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Being half Portuguese, it’s fitting that I do a thorough job of covering one of Hawaii’s favorite ethnic foods, the Portuguese Sausage. Hawaii’s manufacturers mostly stick by a similar recipe that is unique to the islands, setting ours apart from those found on the mainland… or possibly even in Portugal.
The most popular way to eat it is for breakfast as simply Portuguese Sausage, Eggs and Rice. Comfort food at its best. Most Hawaii restaurants that serve breakfast have Portuguese sausage as an option to bacon, breakfast links or ham, including national chains such as McDonald’s and iHop.
What inspired me to have a Portuguese Sausage shootout is the wide selection of locally-made brands and varieties that fill our supermarket shelves today, commonly taking up to 4 feet of meat department refrigerator shelf space.
So let the battle begin!…
The players (top to bottom):
- Redondo’s Lisboa Portuguese Brand Sausage, 10 oz., $1.99 (sale price) from Don Quijote.
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, flavorings, sugar, sodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate, oleo-resin of parika, sodiumerythorbate, sodium nitrite, packed in collagen casing. - Uncle Louie’s Fully Cooked Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage Stick, package of 3 at 48 oz. (3 lbs.) total, $10 from Costco.
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, non-fat dry milk, paprika, vinegar, garlic, chili pepper, spice, sweetener (sucralose), sodium nitrite. - Gouvea’s Portuguese Brand Sausage (Linguica). 10 oz., $1.99 from Don Quijote.
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, spices, garlic, paprika, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite. - Rego’s Purity of Hawaii Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage. 10 oz., $1.99 from Marukai Market Place.
Ingredients: Pork, water, nonfat dry milk, salt, vinegar, sugar, flavorings, paprika, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, oleoresin of paprika, packed in collagen casing. - Aloha Brand Portuguese Brand Sausage Hawaiian Style (distributed by Gouvea’s Inc.). 5 oz., $1.29 from Don Quijote.
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, dextrose, spices, hydrolyzed wheat protien, paprika, sodium phosphate, garlic, spice extractives, natural flavorings, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite and collagen casing. - Pacific Sausage Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage (Linguica), 5 oz., 99 cents from Don Quijote.
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, vinegar, sugar, flavoring, spices, garlic, paprika, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, dextrose, sodium nitrite, sodium citrate. - Hawaiian Sausage Company Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage (distributed by Rego’s Purity Food Co., Inc.), 5 oz., 99 cents from Marukai Market Place.
Ingredients: Pork, water, nonfat dry milk, salt, vinegar, flavorings, paprika, sodium phosphate, smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, oleoresin of paprika, packed in collagen casing. - Gouvea’s Portuguese Brand Sausage Made with Pork and Chicken, 5 oz., $1.29 from Don Quijote.
Ingredients: Pork, mechanically separated chicken, water, salt, spices, garlic, paprika, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite and collagen casing. - Redondo’s Mo’ono Sweet Hot Portuguese Brand Sausage, 5 oz., 99 cents from Marukai Market Place.
Ingredients: Pork, water, soy sauce, sugar, salt, flavorings, sodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate, oleoresin of paprika, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, packed in collagen casing. - Frank’s Foods Portuguese Brand Sausage (from Hilo), 12 oz., $2.49 (on sale) from Ward Marukai.
Ingredients: Pork, beef, dextrose, salt, soy protein concentrate, paprika, sodium phosphate, flavorings, hydrolyzed soy protein, garlic powder, msg, smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite. - Kukui Sausage Co, Inc. Portuguese Brand Sausage, 8 oz., $1.99 (on sale) from Ward Marukai..
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, sugar, flavorings, paprika, sodium phosphate, sodium nitrite, chili powder, sodium erythorbate.
