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

Musubi Cafe Iyasume

Here is the scenario: it was 8:30am in the morning and my daughter exclaimed she was hungry.  What to do?  Head down to ABC and grab some yogurt and fruit?  How about visiting the adjacent McD's for their breakfast with pineapple?  No, none of those options sounded that interesting.  What could I get for her and also my son (who is super picky) for a quick breaky before we picked up our rental car?  Solution: walk up 3 short blocks to Musubi Cafe Iyasume.  Reason: the stuff was cheap and the kids would love them (including my son).

Naturally, we had to try the basic Spam Musubi as a baseline for all the other variations.  As much as some might thing a musubi is a simple item that can be easily made at home, they are partly right.  Yes, anyone can make one, but would it be any good?  The Spam is pretty much standard, but having it seared up did increase the aroma.  It wasn't overdone though as it retained its fatty moist texture.  Also, the most important part was the sushi rice.  This one was on point being chewy while not dry.  Adding a piece of tamago to it rendered the Spam & Egg Musubi.  Other than adding a certain fluffiness, the egg brought down the saltiness even further.

That was not the case with the Bacon, Egg and Spam Musubi though. For me, the addition of bacon (which was not crispy due to being wrapped in saran) only compounded the saltiness.  But what do I know because my son gobbled it up seaweed and all.  Other than the musubis, I decided to try 2 of their Rice Balls with one salmon mayo and one chicken mayo.  Other than a slight textural variation, both of these were very similar with chewy seasoned rice and dry mealy meat.  I was indifferent with them because I found them bland and uninteresting compared to the musubis.  However, with the low prices and accessibility of their products, there is not much to dislike about Musubi Cafe.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Well-executed musubis

The Bad:
- Not sure about the rice balls

Giovanni's, Matsumoto and Hawaiian Island Xtreme

To some, this post represents 2 of the most overdone and over-hyped tourist food attractions on the island of Oahu.  I don't deny this and in fact, whole-heartedly agree.  Personally, I would've tried other places since I've been to both Giovanni's and Matsumoto on my last visit to Hawaii.  But with the kids around, we thought they needed to experience them as well.  So after lunch at Mike's Huli Huli Chicken, we continued driving towards the North Shore.

Our first stop was Giovanni's Shrimp Truck which was super busy.  Man, we had not visited the place since 2003 and let's just say that they have gotten even more popular.  I went for the standard Shrimp Scampi marinated in olive oil, fresh chopped garlic and lemon butter.  Okay, I'm going to say something that might offend some people, but Viv and I thought the version at Mike's Huli Huli Chicken was better.  The one at Giovanni's was a bit overdone and the caramelized garlic was sweet and aromatic, but was missing the pungency of the one at Mike's.  With that being said, it was still addictively tasty.

While at Giovanni's, we noticed Hawaiian Island Xtreme and their Ice Cold Coconut.  Although it was a hefty $6.00, we thought it was well worth the cost.  Partly because we were thirsty and mostly because the chilled drink was sweet and refreshing.  It was a bit unusually sugary and we wondered if there was anything added to it.  Whatever the case, we enjoyed it to the end partly because it was so humid and secondly we needed something refreshing to down the garlicky shrimp.

Next stop was the ever-popular Matsumoto Shave Ice out in Haleiwa, also in the pouring rain. To our surprise, they were renovating the ol' store into something more modern.  We had to head around the corner to join the long lineup.  We ended up with a small Shave Ice with raspberry, cherry and grape flavours.  With these basic fruit syrups, it was expectedly sweet and really didn't taste like the real fruit.  Furthermore, the ice itself was somewhat gritty and not as soft as we would've liked. The kiddies loved it though, so what do we know.  Other than the Dole Whip (which we didn't have when at the Dole Plantation), the shrimp and shaved ice are some of the obvious tourist destinations in Oahu (that is not located in Honolulu).  So there, we did it, now onto less touristy eats...

Mike's Huli Huli Chicken

Call it the curse of the Triple-D's or my daughter's obsession with the Food Network, but we made the drive out to Mike's Huli Huli Chicken out in Kaneohe.  Could it be that good that it made Guy Fieri salivate?  Or is it another one of those over-hyped places that all tourists flock to?  I guess that was another determining factor in our planned visit.  Well, Mother Nature didn't seem to agree with us as the skies opened up and almost made it Mike's rain-soaked chicken.

Of course, our first dish was the Quarter Chicken Plate with green salad and rice.  Being the namesake of the place, there was a lot riding on the broiled chicken leg.  In actuality, it was pretty good as the meat was brined which resulted in succulent and well-seasoned chicken.  The skin was nicely rendered and spiced which meant no other sauces were needed (but the side of hot sauce was provided).  Did it blow my mind?  No, but it was still very good.  Now we couldn't say the same for the 2 Pork Combo consisting of char sui and Kalua pork.  The char sui was disappointing as it was dry where some pieces were tough and chewy.  It was rather one-note too as it was predominantly sweet.  The Kalua pork was better, however, it was dry as well.

Our last plate was the Ahi Tuna and Garlic Shrimp with mac salad and garlic butter rice.  Although fully-cooked, the tuna was not terribly dry.  It was adequately seasoned where there was nice acidity to go with the savoriness.  Surprisingly, the best thing we had was the shrimp as they were large and beautifully prepared.  The barely cooked shrimp exhibited a buttery snap while drowning in an addictive fresh garlic butter.  Although sometimes considered an afterthought, the side of mac salad was on point with firm noodles mixed with just enough creamy dressing.  So was Mike's a tourist trap?  I would say no.  The food was decent enough including the surprisingly on point shrimp.

The Good:
- Generally pleasant-to-eat food
- Nice people
- It's got that weird location thing going for it

The Bad:
- BBQ Pork was universally disliked

Duke's Waikiki (Barefoot Bar)

With an evening flight to Honolulu that would include a 3-hour time change, our dinner schedule was in disarray.  Sure, we could've purchased food on board the Air Canada jet, but that didn't really interest us.  So we got some eats prior to boarding and planned to hit up Duke's in the Outrigger Hotel once we arrived.  We had visited Duke's the last time we were in Honolulu and we wanted to reminisce (when we didn't have any kids and life was so carefree!).   Making the short walk from the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel, we decided to head to the Barefoot Bar side of the Duke's because we were hungry but not that hungry.

Things began with an order of their Calamari coated with crispy panko, lemon caper aioli and tropical cocktail sauce.  As much as the dish didn't look that impressive, the squid was money.  Each piece was buttery and tender while still maintaining a chew.  As mentioned, the coating was perfect being firmly crispy while not greasy.  For me, I thought the aioli was a better match for the calamari as it was creamy with a tart finish.  My son wasn't too lively at this point and merely chose the kid's Chicken Strips with some fruit (not for him, but for my daughter).  These were also prepared nicely with tender and moist breast meat coated with a crispy batter.  Again, it wasn't greasy and it was seasoned enough to stand on its own without the ranch dip.

Viv and I shared 2 items including the Cajun Fish Tacos with flour tortillas, tomatillo sauce, guacamole, pico de gallo and fresh chips.  Although a bit too done for our liking, the fish was seasoned well as it was savoury and a bit spicy.  We thought the gauc and salsa were a bit weak.  The best item of the meal was the Kulua Pork Sandwich with BBQ & tomatillo sauces, watercress, tomato and red onions on Hawaiian sweet bread.  The massive mound of pork was super tender and buttery moist.  The combination of sauces added a good balance of sweetness and slight spiciness.  Although it started to fall apart, the soft sweet bun was a nice match for the pork. Even though we only sampled 4 dishes, it was pretty evident they know what they are doing at Duke's.  I've been twice in the past and yes it's been awhile, but I've never had a bad experience.

The Good:
- Spectacular location and view
- Well-prepared eats
- Lively atmosphere

The Bad:
- Super busy
- As much as it is not expensive for Waikiki, it's still not cheap

Tasting Plates Downtown South (Presented by Vanfoodster)

Boy, I can barely remember the last Tasting Plates I attended.  In fact, I think it was with Miss Y.  Well, I guess it was destined that Miss Y would accompany me to the Tasting Plates, Downtown South edition.  For those who have forgot (or have never heard of such a thing), Tasting Plates involves visiting an array of restaurants and establishments sampling a few items at a time.  Depending on the destination, service and/or the food (in terms of quality and quantity), there is the potential for patrons to revisit.

For our first stop at C-Prime, Miss Y and I were wondering about the aforementioned criteria.  Nothing particularly wrong with the food, but they didn't seem prepared as the service seemed confused and we weren't even supplied a knife.  Now back to the food, we were served a CAB Striploin Fiorentina topped with arugula and Parm.  A mini-Twice Baked Potato completed the plate.  Prepared rare, the meat was fairly tender and succulent, but hard to eat without a knife.  I liked the savoury baked mashed potato topping as the exterior was appealingly crispy.  Strangely, our next stop at Los Amigos Taqueria didn't serve up any tacos.  Rather, we had Churros filled with Nutella and dulce de leche accompanied by a side of chocolate ganahe and Atole.  Crunchy and sweet, the churros were mostly sweet due to the sugar rather than the fillings.  As such, it made the atole rather mild in comparison with only an aromatic sweetness.

Taking a stroll down Davie, we visited Truffles Fine Foods Cafe where we were presented with a plate consisting of Chicken Rillette with plum brulee and nutmeg foam, Moroccan-Style Lamb Pop with mint cucumber raita and bell puri garnish, and Seared Tuna Tataki with citrus kombucha, orange segment and taro root crumb.  The best thing on the plate hands-down was the lamb.  It was prepared masterfully where it was medium-rare and melt-in-our-mouths tender.  The puri garnish provided a nice crunch while the raita added a creamy brightness.  I found the tuna tataki to be pleasant texturally with a butteriness accented by a crunch.  There was a background acidity which didn't overwhelm.  As much as I enjoyed the flavour of the rillette, it was a bit dry and hard to eat off the spoon.

From there, we moved onto the nearby Saj & Co where there was a lineup out-the-door.  After nearly 1.5 hours, we figured out why.  The owner is so passionate about his food, everything was made to order, even the hummus!  Also, they served up not one plate of food, but two!  The first one consisted of Tabboule, Kale Mottabal and Hummus.  Bright and fresh, this was one of the must acidic tabboule salads I've ever had.  For me, I loved the zing, so it worked.  On that note, the kale mottabal was also very tart ensuring a high level of impact on my taste buds.  A little lower on the acidity scale, the smooth hummus was nicely seasoned.  Next up was a portion of Anton the Great and The Green Balila. Freshly constructed and consisting of zaatar paste, roasted kale, tomato, cucumber, pomegranate molasses, fresh mint and hummus, the concoction hit all of our tastebuds with a nice array of savoury, sweet, tangy and umami.

Heading deep into Yaletown, we hit up Bella Gelateria for a plate that included a "G" Sundae with whiskey fudge, strawberry pochee and fior di latte, Genoa Pizza with a pesto base, onion, Prosciutto crudo, cherry tomato and fior di latte, Beet Risotto and Caprese Salad.  The best thing on the plate was the pizza as the crust was crispy, chewy and well-seasoned.  The aromatic pesto gave way to the salty prosciutto that was tempered by the tart tomato.  I wasn't a huge fan of the risotto as it was undercooked and too mild.  However, the sundae ended things off well with a creaminess intermittently spiked with a boozy fudge and semi-sweet strawberry.  

Our last stop was at Ganache Patisserie where we were treated to a plate that included Cacao et Earl Grey, Cassis et Matcha, Chocolate Sable Breton, Canneles de Bourdeaux and Bijoux au Chocola Framboise.  With a sweet earl grey buttercream top layer, the cacao et earl grey was nicely balanced by the sour cherries.  I found the cassis et matcha to be light and airy with a dominant matcha taste.  However, the blackberries did temper the overall sweetness.  Since the cannele was small in size, the exterior was extra firm and crunchy.  Also firm, the chocolate ate with a snap exhibiting crunchy bits throughout and was not overly sweet.  Lastly, the cookies were light, crunchy and mildly-sweet.

