GREAT EATS HAWAII: January 2017

Sunday, January 22, 2017

DONUT KING HAWAII

MARKET CITY SHOPPING CENTER

2919 KAPIOLANI BLVD

HONOLULU, HI 96826

808-258-4119

HOURS: Monday thru Friday 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Saturday and Sunday 6:00 AM - 5:30 PM

www.facebook.com/DonutKingHawaiii/

www.yelp.com/biz/donut-king-hawaii-honolulu

Surprised to see Donut King Hawaii grab the former space held by Toritos Mexican Restaurant for 17 years at Market City Shopping Center. This prime space next to Foodland is golden and how a donut shop got this spot amazes me. Donut King sound large and grand but the space is small and drab. Kind of disorganized and not merchandised well. You can see the Costco Bacon in the cooler where you grab a drink and the coffee is served out of large pots in a very cramped space. My Daughter wanted some Ice Cream after school so she ordered one scoop of Chocolate ($3.50). This is standard Ice Cream and nothing special. I was fighting myself not to order a donut but I could not take my eyes off of the Maple Bacon Donut in the case. While my Daughter waited in line I walked outside thinking I could stop here and not eat the donut. As she placed her order I ran inside and said "one Maple Bacon please". Shit....I could not resist. I told myself that I would take one bite just to see how it tasted. One bite became two and then the entire donut was gone. Yes it was good. Loved the maple glaze more than the bacon.

MAPLE BACON DONUT

DONUT KING IS LOCATED IN THE MARKET CITY SHOPPING CENTER ON KAPIOLANI BLVD

PLACE IS NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE AND NOT MERCHANDISED WELL

VERY SMALL SEATING AREA IN BACK

DONUT KING HAWAII MENU

NOT A HUGE SELECTION OF DONUTS

MAPLE BACON DONUTS CAUGHT MY EYE

DONUT HOLES SEEMED TO BE POPULAR

A FEW FLAVORS OF ICE CREAM

A SCOOP OF CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

BYO BOWLS

HAWAII KAI TOWNE CENTER

333D KEAHOLE STREET

HONOLULU, HI 96825

808-395-2695

HOURS: Daily 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM

www.byobowls.com

www.facebook.com/byobowls/

www.yelp.com/biz/byo-bowls-honolulu-6

My Daughter loves Poke Bowls, Acai Bowls and when she saw BYO Bowls she dragged me over to take a look. The restaurant was very large and we looked around at first to see what was going on here. Turns out it is set up identically to the Pieology franchise except these are Rice and Noodle Bowls instead of Pizza. We took a few minutes studying the menu and looking over all the ingredients offered at the counter. Saw that you basically build your own bowl and then they cook it on a large flat top behind the counter. I settled on the Thai Noodle Bowl ($11.50) and added onions and jalapeños, shrimp and spicy Szechuen sauce. The flavors were ok but I did not have a "wow" moment that would make me want to return. The Bi Bim Bap ($11) was liked by my Daughter but she said it was just ok. My Wife ordered the Kale and Spinach Salad ($10) and she did not like it.

Guess this place did not go over to well with our family.

