In the mood for Korean

Eating alone and in the mood for Korean food.  Gina's BBQ is located in the Market City Marketplace in Kapahulu.  If you love Korean food and want take out, this is the place.  Better than Yummy's, Gina's gives a lot adn is very reasonably priced.  They have been named Hawaii's Best Korean BBQ.  Service is friendly and there are about 15 seats if you want to eat in.  They also have catering sized dishes if you want to cater your next get together. 

Gina's Special

This is what I order when I am hungry.  It comes with 2 pieces of Kalbi, 2 pieces bbq chicken, bbq meat, rice and your sides.  All this for just $8.95.  The kalbi is always tender with lots of flavor.  Their bbq chicken is always a favorite and it's GOOD.  Their side dishes are always fresh and not old. 


If you are ever in Kapahulu-Kaimuki area check them out. 

Gina's is the place for Korean food.  I give Gina's BBQ 4 stars.

Maru-Hi Restaurant & Lounge

We were out in Mililani last night and decided to eat here.  We've tried this place before but not since I started this blog so here I am.  Maru-Hi Restaurant and lounge is located in the Town Center of Mililani.  The food is decent and the service is ok.  Portion sizes were good and the prices are a difference from lunch to dinner.

As usual we ate early so the restaurant was not crowded but by the time we left it was packed.

Tonkatsu & Shrimp Tempura

 This combination dish as you can see is tonkatsu and shrimp tempura.  Along with it comes miso soup which is not in the picture because I drank it already, tossed salad, tsukemono (pickled vegetables), takuan, and edamame (soy beans), and rice.  It was ok.  The tonkatsu was a little overcooked. the batter was a little hard and crunchy and was a little dry.  The shrimp tempura was ok also.  The shrimp was a little mushy but the other vegetable tempura was good.  Overall this was ok.

Maru-Hi Special

 My wife had the Maru-Hi Special.  It comes with kalbi, sashimi, shrimp tempura, tossed salad, the side dishes and rice.  She said the sashimi and kalbi was good.  She agreed with me that the shrimp tempura was ok.  It could have been better if it was not overcooked.

Kake Udon

My son had his usual Japanese dish.  He loves his udon.  This was probably the best dish we had.  You can't go wrong with udon or ramen.  The noodles were just right and the soup wasn't to salty.





Overall, Maru-Hi Restaurant and Lounge was ok.  If you are in the Mililani area, try it out and tell me what you think.  I give Maru-Hi Restaurant and Lounge 3 1/2 stars.  

Sushi II

Last night we tried this place out.  Sushi II is a small place that opened up last November.  It is located in the Sam Sung Plaza on Keeaumoku St.  They are open Wednesday to Saturday 11am - 2pm and Wednesday to Sunday 5pm - 10:30pm.  It's BYOB here but they do charge a corkage fee of $5 per person drinking alcohol.  Parking is tight if you don't go early.  They validate free for the first 2 hours.  It's best if you make reservations because it is a small place.

We had reservations for 6pm and when we got there about 5:50pm the restaurant just opened.  The owner explained to us that there was an emergency that's why they just opened.  The air condition went down and wasn't working.  It was a little hot but the repairman got it going again.  Just so happened the repairman was my friend and neighbor.  Thank you Steven for the repairs.

Can you figure the sign out?

My wife had a hard time trying to figure out the restaurant sign.  Can you figure it out?  Figure it out yet?

If you look at the bottom left it says SU SH and if you take the white I it will make SUSHI.  Ad the I and I together and you get II.  Put it all together and you get SUSHI II.  Well that's what I think.  I forgot to ask the owner about that sign.

Inside the restaurant

This is a view of the inside of the restaurant.  It looks bright but it actually is not that bad.  The restaurant seats about 35 people.

Another view from inside



Caesar Salad

At the most they try and use locally grown ingredients.  I know that salad and sushi doesn't really match but we wanted to try this.  This is a typical Caesar salad. The tomatoes are from North Shore Farms and its topped with cheese and prosciutto.  It was a refreshing salad.  The dressing wasn't strong or too much for the salad.  Very Good!!



Sushi Combo

This sushi combo was good.  You have 2 pieces of Maguro, 1 Hamachi, 1 King Salmon, 1 Sake, 1 Ika,

1 Toro, 1 Ama Ebi, 1 Scallop, 1 Tamago, 1 Unagi, and Maguro roll.  The fish quality was ok.  The king Salmon was a little fishy but ok.  



Nori Popover w/Furikake Butter

This appetizer is an interesting take on a normal popover.  It is mixed with nori in it.  It comes with furikake butter which is in the small dish on the left.  one order is only one popover so this is two orders.  These popovers are light and flaky.  A nice tummy tickler for the main meal.




Hamachi Kama

This was the best dish of the night.  This was on their "specials" menu.  This kama was HUGE as you can tell by the proportion of the fish and chopsticks.  It was about an inch and a half thick too with LOTS of meat for my wife and I to enjoy.  My wife liked the ponzu sauce.  She says it was different from the other ponzus that we have tried.  It has a little tang and bite to it.  Maybe it was the daikon we added.




Another view of Hamachi Kama




All Gone

As you can tell by the picture, we ate it all.  The skin was so crispy and oily it was too good to pass up not eating it.  YUMMMMM.




Banana Dream Pie

We were full but had to try the desserts.  Lucky we did decide to try the desserts.  This dessert looks big and filling but it was just the opposite.  Yes it was pretty big but it was light and just right.  The waitress explained that the bananas tasted like vanilla ice cream if you can imagine.  When I took a bite, I could taste the banana but it wasn't the normal strong banana flavor but mild and a little like vanilla ice cream.


Another View of Banana Dream Pie

A you can see from this picture it looks filling.  On the bottom you have the flaky but crunchy pastry, then the banana, then some cream, then another layer of the same.  It was delicious.


Pot de Creme au Chocolat

This was my wife's dessert.  It comes in a small tea cup.  It is whipped dark Waialua chocolate on the bottom with something similar to creme fresh and it is chilled.  It was rich, so this small tea cup sized dessert was just enough.

Chocolat inside

You really have to dig for the rich, dense, dark chocolate but it's worth the find.  This was just enough for my wife.





All in all, Sushi II was an okay experience.  Despite the air condition not working when we got there, the restaurant is a nice cute place to have some OKAY sushi.  I've had better.  The Hamachi Kama is worth going back for if you catch it on their specials.  The salad was very good.  The desserts were different but enjoyable.  If I do go back I will definitely try something else besides the sushi.

I give Sushi II    3 and 1/2 stars.

Dessert Time

We heard of this place through our friends posts on Facebook and now this is our second time here.  This is Frostcity.  It is located on S. Beretania St. right before Jiffy Lube one S. Beretania St.  Parking is in front of the building and there are not a lot of stalls. So if you see a stall open while driving by, pull in and try it out. 

 

Snow Ice?

Snow ice is a popular Taiwanese dessert.  This is a family owned business and they missed this dessert from back home so they started this dessert place. Snow Ice is a cross between ice cream and shave ice with the taste of  ice cream with the shave ice texture.  They use fresh fruit with all their desserts and they use as little sugar as possible.


Haupia Chocolate "Coco"

The Coco is VERY good.  As you can see this is the haupia side.  In front of the dessert is from left to right..mini mochi bites, tapioca like balls that burst with juicy flavor (sorry forgot to ask what it was), and slices of honey dew melon. 


Haupia Chocolate "Coco"

This is the chocolate side.  The dessert is so light and refreshing that eating a whole dessert will not make you feel guilty that you just ate a whole dessert by yourself.


 

Lychee

Along with the mini mochi bites and little balls of burting juicy flavor, this lychee dessert comes with cantaloupe.  The lychee is so fragrant that you could smell it without even biting into it and the lychee flavor is not strong but light.



Frostcity is the place to go if you want some dessert but dont want to get too full off of it.  REFRESHING and LIGHT is how I describe Snow Ice from Frostcity. 

Check out their Facebook page   http://www.facebook.com/frostcity

I give Frostcity 5 stars.

Kirin Restaurant

This restaurant is a favorite of our family.  It's located at the corner of Kaialiu St. and S.Beretania St. right across the street from the old King St. Star Market.  The restaurant is adjacent to an apartment building.  They are open 7 days a week.  This place has been growing in popularity with the Japan tourists.  If you are going for lunch, I recommend the dim sum.  They make it to order so it is nice and fresh.  For dinner, anything on the menu is good. 

