With fellow food blogger Nate, the “HWN Pake in Okinawa” recently posting all these super-oishii lookin’ Okinawan grindz before he makes his epic move back home (to Oahu), this sounds like an ideal time to visit an Okazuya again.  As you know, most Okazuyas in the islands are owned and operated by local Okinawans, with Masa  and Joyce in Kaneohe being up there with the best of the best.

On my most recent visit, they gave me permission to take photos of the okazuya selections behind the display case available on that day.  Mahalo! This was on a Friday around 10:30am when there was quite a few things still in stock.

Let’s see what they got…

You probably immediately noticed that void space on the second shelf in the center. Yup, you guessed it. The item that already sold out was their ever-popular Teriyaki Ahi Patty. Damned it!

No worries, get plenny odda’ stuffs, starting with the cone sushi…

Ginger Maki…

SPAM Musubi…

Fried Rice Musubi…

Furikake Musubi…

Hot Dog Maki…

Hamburger Patties…

Teri’ Burger Patties…

Grilled Tofu…

Omelet…

SPAM…

Grilled Saba…

Ahi Tempura…

Sweet Potato Tempura…

Corned Beef Hash…

Shrimp Tempura…

Vegetable Tempura…

Chicken Katsu…

Yaki Soba…

Teriyaki Chicken Bits…

Shoyu Long Rice…

Ahi Kama (tuna collar)…

Nasubi (Shoyu Eggplant)…

Nishime…

That rounds up the (warm) Okazuya items. Under an adjacent counter are all the cold pupu items, including various styles of Poke…

Shoyu Limu Poke Poke…

Limu Poke…

Tako Poke…

Boiled Peanuts and Edamame…

Lomi Salmon…

There was too much glare for me to get the shot, but also under this cold counter were containers of Haupia, fresh Ahi Sashimi platters and a various styles of dried and smoked fish and tako.

Masa and Joyce also serves hot meals to order, including breakfast and soups…

Plate Lunches…

and Hawaiian Food…

Next time I visit Masa and Joyce, I’ll definitely give their Hawaiian Plate a try. Our good friends over at WOWGrinds.com need to do a “Best Lau Lau” challenge. So far it’s in the middle of the field in a poll they have going on there. Wow, Lau Lau!

Here’s what we ended up ordering on this particular visit, starting with Diner E’s plate…

Masa and Joyce Okazuya – clockwise from top left: Vegetable Tempura, Nasubi (in cup), Cone Sushi, Teri Beef Patty, Yakisoba and Ahi Tempura

And Diner P’s plate…

Masa & Joyce Okazuya – clockwise from top left: Corned Beef Hash, Hot Dog Maki, Nasubi, Yakisoba and Vegetable Tempura

As The Tasty Island always like to do, here’s a cross-cut view of the corned beef hash…

Seriously, this is probably the best corned beef hash I’ve had from an Okazuya. Quite unique too with the various veggies mixed in it, along with that contrasting golden panko crust. So winnahz!

Oh, what the heck, here’s my entire plate in dissected view…

I’m not much a fan of their tempura batter, finding it too glutinous and thick. I prefer the more traditional Japanese style light and crispy batter. Perhaps if it came with some kind of dipping sauce I may change my mind, but plain like this it’s a bit overboard for me. Still ono though, yet gotta’ note that.

Their Yaki Soba is solid. Seasonings are just right, yet I could do without the SPAM in it, as I have enough meats from the other dishes. As a meal in itself, great, but with the other things, no need da’ SPAM.

This is the second time I chose the Hot Dog Maki, for good reason. The  hot dog that’s in it is the protocol Okazuya style that’s lightly simmered in Shoyu, which works so wonderful with the plain white rice and nori surrounding it.  Simplicity at its best.

Finally the Nasubi, or Shoyu Eggplant. If you ask me, the “shoyu” flavoring it’s simmered in tastes like Andamisu, that pork and miso condiment served with Okinawan Champuru. It tasted like it had fat drippings from Rafute (Okinawan Shoyu Pork). Diner E didn’t think so, but that was my detection. However it’s made, the Nasubi is excellent here. It’s veyr deep and savory thanks to the attributes mentioned above, so make sure you’ve got a musubi along side it to help buffer that intense taste. With the rice, winnah, winnah Eggplant dinnah… err, make that lunch.

With that, both Diner E and yours truly give our plates a solid 3-SPAM Musubi.

As you see (again), Masa and Joyce has all the local and Okinawan favorites at reasonable prices and most importantly, everything is fresh and tastes great. Next time you’re in Kaneohe, check ‘em out.

Masa & Joyce Okazuya
Hawaiian & Japanese Foods
Sashimi – Poke – Bento – Etc.
45-582 Kamehameha Hwy.
Tel: (808) 235-6129
Fax: (808) 235-0992

Business hours:
Wed – Fri : 9:00am – 6:00pm
Saturdays: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sundays: 9:00am – 2:00pm
Mondays & Tuesdays: CLOSED

Tasty Island rating:

If you’re a night owl, be it for work or play, the city of Honolulu has got you covered, with most nightclubs open until either 2am or 4am nightly, along with a few restaurants within the vicinity open 24 hours a day to cap off a night on the town.

For late night grindz, right in Waikiki alone you have Wailana Coffee Shop, Mac 24/7 and Jack in the Box (he he). Heading towards Kalihi there’s Liliha Bakery’s 24 hour diner. Then of course there’s your favorite Zippy’s out in your neck of the Oahu woods. Or if you (or your designated driver) drives  just a block out of Waikiki up to Keaaumoku street (a.k.a. “Koreamoku”), there’s the old school Like Like Drive Inn. Just a stone’s throw away from there is Sorabol, a popular 24 hour Korean Yakiniku Restaurant. Or, you can get even more hole-in-the-wall here at Million Restaurant, also featuring Korean Yakiniku, located in a rather obscure building on Sheridan street behind Walmart.

Well OK, not exactly 24 hours a day here, but late enough for most folks swingin’ the graveyard shift. Million restaurant is open on Monday from 12pm to 5am, Tuesday thru Thursday from 11am to 3am, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 5am and Sunday from 11am to 12am. This information from someone I just confirmed with over the phone.

Let’s get right to it and savor a few dishes we enjoyed here the other night, or should I say more like very early in the morning.

When it comes to Korean cuisine, I’m all about the Banchan, those wonderful prepared, pickled, and /or spiced side dishes brought out to accompany your meal. And the complimentary banchan that’s brought out for every table at Million is just delicious, tasting very fresh and generous in both portion and variety…

Crab legs marinated in Kochujang sauce…

Gotta’ get Kim Chee…

Korean style potato salad

Spicy octopus…

People not familiar with Korean cuisine may sometimes mistaken banchan as being appetizers, but they’re not. They’re intended to be eaten along with your entree. So to go along with this spread, Diner CH got a mixed plate entree of BBQ Chicken and Beef…

Diner ER went with Korean style BBQ Chicken…

Diner JO went with the spicy seafood hot pot  soup (this had shrimps, scallops and tofu in it)…

Diner J went with the Kal Bi Chige..

Finally, yours truly ordered the Dolsot (stone pot) Bi Bim Bap…

There’s a raw egg underneath the nori in the center. What you do is mix everything on top into the rice underneath, along with some of that Kochujang sauce. The scorching hot stone pot creates an absolutely delicious fried rice right before your eyes. A very unique dining experience for sure. Awesome.