BYO BOWLS

BYO BOWLS IN THE HAWAII KAI TOWNE CENTER

GRAB LIFE BY THE BOWLS

BYO BOWLS IS LARGE, BRIGHT AND CLEAN

SET UP IS LIKE CHIPOTLE OR PIEOLOGY

BOWLS START AT $10

NEED SOME HELP DECIDING? THESE ARE GREAT OPTIONS

LYCHEE LEMONADE, KIM CHEE FRIED RICE AND BI BIM BAP

CHOOSE YOUR RICE OR NOODLES

FRESH NOODLES AND VEGGIES

VEGGIE SELECTIONS

CHOOSE YOUR VEGGIES

LOTS OF VEGGIES TO CHOOSE FROM

BUILD YOUR BOWL

ADD PROTEINS, EGG AND SAUCE

POKE BOLWS FOR $10

YOUR BOWL IS COOKED TO ORDER ON THIS GIANT FLAT TOP

THAI NOODLE BOWL

THAI NOODLE BOWL ALL MIXED UP

THAI NOODLE BOWL WITH SHRIMP

BI BIM BAP

KALE AND SPINACH SALAD WITH CHICKEN

RICE PAPER

1160 MAUNAKEA STREET

HONOLULU, HI 96817

808-528-3663

HOURS: Tuesday thru Sunday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

www.ricepaperhawaii.com

www.yelp.com/biz/rice-paper-honolulu

www.facebook.com/ricepaperhonolulu/

Really enjoyed lunch at Rice Paper in Downtown Honolulu. This little Vietnamese restaurant rocks with a large menu and even larger flavors. Actually liked everything we ate on this day. Started with the Crispy Spring Rolls ($9.99). The Rolls were fresh and filled with Ground Pork, Vegetables and Rice Noodles. Terrific when wrapped in lettuce, mint and hot sauce. The Green Papaya Salad ($10.99) was also delicious. Served with a good amount of Shrimp and Pork. This is one of my favorite Salads. So light, refreshing and flavorful. Loved it! The Char Siu and Steamed Pork Banh Mi Sandwich ($7.99) also hit the mark of flavor. Liked the fresh bread and pickled vegetables. Only thing missing was a little Liver Pate. This would have really made this a really great Banh Mi.

Last up was Rice Special Combination ($13.99) with a delicious marinated Pork Chop, Rice with Fried Egg, Shredded Pork Skin and what they call Meat Loaf. The Meat Loaf included Egg and noodles and had a nice peppery flavor. Loved the Egg with the Rice. The yolk blended into the rice and it was delicious. This was a very filling and satisfying meal. Nice to try a little bit of everything on the table rather than stick with one dish. Rice Paper uses fresh, quality ingredients and the food pops with flavor. Service was excellent and the food came out of the kitchen fast during lunch hour.

Really want to return here again and try the Pho.

RICE PAPER

RICE PAPER ON MAUNAKEA STREET IN DOWNTOWN HONOLULU

LONG CONTINUOUS TABLES AND CLEAN BRIGHT SPACE

RICE PAPER MENU

RICE PAPER HOURS, ADDRESS, PHONE AND SOCIAL MEDIA

APPETIZERS AND SALADS

BEEF NOODLE SOUPS (PHO) AND SANDWICHES

STEWS, CURRY AND RICE PLATES

NOODLE, RICE DISHES AND SOUPS

MORE SOUPS, VEGETABLES, DESSERTS AND BEVERAGES

GREEN PAPAYA SALAD WITH SHIRMP AND PORK

CRISPY SPRING ROLLS

BANH MI SANDWICH WITH CHAR SIU AND STEAMED PORK

LOVED THE FRESH VEGETABLES IN THE BANH MI SANDWICH

RICE SPECIAL COMBINATION - GRILLED PORK CHOP

DELICIOUS PORK CHOP AND THE EGG WITH RICE WAS AWESOME

Sunday, January 15, 2017

KONA GRILL

INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE

2330 KALAKAUA AVENUE #312

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-756-9591

HOURS: Monday thru Thursday/Sunday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

www.konagrill.com/locations/waikiki-hi

www.yelp.com/biz/kona-grill-honolulu-2

www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Grill-Waikiki/1070345126368713

Really enjoyed Happy Hour at Kona Grill. This is a great spot within the new International Marketplace in Waikiki that will surely be a hit with both locals and tourists. The menu is large and includes a wide variety of Sushi that you can enjoy inside or on the outdoor covered patio. Really liked the Happy Hour menu and prices where from $5 to $10 you can really eat well. I basically want to go back with friends and try everything on the Happy Hour Menu. We started with the Jalapeño Yellowtail Sashimi ($10.50) from the Happy Hour Menu. It was pure heaven. The fish was fresh, light and topped with a slice of Jalapeño and Ponzu Sauce. Delicious. Next up we went for the Lobster and Tuna Flatbread ($10.50). Delicious pieces of Lobster and super fresh Ahi Sashimi on Flatbread. After eating one slice with the Flatbread, I ate the others without the bread. It was just too much bread for me and I don't think Ahi Tuna goes well on bread. I just wanted the fish. Good dish though for $10. The Taco Trio ($8.25) is a super bargain. Three tacos of your choice and they are filled with meat or seafood. We went for the Fish, Shrimp and Pork. All good with quality ingredients and toppings. Three Taco's like this in Hawaii for $8 is a steal. The Cheeseburger Sliders ($8.25) were not really Sliders but full on Burgers. Two Burgers served with French Fries and they were good and filling. Wish I could have eaten more here because there is so much on the menu that I liked. You cannot beat the Happy Hour prices for a place like this in Waikiki. Happy Hours are Monday thru Friday 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Monday thru Thursday 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM and Friday/Saturday 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM.