Yakiniku Hiroshi ▪ Waikiki

339 Royal Hawaiian Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.923.0060
website

After eating a lot of Japanese food, we decided having Korean BBQ would be a nice change of  pace. I tried to do research and found this place. I hate to write this, but this was definitely the most disappointing meal of our trip. When we arrived, the restaurant was full so we were told to come back in a bit. They didn't seem to have much of a system though so I wasn't too impressed.

Yakiniku Hiroshi.

After waiting patiently, we sat down to a pretty small menu. There was no panjeon (Korean pancake). Strike 1. The prices didn't seem too bad, but were quite exorbitant considering the tiny portions given. Strike 2. When I asked if they brought out lettuce for us to wrap the food in, we were told that we could order a place of lettuce for $7 and it came with 5 pieces of lettuces (and not very big pieces at that). Strike 3!

Kim chee and protein.

The assorted kim chee were quite good but went pretty quickly and at $12, it was a bit hard to swallow. The garlic scallops and prawns ($9.50 each) were good enough but the portions again were too small. There's really no reason to charge for so much for 5 pieces of lettuces. I still can't get over it!

MAC 24/7 ▪ Waikiki

2500 Kuhio Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.921.5564
website

At the luau, Cee and I were seated with a couple on their honeymoon who had gone to Mac 24/7 for breakfast that morning. Although we weren't interested in their infamous pancake challenge, we still decided to check it out for lunch after taking a look at their menu online. The restaurant has a diner feel when you enter, but the dining room has quite a modern decor.

MAC 24/7.

I had read a blog post that the pineapple dreamsicle shake ($5) was delicious and unique. I rarely order large filling drinks because I worry about not having any room left for real food. However, the pineapple shake was worth it and truly amazing. Dreamy indeed! It was thick, rich, creamy and full of pineapple flavour! (I'm thinking this is worth trying to replicate as a low calorie version!)

Pineapple Dreamsicle Shake.

While Cee knew she wanted to continue her love affair with fried chicken by ordering the fried chicken and waffles ($18), I hum and hawed. On the one hand, it's rare to encounter fried chicken and waffles (in Canada anyway). On the other hand, I was worried that the portion would be large after witnessing the huge pancakes being eaten. I asked the waiter, and decided to go for the fried chicken and waffles.

Waffles.

The minute the plate hit the table I regretted my choice instantaneously. The portion was huge and I wasn't feeling up to eating that much (and I hate waste but we were going home soon). I did my best and ate 1 waffle and maybe 2 pieces of chicken. I honestly don't remember if it was good because I felt so overwhelmed. I was also disappointed by the corn syrup, being the spoiled Canadian girl that I am.

Fried Chicken.

Overall, Mac 24/7 was good but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. I felt slightly misled because I had inquired about the size of the dish. Also, E got the wrong dish and the mistake barely registered with our server. I would recommend going there for the pineapple shake. If you do go for the pancake challenge, I think you need a good group of 4-6 people to eat all of it!

Germaine's Luau

444 Hobron Lane
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii 808.947.1244
website

Cee and I decided to go to a quintessential Hawaiian activity: a luau. Researching luau's, it turns out they are quite expensive. The cheapest ticket for Germaine's luau I found online was $51, which included transportation to the site (which is a good 45 minutes from Waikiki). The Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki also holds a rooftop luau in Waikiki that costs $99, which was too rich for our blood. We did score our tickets for free by attending a non-timeshare timeshare-ish sale presentation!

Germaine's Luau Dinner.

The luau at Germaine's, also featured on Drivers, Dine-ins and Dives, includes dinner and entertainment. There was traditional dancing from various areas across the Pacific, and even a very impressive fire/knife act.

Traditional dancing.

Before sitting down for dinner, all the guests congregated to watch the roasted pig get pulled out of the pit.

Kalua pig (roasted pig).

There is also an amazing sunset to see, on the water, with a lighthouse in the background.

Sunset.

At the table, a sliced up pineapple was waiting for us. Tickets include 2 alcoholic drinks. I tried the Mai Tai which, which I enjoyed, and a Blue Hawaii, which I did not enjoy.

Pineapple and Mai Tai.

The Hawaiian buffet is a well oiled machine, feeding 500 people pretty effectively. This is a great way to try traditional Hawaiian food. Even though I didn't like some, such as the lomilomi salmon and the poi (mashed taro potato), it was nice to try it out and know what they were about. The roasted pork was very good, as was the teriyaki beef. There were various salads and white rice.

Hawaiian food plate.

After having attended the luau, I think $51 is a good price for a night out in Hawaii. The food was better than expected for a buffet and a good way to try native food. The entertainment was well put together. It was nice to get out of Waikiki for a night. You can't leave Hawaii without attending a luau! (On a side note: the lady who escorted us on the bus to the site was the nicest, very informative and funny.)

Nobu Waikiki ▪ Waikiki

2233 Helumoa Road
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.237.6999
website

Another evening in Waikiki, another restaurant at a hotel. We decided to have dinner at Nobu, which I have heard of from celebrities coming out of the LA and London locations. We picked Nobu for its happy hour special, the Nobu "Three-some": any three food items and dessert for $32. Unfortunately, we either came in on the wrong day or too late. If you want to take advantage of the deal, call ahead. We still decided to stay in the lounge area so we could order off of the tapas menu, which is not available in the main dining room.

Nobu.

The tapas menu is broken down into hot and cold sections. We ordered from a bit of both. We decided to share the Wagyu beef and foie gras gyoza ($10) from the hot section. It was a treat of a dumpling due to the richness of the filling and we all loved the squash purée underneath each gyoza.

