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With the kids nixing the plan for heading up to Haleakala, we never made it out to T. Komodo Bakery and Store. It was supposed to be a stop along the way, so we could pick up some items for breaky. Viv and I had been up to the crater before, so it wasn’t a priority that we endure 3 hour round-trip. However, the thought of missing out on guava malasadas kept me up all night aboard the Pride of America. So much so, I just went ahead by myself early in the morning to pick up some items.
I did end up with 3 of the aforementioned Guava Malasadas and oh yeah, they lived up to the hype. Small and compact, these two bite gems (one bite for some) were soft, and only purposefully sweet. With an aromatic guava filling that was easy on the sugar, the whole thing was balanced. I really liked these and wished I had bought more! I also enjoyed their Cream Puffs filled with custard (and the second one was chocolate). The choux pastry was light, moist while still airy and slightly crispy. Inside, the custard was not very sweet which made it pleasant to eat.
For my son, I got him the Donut Stick with 4 mini-donuts squashed onto a skewer. These were remarkably light and airy while only sweet from the even amount of glaze. What set this apart was the portion between each donut, as it was not glazed and pillowy soft. With the same yeast dough, the Strawberry Jelly Donut was equally good. Again, the filling wasn't too sweet, so that the glaze could do its thing. So as you can appreciate, the stuff at T. Komoda wasn't exactly complex. However, everything that I got was on point and enjoyable. It was worth the 20-minute drive both ways to get it.
The Good:
- Stuff was delicate, not heavy
- Not overly sweet
- Guava malasada, enough said
The Bad:
- Go early, things can run out
- Selection is surprisingly limited, but okay given the quality
Unlike the rental car shuttle debacle at the Hilo cruise ship dock, we woke up extra early to find that everything was much more organized at Kahului. Once on our way, we chose to visit a dive named Tasty Crust on Mill Road in Wakuluku. Well, the reason for this was partly due to their claim of world famous pancakes and also because my friend who is from Maui suggested it. Hey, you gotta trust the locals right? As we pulled into the parking lot, there were more than a few rental cars. I guess the tourists come there too...
Now, the kids were in the mood for breakfast, but for Viv and I, we were more interested with the lunch items. Fortunately, they serve the whole menu all the time. As a result, I ended up with the Saimin with Vegetables, which wasn’t really that strange for breakfast since that is what many do in Asia (and I do at home). As much as the pork broth was flavorful in a non-salty manner, the ample noodles were a touch too soft for my liking. The frozen veggies did what they were supposed to do while the chashu was meaty and a bit salty. Viv went all out and had the Short Ribs with rice and mac salad for her first meal of the day. The large pieces of meat were relatively tender while aggressively marinated in sweet soy. They were nicely charred and smoky.
For the kiddies, they went the conventional route and had the Breakfast with 2 eggs, sausage, bacon, Spam and toast. This was pretty standard stuff with scrambled eggs that were a bit too done for my liking. The sausage and Spam were on point, but the fatty bacon could’ve been crispier. But really, all these items were only a distraction from the main reason we were here – the Pancakes. Okay, I gotta admit that these were pretty darn good. Large, thick and completely fluffy, the pancakes were really easy to eat. In fact, they tasted good on their own, with a bit of butter. So was it worth the drive out to Tasty Crust? For the pancakes, yes. The other stuff was pretty standard, nothing to write home about.
The Good:
- Fluffy pancakes
- Cheap
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- Other food was average
- A/C kinda weak
Posts
With the kids nixing the plan for heading up to Haleakala, we never made it out to T. Komodo Bakery and Store. It was supposed to be a stop along the way, so we could pick up some items for breaky. Viv and I had been up to the crater before, so it wasn’t a priority that we endure 3 hour round-trip. However, the thought of missing out on guava malasadas kept me up all night aboard the Pride of America. So much so, I just went ahead by myself early in the morning to pick up some items.
I did end up with 3 of the aforementioned Guava Malasadas and oh yeah, they lived up to the hype. Small and compact, these two bite gems (one bite for some) were soft, and only purposefully sweet. With an aromatic guava filling that was easy on the sugar, the whole thing was balanced. I really liked these and wished I had bought more! I also enjoyed their Cream Puffs filled with custard (and the second one was chocolate). The choux pastry was light, moist while still airy and slightly crispy. Inside, the custard was not very sweet which made it pleasant to eat. 
For my son, I got him the Donut Stick with 4 mini-donuts squashed onto a skewer. These were remarkably light and airy while only sweet from the even amount of glaze. What set this apart was the portion between each donut, as it was not glazed and pillowy soft. With the same yeast dough, the Strawberry Jelly Donut was equally good. Again, the filling wasn't too sweet, so that the glaze could do its thing. So as you can appreciate, the stuff at T. Komoda wasn't exactly complex. However, everything that I got was on point and enjoyable. It was worth the 20-minute drive both ways to get it.
