) Sweetbread, the earthiness from the Apricot-Caper Spread and savory depth from the Maple-glazed Bacon. Then add to that the creamy-thick viscosity of the Tomato Bisque, which also introduces acidity and more earthiness to each bite, and POW! Delicious.

If there’s anything I’d change with this dish, is the bread, as my only complaint is the sweetbread added too much sweetness when combined with the already fruity Apricot spread and Maple-glazed bacon. I’d say use French Baguette slices instead, and it would probably be perfect. As it is, I give it 3 SPAM Musubi.

Pretty much stuffed, we all passed on dessert, however in hindsight, we wish we had gotten something, as about an hour later we were craving some sweets. It’s often like that.

Epic’s service was SUPERB, with our server being friendly, attentive, and 100% knowledgeable of the menu and daily specials. Our dishes arrived simultaneously at the table within 10 minutes of being ordered, and our drinks were kept topped throughout our stay.

The best place to park if you go there is the Chinatown Municipal Parking Structure, located on the corner of Beretania and Smith Street. The lot entrance is on the left off Beretania, just before Smith. It will cost about $2 for 2 hours, and best of all, the lot is clean, well-lit and secure, with ample parking. Restaurant Epic is just steps away, on the corner of Nuuanu and Pauahi street.

We all agreed Restaurant Epic is a place we’d definitely like to return and try more dishes on their tempting menu.

Restaurant Epic
1131 Nuuanu Ave.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96805

Tel. (808) 587-7877
www.restaurantepichawaii.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Ono!)

P.S. Speaking of epic, the beaches of Hawaii can surely be that. Including Diamond Head Beach, just a short walk out of Waikiki, where last Sunday a group of Paragliders cruised aloft peacefully overhead. Watch in the following video, as I captured a Paraglider expertly coming in for approach and precision landing within a shadow’s distance of sunbathers relaxing just feet away…

They jump from the top of Diamond Head crater, gracefully gliding across the skies overlooking scenic Diamond Head point, catching thermals along the way to maintain altitude.

Here’s a still photo of the Hawaiian Monk Seal (an endangered species) that was captured in the Paraglider landing video above…

A Hawaiian Monk Seal rests at Diamond Head Beach, Sunday, January 15, 2012

It’s that time again folks, where I take the opportunity to share bits and pieces of ono kine grindz from various places over about a month’s time span, all within one convenient glance.

Well, not really at a glance, as I think I suffer from “OCD” (obsessive-compulsive disorder) of the bloggers kind, as you’ll soon see by the ridiculously redundant amount of photos on essentially the same subject. I know I’m the type of blogger that absolutely PI$$ES Anthony Bourdain off, which makes it all the better! Ha!

First up, we have some ono kine dim sum grindz from Royal Kitchen, which Diner E was so kind and generous to share with us as his token of giving and Aloha this past holiday season…

Royal Kitchen – Baked Manapua (the original!)

Royal Kitchen – Pork Hash and Half Moon

Royal Kitchen – Look Funn

Look Funn not fun enough? Then how’s about some Chow Funn…

Royal Kitchen – Chow Fun

Royal Kitchen – Rice Cake and Ma Tai Su (Chop Suey Cake)

Zongzi, a.k.a. Joong (Cantonese)

Time for some “OCD” close-ups (eat that, Bourdain!)…

Royal Kitchen – Baked Manapua, Pork Hash, Half Moon and Look Fun Dim Sum (with hot mustard and shoyu sauce)

Royal Kitchen -   Baked Charsiu Manapua, Baked Chicken Curry Manapua, Pork Hash, Look Fun and Chow Fun. How fun!

Royal Kitchen – Ma Tai Su (Chop Suey Cake)

Ma Tai Su cutaway view, which think “Chinese Manju”, albeit much bigger and more savory…

The Ma Tai Su’s crust is doughy on the inside, and delicately flaky on the surface…

The filling is somewhat nondescript, being meaty, yet without any distinctive flavoring component, att least in Royal Kitchen’s take on it. Dip it in the Chinese (Coleman’s lol) mustard and shoyu sauce, and it’s all good. That really is what makes ALL dim sum good!

Royal Kitchen – Charsiu Pork Baked Manapua

According to their website, Royal Kitchen was the first Chinese shop in Honolulu to offer baked manapua, and I must say, theirs is EXCELLENT. The bun has a fantastic pillowy texture, and the charsiu pork filling is both plentiful and true to what it should taste like, which is indeed very tasty. EXCELLENT baked Manapua from the originators at Royal Kitchen!

I wasn’t nearly as fond about their Baked Chicken Curry Manapua…

Royal Kitchen – Curry Chicken Baked Manapua

As you see, it’s totally lacking filling, and whatever filling there was, was bland. And sorry, chicken just can’t stack-up to the superior flavor of pork, especially when it’s marinaded in the bold flavor of charsiu. Next.

Royal Kitchen – Rice Cake

All I can say about their Rice Cake is only that it doesn’t get better than this folks. PERFECT super soft, open-pored ‘n glutenous texture, PERFECT level of sweetness and screaming RICE in its flavor profile. Just PERFECT. I guess I had more to say about it.