Here’s a close look at the Kochujang sauce that goes in there, noticing the chili pepper seeds…

Every entree also includes a small bowl of this soup…

Million offers Yakiniku as well, with this interesting ventilation vacuum system at each table…

There you have it. Another restaurant in the heart of Honolulu popular with the night owls, serving up delicious Korean food at great prices.

Million Restaurant
626 Sheridan St
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814

Tel. 596-0799

Business hours:
Monday: 12pm to 5am
Tuesday thru Thursday: 11am to 3am
Friday and Saturday: 11am to 5am
Sunday: 11am to 12am

The Tasty Island rating:

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

Related links:
• Million Restaurant – Yelp user reviews

In light of the recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula making news headlines in the past month, when I went in to grab lunch for us the other week, I asked the husband/owner of Jin Joo if he knew of the similarities and differences between north and south Korean cuisine. To which he simply said north Korean food is spicier (hotter).

Well, until we get a restaurant in Honolulu named “Kim Jong II North Korean Restaurant” (notice how that looks like Kim Jon Il), we’ll just continue to enjoy the wonderful Korean food of the south from popular Korean restaurants here such as Kim Chee, Sorabol, Million, Yummy’s and what we have here at Jin Joo in the Waimalu (Aiea) area.

KHNL news “Cheap Eats” reporters Lyle Galdeira and Russell Yamanoha stopped by here back in March of this year for a review, to which they made claim that Jin Joo’s Big Bone Kal Bi was THE dish to get. So that’s what I got…

Jin Joo – Kal Bi BBQ Beef, $9.75

What Lyle and Russell pointed out with this Kal Bi is they filet the beef from one large-cut bone, versus how most other fast food Korean restaurants make their Kal Bi using short ribs that are cut thinly across a series of rib bones. The former being how Kal Bi is traditionally made in Korea.

Here’s the underside of the 3 pieces of Kal Bi on the plate…

Nice char-grilled markings.

The plate was kinda’ lacking in the banchan department though. The Korean style pickled bean sprouts were pretty good. The pickled cabbage just ok. The Kim Chee was rather limp and non-noteworthy. I wish all Korean restaurants had a plethora of Banchan for customers to pick and choose (usually 4 choices) to their own discretion, but Jin Joo is one of those that only offers house set of Kim Chee, bean sprouts and cabbage. Not connotating I don’t appreciate that, but just saying.

As for the Kal Bi, it was tender and moist, and huge points plus for the flame-grilled char-grilled burnt edges. Yet it lacked that “per Kal Bi boost” due to what tasted like they were only marinaded for a short period of time. Compounded by them not being basted with with more Kal Bi sauce as it cooked.  So it lacked that sweet and spicy glazed-on finish. I just love asian style teriyaki and Kal Bi beef coated thick with ooey-gooey, glazed-on sauce, though these somewhat lacked that attribute. If only they were basted while they were grilled, the Kal Bi from Jin Joo would go from good to Kim Jong Illin’ un-B-leivable! lol Seriously.

With that, I give Jin Joo’s Kal Bi 2 SPAM Musubi.

Diner A went with the Mundoo/Meat Chun/Chicken plate…

Jin Joo – Mundoo/Meat Chun/Chicken, $7.25

His favorite item on the plate was the Mundoo…

He wasn’t as favorable towards the Meat Chun (a.k.a. Meat Jun), noting that the thinly sliced beef didn’t taste seasoned or marinaded at all, while the fried egg and flour batter didn’t add much more support the beef’s blandness. He said the chicken was moist and tender, but like my Kal Bi, it too lacked any punch from the Korean sytle sauce.

With that, he gave his mixed plate 1 SPAM Musubi.

Here’s another Kal Bi plate (I watched about 5 of them go out the service counter while waiting for my order)…

Jin Joo has dine-in tables in the small establishment with the owners as your server, or you can order take-out like we did…

Jin Joo Korean Restaurant
Waimalu Shopping Ctr
98-020 Kamehameha Hwy
Aiea, Hawaii 96701

Tel. 488-3355

The Tasty Island rating:

P.S. The other day I picked up another Kal Bi plate from Palama Market on the corner of Kalakaua and Makaloa street, next to the Kaheka Don Quijote (a.k.a. Daiei, a.k.a. Holiday Mart)…

Palama Market (Makaloa/Kalakaua location) – Kal Bi plate, $6.75

OMG, now THIS IS KAL BI my friends. This is the second time getting this plate from here, and both times prove this is one of the best Kal Bi plates I’ve had yet on the island. And for just $6.75? Are you kidding me?!

Notice they use the typical plate lunch stand style (cheaper) short ribs cuts, but that doesn’t matter. They got the marinade and cooking method down! All the banchan items (preselected) are excellent as well.

Trust me, if you want excellent Kal Bi, regardless of ambiance (it’s located in a market food court) or price, consider  Palama Market near Don Quijote. Both your tummy and your wallet will thank you.  Considering everything that makes Kal Bi GREAT Kal Bi,  easy 5 SPAM Musubi here.

The Father’s Day Up in Smoke Cook-Off 1st Annual Smoked Meat Competition took place this past Sunday, June 21, 2009 from 10am to 5pm at Heeia State Park in Kaneohe, on the windward side of Oahu.

Heeia State Park is located just before Heeia Kea Small Boat Harbor if you’re heading towards Kahalu’u coming from Kaneohe town.

It was immediately apparent when I turned in that the word was out about this event, as was evident by the full-to-capacity parking lot…

Where’s there’s smokin’ meat, there must be smokin’ hot rods…

When I first heard about it, I considered entering as a contestant, but decided to remain a spectator for this inaugural event so I could get a look at what I’d be up against should I enter next year. As it turned out, competition was FIERCE, with over 30 teams from all over the Hawaiian islands showing up for the win…

It was held in the main hall at the Heeia State Park facility up at the very top of the hill. Here you can see just a portion of the substantial crowd that showed up for the event…

The competing teams were stationed along several rows of tables lined up parallel to each other throughout the hall’s main area…

Each team handed out FREE! samples of their wares, hoping their smoked meat entries would win the “People’s Choice” vote that was open to the general public in attendance.

Where there’s good grinds, there’s gotta’ be good Hawaiian music, and that was provided by the “Smoked Brisket Band” (or some kind of name they made up to that effect) on stage…

Everyone had a chance to win something at the event, including the public, who were called up for raffle ticket door prizes…

That gentleman in the brown t-shirt and bandana is Reno Henriques, the owner of Fresh Catch 808 and organizer/founder of this event.

Now that you’ve got a look and feel of the place, it’s time to leave your vegetarian inhibitions behind, put your T-Rex hat on and let’s go sample some smoke meat!

Note, there were five categories each team could enter: pork (the most popular of course), beef, chicken, fish and “anything goes”, which as advertised, could be anything from insects to tofu to peanut butter ‘n jelly sandwiches. lol  IIRC, most of the entries were pork, yet if I recognize those dishes that were otherwise, I’ll make a note of it.