With (now) 11 players on the “field”, I had to be careful in properly identifying each one for an accurate comparison. While they’re each slightly varied in color and size, for the most part, they all share the same DNA, so labeling was the only way to do it…
As you can see, they all have distinguishable marbeling; some more pronounced than others…
The newest player on the field is Uncle Louie’s, made in Kahului, Maui and available in a bulk pack of 3 HUGE (I mean HUGE) 1 pound sausages at Costco. On a side note to Costco, they also sell Redondo’s Portuguese Sausage in preformed “Spam Musubi” rectangular shapes. How cool is that!
Portuguese Sausage tastes best pan-fried for serving…
I cut 4 slices from each brand, about 3/8″ thick at a bias (diagonally) to provide more surface area.
The only way to give this shootout a fare shake was to accompany the taste test with its true companion, eggs and rice!…
Post edit additions, top to bottom (back to front): Ume Musubi, pickled cucumber, takuan (palate buffers), Frank’s Foods (Hilo), Redondo’s and Kukui brand Portuguese Sausage (uncooked left and cooked right)
Yes, call me crazy. I felt that way attempting to properly plate, sort and label this spread. But tell me that doesn’t look good! Notice I added a couple slices of Takuan, a Japanese picked turnip. I learned this from the mama sans at Tropic Fish and Vegetable market, who makes their Portuguese Sausage, eggs and rice breakfast bento with this. It adds balance, harmony and helps buffer the palate. Try it with Takuan. The best!
The results!..
- Frank’s Foods Portuguese Brand Sausage:
Pork, beefy, smoky and tight; not too fatty or greasy. You haven’t had local style Portuguese Sausage until you’ve had Franks!
- Rego’s Purity of Hawaii Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage:
Slightly sweet twang; mild spices; porky; soft casing; well-balanced overall.
- Hawaiian Sausage Company Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage (distributed by Rego’s Purity Food Co., Inc.):
Smokey!, mildly spicy, porky & moist. Even with the added smoke component, this one was also very well balanced and packed with flavor.
- Redondo’s Mo’ono Sweet Hot Portuguese Brand Sausage:
Tender; porky; moist; hot but spice influence is mild.
- Gouvea’s Portuguese Brand Sausage (Linguica):
Spicy, somewhat salty, semi-beefy, semi-porky (are those real terms?), pronounced marbeling, overall great flavor.
- Redondo’s Lisboa Portuguese Brand Sausage:
Redondo’s is great, but Gouvea’s slightly beefy profile gives it just a little more character than Redondo’s. Still, this is good, and even in 6th place, it’s still something I’ll put in the shopping cart on an impulse buy.
- Uncle Louie’s Fully Cooked Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage Stick:
Significant spicy flavor;
pronounced marbeling gave it a really “fatty” character, for better or worse; somewhat salty; doesn’t taste porky, more beefy.
- Uncle Louie’s Fully Cooked Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage Stick:
Significant Paprika flavor;
pronounced marbeling gave it a really “fatty” character, for better or worse; somewhat salty; doesn’t taste porky, more beefy.
- Aloha Brand Portuguese Brand Sausage Hawaiian Style (distributed by Gouvea’s Inc.):
More zesty; paprika too noticeable, yet still good; doesn’t taste like “traditional” Portuguease sausage.
- Kukui Sausage Co, Inc. Portuguese Brand Sausage:
Decent, but lacks character. It’ s just OK, still slightly better than the last place contender as follows.
- Gouvea’s Portuguese Brand Sausage Made with Pork and Chicken:
Suttle flavor, not much marbelization
Post edit: Frank’s Foods from Hilo is my favorite! The beef and the smoke flavoring, combined with the texture, which is tight and not to fatty make this one stand out. And allthough there’s beef in it, which is out of the norm from the rest of the pack, it still screams loud and proud, “I’m the best Portuguese Sausage!”