Now let’s take apart and dissect that Joong….

Royal Kitchen – Joong (a.k.a. Zongzi)

According to Wikipedia, Zongzi‘s cultural tradition goes like this, “Zongzi are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duānwǔ; Cantonese: Tuen Ng), which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar (approximately late-May to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period.”

However, you can find Joong year-round in Chinatown and select neighborhood Dim Sum shops.

We were disappointed that Royal Kitchen’s take on Joong didn’t have Lup Cheong and/or Duck Egg in it, which is what can be found from this “other shop” in Chinatown (we forget which one!). With that, this Joong was quite bland, even with the Azuki Beans and piece of roast pork in it; the latter of which at least gave the rice a slightly meaty flavor, yet it was very subtle. The rice was certainly sticky, which personally, isn’t my thing. I LOVE Natto, but not sticky rice.

Notice this Joong is wrapped in a Ti Leaf, which certainly gave it a unique almost Laulau-like flavor to the rice, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. I give Royal Kitchen’s Joong 1 SPAM Musubi. I’ve had better.

Other than that, the Dim Sum from Royal Kitchen hit da’ spot! 4 SPAM Musubi! Big mahalos to braddah Diner E for sharing da’ Mele Kalikimaka ‘kine Aloha spirit. You da’ man!

Next up, also from Diner “Saimin Kaukau” E, a.k.a. “Uncle Aloha”, we have these here very interesting FRIED TOFU from, of all places, directly from Vietnam, care of one of his relatives who traveled from there recently….

Vietnamese Fried Tofu

And? Well, they’re super fluffy, light and crispy, with a texture similar to Cheetos. Flavor-wise, they taste kinda’ like Chicharon (pork cracklings), I kid you not! And this is totally meatless tofu.

Then again, they may not really be totally meatless, as I’m guessing they get their Chicharon flavor from being cooked in pure pig’s lard. It’s GOTTA’ be. What I don know is it’s FREEKIN’ ONO! And I’m not one who cares for Chicharon, but man, these Fried Tofu Chicharon imposters ROCK! 5 SPAM Musubi.

Next up, we’re at Ala Moana Center’s Food Court for some “authentic” Japanese Ramen from Naniwa-Ya Ramen. Or so we hope so!…

The customer personal garnishment station…

Garlic chips? In Ramen? Seriously? Whatevahz…

My Shoyu Ramen…

Naniwa-Ya Shoyu Ramen

Hai, itadakimasu!…

And? Oishii. Very good. Different. But good. Can’t touch Goma Tei, but not bad at all for a food court ramen shop, especially considering it’s served out of an admittedly inferior styrofoam takeout bowl, which surely must have at least some adverse effect on the broth’s flavor.

Then again, NO ramen can touch the Shoyu Ramen from that little shop in Tokyo’s Ginza district. DA’ BEST, and by which all others must compare to and be judged by. That’s where I stand on that, and you ain’t shaking me on it.

Let’s put it this way and call that benchmark ramen shop in Tokyo “The little Ginza Ramen Ramen Shop” (because we can’t remember its name, darned it!). On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the closest on where “authentic” Japanese Ramen in Hawaii stands compared to “The Little Ginza Ramen Shop”, Goma Tei is at around 7, as is Ramen Nakamura in Waikiki. Naniwa-Ya Ramen in Ala Moana Food Court is at about 5.5, which ain’t bad, actually, all things considered. Nissin Cup-O-Noodle is at around -10. lol

The Chashu was certainly tender and very tasty, and rather generous, considering this is their basic Shoyu Ramen, and not the “fully loaded” Chashu Ramen. The noodles definitely tasted like Sun, which is always a good thing.

Best of all, they put Menma (marinated bamboo shoots) in their Ramen, which always earns my respect. No menma, no go. Sorry. So kudos to Naniwa-Ya for paying attention to this all-important detail!

I’m not a big fan of the fried garlic chips in ramen, as that’s akin to also putting tomatoes and corn in there, totally “Un-Japanesing” it”. Stick with the tradition and make it good. Let the broth speak the loudest. Not the toppings.

Other than that, for what its worth, Naniwa-Ya’s Shoyu Ramen is at the least, acceptably authentic (5.5 on the scale) and decent. At best, a great value that’s well executed, with most of the details on the checklist checked. 2 SPAM Musubi.

We wrap up today’s “Grindz of the Day” with a Banana Pie from Sunnyside Bakery in Wahiawa…

And? Well, I’ve had more than my share of Sunnyside’s Blueberry, Chocolate Creme and Apple Pie in the past, to which the Blueberry has always been my favorite. However, this is the first trying their Banana Pie, where I must note, the Banana sans the “creme” part doesn’t work.

Whatever the type of custard or “vessel” is that the fresh-sliced bananas are carried in, isn’t moist, creamy or sweet enough, so it tastes essentially like eating peeled and cut ripe bananas that just so happens to have a crust around it. I mean it ain’t bad, but I think some creamy element would really kick it up and round it out better. Perhaps a drizzle of some flambéed Brandy, butter and brown sugar caramel sauce, ala Bananas Foster, over the slice would do the trick. Hey now!

