The Alley

As I’ve lamented time and time again, Guy Fieri sometimes gets it right despite all the misses. Now, we can’t blame him for most of the crap featured on Triple-D’s because it is not completely up to him where the show takes him. If you watch the show enough, you can certainly tell when he actually likes a dish and when he is merely indifferent. One of those “money” dishes you can completely believe his enthusiasm is the Oxtail Soup found at The Alley Restaurant on Oahu.

We stopped by the place in hopes of playing a few games of bowling prior to eating another filling meal. Well, the lanes were full and so was the restaurant. We resorted to waiting for a table for our next feed. For the kids, we decided to get them the Saimin with the usual Spam, cha sui, fish cake and veggies. This was actually quite good with an aromatic broth that featured sesame oil. The noodles were texturally on point with an appealing chewiness. The only weakness was the lack of ingredients as there was only a few slivers of Spam, 2 slices of cha sui and 3 rice cakes.

For myself, I did another Mixed Plate with Tasty Chicken and Garlic Shrimp accompanied by 2 scoops of brown rice and of course mac salad. Aptly named, the tasty chicken was exactly that with moist and juicy meat coated with a crispy batter. It was tossed in a sweet chili type sauce that had just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the salt and spice. Meaty and large, the garlic shrimp were indeed garlicky, which went well with the rice. Similar to Rainbow Drive-In, the mac salad was too soft, but the creamy mayo dressing did taste really good with a bit of pepper.

Okay, for the moment of truth, Viv’s order of Oxtail Soup did live up to the hype and then some. The broth was super aromatic with a light licorice finish from the star anise while there were hints of booze from the JD. However, the most dominant flavors were from the meaty oxtail and shiitake mushrooms. As much as oxtail is sometimes referred as a “can’t screw up” cut of meat, this one was prepared masterfully being tender and nicely glutinous from the tendon and fatty portions. And yes it pains me to agree with Guy again, but the dipping sauce was the cherry on top as it added a sweet spicy ginger hit. This dish hit all the flavours including salty, sweet, spicy, tart, bitter and the umami from the mushrooms.

We finished off the meal with the Chocolate Insanity Cake which was addictively good. We weren’t sure why it wasn’t featured on Triple D’s because it really did take the cake. It was served warm and super moist with thin layers of icing. The cake was purposefully sweet with a tonne of dark chocolate. Better than the motherlode cake at Claim Jumper in our opinion.  So there you have it, our last meal in Hawaii before returning on an evening flight back to YVR.  It was one of the better ones and it didn't disappoint despite the hype.

The Good:
- That oxtail soup...
- That chocolate cake...
- Just plain good

The Bad:
- Not cheap
- Super busy, including the parking lot

Rainbow Drive-In

Originally, I had scheduled a visit to the popular Rainbow Drive-In just East of Waikiki on our last day on Oahu. But for some reason, I wasn’t feeling it for the mixed plate and such. We ended up meeting some friends for a quick visit to the beach and they had just gone to Rainbow the day before. They were pretty happy with the portion size and quality of the food. Call it gentle persuasion, but that was enough for me to head there for lunch.

Like any other popular tourist eating spot, parking sucked and the lineup for food was present. But both issues weren’t as bad as Helena’s. As for our eats, I decided on the Mixed Plate which included chicken, beef and mahi-mahi with 2 scoops of rice and mac salad. This was a substantial amount of food fit for 2 meals. I thought the chicken was the best of the meats as it was succulent and well-seasoned. The skin was not rendered enough though. I found the beef to be purposefully salty but a little dry while the mahi-mahi was moist. My son had the Loco Moco with fries smothered in a thick gravy and topped with 2 fried eggs. We thought this was a bit disappointing as the 2 beef patties were thin, dry and chewy. The thick gravy was mildly salty where the starchy fries soaked it up.