Gyoza.

E decided on a threesome of her own. She ordered the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno ($9), the sea bass tempura ($9), and the pork belly kushiyaki ($10).

Sashimi, sea bass tempura and pork belly skewers.

Cee ordered Bigeye tuna sashimi salad ($26) off of the main menu. It included generous slices of tuna.

Tuna sashimi salad.

I ordered the black cod with butter lettuce ($16) also from the main menu. I have been obsessed with black cod ever since I tried it at Imadake. This one also did not disappoint, even though the two pieces were pretty small. I liked that it was served in lettuce adding an element of freshness. The steamed clams with pancetta, kale in a miso dashi broth ($9) was nice and hot. The broth was extremely savoury. It was a light dish that warmed me up. Once I ate all of the clams, I slurped up all of the beautiful dashi broth.

Black cod and Steamed clams.

I'm sure the main menu at Nobu is just as good but I enjoyed my meal at Nobu mainly because of the tapas menu. Small plates always win in my book. It gives me a chance to try a variety of dishes without breaking the bank. The dessert selection was ho-hum so we skipped it. (We gained a habit of walking down Kalakaua, the main street in Waikiki full of stores and stopping by Honolulu Cookie Company. There are several and each store has samples of their shortbread cookies. I just needed one piece of the dark chocolate dipped one and I was happy for the night!)

Mike's Huli Huli ▪ Honolulu

47-525 Kamehameha Highway
Kaneohe, Hawaii
808.277.6720
website

I had read that while driving to the North Shore, we would encounter shrimp trucks. However, after grabbing a healthy lunch at Whole Foods in Kailua (Whole Foods is a bit of a big deal since we don't have many in Canada), Cee and I didn't need more food. Even though we didn't search for one, we had to pull off the highway when we saw a sign for a shrimp truck.

Mike's Huli Huli.

Getting closer to the truck, we noticed that Guy Fieri had visited. Even when we're not looking for Triple D spots, we run into them! We shared a small order of garlic shrimps. The four shrimps were very large and sat in a pool of butter. There was enough garlic to keep the vampires away for a lifetime. Some lemon slices and hot sauce accompanied the shrimps. While the shrimps were sweet and juicy, the butter overwhelmed the shrimps. So much so, that Cee could only have one, and I was left to eat the three others! You definitely have to get dirty for  these shrimps, as they are shell on. Thoughtfully, there was a sink and soap to wash your hands.

Garlic Shrimps.

If you're driving to the North Shore, it's worth a stop for a bite to eat. That's what that drive is all about anyway: stopping to look at sights, turtles, beaches, etc. If you miss it, just keep driving as we did see other shrimp trucks later on.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar ▪ Waikiki

2552 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.931.6286
website

While researching restaurants in Hawaii, I stumbled upon a blog post featuring crab ramen at Sansei. It immediately was included on my ever growing long list of foods to try in Hawaii. Sansei is another Waikiki restaurant located in a hotel, the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.

We decided to get starters. I ordered the seared sea scallops ($10), that was accompanied by local mushrooms and a foie gras truffle sauce (double whammy!). While I'm not the biggest foie gras fan, I do love both truffle and scallops. The starter was delicious but I'm still not sold that the scallops needed such a rich sauce.

Seared Scallops.

Admittedly, I don't remember what Cee and E ordered but clearly there was big love for raw fish. It looks to me like tataki, poke and sashimi. Might as well enjoy the fresh fish while in Hawaii.

Raw fish galore.

I stuck to the dish that got me to Sansei, the Crab Ramen with Asian Truffle Broth ($17.95). Crab ramen is always about the broth and this truffle broth did not disappoint. I also loved the noodles, the slight kick from the chili and Thai basil. My only complaint is that there could have been more snow crab; I would have been willing to pay more for it! A great twist on a classic soup!

Crab ramen.

Sansei is a fun place to eat if you're staying in Waikiki. We noticed there were tables outside, with a perfect view of all the action. The Japanese food is good and they seemed to also offer good sushi. I would definitely recommend the crab ramen.

Nico's at Pier 38 ▪ Honolulu

133 North Nimitz Highway
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.540.1377
website

Another meal inspired by Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. This time, Cee and I headed for lunch to Nico's at Pier 38, just outside Waikiki, for fresh fish. Nico's is headed by a French chef. It is set up like a large cafeteria. You order your dish and are buzzed when your food is ready. You seat yourself inside or outside.

Nico's Pier 38.

Cee was greatly disappointed that the opa fish featured on the Triple D video was not on the menu. We had to make do with ahi tuna, more specifically the furikake pan seared ahi tuna steak ($12.95). The dish came with two sides and we went the healthy route with brown rice and a salad.

Furikake pan seared ahi tuna steak.

I absolutely loved the ahi steak crusted with furikake (Japanese seaweed) and sesame seeds. The coating imparted great flavours to the fish. The ahi steak is cooked to order; mine below is probably medium rare. I also loved the dressing on the salad.

Medium rare ahi steak.

While ordering our lunch, we eyed the dessert counter which included cookies and cheesecake. While Cee went for a cookie, I had the passion fruit cheesecake that I enjoyed tremendously. The cheesecake was light and smooth, and the passion fruit topping was so, so fragrant. One might as well enjoy anything passion fruit in Hawaii!

Passion fruit cheesecake.

Nico's at Pier 38 offers fresh, local fish at affordable prices. The food was well executed and tasty. My only complaint is that I cringed when I saw that we were given styrofoam containers. This is actually discussed on Triple D as a good point "You serve fancy food in styrofoam?!" However, seeing such a large room full of diners, my environmental side really wished they used dishes.