*All food and drinks were complimentary*

The Good:
- Overall a good lineup of restaurants
- Fairly walkable
- Enough food

The Bad:
- Long wait at Saj & Co.
- Not sure about the churro at Los Amigos

Cafe Il Nido

Sometimes it is easy for us to forget about the restaurants that have seemingly been around forever.  With the latest and greatest hogging all the social media buzz, I tend to get restaurant ADD.  My head is literally on a swivel getting dizzy with the opening of new spots every week.  That is partly why it has taken me so long to actually do a post on Cafe Il Nido on Robson (also the fact it is completely hidden too).  It actually took an invite from Tangoo promoting their #FirstDateFever rewards where one gets a little something something just by flashing the Tangoo app on their mobile device.

We got all of our appies at once and after I took my photos (thank goodness everyone was patient with me!), I dug into the Polpettine bathed in tomato sauce and topped with grated pecorino cheese.  These were meaty and lean with enough moisture from being considered dry.  They were mildly seasoned, however, the tangy tomato sauce provided all the flavour the dish needed.  Next, I tried the Calamari sauteéd with jalapeno, Napoletana tomato sauce and topped with EVOO.  The squid rings were appealingly chewy while still tender to the teeth.  There was a definite spicy aftertaste from the jalapeno which really helped liven the zesty tomato sauce.

Onto the 24 month aged Prosciutto with cantaloupe melon, we were treated to some buttery smooth meat.  Yes, it was still chewy, but in a pleasing manner.  The meat was mildly salty exhibiting a definite richness.  The ripe melon added the necessary sweetness to balance out the taste.  Continuing on the flavour train, we had the Funghi sauteéd with garlic, scallions, thyme, jalapeno and lemon.  These were buttery and tender with the expected woodsiness.  Again, they were not shy with the seasoning as there was definitely enough salt which was complimented by the garlic and spiciness of the jalapeno.  The extra jolt of acidity from the lemon really helped keep things even.

Our one lighter option was the Caprese Salad with vine-ripened red and yellow tomatoes, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil, basil and arugula.  This featured fresh and bright tomatoes that were sandwiched in between large slices of soft fior di latte.  There was a very conservative amount of dressing which allowed for the ingredients to speak for themselves. On the other hand, I personally would've preferred more impact.

Moving onto the mains, I sampled the Risotto with asparagus, zucchini, Italian sausage and grated Parmesan cheese first.  Despite being slightly overdone, the rice still retained some chewiness.  There was definitely enough cheesiness to go around, yet the risotto was rather thick in consistency.  I enjoyed the meaty and spiciness of the sausage as well as the vibrant and not-overcooked veggies. Onto the Pesto Penne with green beans and potatoes, it occurred to me that I really enjoyed the little nuggets of potato.  They were soft, yet intact, where they soaked up all the aromatic pesto.  As for the penne, it was still toothsome while the green beans were still crunchy.

An interesting dish was the homemade gluten free potato Gnocchi with tomato sauce and ricotta salata.  Whenever I see gluten-free on the menu, my immediate reaction is "oh no".  But this was decent with a soft, albeit somewhat crumbly, texture.  The accompanying tomato sauce was fresh and tangy while smoothed out with the ricotta.  Moving onto some actual mains, we had the Capone di Mare or red snapper pan seared and baked, served with salsa verde.  Appearance-wise, the fish was nicely browned on the top and in fact crispy.  However, the fish was overcooked.  Flavours were nice though with a brightness accented by a touch of acidty.

Lastly, we shared the Vitello or veal breaded scaloppine served with Marsala mushroom sauce.  Although the breading was a touch thick, the veal itself was firmly tender and well-seasoned.  The mushroom sauce was creamy and Earthy with enough marsala to give it some body.  So the food was only one component of the meal because we were discussing how Tangoo could be a great way to find the ideal spot for a first date (or subsequent dates) where one could choose based on many factors (such as mood, class of restaurant and/or a good place for an ice-breaker).  Makes me wish I was single again...  Uh...  Viv you didn't just read that.

*All food excluding beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Cute little spot with a garden hidden right on Robson
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Decent but can be even better
- Pricey but it is Robson