Viv went for the ½ Fried Chicken with rice and mac salad, which commanded a 15-minute wait. It was well worth it as the chicken was fried golden brown with crispy rendered skin. Both the dark and white meat were moist and juicy due to the flavorful brine. We were indifferent with the mac salad as the pasta was too soft. The dressing did taste good with a nice creaminess accented by enough salt. My daughter was happy as a clam with her Chili and Crackers. The slightly thin chili was meaty, flavourful and slightly spicy. The sweetness of the onions really came through.  Overall, the food was pretty good, plentiful and well-priced.  Not sure if it was as awesome as people have said though.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Decent but not outstanding
- Can be somewhat of a wait

Marukame Udon

With a late evening flight looming, my parents did not want to venture far for dinner before I drove them to the airport.  Well, low and behold, the ever-popular Murakame Udon lay only 2 blocks away from our hotel.  Of course there was a lineup to greet us despite the fact we arrived at 5:00pm.  Not to fear as there were many tables available where the lineup was moving along with their orders.  Unfortunately, a bunch of people ignored the sign about saving tables which meant we had to squeeze 6 people into one made for 4.

For the kiddies, we got them the basic Kake Udon with freshly made noodles in their traditional broth. As advertised, it was light with hints of seaweed and bonito found in a classic dashi.  The noodles were slippery and toothsome without the aftertaste of packaged udon. For myself, I went for the Curry Udon with shredded beef and onions. The slightly thick broth was quite mild with only minor hits of curry and spice.  It wasn't overly sweet, which was to my liking.  The thin slices of fatty beef practically melted-in-my-mouth while the onions did add some sweetness (as the curry wasn't too sweet on its own).

My mom decided to try the hot Ontama Bukkake Udon featuring a sweet and savory sauce with a soft-boiled egg on top.  Once again, the slippery and chewy noodles were a nice match for the subtle sauce and the barely cooked egg whites and runny yolk.  My dad went for the Niku Udon with the traditional broth topped by sweet beef and caramelized onions.  This was the same as the kake udon except for the addition of the buttery soft beef and sweet onions.  Hence it ate more hearty and naturally with more sweetness due to the onions.

Due to the inadequate A/C, Viv was smart to go for the Garlic Chicken Udon Salad.  The chewy udon noodles took on the sweet and garlicky dressing well while the veggies made this a refreshing item for a hot day.  The tempura chicken was battered aggressively where it was crunchy while juicy inside.  In addition, we got a selection of side items including Ebi Tempura, yam tempura, chicken karaage and musubi.  Nothing was particularly amiss other than the slightly thick batter found on everything.  As you can probably understand, the food at Marukame is not complex.  In fact, it is as simple as it can get.  It further reinforces the ol' adage - do one thing and do it well (and for a good price too).

The Good:
- Cheap
- Fresh and solid eats

The Bad:
- Not a place to sit and linger, it's eat and go
- Fried items a bit over-battered

The Pineapple Room

*Restaurant is permanently closed*

Oh the misery... Needing to wake up early and disembarking our cruise ship at 8:45am.  Why? Why?? Why???  Who cares about the incoming passengers for the next cruise?  #firstworldproblems right?  Well, we did get off that early and after picking up our rental car, it was far too early to check into our hotel room in Waikiki.  So we had time to kill and where better than the Ala Moana Shopping Centre.  Since we were already there, we felt no need to travel far distances for lunch.  Therefore, we headed over to Macy's and visited our second Alan Wong restaurant in the Pineapple Room.

Fortunately, we were able to snag a table despite not making a reservation (the place is popular).  For myself, I decided to try the Kim Chee Reuben with pastrami, home made kim chee, Swiss cheese and thousand islands spread on rye bread.  This was a substantial and messy concoction with plenty of fatty pastrami accented by crunchy, yet disappointingly mild kim chee. Hence it was more like a regular reuben with lots of tangy sauce with crunchy enough bread to keep things together.  I did love the side of Asian Slaw as it was acidic and aromatic from the sesame oil.  Viv ended up with the Kalua Pig BLT constructed with moist and flavorful shredded pork, crispy bacon, greasy grilled Kabayaki onions and Boursin Cheese on an onion bun.  Viv liked the sandwich, but she thought it was too wet from the oily onions and the other ingredients.