Rego’s Purity of Hawaii Mild Portuguese Brand Sausage was my overall favorite. With that, it’s still a close contender for first place, but I’ll hand that to Franks. The Purity won a blind taste test by four members in our household. I wouldn’t kick any one of these brands off the table, but if I could only choose one, Franks would be first, then Rego’s Purity. As for Purity, flavorful balance is the best way to describe it. It also caramelized nicely due its sugar component. My next choice also comes from Rego’s with their Hawaiian Sausage Company variety. The added smokiness really serves it well, and goes GREAT with those sunny-side up eggs. Excellent.
Whew. Let me tell you, that was alot of work. It wasn’t easy to try that much Portuguese Sausage in one sitting. After that, I didn’t eat for the rest of the day. That’s how full I was! The spices really give an aftertaste doesn’t go away for a long time. lol But it’s all good.
Next time you go grocery shopping, pick up a few brands of Portuguese Sausage and compare them yourself. You might find nuances in each that I couldn’t find, or a flavor preference that best suits you. Then after that, go on a diet for the rest of the week. I’m going vegetarian for the next 5 days after this. My blood is still boiling. lol
P.S.
Gouvea also makes this “Hot Dog”…
Gouvea’s Portuguese Brand Hot Dogs
It may look like a hot dog on the outside, but bite into it and you know what? It’s pretty much a miniature Portuguese Sausage! Same paprika, vinegar, and garlic flavor, sans the chili pepper. Very porky, including the marbelized fat in it. It’s really ono!
Gouvea’s Portuguese Brand Hot Dog, boiled and sliced in half
Next time I gotta’ try it in a hot dog bun. Maybe with just ketchup and chopped onions.
I also tried Redondo’s Arabiki Sausage…
Redondo’s ARABIKI course gournd sausage made with pork (Mo’ono selection), $2.99 from Marukai.
Per the instructions on the package, I boiled them for about 3 minutes…
They’re sort small, but they really pack flavor! Smokey, slightly sweet and savory in a shoyu-kind-of way, and moist inside. But the most important feature of these little babies is that SNAPPY CRUNCH of the casing. Nice! I’m not sure how I’d incorporate this in a recipe, but just alone as a pupu works for me. Pick some up and try.. I bet you’ll like it.
Matsumoto’ Okazuya plate (clockwise L-R): Kim(n)pira Gobo, Ume Musubi, Vegetable Tempura & Chow Funn
Fairly new on Oahu’s Okazuya scene is Matsumoto’s Okazuya & Restaurant, which opened for business in August 2005.
My friend visited here a week ago and ordered the take-out pictured above from their Okazuya counter. Overall “Spam Musubi” rating from him? FOUR! He gave me a sample of some Chow Funn.. oh boy.. look out St. Louis Delicatessen! This is EXCELLENT Chow Funn! Kept simple, cooked al dente with just sliced carrots, bean sprouts, green onion and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper, and some “secret” other seasoning we can’t pinpoint. He really enjoyed the fried chicken and tempura as well.
Patrons also have the option of a broader dine-in menu. First on that list are Combination box lunches such as Sashimi/Beef or Chicken Teri, which also includes Tsukemono (pickled vegetables), salad, miso soup & rice for just $6.75. What a deal! There’s also various Teishoku, Donburi, Soba, Udo, Ramen and “specials” such as Ginger Pork and Salmon Butteryaki. Again, all items include the same sides included with the comination boxes, with most prices in the family-friendly $6-8 range.
There’s also take-out bento’s such as Chicken Teri Donburi for just $4.50, up to their “Large Bento” for $5.75 which includes (start counting!): Teri Beef, Chicken Katsu, 1 pc. Shrimp Tempura, 1 pc. Sweet Potato Tempura, 1 pc. Carrot Tempura, Salad, Rice, Tsukemono, Takuan, Konbu & Grilled Salmon. Did you count? Common.. that’s ELEVEN items for just $5.75. Unbelievable. Folks I WILL get you a sample photo and review of this super bento deal some time very soon.
Matsumoto’s also does take-out/pot-luck party pans, including favorites such as their fantastic Chow Funn, to Mochiko Chicken, to Shrimp Tempura, to Spring Rolls to Nishime, ranging in price from approx. $25 to $40/pan.