Still, Sunnyside’s pie crust is a winner, so that thankfully catches up some of the slack. Summing it up, I’ll give Sunnyside’s Banana Pie 2 SPAM Musubi by a thin margin. Big Mahalo to Diner C for sharing it with us!

P.S. Check out this unusual, very low vertical rainbow I was able to capture last weekend in Manoa Valley…

Then another day, this one showed up…

Go bows! Err, Warriors! lol

Finally, according to the driver, this is the only cab in the state proudly sporting its name as ‘Hawaii Five-O’…

This ‘Hawaii Five-O’ themed cab driver/owner said, every time new passengers get in the car, he plays the Hawaii Five-O theme song for the “full experience”. Too funny!

Not very long ago, Mexican restaurants used to be rather scarce on Oahu, however they’re now popping up all over the place. In this case, right here in the heart of Kalihi’s suburban neighborhood area, which always was, and still is known as a mecca for some of the best ethnic specialty eateries in the “808″ state.

Even when “Mexican” restaurants did start increasing in presence in the islands, those more seasoned folks of the cuisine (usually visiting residents from mainland south border states) often questioned their authenticity in online reviews, with many writing them off as generic “Tex Mex”, “Baja” or “SoCal” ho-hums. Yawn.

Thankfully, based on the experience we had here, as well as our other favorite Mexican digs over at Los Chaparros, I’m ever more confident to proclaim that Hawaii is finally catching up with the border states on the mainland for respectably good to great “authentic” Mexican restaurants that are actually owned and operated by transplanted natives from Mexico.

Which we’re talking about in this review today of Mexico Restaurant, where we had lunch in celebration of Diner A’s birthday on the day before I left to Las Vegas back in late October.

Mexico Restaurant is located on School Street in the heart of suburban Kalihi, a.k.a. “God’s Country”, a.k.a. “The Center of Hawaii’s Food Universe”, right across the street (makai side) from Helena’s Hawaiian Food, which should give you a good landmark proximity on how to find it.

Upon entering, you’ll find the aptly themed decor inside Mexico Restaurant is kitschy as is typical of this type of eatery, yet not over-the-top gaudy, being relatively restrained and tasteful…

At the backside of the dining room, behind a divider wall is a full bar, ready to serve up your favorite Margarita, Tequila and Cervezas…

The kitschy south-of-the-border/Spanish theme continues on in the relatively clean men’s restroom (and we’ve been told by Diner C in the womens lav’) as well…

Time to check out the menu…

The customary complimentary Chips ‘n Salsa immediately landed on the table once we were seated…

Then our Iced Tea…

Sorry, no Margaritas or Tequila shots, as we had to head back to work after this.

Within about 12 minutes of being placed, our order lands on the table, starting with birthday boy Diner A’s MASSIVE Mexico Burrito…

Mexico Restaurant – Mexico Burrito: Carne Asadas, Beans, Lettuce and Salsa Fresca, wrapped in a burrito and topped with Rojo and Verde Sauce and Guacamole. Served with Rice and Beans. $13.95

This may have not been their Grande Burrito, but still, this one was MUCHO GRANDE huge! Not much less in size of an average man’s forearm girth and overall mass, I’d say.

The cutaway view…

Next we have Diner C’s Zope, which is hard to see under all the veggies, but it’s there….

Mexico Restaurant – Zope: A thick masa tortilla piled high with lettuce, cheese, black beans, sour cream and your choice of chicken (chosen), ground beef or kalua pork. Served with Rice and Beans. $10.95

Angle B of the Zope plate, so you can get a better look at Mexico Restaurant’s house Spanish rice ‘n refried beans that accompany most of the entrees on the menu here…

Diner E went for the Quesadilla…

Mexico Restaurant – Quesadilla: A large flour tortilla filled with cheese and your choice of chicken, beef (chosen) or ground beef. Served Sour Cream, Rice and Bean. $11.95

Finally, yours truly decided to try their Mexico combo, choosing the Tamal and Chile Relleno as the featured part of the entree…

Mexico Restaurant – Mexico Combo: Make your own plate! Choose Taco, Burrito, Enchilada, Tamal, Chile Relleno and/or Mini Quesadilla. Your choice of two $13.95. Your choice of three $18.95.

The Tamal is described as “Shredded chicken or pork (chosen) steamed inside a masa coated cornhusk. The way real abuelitas do it! Topped with rojo sauce.”

The Chile Relleno is described as “Roasted Anaheim chile stuffed with cheese and deep-fried in a delicious fluffy batter, then smothered in verde sauce and more cheese. Served with a dollop of cool sour cream.”

Mmmm, that sounds yumz.

Table condiments to accompany the Mexican FEAST for those who like it even more “spice-ay” are Tapatio’s Salsa Picante (I keep a bottle of that stuff in my fridge) and El Yucateco Chile Habanero Hot Sauce, which must be SCOVILLE-SCORCHIN’ HOT!

And how was everything for lunch at here Mexico Restaurant? Delicious! No, DELICIOSO! And my name’s not Robert (which really is my English name), it’s ROBERTO.

First of all, the “bottomless” (they keep replenishing it) complimentary Chips and Salsa were spot on, with the house-made tortilla chips being semi-light, semi-firm and crisp’ety-crunch’ety, along with a tasty and distinct corn flavor.

The salsa had a nice balance of chunkyness and wateryness to it, while flavor-wise, it was typical and familiar, having just the right balance of latin seasonings, along with a refreshing hint of cilantro and onion, spicy heat, sweetness and acidity goin’ on. I’ll give it 3 SPAM Musubi (very good).

As for my entree, the Chile Relenno was FANTASTIC. No, make that, it was FANTASTICO! You could really taste the roasty-toasty skin, while the meat of the chile practically melted apart, completely immersing its earthy-peppery flavor with the unctuously-decadent, ooey-gooey melted cheese entombed in it, all for my for my heated dining pleasure. Ooh!

If there’s ever a sexy Mexican dish, the Chile Relleno has to be up there as one of THE sexiest. Bow-chica-wow-wow. lol Seriously, 5-SPAM Musubi for Mexico’s Chile Relleno. If I smoked, I’d have to go have a cigarette after that one. lol

The Tamal was fantastico as well, with a quite thick wrapping of steamed masa encasing the tasty, mildly-spiced, fall-apart moist ‘n tender shredded pork.

The texture contrast of the mealy masa when eaten together with the fibrous pork meat, along with the zippity-zap kick from the zesty-yet-comforting rojo sauce semi-absorbing into the masa, all work together so, so, SO well. POW!

4 SPAM Musubi for Mexico’s Pork Tamal.

Along with that, Mexico Restaurant’s house Spanish Rice and Refried Beans were equally, absolutely DELICIOUSO.

The rice had just the right level and blend of spices, along with just the right balance of moisture and overall texture, and thankfully, they actually add SALT to it, so it’s not bland at all. I’ve had many a Spanish rice at Mexican restaurants that were just bland and tasteless for what seems like the simple fact that they don’t add any salt to it. Thankfully, here they do here at Mexico Restaurant in some way or method, however they do it.

The refried beans definitely tasted like they were made in-house, and not something out of a can, with a unique sort of gooey texture to it, in a good way! In a great way! Kinda’ like a Mexican Natto if you will, which you know I LOVE Natto. Well, not that “snotty”, but certainly noticeable (as you can see in the photo above). They were also nicely spiced and SALTED as well, as I’ve also had my share of refried beans from other Mexican restaurants that were bland for the same reasons mentioned about the rice.

Summing it up, 4 SPAM Musubi for Mexico Restaurant’s house Spanish Rice and Refried Beans.

The prices and portions here are an incredible value, making it very family friendly. So big are the portions, I left with a “doggie bag”, easily filling up a regular take-out container with all the leftovers from everyone’s dish.

And believe me, later that same evening, this made for one multifaceted, DELICIOUSO late night dinner “snack”! 2-for-1 meal deal, can’t beat that!

Service was friendly, attentive and quick. Enough parking right on the side of the restaurant to fit most guest in its capacity. A superb value, the food here tastes authentic (at least to the best of my experience), and most of all, everything was absolutely DELICIOSO!

We all give Mexico Restaurant a unanimous 4 SPAM Musubi.

Mexico Restaurant
1247 North School Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel. (808) 845-9059

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related Links:
• Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant – The Tasty Island
• Return Visit to Los Chaparros – The Tasty Island
• Mexican Restaurant – Yelp user reviews

P.S. Behind Mexico Restaurant, if you go down the hill of their parking lot, sits this hidden oasis called Lo’i Kalo Park…

Lo’i means pond in Hawaiian, and Kalo is taro, hence “Taro Pond Park” if you will. However, we didn’t spot any taro growing there. Perhaps they were in their replanting phase at the time of our visit.

Whatever it’s supposed to be (there’s no park benches there, either), It truly is this little hidden oasis of nature, complete with a freshwater stream, pond and rather beautifully lush greenery, that’s oddly situated between aging, nondescript walk-up concrete apartment buildings and single-family homes. Go figure.

Which goes to show, you never know what you’ll discover all around these incredible islands, unless you really go off the beaten path and explore it!

Let’s wrap up the San Francisco leg of this dual destination travelogue series, beginning with a visit to Ghirardelli Square at the far end of Fisherman’s Wharf, specifically to check out their chocolate factory museum.

Ghirardelli Square used to be the location of the company’s chocolate factory. However,  they’ve since moved manufacturing operations to San Leandro, California, a suburb of both San Francisco and Oakland. Ghirardelli Square is now predominantly an outsourced upscale shopping complex, including various boutique stores, shops, restaurants and Fairmont Heritage Place, a private residence club.

The focus for Ghirardelli at the Square now is primarily their Ice Cream Shop and Gift Shop next door..

Here now is the vintage chocolate manufacturing equipment museum they have on display at the back of the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop in Ghirardelli Square @ Fisherman’s Wharf….

Our candy makers will be happy to answer any questions you have regarding our chocolate making process. They produce our hot fudge sauce and chocolate toppings served at the soda fountain. We hope you enjoy our visit to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory.

1. Coco Bean Roasters – The outer shell of the bean is roasted, leaving behind the kernel, also called ‘nibs’. These nibs are then roasted, thus developing their unique flavor.