We’ll move along in numerical order from table to table in the order that the contestants were ID’d and organized…

After looking at my photos, it’s apparent I inadvertently missed a few entries, so if any of them may have been you, my apologies. Evidently not having photos of entrant #4, we move on to #5…

My peeps!…

At this point, I must say it’s quite fascinating seeing the various ways each contestant plates, garnishes and/or accompanies their dishes.  Smoked meat with Edamame, ay? Works for me!

Notice onions are the the most popular ingredient incorporated with the smoked meat samples. It’s my favorite smoke meat sidekick, so I’m good with that.

Contestant #16…

One of these (shown above or below) were smoked pork and one was smoked beef, yet I can’t remember which was which.

I might also add that some of the dishes shown may not belong to the team indicated by the sign preceeding it, although I did my best to match  them according to the sequence the photos were taken. If you were a contestant and notice any mis-ID’d dishes, eMail me and I’ll be happy to correct it.

This was some KILLER smoked marlin…

and THIS WAS SOME KILLAH smoked Tako!..

Smoked regular and Charsiu-marinated SPAM!…

Smoked Pork Hash!…

Smoked Pork Hash ‘n SPAM Musubi? Now that’s certainly unique!…

Pecan Smoked Pork…

Smoked Crab Dip…

Lightly-smoked Home-made Portuguese Sausage…

Smoked Pork…

Smoked Marlin…

Smoked Chicken…

After seeing the creativity and variations displayed so far, it’s not surprising we’ve finally come upon smoke pork with pineapple salsa…

Either that’s Smoked Pork Lumpia or Spring Rolls, but whichever the case, sounds (and looks) like it would work…

Smoked Marlin Spread…

Team #32…

Chicken…

Wooohaaaaa!…

Smoked Pork with Warabi (Fiddlehead Fern)…

That is no question the most smoked meat done in more ways than I ever imagined that I’ve ever seen in my life! Truly head-spinning, not to mention very tantalizing!

Oh, there’s one more very unique offering which I can’t remember which team he represented, but this guy was serving Smoked Rattlesnake!…

He said he bought it from a purveyor out of California.

Smoked Rattlesnake

While I’m not quite as adventurous as Andrew Zimmern, I had no problem giving this a try. What did it taste like? Kind of like this weird gamey combination of pork, chicken and fish all coiled into one would be the best way to describe it. The guy who made it admitted it was the first time he tried smoking snake (making the general public his Guinea Pigs lol), and with that I must admit it was quite dry. It was also VERY boney with the spine taking up a good part of it. Not bad though. It has potential.

Getting back to pork, a couple of folks had burners on site so they could fry-up fresh batches throughout the course of the day…

Gotta’ love that onolicious smell of smoked meat fryin’ up as it goes wafting out throughout the room.

Gotta’ hand it to these folks for the “Best Effort of Display Props” award…

Supporting the Japanese theme, their smoked pork dipped in a secret Teriyaki style sauce was killahz!…

So who’s smoked meat is DA’ BEST? To find that out, the entries from each team were packed and labeled in their respective category in bento boxes and sent to the judging table…

One of the judges was KHON2’s Manolo Morales…

Just as I suspected, when I asked him what it was like to judge smoked meat, he said after this, he wasn’t gonna’ eat smoked meat for the rest of the year. lol Kidding of course, but I can certainly attest to that sentiment. After trying over 10 different teams’ samples, including the various offerings each one had, I myself was already at the point where I couldn’t palate anymore. Not only was I getting full, but the smoke flavor can become overpowering, especially when you don’t have a palate buffer such as poi. Come to find out, they had poi for sale there at the Fresh Catch 808 food stand, which I discovered after the fact. Oh well. Had plenty braddahz outside suckin’ ‘em up (drinking beer), which of course goes hand-in-hand with smoked meat.

As for tasting the samples, there were so many delicious variations in flavorings, yet a majority of the pork entries pretty much stayed within the shoyu-based marinade theme. I remember Team 27 stood out as one of my favorites in the pork category. Super moist in a delicious, yet simple sauce. The smoked marlin and smoked tako from Team 20 was also a stand-out favorite. Also that teriyaki style smoked pork from the folks with the Japanese props.

I didn’t get to try every single teams offerings as I already became full and basically overwhelmed of the smoke taste after going around and sampling about 12 different teams’ stuff. If you notice, some of them were giving out sumo-sized samples that could make up an entree-sized portion if you were to add rice and mac salad. I kid you not! They were all ono in their own unique way and all seemed to have a shot for the gold.

Hopefully the judges knew what they were trying to discern between each one, as some may be very close in flavor and/or texture, yet may have been made an entirely different way. There’s so many variables including type of smoker, temperature, duration and the various smoking woods, whether that be Kiawe (Mesquite), Hickory (not as popular in the islands), Guava, or in one contestants case I spoke with, Mango. Variables aside, it’s easy to know just by taste what’s good to what’s “Broke da’ Mout, whinnahz”, and I’m sure they’ve found those somewhere in the crowd here.

Now that I know what’s out there, should I enter next year’s competition, I’ve already got my “secret weapon” ready!

As for who won what and in what place and category, sorry to report that I had to leave before they called out the winners due to another engagement to go to, but I’ll get that information from Reno and edit it in here later.

Judging by the large number of competitors showing off their genuine enthusiasm in the art of smoked meat, as well as the huge crowd that turned out for the event, it looks like this 1st Annual Smoked Competition was a big success. Surely next year will be even bigger.

Pomai’s pick smoked pork category: Team 27

Team 20’s  Smoked Tako

*This post has been edited due to wonderful breaking news*

From the beautiful island of Maui, the second largest in the Hawaiian chain, we paddle our canoe on over to the largest of them all, appropriately named the Big Island of Hawaii. Specifically sunny Kona, home of Kona Potato Chips.

You may recall we recently took a thorough look at and taste of  Kitch ‘n Cook’d Maui Potato Chips, another old school classic Hawaii snack unique to and currently only available on the Valley Isle. What some folks may be confused by  is the yellow and red “Kitch ‘n Cook’d” seal that both the Maui brand and Kona Potato Chips share…

To clear that confusion up, these two companies are not affiliated with each other in any way, save for them both being independently-owned manufacturing franchisees of the Kitch’n Cook’d brand.  The Kitch’n Cook’d Maui Potato Chip product from the Maui Potato Chips Factory in Kahului, Maui has been owned and operated by the Kobayashi family since 1956. The Kona Potato Chips Kitch’n Cook’d Potato Chips are currently owned and operated by Jerome Furukawa out in Captain Cook, Kona, who purchased the business from the Deguchi family back in 1991.

As explained in the Kitch’n Cook’d Maui Potato Chips write-up, the Kitch’n Cook’d brand was a franchise operation originally from Ohio, where that company provided the equipment to independent franchisees around the nation to make their kettle style potato chips, with part of the deal being that each franchisee be required to use the Kitch’n Cook’d seal on their package. Hence “way back when” you have one franchisee who bought into it on Maui, and the other in Kona. The Kitch’n Cook’d franchise owner on the mainland is no longer in business, yet these two Hawaii companies to this day continue to use the  Kitch’n Cook’d seal as part of their brand identity, with Maui Potato Chips Company still using the original Kitch’n Cook’d manufacturing equipment, while the Kona Potato Chips company now have a more modernized automated operation.