My mom decided on the Shrimp & Pork Hash Katsu Burger dressed with shredded cabbage and hoisin mustard vinaigrette on a potato bun. As much as the panko breading was crispy and easy on the grease, the actual filling was a bit strange for us.  First of all, we couldn't get much shrimp in terms of texture and taste (even though it was supposed to be processed).  Furthermore, the pork was a little dry and the filler ingredients of water chestnuts and green onion seemed to work against the pork in terms of texture and flavor.  On the positive, the bun was soft and surprisingly light while the dressing was well-balanced in sweetness, tartness and saltiness.  My son had the kid's Cheeseburger prepared medium.  Although the grass-fed beef was rather lean, it was still sufficiently moist and loaded with natural beef taste.  The aggressively spotted onion bun was soft and sweet.

My dad went for the Chinese-Style Steamed Opakapaka Short Tail Red Snapper on tofu and topped with choi sum, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms and peanut oil.  Their interpretation of Chinese steamed fish was a decent one as the fish was moist and flaky.  The entire dish was very mild and that worked well as nothing overpowered anything else.  In fact, there was some nice aromatics going on with the salty sausage, Earthy mushrooms and peanut oil. Last but not least, my daughter had the simple kid's Butter & Cheese Noodles that arrived as a substantial portion.  The noodles were a bit too soft while there was a lack of seasoning in our opinion. Overall, we were indifferent with the food we had for lunch.  Granted, dinner service has more refined options, but we didn't get a chance to try that out.

The Good:
- Excellent service
- Well-portioned eats

The Bad:
- Food was "okay"
- A little pricey

Me Bar-B-Q

With us trying to squeeze as much action as we are able during our days in Honolulu, we were just too tired to go out to eat.  As much as that is the perfect horror movie for myself, this was not the end.  In fact, it gave me the opportunity to round the corner from our hotel and up 3 blocks to visit Me Bar-B-Q.  Right across the street from Musubi Cafe, this lil' Korean take-out spot offered up big portions at reasonable prices.  The place was pretty busy, but they did a good job in churning out the food as quickly as possible.

When my son heard that we were going for Korean BBQ, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas.  As such, we got him his favourite being the BBQ Chicken with rice.  Each combo came with 4 sides (banchan) and this one consisted of kimchi, spicy cucumber, broccoli and cabbage.  With 3 big pieces of grilled dark chicken meat, this was right in my son's wheelhouse.  The meat was sufficiently tender and well-charred.  We did find it rather sweet, hence there was no need for sweet soy as the chicken flavoured even the plain rice.  The same could be said about the Kalbi BBQ as they were super sweet with a nice char.  The meat was fatty and tender as well.  Rounding out the massive amount of food was sprouts, japchae, broccoli and corn.

We also got the Oxtail Soup and while the broth was rather salty and one-note, the oxtail itself was on point  The large pieces had gelatinous and tender meat that melted in my mouth.  In addition to the meatiness of the oxtail, it was also well-seasoned.  Accompanying the soup was plain white rice and 2 sides (which were banchan and broccoli).  To compound the ample amount of food, we really shouldn't have ordered the Bibimbap (but I did anyways).  It was topped with the same items found in the banchan display including beef, spinach and a fried egg with gochujang. Lacking some of the usual ingredients such as shiitake, fern brake and carrots, this ate a bit differently (cabbage added quite a bit of moisture).  In the end, it was fine with chewy rice and enough gochujang.  In reality, there was not much to complain about since we got a tonne of food for the price.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Inexpensive for Waikiki
- Decent

The Bad:
- You can eat there, but it's really takeout
- Pretty hot in there waiting for our food

Helena's Hawaiian Food

Originally, we had other lunch plans on our second day in Honolulu.  However, things changed as we were sweaty and tired from our hike up Diamondhead.  That's what almost 100 degree weather can do to you I suppose.  Don't think it was ever that hot last time we were here!  So rather than getting takeout from Yama's, we headed over to Helena's instead.  With a bunch of awards including a James Beard, there was some lofty expectations to live up to.

After waiting for over 30 minutes for a table (which wasn't that long anyways), we got down to ordering.  After a short wait, everything came at once and filled the table.  I gave the Fried Butterfish Collar first and it was money.  Fried until lightly crispy, the entire thing could be eaten including all parts of the bone.  Inside, the fish was still buttery and flaky while well-seasoned.  Interestingly, my son has suddenly developed a liking for Kalua Pork, especially with a sprinkle of pink salt.  He ate practically the whole dish with his rice.  This version was good with lots of natural meat flavour and was sufficiently moist, but there were some stringy portions.