2. Chocolate Mills – In three tiered mills, a combination of grinding and friction heat melt the cocoa nibs into a liquor called Chocolate Liquor, or Unsweetened Chocolate as we know it today.

3. Melanger – Granite rollers then mix the chocolate Liquor with selected ingredients. They include whole milk powder, sugar, vanilla and additional cocoa butter in varying amounts, depending on the type of chocolate being made.

4. Conche – Conching is the final step in the chocolate making process. It smooths and aerates the chocolate, developing its flavor and texture. The chocolate is then tempered and deposited into various size models.

Note, that’s real melted chocolate running through the equipment, tempting any chocoholic to want to dip their hands in it for a taste, hence the plexiglass barricade.

Ghirardelli currently doesn’t offer public tours of their manufacturing facility in San Leandro, but my best guess is the modern, higher volume equipment in there looks nothing like what we see here. Probably works the same though.

Next door to the Ice Cream Shop is Ghirardelli’s Original Chocolate Shop…

Which was surprisingly cramped and small considering how HUGE the rest of Ghirardelli Square is, practically making its namesake stores appear to be somewhat of an insignificant afterthought. Go figure.

While there, they were handing out samples of these limited edition Milk Peppermint Bark Squares, which were quite delicious…

The combination of Ghirardelli’s renown silky smooth, toned and refined milk chocolate, combined with their also excellent buttery white chocolate and zip from the peppermint speckles totally works, where I think they should consider making this flavor a permanent addition in their Squares™ line-up.

Ghirardelli is such a revered brand in San Fran’, even luxury hotels such as the Hyatt offer it as part of their guest room amenities…

San Francisco’s F-LINE Streetcar transit…

There’s a famous street act in the Wharf area of San Francisco known as the “Bush Man”, who apparently was on break when we passed by…

Not to fret, as here’s a video someone posted on YouTube (one of many) of the Bush Man in action, including an interview with him…

We’ll name this one “Octobushy”…

We now come upon Pier 39 West Marina, famous for its population of California Sea Lions…

The sea lions camp out, often in large numbers at Pier 39 due to a plentiful supply of herring, available dock space and the marina’s protected environment, especially from Great White Sharks that prefer the open ocean. Each winter, the population can increase up to 900 sea lions, most of which are male. During the summer months, the sea lions migrate south to the Channel Islands for breeding season, but in recent years a small group stays year-round at PIER 39′s K-Dock. Those are probably the stragglers we encountered during the early part of November.

There’s definitely a social structure, especially regarding who’s “boss”. If you look in the distance at the last row of barges, there’s one lone Sea Lion appearing to either have alienated him or herself, or was banned from joining the rest of the community. Awe, poo’ ‘ting. lol

What’s funny is that Sea Lion swimming in the water in front, plus a few others that jumped in the drink from the two side barges soon after, kept trying to get on the center barge that’s the most crowded. but none of them chillin’ on the center barge would have that, and kept shoving the “outcasts” back in the water, while barking loudly in protest. It’s as if that was “the cool barge” in the center, and no one else was welcomed to join the club. “ARRH ARRH AOURRH ARRH AOURRH ARRH ARRH”. lol

The distance from the water’s surface to the top deck of the barges is quite a leap of I’d estimate at least 2 feet, which the hulking sea mammals are able to get on by diving deep to gain momentum, then breach out of the water and onto the deck in an almost desperate attempt. It’s a lot of body mass that sort of clumsily blubbers on board. Fascinating and funny at the same time.

Later in the evening, the population grew to more than double…

After reading a few reviews after-the-fact, I sure WISH we had booked a sunset dinner at Forbes Island just across the way…

Believe it or not, Forbes Island is actually man-made, being constructed out of a barge, so it floats on the water’s surface in the Sea Lion safe haven of Pier 39.

As you see, this floating “island” includes a lighthouse, plus a little “beach” with palm trees on the surrounding “deck”, while inside there’s a cozy dining room and sunken dining room with bar, complete with underwater portholes and very ornate, yet elegant and romantic mariner’s theme to the decor. I SO would have dug dining there! Looks like I’ll have to return to SF just to experience Forbes Island!

Alcatraz wear…

We spent our final night in San Francisco with family and friends for dinner at Crustacean, a very popular eatery in the Nob Hill neighborhood…

Crustacean is part of a family of restaurants established and operated by the very successful An family who immigrated from Vietnam.

Let’s have a look around before we get seated…

Crustacean’s menu…

Download a PDF of Crustacean San Francisco’s current menu here.

First on the table, a couple ‘a apps, starting with some Fried Calamari with a Spicy Remoulade…

Lobster Roll in crispy filo wrapper, accompanied with strawberry and kiwi vinaigrette…

More Calamari, this time marinated ‘n grilled in a spicy peanut mustard sauce…

Time for the main course, starting with Crustacean’s famous Garlic Noodles…

I swear, my Canon S95 camera‘s ISO and aperture settings were SO OFF in this dark-lit setting, yet I all but REFUSE to use flash. Oh, well, we’ll just make do with what we’ve got.