Owner Todd Matsumoto also offers catering, private parties and a live Sushi Bar.
Hanahou addition (May 7, 2007)…
we paid a visit to Matsumoto’s Okazuya and Restaurant on Gulick Ave. for lunch this past Friday. This was my first time to order an entire plate for myself.
There’s lots of glare, but in that front window are the classic open display of Okazuya items to choose. More selections are also located just as you walk in the door, where you’re greeted by a very attractive local gal (bonus!). On the right of the front counter is an opening that leads to a rather small restaurant seating area. Here you can order from the full menu as mentioned above.
We got there around noon, which is much later than the 10am finish for Okazuya, but there were still a few items available to choose.
So we walked out with this…
“Bluesman’s” plate: Fried Rice, BBQ Teriyaki Steak, Mixed Vegetable Tempura, Kimpira Gobo, Corned Beef Hash patty and Chow Funn (they spell it with two N’s). $5.50
My plate: Corned Beef Hash Patty, Shoyu Hot Dog, Mochi? Spring Roll, BBQ Teriyaki Chicken, Ume Musubi and Chow Funn. $6.09
I’m willing to bet either of these plates would have costed at least $2 more at Nuuanu, Fukuya or Gulick. All great places, but can prices can really add up.
Matsumoto’s value is hard to beat, but more importantly, the Okazuya items are all AWESOME. No complaints at all.
One noticeable quality they have is a grill that really sears and puts the BARBECUE in the BBQ meats. That Teriyaki Chicken with the sear marks and rich glaze was EXCEPTIONAL.
The most interesting item on my plate was that Spring Roll. The wrapper was made out of a sort of glutenous, stringy thing that had an interesting, chewy texture. It was filled with shrimp, and what looked like daikon and green onion. Sugoi oshii desu.
The corned beef hash was tasty. Not as good as Tanioka’s, but still oishii. The shoyu hot dog was your typical basic Okazuya affair. Take a nibble and chase it with the musubi. Oh yeah.
Just like the last time I tried, it, the Chow Funn. Oh the Chow Funn. This is what Okazuya is all about. Winner all the way. I’m going back here many times again just for that.
It’s certainly refreshing and a relief to know that the new generation is keeping the Okazuya tradition alive and well, thanks to up and coming greats such as Matsumoto’s!
Matsumoto’s
Local Okazuya & Japanese Restaurant
1323 Gulick Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96817
tel: 808-848-7464
Hours of operation:
Monday-Saturday (Sunday closed)
Okazuya: 6am-10am
Lunch: 11am-2pm
Dinnner: 5pm-9pm
Hana hou means to repeat, do again or encore in Hawaiian. It’s often used at live music concerts as crowds repeatedly cheer on the band “Hana Hou!” to request an encore song set.
In the case here, I’ve added “Hana Hou” to the category list. This will be used to identify posts that have been modified with added photos due to return visits, or updated information, such as if the establishment has moved, closed, etc..
I recently returned to Makino Chaya at Aloha Tower Marketplace and have quite a few additional photos added to that set. You can check them out here.
Also added are a photo of some Kiawe wood logs at the Kalua Pig BBQ grill entry here.
Photos and commentary were also added to the Teddy’s Bigger Burgers Waikiki entry here.
Finally for today, several more photos have been added to the Char Hung Sut entry here.
You can make Kalua Pig either the traditional way in an Imu (underground oven) or the easier faux method using liquid smoke in a conventional oven. Well leave the hard labor and the liquid smoke behind this time, as I’ll show you how to make Kalua Pig using a barbecue grill!
The natural smoked flavor from the Kiawe (or mesquite) is unbeatable, and it’s relatively easy to do, only requiring a few simple steps, time and some TLC. If you like barbecuing (like me), this should be a fun and rewarding project!