Without further ado, in the words of Jerome Furukawa, president of the company, here’s the entire story behind Kona Potato Chips as he tells it….

“In 1991 I bought the Business from the Deguchi family, since Mr. and Mrs. Deguchi were going to retire. They had run the Kitch’n Cook’d potato chip business out of a shack in their backyard for some 50 years. I then moved the business to a building that was about a block away from their house in Captain Cook (Kona). We stayed at that location for 10 years and manufactured the potato chips out of the same equipment that the Deguchi’s had used.

In September of 2001, we relocated the business to my brother-in-law, Dwight Manago’s new building that he had built for us so that we could expand our business. We were now located right next to the Manago Hotel, which is where we are today. We now had a huge area to manufacture our product, and it is at that time that we decided to automate our equipment. We also decided to change our packaging since a lot of people were confusing us with the Kitch’n Cook’d on Maui. We simplified our name to Kona Potato Chips and created a new Hawaiian look to our packaged.

Since we had such a large area, we decided to create a retail section that we would filled with our Kona Potato Chips and a a lot of local snacks. This is when our sister company, Petroglyphs in Paradise was born. Petroglyphs in Paradise is our snack line and our gift basket business. We now have about 100 items that we carry in our retail section. The most popular items under the Petroglyphs in Paradise name would be our Furikake Chips and our “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips.

We are the original and the largest manufacturer of Furikake Chips in the nation. Our “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips are HUGE in size and HUGE in taste. We love to see our customers’ faces when they sample these chips. It makes us proud of what we do and we carry this pride in every batch that we make here at Kona Chips.

Another great seller for us under the Petroglyphs in Paradise name is our Ugly Cookie. The Ugly Cookie has our Kona Chips in them and it is really gaining a following. The Ugly Cookie has become so popular, the Kona Costco approached us to carry it. This is a huge compliment to our baker, Joyce Sweezey.

We will be attending our very first Made in Hawaii Festival this coming August at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. We will have two adjoining booths, 105 and 106 and we will be featuring 4 products at the show – The Kona Chips, The Furikake Chips, The “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips and the Ugly Cookie. We’d love to have everyone come down to sample our products. We we’ll be giving them out all day and we will also have our products available for sale.”

Jerome Furukawa
President, Kona Potato Chips

There you have it by the man himself. I just love to learn about the history of local businesses. It’s always so fascinating!

Well lucky me,  I have the wonderful opportunity to sample a tasting preview of what Kona Potato Chips will be offering at the upcoming Made in Hawaii Festival at the Blaisdell this August, which is what I’m sharing with you here today.

Big mahalo to Jerome, who was so kind to personally mail me a care package of all four of their most popular items to try.  Here’ they are…

Clockwise: Petroglyphs in Paradise Furikake Chips, Kona “Kitch’n Cook’d” Potato Chips, Petroglyphs in Paradise “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips and Petroglyphs in Paradise Ugly Cookies.

Let’s start with the flagship of the fleet, the Kona “Kitch’n Cook’d” Potato Chips…

Notice they use cottonseed oil, just like the Maui Kitch’n Cook’d brand. The rather simple packaging design with the Petroglyphs and Polynesian tattoo pattern gets the “Made in Hawaii” message across, yet I must say, Atebara’s package design with the Big Island-shaped clear window where you can see the chips inside is much more unique and cool-lookin’…

It’s good see they give you a summary about the company and product on the back of the Kona Potato Chips’ package…

Well, break open the bag and bus’ ‘em out, cuz..

Kona Potato Chips

Let’s zoom in closer and inspect the thickness (gauge) of each chip…

O.K., O.K., let’s taste it already… crunching…crunching… mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm, yup. Yup. Yup. Delicious! Very “cripsy- crunchety”. It’s seasoned with just the right amount of salt; not over or underdone. It’s also minimally oily which must be thanks to that “Special Spinning Process” that’s emblazoned as a featured selling point on the front of the package.

Now let’s put it up against its namesake competitor from Maui…

Kitch’n Cook’d Maui Potato Chip on the left, Kona Kitch’n Cook’d Potato Chip on the right

The Maui brand is a tad thicker, and with that a “harder” crunch, while in direct comparison, the Kona Potato Chip comes across as being lighter. The Maui brand has the impression and taste of being more rustic and home-made than the Kona brand, thanks to it appearing more dark and golden, and tasting like it’s cook’d either longer or in hotter oil.

While they’re both cook’d (<—notice the spelling) in cottonseed oil, I must declare that Kona Chips oil tastes cleaner, while the Maui brand tastes more burnt in a side-by-side comparison. But I don’t mean that in a bad way towards the Maui brand, as that more burnt flavor also gives it more character.

To sum up this comparo’, the Maui brand is thicker, denser and more rustic, while the Kona brand is slightly thinner and lighter yet also crispy, making both equally oishii in their own, unique way.  I’ll hand it to the Maui brand for having more character and originality, and the Kona brand for its lighter, cleaner, perfectly seasoned flavor.

Next up we have Petroglyphs in Paradise Furikake Chips…

Petroglyphs in Paradise Furikake Chips

Out of the package…

Up close…

Now to taste it. Crunch, crunch, mmmm-mmmm, mmmm-mmm. O.K. O.K. Now what I get out of it is that the Furikake (dried seaweed flakes) flavor isn’t as pronounced as I thought it would be. Personally I think they should use furikake that has either more sugar and/or bonito in it. This tastes more like plain sushi style nori, ground up into furikake form and dusted over the chips. The furikake also brought out an odd flavor from the cottonseed oil the chips are fried in. Part of the reason I may have this impression is that I had these sitting around for about 3 weeks (unopened in a cool, dry, dark place) since they were shipped to me, meaning it’s probably already over a month since they were produced.  Perhaps if I tried them as soon as I got ‘em they may have tasted more fresh? I’m just not really convinced yet that furikake is as as complimentary to potato chips as they are to the other popular American snack, popcorn. I’ll have to try a fresh bag to give you a second opinion, so hold that thought.

Moving right along, we have Petroglyphs in Paradise’ “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips…

Petroglyphs in Paradise “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips

Thanks to the caring hand of USPS, these arrived a little broken, yet thankfully they were at least intact enough to be rendered edible. Here’s one out of the package…

Petroglyphs in Paradise “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chip

As the nickname  “Sumo Style” implies, these chips are indeed Sumo wrestler sized! That blue dinner plate the chip is resting on measures 10-1/8″ in diameter, and as you can see, that shrimp chip covers almost the entire span. Move over Akebono!

How are they? By far the BEST Shrimp chip I’ve ever tasted. Just fantasic. They have a texture that’s crispy and airy, yet kind of dense as well thanks to its tapioca base. It reminds of senbei, albeit with that subtle shrimp flavor. The sugar and salt seasoning is balanced just perfectly. Petroglyphs in Paradise Shrimp Chips absolutely ROCK.

Last but not least, we have Petroglyphs in Paradise Ugly Cookies…

Petroglyphs in Paradise Ugly Cookies

You gotta’ love the name “Ugly Cookies”. Do they really look ugly? Let’s see them out of the package…

In the voice of Elmer Fudd, “Ahwwww, you not an aguwee, aguwee cookie, you a pwitty, pwitty cookie.” lol Notice I have my mandatory cookie accompanyment, a glass of cold milk!

Here’s an even closer look at the cookies…

Let’s try it. Mmmm-mmm, mmmm-mmmm. Yup, Yup. Oh yes, these are EXCELLENT! “Crispety-crunchety” fresh-out-the-oven (yet cooled down) flavor, with a rather dense and solid bite to it. The oatmeal adds this wonderful texture to the cookie dough, and it’s riddled with large chunks of chocolate chips, which I think should be emphasized more on its label, as the chocolate chips play a large roll in its overall flavor. Of course dippin’ ‘em in milk kicks it to notches unknown to mankind. Bam! Really though, these Ugly Cookies are a thing of beauty on the palate. So good you’d have to hide the cookie jar from the kids if you care to have any left for yourself. Just these 4 in the package weren’t enough to feed my addiction. I want more!

Thankfully, according to Jerome Furukawa, President of Kona Chips, as of Monday, June 22, 2009 these four products are now available on Oahu exclusively at Longs Drugs in the Manoa Marketplace. On top of that, they’re being sold there at factory-direct prices in order to be competitive. Sweet.

Kona Potato Chips also has their own retail storefront at their factory in Captain Cook, Kona, as well as distribution to retailers all over the Big Island of Hawaii.

What? Kona “Kitch’n Cook’d” Potato Chips
Where did you get it and how much? Direct from the factory, n/c
Big Shaka to: Light and crispy. Perfectly seasoned with salt. Cottonseed oil tastes “clean”. Made in Hawaii. Now available exclusively at the Longs Drugs in Manoa Marketplace on Oahu! (as of 6/22/09)
No Shaka to: Not quite as much “character” as the Kitch’n Cook’d Maui Potato Chip (a little more generic).
The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating: 4

What? Petroglyphs in Paradise Furikake Chips
Where did you get it and how much? Direct from the factory, n/c
Big Shaka to: Overall a  tasty and different kind of potato chip than any other I’ve ever tried. Furikake and salt seasoning is evenly dusted and adhered to on all chips (not shaken off to the bottom of bag). Integrated zip-top bag seal (every snack manufacturer should offer this). Made in Hawaii. Now available exclusively at the Longs Drugs in Manoa Marketplace on Oahu! (as of 6/22/09)
No Shaka to: Contrary to it being coated evenly and appearing generous, the furikake doesn’t stand out enough in flavor nor does it really compliment the potato chip as much as I had hoped or expected.
The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating: 2

What? Petroglyphs in Paradise “Sumo Style” Shrimp Chips
Where did you get it and how much? Direct from the factory, n/c
Big Shaka to: The best Shrimp Chip I’ve had to date. Massive size. Flat profile makes it easy to eat. Pleasantly light and airy Senbei-like texture. Subtle flavors of shrimp, sugar and salt all come together harmoniously. Integrated zip-top bag seal (every snack manufacturer should offer this). Made in Hawaii. Now available exclusively at the Longs Drugs in Manoa Marketplace on Oahu! (as of 6/22/09)
No Shaka to: Chips breaking up while in transit.
The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating: 5

What? Petroglyphs in Paradise Ugly Cookies
Where did you get it and how much? Direct from the factory, n/c
Big Shaka to: A beautiful tasting cookie with an ugly name.  Crispety-crunchety, fresh-out-the-oven flavor. Oatmeal adds a wonderful texture contrast to the cookie dough. Generous chunks of ooey-gooey chocolate chips. Great for dippin’ in milk. Made in Hawaii. Now available exclusively at the Longs Drugs in Manoa Marketplace on Oahu! (as of 6/22/09)
No Shaka to: I ate all 4 in the package and I want more! Wah, wah!
The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating: 5

Contact:

Official website: www.konachips.net

If you’re reading this, chance are quite likely you have your own Facebook, Myspace and/or Twitter account. But here we’re talking about Facebook, that ever-growing social networking site that’s quickly overtaking Myspace in popularity due its cleaner image, streamlined interface and growing amount of apps that users can take advantage of.

If you do have a Facebook profile and also live on the island of Oahu or Maui, then chances are also highly likely you’re already a “fan” of Zippy’s, arguably the most popular local eatery in these locales. With 5,881 fans currently on their register on their Facebook page, it’s difficult to argue that. What being a Facebook fan of restaurants such as Zippy’s means is that you can take advantage of exclusive weekly coupons that they’ve been posting there, as well as staying informed about current events, promotions and daily specials.

Anyhow, I’m in no way a social networking guru, actually being one who’s quite phobic about it, having only joined Facebook in the last month. Ha! Nor do I have a Myspace profile at all. I just don’t have the time or energy for that stuff. Yet being a webmaster of several sites, I need to at least be aware and educated of the online latest trends, and Facebook is certainly the talk of the internet town (no pun intended) as of right now.

In the business of advertising  (my day job), nothing can be more holy than the power of a well-connected network, and that’s what Facebook has to offer. You tell one person something, and that can turn around and tell 100 people something. Then that 2-folds, and 3-folds, until eventually in the case of Facebook, you hope to reach all of the 222 million people who visited Facebook as of last December. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO MILLION PEOPLE!

On top of that, as it currently stands, the service if FREE! Talk about a no-brainer.

Speaking of FREE!, that’s exactly what you get if you become a Facebook fan of Zippy’s, as is the case with this exclusive online coupon they share with their Facebook, Myspace and Twitter users…

Not being one to slouch at a good deal, I went ahead and redeemed it!…

I tell ya, at $3.75 for these two onolicious bowls of Zippy’s Chili with Rice, you can’t go wrong! I prefer the Vegetarian Chili, as I think it has a cleaner flavor than the regular version, plus I love the large slices of mushrooms in it… yum!…

Zippy’s online coupons tend to run for a short period time during the weekdays, not weekends. When they first debuted on Facebook, they had a KILLER 20% OFF the entire menu from either dine-in restaurant or take-0ut counter. Last week it was that buy 1, get one free Zippy’s Chili and rice, and this past week it was this $1.65 Zippy’s Chili & Cheese Fries Coupon…

So I redeemed that one too! lol…

Oh man, I tell ya’, I’ll never order that again! Way, way too heavy. The greasy fries combined with the meaty chili.. talk about a gastronomic NIGHTMARE after the fact.  Contrary to what I just said, it did sound good on paper. lol

As you see, next week’s coupon will be for 20% off the entire menu in the dine-in only restaurant, so if you dine-in at Zippy’s a lot, you might wanna’ get in and become a Zippy’s Facebook fan so you can get the hook-up.

Being I’m a Facebook greenhorn, I’m not aware of all the local eateries that have pages on there. The only other one I know of is Big City Diner, who seems to be using it currently as an events calendar bulletin, as I don’t see any coupons on there yet. I could be wrong.

If you’re a Facebook user and know all the joints around town who have pages on that site that you’re a fan of, let us know so we can check them out.

Undried Saimin from Iwamoto Natto Factory – $4.59 per 24 oz. package, purchased at Ah Fook’s in Kahului, Maui

When I spotted  this Undried Saimin by the Iwamoto Natto Factory on the shelf in the refrigerator case in Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului, I was immediately determined to bring some home with me.  Being aware these are the same noodles Sam Sato’s uses for their famous Dry Noodle (a.k.a. Dry Mein), I was looking forward to replicating the dish once again, this time using the genuine article.