Another angle of the Garlic Noodles…

OK, I take that back, I did use flash on this Braised Beef dish…

Shaken Beef flambéed in Chardonnay, sautéed green beans, cherry tomatoes and red onions…

Ultimately what it’s all about at Crustacean, their also-famous Roast Crab…

According to Crustacean’s menu, the Roast Crab is an entire dungeness crab roasted to perfection with garlic and spices.

Also on their menu is the Drunken Crab, an entire dungeness crab simmered in a broth of three wines, cracked black pepper and scallions, as well as the Tamarind Crab in a sweet and sour sauce of tomatoes, fresh dill, Vietnamese chili, Quoted Price and fresh herbs.

We went with the most popular (according to our server), the Roast Crab.

Looks like we’ll need some specialized tools to get into this…

That, and a good pair of working hands will do the trick…

So how is Crustacean’s famous Roast Crab? What do you think? It’s FRIGGIN’ AWESOME! CRUSTAZY-TASTY! Very tasty is all I can really say, as I couldn’t really detect any particular standout spice or flavoring component. It wasn’t particularly garlicy, however that may have been because we were eating it with their already “garlicy” garlic noodles along with it.

In a nut shell… or should I say crab shell, the best way I can describe Crustacean’s famous Roast Crab, is it’s juicy, succulent, fall-apart tender, fresh and full-flavored, being decadently savory with a hint of sweetness in the meat. It’s certainly a treat to the senses, especially in its tangibility, meaning the sensation of holding and feeling the rugged Dungenous Crab shell, cracking it open and rewarding yourself with the fruits of your Crustacean labor.

The dipping sauce tastes like a combination of butter, white wine, vinegar and garlic..

As for the dipping sauce, personally I would have preferred simple drawn butter over the one they provided that had what tasted like vinegar in it (must be a Vietnamese thing), but still, it worked.

Hey, speaking of Vietnamese, I wonder how a Crab Banh Mi would taste? Bet’s on it would TOTALLY ROCK! I’ll defnitely blog “Project Dungeness Crab Banh Mi” in a future Tasty Island post!

One might say it’s pricey, at $43 each dish of Roast Dungeness Crab, yet Crustacean is considered “fine dining” in the House of An’s restaurant chain empire, so that was expected, and about what you’d pay for a prime cut of ribeye at an upscale steakhouse, so I suppose it’s justifiable. Especially considering the crab and garlic noodles are cooked behind locked doors in a “secret kitchen” within their regular kitchen, so that the recipes and cooking methods remain a well-kept secret within the An family. Smart!

As for Crustaceans famous Garlic Noodles… delicious. No, delicioso. Sorry, I can’t get that Kahlua commercial out of my mind. And my name’s not Robert, it’s “Roberto”. lol Seriously, they’re certainly “garlicy”, yet not overpowering, with just the right level of garlic “kick”, along with a distinctive buttery flavor. The noodles had a size, texture and flavor profile similar to Filipino Pancit Canton, the thicker noodles (Pancit Bihon is the thin one). I did notice they were somewhat sticky and glutenous compared to Italian pasta, yet in a good way that made it unique.

I looked up if anyone tried replicating Crustacean’s Garlic Noodles, and it says there’s Fish Sauce in it (like Patis). So I tried making it at home recently, and it turned out pretty dang close! That time I used Fetuccini noodles, but next time I’ll try making it with Pancit Canton.

Anyhow, 5 SPAM Musubi for Crustacean’s Garlic Noodles. So simple, yet so, so ono.

Everything else was fantastic as well, as I got to try a little of the braised beef, while the 3 apps were off the charts, especially that Lobster Filo Roll. What’s not to love about that!

Crustacean is certainly dong things right, as they’ve won a number of critical acclaims…

When we arrived, the place was just starting to fill up, and by the time we walked out, every table in Crustacean was taken. Service was friendly and attentive, with our order arriving in a timely manner, while the ambiance is low lit and romantic, with a Eurasian theme going on, albeit a little on the loud side, as far as neighboring guests.

Summing it up, solid 5 SPAM Musubi for the House of An Crustacean in San Francisco.

For “dessert”, we walked right down the street on Polk to our friends’ favorite doughnut shop over at Bob’s Donuts…

And how was it at Bob’s Donuts? The Apple Fritter (the last two pictured above) is always my favorite, and Bob’s was no question up there with the best. Big chunks of tender, flavorful cinnamon-laced apples all wrapped in a chewy-yet-flaky dough and toffee-flavored glazed crust all brought their A-game. 5 SPAM Musubi winnah! Especially with a hot cup-o-joe that accompanied it. Everyone raved about the various doughnuts and pastries they ordered.

Well, that wraps up coverage of our trip to Las Vegas and San Francisco this past November. All four plus six days of it, respectively. Time to head to the airport…

Goodbye crispy-cool 48ºF north California temperatures, and hello again to low 80′s in Honolulu, which by comparison, feels like summer.