Tender, moist and smokey Kiawe-roasted Kalua Pig… Ono!
What you will need for the fire:
- A large coal-burning barbecue grill that has a cover (in this case, I’m using the classic 22″ Weber Kettle Classic)
- Kiawe Wood Logs (if you don’t have this, use mesquite wood chips found at most grocery and hardware stores)
- Charcoal
- Disposable foil pan
- Lighter fluid
- Newspaper (to start burning coals)
What you will need for the pig:
- Pork butt (bone-in with plenty of fat is preferable for better flavor), in this demo, I’m using a 5 pound cut.
- Hawaiian rock salt
- Ti leaves (prepared by washing thoroughly and stems cut off), enough to completely wrap the pork butt(s)
- 18″ width heavy-duty aluminum foil
First, prepare the pig…
Begin by laying a large sheet of foil on the work surface. Then layer the Ti Leaves on the foil as shown above. Place the pork butt on the Ti Leaves, then sprinkle Hawaiian Salt on all surfaces of the Pork Butt. Enough just that it’s evenly, but not heavily covered (don’t over salt it!). If you want, you can lomi (massage) it in. Make sure the fat-side is up when wrapping it (as shown).
To wrap it all up, first gather up the Ti Leaves and wrap it over the pig, leaf by leaf, then hold them together with one hand, while with your other hand, bring up the foil to form a “packet”, which will look like this…
One thing critical in how you wrap it is that you provide a sealed “bottom” to retain all the flavorful juices from the pork. If there’s a leak on the bottom, the juices will drip off and your pig may turn out dry. So keep that in mind.
Finally, using a sharp knife, poke holes on the TOP SIDE of the packet to allow the smoke (flavoring!) in. Poke all the way through until it penetrates the meat. I’ve made 8 holes here.
Repeat this process for however many pork butts you plan on cooking. In this demonstration, I only made one. I’d say the 22″ Weber I used could fit about 4 total.
Put wrapped up pork butts in refrigerator and prepare the fire…
Before you begin, remember to WORK SAFELY. Just cook the pig. Not yourself or your house!
Build the fire by laying a (small) bed of 10 charcoal briquettes on one side of the bottom grate, with the Kiawe log sitting on top of it. Drizzle the coals and kiawe with enough lighter fluid for a light soak, then get the fire started with a crumpled newspaper on the side.
Here are several pieces of dried out Kiawe wood logs (hana hou photo added 3.13.07)…
The shorter dark ones on the left came from a more mature tree and are much more DENSE, hence they burn much longer. They’re a struggle to cut, even with a chainsaw; almost like cutting a metal pipe.
If you’re using Mesquite chips, use more coal (about 25 briquettes) and add the chips only when you’re ready to cook. Pre-soak the chips in water (for smoking).
When the lighter fluid has fully burned off, the coals are almost ashed over (white) and the Kiawe is burning consistently (usually takes about 30 minutes), it’s ready for the pig…
Place a foil pan filled with water next to the fire. This will create some steam in the chamber that will help keep the pig moist. Place the cooking grate on the grill then place the wrapped pig on it. In this case, the fire was REALLY HOT, so I kept the pig on the opposite end. This is INDIRECT cooking, where you’re only using the fire as heat source. DO NOT place the pig near the flame up area (shown on the left side).
If using Mesquite chips, this is the time to sprinkle them over the burning coals. It will immediately begin smoking.
Cover the grill.
Notice the billowing Kiawe smoke!
With the heat source on one side and the cover on, you’re basically turning your grill into an outdoor oven. Albeit, one with all that flavor-enhancing Kiawe smoke!
Set all the vents open, underneath and on the lid. Let the “Kalua’ing” begin! It takes about 6 hours for the pork to fully cook and reach fork-tender, fall-apart consistency. Because of this long duration, you’ll need to feed more Kiawe and Charcoal to the existing burning coals every hour or so. The charcoal briquettes can be slipped through the side opening of the grate, but you’ll need to remove the grate when adding the larger Kiawe log. You want to keep the heat inside the grill (not the meat) maintained between 250 to 325 degrees maximum. If in doubt, use a BBQ temperature gauge. I use the “hand-testing” technique, as I’ve done this many times already.