Parking here right now is bad because they are doing construction in the parking lot but you can park for free next door in the Yakiniku Camellia Restaurant parking lot.

This is the restaurant sign.  It's nothing special and even is a bit runned down but don't judge a book by it's cover because the food here is one of the better Chinese foods I've had.




Entrance to restaurant


 

Beef with Scallions

This dish comes to your table sizzling and piping hot.  The beef is tender and the scallions doesn't overpower the beef flavor.  Seasoned with salt and pepper this dish is a simple yet tasty dish.


 

String Beans with  Minced Pork and Shrimp

This is a family favorite dish.  The string beans stir fried with the minced pork and shrimp.  The pork and shrimp add a little saltiness to the dish.  The string beans are not over cooked so you always get a crunch in every bite.  This dish is always one that never has any left overs to take home.


 

Honey Walnut Shrimp

This is your ever popular shrimp dish.  Although this honey walnut shrimp is not cooked with too much or too little mayonnaise.  It has just enough mayonnaise making it the best Honey Walnut Shrimp I have ever had.  They seem to have the right amount of walnuts for your shrimp. 




Cake Noodle with Beef Choy Sum

I like my noodles cake noodle style.  The beef is not over cooked and they give a generous portion of it.  Choy Sum added to this dish is plain but for this dish, that's all it needs.  What noodle dish isn't a noodle dish with out Choy Sum.



Sparerib with Honey Garlic Sauce

This is our version of sweet sour spareribs.  I actually like this better than sweet sour spareribs.  It's not too sweet because of the garlic and the garlic adds a little bite to it.  These spareribs actually have meat on them, and lots of meat too.  Not just bones with your spareribs.  So try this instead of your normal sweet sour spareribs.




Crispy Chicken

Crispy chicken is another regular on our menu.  The skin on this chicken is crispy but yet the chicken is moist.  The chicken comes with a salt seasoning.  All you need is a small dash of salt to season and the chicken is a winner. 




If you are ever in the McCully- Mo'ili'ili area and feeling hungry, try Kirin Restaurant out for yourself.  Lunch or dinner, Kirin Restaurant is the place for chinese cuisine.  If you ever stop by, tell me what you think. 


Overall- I give Kirin Restaurant 4 stars.

The Cheesecake Factory

We went to Waikiki for the 4th of July weekend.  There are so many places to eat in Waikiki that it was hard to choose where to eat.  We have always wanted to try The Cheesecake Factory, but every time we pass by, it's always crowded and they don't take reservations.  This time we decided to just try it out.  There was no line when we arrived at 5pm.  If you are early eaters like we are, then you should try it out. You won't have to wait in a long line if you go early.

I must say that Cheesecake Factory has a variety of foods for all to enjoy from pasta, to burgers, to fish and seafood, to steaks and chops, salads, and of course desserts.  The ambiance is a little loud, but enjoyable enough to have a conversation and not have to yell.  The restaurant is located on the Diamond Head end of the Royal Hawaiian Center.  Parking is in the Royal Hawaiian Center and is free for the first 3 hours with validation.

Chicken Fingers-Keiki meal

This was my son's dinner.  He just loves his chicken and rice or french fries.  I must say, the chicken was not dry but very moist.  The batter was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and was not oily.  He enjoyed it very much.

Bang -Bang Chicken & Shrimp

If you like coconut and Thai curry, this is the dish for you. It's not your true flavor of Thai curry but it is decent.  It's not too spicy but there is enough spice and flavors.  There is sauteed vegetables added and a large scoop of rice in the middle.  To top it all off, they add shredded baked coconut all over.  They give generous portions of chicken and shrimp that is not overcooked but just right.                                                  

Chicken Madeira

The Chicken Madeira was actually better than the Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp.  This is their most popular chicken dish.  It's sauteed chicken breast topped with fresh asparagus and melted mozzarella cheese, fresh mushroom Madeira sauce and served with a healthy portion of mashed potatoes.  The chicken was moist and tender, and the Madeira sauce was flavorful.  The mashed potatoes was creamy yet chunky, just the way i like it.

Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake

My wife tried this dessert.  She loves caramel and pecans.  This is a pecan brownie and caramel-fudge swirl cheesecake, topped with caramel turtle pecans and chocolate.  That dollop of chocolate on top of the cheesecake was very sweet, and you can only eat so much of it.  The combination of pecans and caramel was just right making this dessert not too sweet but just enough to enjoy it.

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake

Now, I love peanut butter and chocolate.  When I saw this on the menu I had to try this.  The picture doesn't do any justice but I tried to take it so you could see how big it was.  I figured this cheesecake to be at least 3-4 inches thick.  That on top of the cheesecake is a dollop of peanut butter which was way too sweet to eat...I couldn't eat most of it.  This was a monster of a cheesecake.  There were chucks of Reese's peanut butter cups inside which added a little crunch to the cheesecake.  The chocolate cake is the thick dark layer in the middle which was moist and delish.  Unfortunately, I have to say that the cheesecake got the best of me.  I could not finish it because it was too sweet for me.


The Cheesecake Factory is a good place to eat if you are HUNGRY and love sweet desserts.  The meal portions are BIG and the desserts are just as big and sweet.

I give Cheesecake Factory 4 stars.

Morimoto Restaurant- Waikiki

This was my first time to Morimoto Restaurant in Waikiki.  The restaurant is in the Waikiki Edition Hotel.  The restaurant's ambiance was relaxing and the service was excellent.  Here are a few dishes that I tried. 

Toro Tartare

The Toro was VERY good.  It just melt in your mouth.  The sauces are from left to right, wet nori, sour cream, fresh grated wasabi, chopped maui onion, avocado, and rice cracker balls.  The chef recommends that you try the toro just by itself before using any sauces.  To eat, you use the silver spatula type spoon and scoop off some toro and either eat plain or with the sauces.  This is one appetizer I would recommend trying.

Crispy Rock Shrimp Tempura

This hot appetizer is very tasty.  In the middle you have the rock shrimp with kochujan sauce.  On the right you have the rock shrimp with wasabi aioli sauce. And on the left you have a coconut ranch dipping sauce.  There was a lot of flavor in this dish.  Being that they use kochujan and wasabi, it was spiced just right, not too hot and not too mild. 

Crispy Whole Fish (Mediterranean Sea Bass)

I don't normally eat fried fish but I thought I'd try it out.  Let me just say that I wasn't disappointed.  They debone the whole fish so you can practically eat the whole fish. Topping the fish they have spicy mapo tofu sauce with a pickled papaya salad on top.  The fish was nice and crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. 

Ishi Yaki Buri Bop

This is Chef Morimoto's take on the famous Korean "bi bim bap".  It is cooked in a hot stone bowl at your table.  It comes to the table with the 5 slices of hamachi raw.  The waiter then places the hamachi on the sides of the bowl to cook, then he cracks the egg yolk and mixes the egg and rice together with a little bit of shoyu.  After the fish is cooked slightly, he places the fish back on top of the rice.  The Ishi Yaki Buri Bop has lots of flavor and is filling.

Chocolate Peanut Bombe

Now it's dessert time.  This dessert impressed me a lot.  On the left is the milk chocolate cremeux (French for creamy).  It is like chocolate pudding but better.  On the right is their Salted Peanut Ice Cream.  I say that again....Peanut ice cream.  When I tasted this I was impressed.  I have tasted peanut butter ice cream but not peanut ice cream.  It was like eating salted peanuts.  VERY GOOD!





Chocolate Caramel Tarte

As you can see, it was our anniversary.  If you like chocolate and caramel, then this dessert is for you.  The outer chocolate cookie crust was not too hard to get to the creamy caramel.  Accompanying the tarte is a vanilla bean ice cream.  The caramel was not too sweet and the ice cream added to the whole enjoyment of this dessert.


All in all, great food and excellent service.  So if you are looking for a relaxing meal with excellent service, try Morimoto Restaurant in the Waikiki Edition Hotel. 

Please comment and let me know what you think.

I give Morimoto Restaurant 5 stars.

Introduction

Hi all.  I am new to blogging but I just wanted to give you a taste of foods that I have tried and what I think about them.  I will be as honest as I can, good or bad.  Please comment and be honest as well.  It will help me with my future posts.

Mahalo,
Brent