So the moment has finally come where I can see if the noodles makes all the difference. Not to mention a tip I got on how to prepare the dish like Sam Sato’s does it.

In doing this, I included a version of Dry Noodle using Sun Noodle’s Original Hawaii Saimin (as I’ve done before here) in the taste testing so I could compare them said-by-side…

Hawaii’s Original Saimin by Sun Noodle – $1.59 per 9.5 oz. package purchased at Don Quijote in Honolulu

Here you see Iwamoto’s Undried Saimin uncooked out of the package…

24 oz. of Iwamoto Undried Saimin uncooked

At 1½ pounds (24 oz.),  this hefty bulk-sized package of Iwamoto Saimin would be more appropriate for sale at Costco or Sam’s Club, but here they were in a rather obscure location in Ah Fooks, a small mom ‘n pop neighborhood market in Kahului, Maui, rebuilt in recent years after a fire destroyed their original building right next to the location of the current store.

According to Patsy Yamashita, the current owner of Iwamoto Natto Factory in Paia, besides Ah Fook’s, you can also purchase their saimin and natto products at all Foodland locations on Maui, as well as Takamiya Market in Wailuku. I wish I knew about Takamiya Market while I was there. That would have also been a neat store to visit. What this all ultimately means is that this is yet another product exclusive to the island of Maui. Gotta’ love that kinda’ stuff.

The Iwamoto Saimin packaging doesn’t include any instructions how to cook it, nor does it include any seasoning packet to make the saimin broth, so you’re pretty much on your own here. Which is what lead me to give the factory a call. Although I had a hunch all it takes to cook it is to boil it in water until it’s al dente, I wanted to make sure I did it the right way. So Patsy (who is very nice BTW) instructed me to do just that, making it a point that the water needs to be at a rapid boil before adding the noodles, just like it should be when boiling pasta.

I told her the waitress at Sam Sato said they boil their noodles in beef broth, but she was skeptical about that. She said stick with good ‘ole H20. Once it reaches the proper doneness, you rinse it in cold water to get rid of any residual starch, as well as to stop the cooking process. After that, it’s ready to serve.

Here’s the Sun Noodle Saimin uncooked straight out of the package so you can visually compare it with the Iwamoto brand in this state…

9.5 oz. of Sun Noodle Original Hawaii Saimin uncooked

Rewind back a few weeks ago when I was there at Sam Sato’s eating their original Dry Noodle, lucky me, a “regular” was sitting next to me in the restaurant, who hinted to me that the noodles are flavored by adding oyster sauce and shoyu after it’s boiled and rinsed. So, that was her take on it, and she was sure on it. Aha! Well, that sounds about right to me.

Yamasa Shoyu, Shirakiku Premium Quality Oyster Sauce and Vegetable Oil

Following the noodle cooking instructions by Patsy and flavoring tip mentioned above, here they are in a saute pan after being cooked and rinsed, given just a dash of oyster sauce and shoyu along with a little bit of cooking oil to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan and each other over medium-low heat…

I didn’t attempt to “fry” the noodles, as that’s not the impression I have of Sam Sato’s dish. As advertised, it just tastes, well, “dry”, with a delicate balance of self-inherent moisture still retained. I just gently kept tossing it until the noodles were evenly coated with the shoyu and oyster sauce and heated up for service.

Now it’s ready to plate…err bowl. Simply top with garnishes, which in Sam Sato’s case, is mung bean sprouts, sliced charsiu and green onions, along with the broth on the side…

Yeah, yeah, I know that’s a rather “sissy” lookin’ chopsticks rest I have there, but it’s the only one I could find at the moment, OK?! lol

For the mung bean sprouts, I blanched them in the noodles’ boiling water just to slightly soften them so they won’t taste so raw, yet still retain a little of its crunchy texture.

Here’s a closer look at the bowl of Dry Noodles…

O.K., hold that thought. Before we move on, let’s look back at the actual bowl of Sam Sato’s Dry Noodle I had just recently at the restaurant…

If you ask me, the noodles at Sam Sato’s look thicker. Perhaps that could be due to my saimin bowl being larger than theirs, throwing off the scale of the noodle in relation to the bowl. Or perhaps I still didn’t “master” how to cook them exactly like how Sam Sato does it.

Their noodles also look more golden, whereas the one I prepared looks more tannish-brown, which I’m sure has mostly to due with seasoning and/or boiling methods. Darned it, them little secrets and tricks always stump ya’!

As for the broth (on the side), my guess based on first-hand taste at the restaurant is that Sam Sato’s is simply chicken stock and nothing else. Therefore that’s what I used here, except I insisted to add some dashinomoto to mine as a personal preference…

Of course, to your personal preference, you can add whatever you want to the basic dish, whether it be shoyu, chili pepper watah, ketchup (hah?) or whatevahz.

OK, enough with the visual analysis, how does this new attempt of replicating Sam Sato’s Dry Noodle taste, this time using Iwamoto Saimin?

First gotta’ drizzle some of the broth over the noodles…

Mix it around a little, then dig in!…

“Itadakimasu“

Oh yeah, this definitely works. Pretty darned close to the real McCoy.l The noodles are a little thicker than Sun Noodle’s Original Saimin, but not by much. Case in point, here’s both noodles side by side uncooked…

Sun Noodle Original Hawaii Saimin on the left, Iwamoto Undried Saimin on the right (both uncooked)

Flavor wise for the Iwamoto (dry) saimin, the oyster sauce and shoyu provide a pleasantly-mild savory coating to the otherwise starchy noodle. While the doneness was acceptible, it could have stood to be a little more firm than where I had it on this particular serving. But that’s my own fault, not the product.

Summing it up here, it seems to me the perfect bowl of Dry Noodle is just as reliant on the execution and preparation as it is on the noodle itself, as was evident by having both Maui’s own Iwamoto Saimin version to compare with side-by-side against the Sun Noodle Saimin version. They both were equally oishii in their own unique way.

Sun Original Hawaii Saimin converted into Dry Mein

I found the Sun Noodle Saimin noodle to taste a little more “eggy” (in a good way), with the texture being a bit more slippery like ramen, while the Iwamoto Saimin Noodle was more starchy in flavor, with just a bit more “grit” in texture in comparison to Sun. It’s slightly thicker profile helped give the Iwamoto Saimin noodle a little more chewable substance to it as well. Simply a more hefty noodle.

You’re probably wondering how Iwamoto’s Saimin stacks up against Sun Noodle when made in the form of traditional Saimin, served with the broth filled up in the bowl with with the noodles. I’ll try that later and let you now how they compare.

If the Iwamoto brand were readily available in Oahu markets, of course I’d buy that whenever I feel like replicating Sam Sato’s Dry Noodle dish at home in the future. Since that’s not the case, based on the comparison here, I’m comfortable with having Sun Noodle’s Saimin as the next best thing.

What? Undried Saimin
Who makes it? Iwamoto Natto Factory in Paia, Maui
Where did you buy and how much? Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului, Maui, $4.95 per 24 oz. package
Big shacka to: Thick, hearty noodle. Cooks quickly. Packaged and sold fresh, not frozen. Freezes well. Unique product to the island of Maui. The foundation of Sam Sato’s famous Dry Noodle. Maui.
No shaka to: Packaging doesn’t include cooking instructions or broth seasoning packets. Noodles can overcook quickly if not supervised carefully. Not available on Oahu. The inability to crack and perfect secret recipes.
The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating: 3

P.S. Summer time means mango season, hence here’s a basket of common mangoes harvested this past weekend….

