Dropped in to Hiroshimayaki Shou-chan again with Root. Only the two of us, so we got one combination Hiroshimayaki, the beef tendon stew, and we tried the braised chicken. Everything was very good. The stew was tender and flavorful like last time. The Hiroshimayaki was cooked perfectly and constructed with care and attention. The chicken was soft and well-infused with the flavor of the tomato-based sauce. If you’ve ever had Japanese-style rolled cabbage, you’ll be familiar with the flavor of the sauce. Continue reading ‘Shouchan Revisited’
Archive for the 'Food' Category
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I saw this place on the channel 8 news this morning, so we dropped by for lunch today. Anticipating a crowd due to the coverage, we downloaded the menu and phoned in an order. I got the Hamburger Steak. The menu noted that it was handmade and ground from steak. We drove down to Kalihi to pick up the plates. Luckily we had a driver and someone to run out since there was no parking. There is limited street parking, but with all the industrial businesses in the area, most of it is taken. The restaurant itself is small and has only a pair of wooden tables and benches outside for seating. Their clientele is primary take out. Plates come with a choice of white or brown rice; a choice of tossed greens, macaroni salad, or a cooked vegetable; and a topping sauce. I chose brown rice and tossed greens. Since the hamburger steak included gravy, there was no need for sauce. Continue reading ‘Pongo’s Kitchen Hamburger Steak’
On the Friday before the Lunar New Year, I stopped by Kin Wah Chinese Restaurant for dinner. For the New Year, they had a special on Harbin Lager. I had never tried one of these before, so I gave it a shot. There was no indication of size on the ad, so I was initially shocked by the 600ml size. Flavor-wise, I was expecting a vile, overly-hopped, Pilsen-esque Heineken clone along the lines of a Tsingtao, but was pleasantly surprised with something wonderful. The initial mouth feel was dry not unlike a Japanese lager, but with more bittering hops. This gave it more of a Pilsen-like first flavor, but the middle had a distinct, full malt flavor like a Bavarian lager. The finish was clean. This was a good, refreshing, easily drinkable beer. I later called Fabio to tell him about it, and he stunned me with the revelation that Harbin fell under Anheuser-Busch ownership in 2004. Oh man… well, I guess if that wasn’t the case, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to try it in the States! Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Harbin Lager’
In my book, GU makes the best energy gels, both in nutritional content technology and flavor. Now they have upped the ante by introducing Roctane, basically a double load of calories and performance enhancing components in around the same volume. With double the content, comes double the price: A regular GU retails for about $1.25 USD, whereas a Roctane retails for around $2.50 USD. I bought a few back in December before heading to Japan for snowboarding and gave them a try. Indeed, the effects are more noticeable than with a regular GU. The added aminos and citrates that Roctane includes helped delay the burn and maintain performance levels. This was especially critical, since I didn’t bring with me my normal complement of sports drinks that usually provide these. There are two flavors, a vanilla/orange and a blueberry/pomegranite. Of the two, I only like the blueberry. The orange has a bitter orange peel flavor. This is in line with my dislike of GU’s other orange-flavored products – the regular GU gel and the GU2O electrolyte beverage powder. Continue reading ‘GU Roctane Energy Gel’
Okay, maybe that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is my favorite Loco Moco-type thing available here on O’ahu. Here are the long-awaited pics of the Sugoi Hash Loco Moco that I mentioned a while back. The absolute best Loco Moco I ever had was at the cafeteria at the Sahoro Resort in Hokkaido (not at the Club Med, but at the second floor of the ski center). If you notice in the right picture, the fork is 25mm (1″) across the tips, meaning the hash patty is well over 30mm (1-1/4″) thick! Sugoi!
Just as awesome the second time around!