About 5 hours into the cooking time, it looks like this…
As you see, I’ve just fed more charcoal and a new chunk of Kiawe. The existing burning embers will eventually start to burn the new batch. The foil wrapper has taken on a bronzed color from the heat and billowing smoke created by the Kiawe wood (or Mesquite Chips if you use that). That new chunk of Kiawe will burn long enough for the final 2 hours of cooking it needs.
Remember to keep the grill COVERED throughout the cooking process (even though it’s tempting to look!). This is how you maintain and keep a stable cooking temperature. Only uncover it when you need to add more coal and/or Kiawe or Mesquite.
After approximately 7 hours, it should be done. Check it by opening the foil slightly and taking a fork to it, try to “pull” the pork. If it shreads easily, it’s done! Remove the pork butt(s) from the grill, bring into kitchen and prepare to shred the meat. Here it is just unwrapped. Yum!….
IMPORTANT! Before you open the foil, poke a whole on the bottom of the packet and drain the precious liquid into a clean transfer pan that you will use to shred the pig in. Then set the packet down, open the foil and Ti leaves and remove the cooked pork INTACT and place in transfer pan with cooking juices…
Discard foil and Ti leaves.
Using two forks, shred the Kalua Pig (that’s what it is now!) in the pan while it’s still hot. Taste test for saltiness. Adjust with more if necessary. After several times, you’ll get the hang of how much salt to use at the prep’ stage. Remember, you can always add, but you can’t subtract.
The finished result will look like this…
After shredding, that (originally) 5 lb. pork butt filled this entire 9″x11″x2″ deep pan… that’s alot of Kalua Pig!
That’s it. All pau cook. Now time to kaukau!
Notice how moist it looks. This is why you need to retain those cooking juices, so you can mix it with the Kalua Pig. Whinnahz.
This might be a good time to bust out that Squid Luau and Poi!…
If done properly, you can get “almost as good as the Imu” results in the oven thanks to the liquid smoke. Yet this barbecue grill method tastes that much closer to the Imu thanks to the natural smoke, without nearly as much work.
Hana hou photo added 3.13.07…
A full pan of about 13 lbs of Kalua Pig made from two very large pork butts. Next to it is a fresh bowl of 3 lbs. of Taro Brand Poi, which currently costs 11.99/bag at Costco. Ouch. The pork butt was on sale at Foodland for $1.49/lb. Cheap! Most of that pan will be bagged and frozen for a luau we’ll be throwing for a family visitor from the mainland a week from now.
Note that it took longer than 6 hours to cook those larger pork butts (about 8 lbs. each). Taking about 10 hours total and using more coals and Kiawe.
Our office gang had lunch yesterday for the first time at Makino Chaya’s new location in Aloha Tower Marketplace. We were all thoroughly impressed. Even amazed. This place gives Willows some serious hard rubs, especially considering it’s half the price at only $12.95/person for lunch. Certainly several notches above Todai’s lunch buffet, which was impressive itself. I can’t even fathom how MC makes money charging that little for sooooooo much all-you-can eat FOOD! We’re not talking “just food”. We’re talking everything from Alaskan King Crab legs to Ahi Nigiri Sushi to cooked-to-order Teppanyaki steaks! Wow! Trust me, when you go there, you’ll be blown away by how much food there is. Jaw dropping.
You know, it’s kinda’ frustrating with buffet restaurants that have so many great choices, because you only have so much stomach space. As you can see, I refrain from the starches, going strictly for the gold. As in seafood gold!