Cool. Like the flight to LAS from HNL, looks like we again get a new Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200 for the flight back home from SFO to HNL…

Let’s see what they serve us for our inflight meal this time…

Good Lord, this just SCREAMS microwaveable frozen dinner. They might as well keep the box closed, with a “stylized” photo of what’s inside, which as you know, like frozen tv dinners, it almost NEVER looks like the picture on the box, but at least you hope so. lol

Let’s open it up…

Actually, this is breakfast, as our flight departed SFO at 8:50am. Breakfast Burrito that is, along with a Guava-Passion Fruit Muffin. Sheesh, that’s great; as if we don’t have enough carbs from the flour tortilla, throw in a muffin to wash it down with while you’re at it.

Let’s try this Hawaiian Airlines issue Breakfast Burrito…

While admittedly exaggerating a bit, it wouldn’t be far off from wondering whether these were packed on the aircraft not frozen, but in a shrunken, vacuum-packed dehydrated state, akin to MRE’s on a Space Shuttle mission. Where the flight attendant adds hot water to rehydrate it, then microwaves it to heat it up.

As a result, it had this off-putting mealy, bland texture and flavor, if at all you could use the term “flavor”. Meh.

So’s the same for that HORRID Guava-Passion Fruit “Muffin”, which could have easily qualified as “controlled crumbs”, with a poor excuse of sweetened artificial flavoring trying to pass itself off as tropical fruit. Far from it.

Seriously, if I chucked that muffin and breakfast burrito out the aircraft, I highly doubt even the fish or bottom feeders would bother eating it.

Sorry Hawaiian Airlines, I love you and always have, but please go back to the drawing board on this one! HA Breakfast Burrito & Tropical Fruit-flavored Muffin = BLECKH!

Thankfully the Orange Juice was good, if that’s any redemption….

Further redeeming themselves, the flight back home to Oahu on Hawaiian Airlines was super smooth and pleasant, with friendly, Aloha-spirited, very attentive Flight Attendants and minimal turbulence. I still despise those 2×4 lumber cushioned coach seats on the new Airbus though, yet that again is further redeemed by the personal digital media screens with the USB charging port on each seat back, enhancing/occupying time of your personal flight experience.

To get to and from the airport from our house, we used the relatively new Speedi-Shuttle, and their service was SUPERB as well. They have a 24 hour dispatch that you can stay in touch with to make sure they’re there to pick you up on time for your flight.

Well that was a fun vacay’ off “the rock”. No it wasn’t just fun, it was FANTASTIC! Or should I say “Fantastico!” Hope you had as much fun reading and checking out the pics of this travelogue series, as I did experiencing and sharing it with you.

It’s good to be back home though. HAWAII NO KA OI!

Kaukahi – Life in these islands

Today we take a look around the new Boudin Bakery & Cafe at the Fisherman’s Wharf of San Francisco. Well, while this 26,000 square feet, high volume bakery, retail shop, restaurant and museum location is relatively new (opened in 2005), Boudin Bakery the company has been around for a long, long time, established in San Francisco in 1849.

Sourdough was the main bread made in Northern California during the California Gold Rush era, and it remains a part of the culture of San Francisco today. Boudin is the largest and oldest, with many more San Francisco-based bakeries out there now competing for market share, including Semifreddi’s and Acme Bread Company, to name a few.

The wild “lacto bacillus San Francisco” contained in the mother dough gives each loaf its distinctive “sour” tang, and is site specific, changing in response to the ambient temperature and humidity. This group of wild microorganisms thrive in the Bay Area’s unique climate, working together in a feat of culinary science to produce San Francisco’s unique Sourdough bread formula. While most breads are leavened using a single genetic strain of commercial yeast—trading flavor for consistency and predictability—sourdough relies on these wild microorganisms for leavening as well as flavor. Using a bowl of flour and water as bait, the baker makes a starter by capturing yeasts and bacteria (including lactobacillus sanfrancisco) from the air, the mixing bowl itself, even the baker’s hands. Feeding on the flour, these microorganisms begin to multiply. The yeasts give off carbon dioxide, which makes the dough rise, while the bacteria produce lactic acid and acetic acid (vinegar), which contribute the sour flavor. Once the dough is made, a bit of it is folded back into the unused portion of the starter, providing sustenance for the ever-growing colony of wee wildies, which is henceforth known as “the mother.” Fed a regular diet of flour and water, this mother strain continues to multiply, creating new “babies” every day, producing descendents indefinitely. In fact, the Boudin Bakery still uses the same “mother” strain that was created by Isidore more than 150 years ago.

Learn more about the fascinating history of San Francisco Sourdough here and here.

Without further ado, let’s check out Boudin Bakery & Cafe at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!

I brought home a bunch of 1 lb. Sourdough rounds for omiyage, but I should have grabbed a couple of these half-pound rounds to use as soup bowls, as the 1-pounders are too big for that…

What’s funny is, when I asked that gentleman to give the camera a “shaka”, while showing him how to do it and explaining that it means “greetings” and “hang loose” in Hawaii, he was rather confused in how to position his fingers, having to look at his hand to make sure he was doing it right. lol

You know your bakery is way cool and hit it BIG when it has its own automated ceiling-suspended bread basket-on-a-track delivery system…

Now THAT’s what you call a cool bakery!