For myself, the best item were the Short Ribs Pipikala Style.  Although the overall texture was firm, the ribs were meaty and tender.  These were dry on purpose due to the cooking technique involved (which requires the meat to be brined and air dried).  The flavorings penetrated the meat as they were an appealing salty sweet.  We also got one order each of the Beef and Tripe Stew.  Both bathed in the same rich and slightly tart tomato sauce, the stews were flavourful with depth.  The beef was sufficiently tender while the tripe was buttery soft while maintaining a slight chew.

Viv thought the Lomi Salmon was rather ordinary as it lacked strong flavours except for a bit of the white onion.  In fact, she thought the dish was fishy even though the salmon seemed on point.  On the other hand, the Ahi Poke appeared fresh with a nice sheen and in fact was sweet and buttery.  We were able to customize our own mix of chili and soy which meant we made it spicier!  Creamy and mild, the Mac Salad featured soft pasta which made us yearn for the one we had at Mike's Huli Huli Chicken.  Lastly, we had the Poi which had the classic wallpaper paste texture.  On it's own, there was a background sweetness while strangely tart.  It tasted much better when eaten with a protein of some sort.  We ended off the meal with an order Haupia which was mildly sweet and plenty coconutty. A nice way to end a pleasant Hawaiian meal that didn't cost us an arm and a leg.

The Good:
- Inexpensive and great to share
- Sincere service
- Great short ribs

The Bad:
- Usually a long wait outside where it is hot
- A/C is a bit weak

Leonard's Bakery

12 years ago, Viv and I hiked Diamondhead in about 20 minutes all the way from the park entrance (we were too cheap to pay for the $5.00 parking).  Fast forward to the present and I was up for the challenge, but Viv, having not played hockey for the last 5 years due to concussions, didn't find it as easy this time around.  In fact, while we were going down from the top, my son was kicking my arse.  Yes, it might've been something to do with age, but I would like to blame the 2 Malasadas I consumed just prior.

Yes, you guessed it, we paid Leonard's Bakery a visit before we made it out to Diamondhead.  Once again, we were doing the touristy thing, yet remember, we had 2 hungry kiddies with us.  Also, they would never pass up a donut from any culture.  We got a 1/2 dozen Malasadas in Original, Cinnamon Sugar and Li Hing (sweet & salty dried plum dust).  Oh boy, these were made to order and one bite into the fluffy light center made me a convert.  Yes, it was only a fried ball of dough, but the texture was so enticing and easy to eat.  I gobbled up 2 just like that.  My favorite flavor was the li hing with a good mix of sweet, tart and salty.

We also got a 1/2 dozen of the Puffs filled with Chocolate, Coconut, Custard and Macademia Nut.  Exhibiting the same eggy light texture, these were graced with an extra amount of sweetness.  In fact, the chocolate filling was very sugary, yet fortunately, the actual malasada was not sweet to begin with.  I liked the coconut filling the most as it wasn't super sweet while being aromatic.  Despite being advertised as macadamia nut, I didn't find much difference between that and the standard custard.  Not necessarily a negative, just an observation.

Lastly, we got a couple of the Ham & Cheese Wrap to give the kids something that resembled breakfast rather than a bunch of Malasadas.   With a generous slice of rolled-up sweet honey ham in the middle, the thing ate well with plenty of filling while wrapped in a soft pastry.  But really, we didn't come here for that.  It was all about the malasadas and they really go that part down to a science.  It was well-worth the wait for the made-to-order treat.

The Good:
- Made-to-order ensures freshness
- Soft and not too sweet

The Bad:
- A little greasy
- Parking is an issue

Alan Wong's Honolulu

Fine dining + vacay + kids = usually a no-go and/or we need to stop by a drive-thru afterwards.  However, as they are growing older (too fast I might add), their palates are improving (even my son!). Hence, we decided to make a reservation at Alan Wong's as it represented a somewhat casual fine-dining experience on our visit to Hawaii. Well, apparently other people thought it was a good idea too as there were quite a few kiddies in attendance.