The soup (technically stew) on the top in the second photo above is Oden. It tasted like they used the same oden nomoto I use in my recipe. I love that had Konnyaku in it (that purplish, black-dotted thing), and lots of various Kamaboko (fish cake) in the steamer to choose from. I wish it had Kombu Maki, but that’s OK, it was still oishii. Below the Oden is Miso soup. Pretty basic, but it worked.
The selections on my main plate (top photo) includes (clockwise from top): Roast Beef (excellent flavor, but a bit tough), shrimp and vegetable tempura (just as great as Hanaki!), “Rainbow” Sushi, (not bad, but not great) Baked Oyster with Bak Choi cream sauce (ono), steamed chili Basa (fish, but not Saba!, mild, moist flavor), Shrimp Tempura Maki, Gyoza (fantastic), Glazed Button Mushrooms (great), seafood shumai and pork shumai (ono).
The crab legs (third photo) were a standout winner. Tasted like they deep-fried them, with a heavy pepper and butter flavor. Yum. That alone over-justified the price of admission.
I can’t remember the Japanese name of the dish on top (blue bowl) in the 4th photo, but it was basically a slice of tako, shrimp and fresh ahi on a dollop of rice, topped with a chiffonade Shiso leaf. The other dish is stewed clams. Both were sugoi oishii desu!
And that was just nipping the bud. There is just WAYYYY TOO MUCH TO CHOOSE. I don’t know if I was in buffet bliss or simply mad that I didn’t have space to try everything! lol What I showed you is probably less than 1/4th of the total item selections available for lunch at MC AT.
You just have to go for yourself to see and taste the experience. It’s much better than the King St. location, IMO (I’ve never been to their other locations). They didn’t have a menu to order from like they do at the King St. location, as it appears most of those items have simply been made available on the buffet line. At $12.95/person (Kama’aina rate), it’s just an amazing bargain for all the high quality seafood and just.. just everything. WOW! is really all I can say.
Makino Chaya at Aloha Tower is located on the second floor, on the Mauka-Ewa end (no view of Honolulu harbor).
Hana hou photos added 3.17.07 from a return visit for someone’s birthday…
Shrimp, Eggplant and Bell Pepper Tempura
Ogo Sesame Salad, Imitation Crab Salad & Edamame (steamed soy beans)
Steamed Clams and rice
Various Sushi
Unagi Eel Sushi and inverted California Rolls
Oysters with a creme sauce, Shrimp Shumai, Lobster and Crab Legs; keep in mind that this place is only charging $12.95 for admission. Wow!
Miso Soup and Sauteed button mushrooms, which go along with the next dish.
Teppanyaki steak, grilled to order. Very tender! A Nigiri sushi adds the “surf” to this “turf”. Yum.
This dessert is made up of unsweetened mochi balls in a sweet Azuki Bean “sauce”. I can’t remember the Japanese name for it, but it was my favorite item on the dessert table. Oishii desu!
Apple Pie, Jello, Mocha Cheesecake (my favorite one on this plate), White Chocolate and Almond Mousse and Bananas floated in Whipped Creme.
Bananas dipped in chocolate fondue.
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Clockwise from top left: Sweet Rice Cake (white block-shaped item), Steamed Charsiu Manapua (cut in half), Pork Hash & Half Moon.
My sister’s favorite Manapua source has always been Char Hung Sut in Chinatown, and her recent visit back from the mainland was no exception. She bought over 3 dozen Manapua (95¢ ea.), Pork Hash and Half Moon, as well as some rice cake to take back with her for the family to taste a piece of home. Pictured above are a plated sample of that batch.
All these items freeze rather well in Ziplocs, only requiring a quick blast in the microwave (except for the rice cake) to enjoy them later. These items are all originally cooked STEAMED, so always cover them with a wet paper towel in the micro’ for that fresh-made flavor and texture.
Hana Hou photos added 3.13.07…
1 dozen Manapua and Pork Hash. My birthday present from the boss!
Notice this particular Manapua looked “bread-ee” (less meat), but the rest of the batch had more charsiu filling than this one. Whew!