Basket of common mangoes, summer ‘09

A beautiful and fragrant 5-strand Pakalana Lei for mom on her Birthday…

5-Strand Pakalana Lei

Since we have yet to get “Smell-O-Vision”, let me just say next to Gardenia, Pakalana is one of my favorite flowers as far as smell. Not the prettiest looking, but its fragrance is just beautiful.

The very first stop I made on my recent trip to Maui was a walk through Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului. After seeing the unique products they carried, it was also the last stop I made on my way back to the airport heading home to Honolulu. One of those unique products I brought back with me was this here Natto, made by Iwamoto Natto Factory in Paia, the same folks who make the undried saimin for Sam Sato’s.

Come to find out, the original Iwamoto family who founded the company were bought out in 1965 by the Yamashita family, with Robert and Patsy Yamashita, along with their son Daryl now operating the business. In fact, the noodle making equipment they still use to this day were given to them from Sam Sato himself way back when. This, according to Patsy, who I had a very nice conversation with over the phone a few days ago.

So here we have Iwamoto Natto Factory’s Natto, a Japanese delicacy that many outside of the culture may find repulsive,  yet I think it’s absolutely oishii!…

Unlike the usual natto packaging in the form of a lidded square styrofoam container with a small packet of karashi mustard and soy sauce or other sauce, Iwamoto’s Natto is packaged in this here  plastic container with nothing else included… not even instructions how to eat it. “Ouch” for those not familiar with eating Natto!

The proper way to serve Natto is to stir it vigorously with chopsticks to froth-up the gooey fermented slime that carries the soy beans. The best way to do this is by transfering it into a larger, sturdy bowl that won’t introduce any plastic or styrofoam matter into the Natto. Then you just take your chopsticks to it and stir away briskly until it froths up, which takes less than a minute…

After it’s frothed-up, this is the point where you can add more punch to the party, as Natto by itself is rather bland, save for its robust coffee bean-like element. A small drizzle of shoyu and chopped green onion (negi) works for me…

Then stir again to combine…

A very important key accompanyment that many (on YouTube) fail to understand is that the best way to enjoy Natto is by eating it atop a bowl of hot, steamed white rice…

Enhanced even further by the accompanyment of tsukemeno – in this case Takuan (pickled daikon) and Beni Shoga (pickled ginger).

Here you see Iwamoto’s Natto in all its ooey-gooey glory. Hai, itadakimasu!…

Notice the “hana buttah” like way the fermented “slime” pulls apart. This is good stuff my friends.

Just like this is winnahz, but even better when you mix the beni shoga and takuan in with it!…

Mmmmm.. oishikatta! As mentioned before, Natto is reminiscent of coffee beans that have a more legume-like quality to it. Think of taking boiled peanuts and soaking it in coffee, and it’s kinda what this tastes like. The clincher is that ooey-gooey slime they’re encapsulated in. If you can get over the “snot-like” texture it may remind you of, you’ll be fine. That’s why it’s important to eat it over a bowl of hot steamed rice. That helps to melt that slime over the rice, turning it more into a sauce than anything else. Some folks try to assimilate Natto with spoiled cheese, but I find that a much maligned description of it. In contrary, I find a really pungeant bleu cheese much more repulsive than Natto. Natto is really delicious if you eat it thinking “outside the box”. If you can do that, you’ll really enjoy it!

What? Hama Natto
Who makes it? Iwamoto Natto Factory in Paia, Maui
Where did you buy and how much? Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului, Maui, $2.19 per 4 oz. container
Big shacka to: Robust and balanced bean flavor. Froths-up quickly when stirred. Carrier has nice “pull”. Very healthy.
No shaka to: The undeserving bad reputation Natto gets.
The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating: 4

Coming next, we’ll make Sam Sato’s Dry Noodles (a.k.a. Dry Mein) at home using Iwamoto’s Undried Saimin from Ah Fook’s!…

Iwamoto Natto Factory Undried Saimin – 1-1/2 pound package, $4.59 from Ah Fook’s Supermarket in  Kahului, Maui

Here’s some fun YouTube clips of folks demonstrating their Natto eating skills…

If you’re looking for a good family-friendly place to have breakfast, lunch or dinner in the Kihei area, consider Stella Blues, an American restaurant located in the Azeka II Shopping Center on the mauka side of South Kihei Road.

All the comfort foods of your favorite local diner can be found on the menu, at moderate prices that are actually a good value considering the pleasant decor and ambiance, as well as the quality and portions of the dishes served.

On one visit, I had breakfast there with my girlfriend’s two cousins visiting from Las Vegas, where the little one ordered the pancakes from the Children’s Menu…

Stella Blues – Pancakes from Children’s Menu, $4.95 (IIRC)

I wonder if Walt Disney is cool with them shaping their pancakes like this? lol Notice they also provide coloring crayons and place mat to color on.

Cousin C ordered the Macadamia Nut Pancakes…

Stella Blues – Macadamia Nut Pancakes, half stack, $6

I went with none other than the local classic Portuguese Sausage, Eggs and Rice…

Stella Blues – Quickstart: 2 eggs (done sunnyside-up of course!), Portuguese Sausage, rice and toast, $8

Not much to say except everything was delicious. Filling, and cooked perfectly to order. Service was also friendly and prompt, with our glasses of water kept full at all times.

Because of its central location in Kihei, Stella Blues was a convenient place for us to return for dinner with a friend who lives just up the street.

The dinner menu includes complimentary dinner bread…

My girlfriend decided to try their Baby Back Ribs…

Stella Blues – Baby Back Ribs:  Rubbed with secret spices, slowly roasted til falling off the bone, then grilled and brushed with our tropical bbq sauce, served with skillet cornbread and cole slaw, $25

She raved about the cornbread, which I could imagine went really well with those savory, char-grilled ribs…

The ribs were indeed fall-off-the-bone tender, with a nice char-grilled finish to them. She said the sauce was a bit on the tangy side. Overall thumbs-up.

Her friend ordered the Grilled Pork Chops…

Stella Blues – Grilled Pork Chops: A house cured pork chop, grilled til tender and juicy with caramelized onion jus,
mashed potatoes and vegetable of the day, $24

Her toddler-aged son ordered Hot Dog from the Children’s Menu…

Stella Blues – Hot Dog and Fries from the Children’s Menu, $n/a

Yours truly decided to try their take on my all-time favorite burger, the Swiss ‘n Mushroom…

Stella Blues – The Blues Burger: Succulent 1/2 pound all natural charbroiled beef patty from the Maui Cattle
Company with lettuce, tomato and red onion on a toasted roll served with French fries, $12 + Swiss $1 + Mushrooms, $2

Stella Blues Swiss ‘n Shroom burger was great. Char-grilled and seasoned to perfection, being just a little pink inside, which is how I like it. The bun was toasted, thank goodness. The only thing missing was some mayo’ spread on the bun, which really helps punch out the flavor of the beef and cheese. I could have asked for some on the side to spread on after the fact, but was satisfied with it just the way it was.