I decided to go for the Tasting Menu which started with a plate consisting of the Soup & Sandwich (chilled vine-ripened tomato soup, Grilled Hawaii island goat dairy mozzarella cheese, foie gras, kalua pig sandwich) and Chopped Ahi Sashimi & Avocado Stack (crispy wonton, spicy aioli and wasabi soy).  I thought the light and airy soup had enough tang and brightness to balance out the salty and savory sandwich (which was crispy, decadent and meaty).  As for the stack, it was texturally on point with buttery tuna and soft avocado counteracted by the crunchy wonton and puffed rice.  It was aggressively seasoned, but was not overwhelming with a slight spice.

Next, I was served the Keahole Lobster Lasagna with crab cioppino sauce and a Parm Hollandaise.  With firm ribbons of pasta, the buttery and bouncy pieces of lobster were bathed in a buttery and cheesy concoction.  Hence, this was truly decadent where the lobster was still the star of the show.  I thought the crab cioppino was a brilliant addition as it added a subtle background seafood essence.  Moving onto the Ginger Crusted Onaga (Long-Tail Red Snapper), it seemed to be topped with a familiar Hainanese chicken condiment. Underneath, there was a miso sesame vinaigrette with mushrooms and corn.  I thought the fish was a little overdone, yet it was still flaky and moist.  With the ginger and scallion condiment on top, the fish was aromatic and fully seasoned.  I was amazed that the ginger was not sharp at all, in fact, it was rather sweet.  The burst of fresh sweet corn was nicely balanced by the salty and aromatic vinaigrette.

Even though at this point I was already stuffed, I was presented with the Twice Cooked Short Rib, Soy Braised and Grilled "Kalbi" Style.  This was accompanied by chili lemongrass goat cheese and mushroom peanut salsa.  My son had devoured his half-portion willingly and I could see why at the meat was fork tender and required very little chewing.  It was on the sweeter side though (as with any kalbi style type dish), but did exhibit some spice.  The short rib was so sweet on its own, the only thing I noticed about the salsa was the peanut and slight pungency of the goat cheese (despite all the aforementioned ingredients).

For dessert, I was presented with the whimsical Coconut with haupia sorbet in a chocolate shell, tropical fruits and lilikoi sauce.  I enjoyed the sorbet as it was only purposefully sweet while being super creamy and rich.  It really did capture the essence of a haupia dessert (coconut pudding similar to the Chinese version).  The chocolate shell was super thin and nicely aromatic with toasted coconut.  Add some sweet tang was the passion fruit sauce as well as the fruit.

Viv didn't go for the tasting menu and ordered a la carte.  For her appie, she had the Poki Pines with crispy wonton wrapped ahi poke balls, avocado and wasabi sauce.  These very large manifestations featured crunchy wonton "needles".  Inside the main pocket was fully cooked ahi tuna that resembled the texture of ground pork.  It was full-flavored with white onion, green onion and wasabi.  This was a filling, if not unrefined dish.  She found it a bit clumsy to eat as well.

For her entree, she went for the Surf n' Turf featuring Misoyaki Farm-raised tilapia, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, unagi short rib roulade. The whole dish could be summed up in one word - sweet.  Yes, there was a lot of sugar going around.  With that being said, there was also a lot of good things going on too.  Although tilapia can often be mushy, this one was expertly prepared with some flakiness.  With sweet caramelization, the foie was buttery and properly prepped.  Finally, the roulade featured melt-in-our-mouth tender short ribs spiked with sweet unagi.

As mentioned, my son had the half-portion of the Short Ribs which was prepared a bit differently than mine.  It did not have the accompanying salsa.  Also, there was a single grilled prawn topped with the same ginger scallion condiment as my snapper.  As mentioned, he dusted this off with his side of rice.  For my daughter, she had something less adventurous (yah, go figure) and had the Buttery Noodles.  Despite being a kid's dish, the pasta was al dente while being quite mild.  I would've liked to see more salt added, but she ate it happily anyways.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Alan Wong's even though some of the items were a bit too sweet.  Would I say it is a must-visit in Honolulu?  Depends on your mood for spending money...  

The Good:
- Enjoyable eats
- Outstanding service
- Casual, yet elegant

The Bad:
- Some items too sweet
- Enjoyable, but not outstanding
- Pricey