About half of the bakery’s retail space is occupied by a gift shop featuring culinary goods made by various third party local companies. This is just one of many display racks stocked with gourmet coffee, cooking oils, herbs & spices, dishware, cookbooks and much more…

Here’s the Boudin Bakers Hall Cafe menu…

I didn’t get around to eating at the Cafe, but if I did, I’d probably order the Tomato, Basil & Garlic Sourdough Pizza. Sounds yum!

Finally, luring in passersby from the bustling Fisherman’s Wharf sidewalk, is an open window kitchen where Boudin pastry chefs give live demonstrations on how their Sourdough bread is made, as well as making whimsical creatures out of it to keep the keiki entertained…

Man, if there’s a such a thing as a “Sourdough Bread Heaven”, Boudin Bakery here at Fisherman’s Wharf is exactly what that would look like. Neat shop!

You may remember in my last post I featured Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl from the Crab Station…

Boudin Bakery is just footsteps away from the Crab Station, however I’m not sure if all the vendors get their Sourdough Bread from Boudin, as I seen a few who had packaged Sourdough Bread for sale made by another company (IIRC, it was ACME).

If I lived in the Bay Area, I’d definitely do my own “Best San Francisco Sourdough Bread Shootout”. As it is, I don’t, however a quick Google search yielded an article at SFGate.com (San Francisco Chronicle) titled “TASTER’S CHOICE: The surprising truth about San Francisco Sourdough“. This taste test didn’t include the more established “Big Boys” such as Boudin, but instead focused on baguettes from newer companies, often baker-owned. The aim was to see what a new generation is doing with a venerable classic.

Interestingly, the winner of that blind taste test was La Brea Bakery out of L.A., not San Fran’! So does that mean this whole “secret’s in the San Francisco air” thing is just a myth? Or perhaps they got their “mother dough” from San Francisco, and all the future bread they bake are spawned from that. Food for thought.

I know our local Safeway bakes fresh Sourdough Bread in both round and elongated loaf shapes. I’ll have to try it and see how it compares to Boudin, which I have a couple 1 lb. round-shaped loaves sitting in my freezer from this trip.

On the second half of our visit to San Fran’, we moved from the Grand Hyatt in the downtown area to the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf…

Greeting us in our room upon check-in, a complimentary bottle of Zinfandel paired with an array of dry fruit, nuts, cheese, organic honey and of course, San Francisco Sourdough Baguettes…

That Zinfandel paired BEAUTIFULLY with the sharpness of the cheese, earthiness of the nuts and dry fruit, and golden sweetness of the honey. Very, very nice!

The following morning we decided to order room service for breakfast…

Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf Room Service Amenities: “Awaken Your Senses” Breakfast

Cranberry Juice, fresh-squeezed Grapefruit Juice, fresh-squeezed Orange Juice and Torrefazione Italia® Coffee

Sourdough French Toast: Dipped in Eggless Batter, Served with Peach Compote. $14

Corned Beef Hash: Poached Cage Free Eggs and Chipotle Sauce (omitted). $15

Three Egg Omelet: With Cheddar, Bacon and Ham. $15

Golden Gate Breakfast Sandwich: Hobb’s Honey Cured Ham, Cage Free Fried Eggs, White Cheddar, Sauteed Onion and Napa Valley Mustard. $14

Seasonal Fruits and Berries. $10

Rice

If you’re from Hawaii and work in a restaurant on the mainland, if you seen rice on this ticket, you’d probably think to yourself, “Hmmm, I bet these guests are either asian, or they’re locals from Hawaii.” The plate may already have potatoes, noodles or bread as a starch, but still, gotta’ get RICE! LOL

Here’s the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf entire “Awaken Your Senses” room service amenities breakffast menu…

So how was everything? DELICIOUS. No, DELICIOSO! I ordered the Golden Gate Breakfast Sandwich, and everything in it tasted very fesh, using high quality ingredients. So did all the other dishes I got to sample a bite of.

But WOW, that Sourdough Bread French Toast with Peach Compote was particularly STEL-LAR!

Seriously, this is probably one of the BEST BREAKFAST DISHES I’ve ever put in my mouth. The chewy texture and slight twang/tang/shlang of the Sourdough, when combined with the roasty-toasty battered crust and sweet ‘n sour, totally fruity encompassing contrast of the Peach Compote, truly takes French Toast to levels previously unknown to mankind. Bam!

Seriously, EASILY 10 SPAM Musubi awarded for Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf Sourdough French Toast with Peach Compote’s themed “Awaken Your Senses” breakfast dish.

I’m DEFINITELY gonna’ make this using one of the Boudin Sourdough Bread loaves I have in my freezer. I’ll think of some local Hawaii fruits for the compote, while I’ll probably add Macadamia nuts to the batter for a nutty texture contrast and serve it with Coconut syrup. Sound gooooooo’oud, eh? lol

I was going to include a trip to Ghirardelli Square in this post, but decided to separate for the next post to keep this one from being too drawn out (as not any of previous posts recently haven’t already been drawn out). lol

So next up, an excursion to Ghirardelli Square to check out their “mock” Chocolate Factory (for display purposes only), and a few more musings along Fisherman’s Wharf. I may even be able to wrap up the rest of this San Francisco trip travelog in the next post. We’ll see.