Char Hung Sut logo stamp on box
Char Hung Sut
64 N Pauahi St Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Ph: (80 
538-3335
You can’t see it in this photo, but there are THREE patties stacked up inside this monster!
I took my nephew visiting from the mainland to Teddy’s in Waikiki this past week when he brought upon an interesting revelation to me. When I asked him what he ordered he told me the EIGHTEEN OUNCE MONSTER DOUBLE COMBO. I first questioned him in doubt and then was shocked to learn IT’S TRUE. There it was staring at me on the menu! Since when did Teddy’s offer this heavyweight?
The MONSTER DOUBLE COMBO is made up of THREE 6 oz. patties stacked on each other, served with the standard Super Sauce, fresh Lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion, fries and drink. For $10.85 it really actually is a pretty good deal in comparison to other “gourmet” burger joints.
Amazingly my nephew wolfed down the entire sandwich, PLUS the heap of fries it came with. He compared it with several mainland burger outfits that don’t currently operate in Hawaii, giving it a thumbs up.
I ordered the rather “conservative” 7 oz. BIGGER COMBO (shown in next photo).
One thing you’ll certainly get with Teddy’s Burgers are FRESH ingredients. The lettuce and tomato are crisp, the lightly toasted bun is soft and supple and the hand-pattied ground chuck is flamed broiled on an open gas grill (not griddle!), with a perfectly seared backyard barbecue flavor.
Personally, I don’t care for their house-made SUPER SAUCE, so I kindly ask that they substitute my burger with plain mayonaise.
Their fries are also excellent. They’re hand-cut fairly thick, perfectly tender inside, slightly crisp outside, with just a light sprinkle of salt.
A good thing about Teddy’s is CONSISTENCY. The food quality and service is always the same.. EXCELLENT. This, in reference to the Waikiki and Hawaii Kai locations which I frequent. There’s also a Kailua location which I’ve never been to yet. During peak lunch and dinner hours they usually get slammed, which is the only time I’ve had slow service. Otherwise, the staff is very friendly and there’s lots of cool things to enjoy looking at in their restaurant. Teddy’s is highly recommended for burger lovers (just about everyone).
EIGHTEEN OUNCE MONSTER COMBO. Wow.
Teddy’s has three locations on Oahu in Kailua, Hawaii Kai and Waikiki.
Hana Hou photos and update added 3.13.07…
Here’s some photos of the Waikiki restaurant that I was able to get (with permission) on a recent visit near closing time.
The order counter. All the prices on the menu include tax, so what you see is what you pay. Plus there’s a tip jar if you feel you’ve been given exceptional service.
There’s tables outside that door, as well as inside the restaurant. This location was formerly a Jack in the Box. It’s located on the Daimond Head end of Waikiki along Kapahulu ave., just across the Honolulu Zoo.
Whimsical retro decor adorns the entire establishment. Below this counter are logo T-Shirts and hats available for purchase.
The main dining area is adorned with this cool Waikiki map mural that their artist painted/airbrushed directly on the wall. This one section. Notice the names of the surf breaks offshore.
The other portion of the Waikiki map mural art, wrapping around the corner from the one shown above it.
On this hana hou visit, I ordered the Teriyaki Burger with Cheese. Excellent. Notice the rich, sweet teri’ sauce coating the bottom of the bun on the top cut. I’m a black pepper nut, as you can see it sprinkled liberally over everything.
On this hana hou visit, I ordered the Teriyaki Burger with Cheese. Excellent. Notice the rich, sweet teri’ sauce coating the bottom of the bun on the top cut. I’m a black pepper nut, as you can see it sprinkled liberally over everything.
I couldn’t finish that huge 7 oz. burger and fries, and ended up taking the rest home to finish later on the “second wind”. Notice the Blue Bunny brand, which is what they use to make their also popular milk shakes. A bit pricey, but thick, rich ‘n ono!
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