Whoa! Did Fabio get some new burger that instantly fell apart and got sauce everywhere? Nope, this is the newest seasonal offering from Burger King, the Angry Whopper. All the radio spot hype made the jalapenos, angry onions, and angry sauce out to be too hot to handle by a mere mortal, but of course this is just advertising hype. If they really made it as hot as they intimated it was they’d probably get sued. From some of the stuff I’ve seen online while looking for the nutritional information, it appears that this burger launched in the UK and Australia before it hit North America (there are pictures of RHD automobiles, but I don’t care to figure out if they are UK or AUS models). Continue reading ‘Angryburger’
Dunkel, or Dunkles beers are Bavarian-style lager beers brewed using a dark roasted Munich malt, and in fact the dunkel was the original Bavarian beer until new brewing techniques introduced in the later half of the 19th century which allowed the preparation of a lighter malt. The name Dunkel literally means “dark” in Deutsche. Although one would expect a stronger flavor from a darker beer, in general, dunkels have a smoother and “maltier” flavor than the other common Bavarian lager, the helles, or pale lager, and have no significant bitter or sweet character from the hopping. This example from Otaru Bakushu Brewery in Western Hokkaido has a mild smoky flavor, but has only a hint of malt taste. The initial mouth feel is smooth but slightly thick with the carbonated “karakuchi” dry bubbly sensation popular in Japanese beers. There is a hint of caramel sweet in the middle from the roasted malt and hopping. There is no significant bitter. The finish tapers to a faint malt flavor. The color is a dark, nearly stout-like brown. The carbonation level is moderate. This Dunkel is easily quaffable. Like the Otaru Bakushu Pilsen, this beer has no objectionable traits, but it similarly doesn’t really have the strong malty beer flavor I would expect from a dunkel. I am not sure if this has anything to do with the “organic” origins of the beer, or if it is due to the brewmaster’s choice. I would almost say that with the hint of sweetness and the light malt taste, this seems more like a bock than a dunkel… Continue reading ‘Beer Is Good – Otaru Bakushu Organic Beer Dunkel-Type Jibiiru’
Whoa!
How does one begin to describe this…
We got lunch from Sugoi’s in Kapalama (near Woodcraft and the Driver’s Licencing office). They had breakfast stuff, so I ordered the “Hash Loco Moco“. Lo, a more amazing thing I have never before had! Imagine if you will, a Loco Moco made with a 3cm thick, 15cm diameter breaded and deep fried corned-beef hash patty instead of the hamburger patty! Essentially corned-beef hash katsu and a fried egg on rice smothered in brown gravy! The gravy was a tad salty, but the hash was very good. Continue reading ‘Sugoi!’
Right next to one of our work clients is a takoyaki shop. It’s located on corner of Kuhio and Nohonani St, Waikiki Marketplace. Finally got a chance to try it. Small shop set up with a bunch of tables and folding chairs to hang out in while munching on your tasty snack. You’ll commonly see takoyaki translated as octopus balls, although I think octopus dumplings is a more appetizing western description. Spheres of glutunous batter with chunk(s) of tako cooked on a special shaped grill. No, it’s NOT deep fried! It’ll have a lightly browned outside, inside soft and mouth burning lava hot. Best eaten while said lava hot, they definitely lose much appeal if allowed to cool and deflate. All takoyaki places I’ve been feature the grill in open view so you can watch the cook deftly spin the takoyaki into spheres, and Takoyaki Samurai is no exception. I believe it’s part of the experience, it wouldn’t quite be takoyaki if you don’t get to watch them being made. Continue reading ‘Takoyaki Samurai’
Mmm… it’s good. Very good. I’ve never had good luck with the “plate lunch”-style entrees at KK, but their sandwiches are good. This one and the pastrami are my favorites. The Reuben is their own spin on the classic recipe with their own proprietary dressing. Choose seasoned fries or a Nalo greens salad. It’s a little pricy at around $9 USD, but it’s worth it. If you aren’t from Hawai’i or don’t know who Russell Siu is, just do a websearch and you’ll get some background on this restaurant and his upscale 3660 on the Rise. Continue reading ‘Kaka’ako Kitchen Reuben Sandwich’