The portions were so big, all of us walked out with a doggie bag. Luckily we were staying at Kamaole Sands at the time, so we had the luxury of a microwave oven to heat it up to finish later.

Everything was delicious, and again, service was friendly and prompt.

Stella Blues
1279 South Kihei Road – Azeka’s II Shopping Center
Kihei, HI 96753 (Maui)

Tel. (808) 874-3779

www.StellaBlues.com (<–see entire menu and links to other reviews about them at their site)

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Venturing to the west side of Maui, on our last night on the Valley Isle, we had dinner with the Maui, Kauai and Vegas ohana at ‘Umalu in the Hyatt Regency Resort Hotel and Spa in Ka’anapali.

According to their menu, ‘Umalu is described as “a unique, upscale venue showcasing modern, contemporary Hawaiian cuisine. Escape under the Umalu shade to a chic 24-seat Poolside Bar or a beach-front perch.”

Speaking of pools, while the Grand Wailea may have the grandest pool of all, the Ka’anapali Hyatt’s pool ain’t nothing to sneeze at either, with similar rock-formed slides, waterfalls, and also just like the GW, a Grotto Bar.

Back to ‘Umalu, as their description suggests, you can dine barside, or have a more intimate moment under the umbrellas…

This place reminds me a lot of Duke’s Waikiki, where you can walk right in off the beach or pool in your swimwear, or dress up if that’s more appropriate for the occasion you’re there for. A musician plays nightly from 4pm to 6pm and 7pm to 9pm. On the evening of our visit it was Kawika Lum Ho, strumming and singing away soothing contemporary tunes.

Fitting in with the elegant-meets-casual ambiance is the menu (<–see them there), with selections ranging from what could be considered “upscaled pub grub” such as the Kobe Sliders and Ahi Poke Nachos, to more extravagant dishes such as the Volcano-Spiced Prime Rib and Pan-Seared Scallops, Prawns and Mahimahi.

Getting right to it, our order this evening included the Hawaiian Ahi Poke “Nachos”…

‘Umalu – Hawaiian Ahi Poke “Nachos”: uncle kimo’s ahi poke over taro and sweet potato chips edamame guacamole, lomi salsa and “surfing goat” chevre firecracker caviar, $18

The Snake River Farms Kobe Sliders…

‘Umalu – Snake River Farms Kobe Sliders: poi rolls with gorgonzola and caramelized maui onion harissa aioli, $18

Although ‘Umalu doesn’t normally serve a house dinner bread, one of the grandmas on our table requested some, which our server was so kind to fulfill that request by getting it  from another restaurant on the property. Nice!…

Umalu’s Chop Chop Salad…

‘Umalu – ‘Umalu’s Chop Chop Salad: chopped iceberg and chinese cabbage served in a crisp rice paper bowl grilled chicken, snow peas, red pepper, scallions, orange, radish sprouts toasted almonds and soy-ginger vinaigrette

The Sesame-Orange Chicken Stir-Fry…

‘Umalu – Sesame-Orange Chicken Stir-Fry: crispy chicken breast stir-fried with fresh upcountry “vegetables of the moment” sweet and spicy sesame-orange shoyu, bamboo sticky rice with pickled ginger and cilantro, $28

The Italian Pie…

‘Umalu – Italian Pie: sausage, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, mushroom, mozzarella, $20

For dessert, the Big Chocolate Cake…

‘Umalu – Big Chocolate Cake: raspberry sauce and whipped cream, $10

How was it?  EVERYTHING was absolutely delicious!

Just the Kobe Sliders alone were filling enough, where we had to take a “breather” before moving on to the next dishes…

Kobe Sliders and Ahi Poke Nachos

There’s no question these are genuine American-raised Kobe Beef patties, as it was packed with flavor and juiciness. Whatever’s in that  “Harissa” Aioli sauce worked for me. Adding to that powerhouse of flavor in a tiny package was the Gorgonzola Cheese and caramelized onion topping, along with the slightly sweet, supple taro roll encasing it, these Kobe Sliders were gems.

The Ahi Poke, along with the guac, caviar and goat cheese was a wonderful combination, and it worked quite well with the taro and sweet potato chips. Although, like I mentioned with a similar poke dish we had at Tommy Bahama, I think crispy wontons would make a better chip for the ahi poke, ala Alan Wong. It would have been more interesting if they had made their own taro and sweet potato chips versus the store-bought stuff they’re apparently using. Still, this dish is ono just as it is. Thumbs up.

Here I have a serving of everything else…

Sesame-Orange Chicken Stir-Fry, Chop Chop Salad and Italian Pie

Save for Dim Sum, I’m not particularly a fan of Chinese food nor chicken, but this was a stellar example of the dish. The tender, moist pieces of battered deep-fried chicken, then stir-fried in that wonderfully sweet and savory sesame-orange sauce was just delicious.

The Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette flavoring the Chop Chop Salad was also delicious. My only complaint was that the rice paper bowl wasn’t fried crispy enough, having a softy, chewy texture to it, tasting kind of like a bland, stale shrimp chip if you’ve ever had that before. I wanted to be able to break up pieces from the rice paper bowl to use as “croutons” on my salad, but couldn’t in the state it was served. Next to the Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette, the chopped almonds and oranges were the highlight of the dish for me. Overall, a delicious salad, just fry the rice bowl until it’s crispy next time, please.

Then there’s the Italian Pie, which had a tasty, nicely-baked and browned risen crust. It wasn’t quite a thin crust nor a pan crust, but somewhere in between. The sauce flavor and toppings were all fairly typical pizzeria fare. While I can’t say this is the best Pizza you’ll find this side of Lahaina (and believe me, there’s A LOT of competition for Pizza in that area!), it’s up to par considering the type of restaurant ‘Umalu is.

With all that food, I was too stuffed for dessert so passed on the Big Chocolate Cake, but those who dug into it said it was very moist and decadently delicious, giving it a big shaka seal of approval.

Here’s some dishes that my girlfriend and gang enjoyed when they dined at ‘Umalu back in December of last year…

‘Umalu – Pan-Seared Scallops, Prawns and Island Mahi Mahi: snow peas, baby bok choy, hamakua mushrooms, red curry coconut cream and flat rice noodles, pineapple/macadamia nut chutney, $38

‘Umalu – Certified Angus Filet of Beef: umalu’s signature kona coffee rub, maui onion marmalade, merlot reduction, $41

‘Umalu – Sake-Seared Ahi Steak: snow peas, baby bok choy, hamakua mushrooms, red curry coconut cream and flat rice noodles, pineapple/macadamia nut chutney, $38

‘Umalu – Mac Nut Ice Cream Sandwich: house made chocolate cookies filled with macadamia nut ice cream
smothered with hot fudge, caramel sauce and whipped cream, $9 (special order family portion shown at a higher price)

‘Umalu
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Ka’anapali
200 Nohea Kai Drive
Lahaina, Hawaii, USA 96761-1985
Tel. (808) 661-1234

Business hours (daily):
Breakfast 6am to 11am
Lunch 11am to 4:30pm
Light lunch 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Dinner: 5:30 to 9:30pm
Cocktails served until midnight

Download ‘Umalu menu PDFs here

The Tasty Island SPAM Musubi rating:

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