Hawaii Eats Part I: Sushi Izakaya Gaku

I just recently came back from a mini vacation to beautiful Hawaii.  I love Hawaii for many reasons, many of which come from their delicious eats!  If anything is a reflection of Hawaii's diverse culture, it is the food.  In recent years, a strong Japanese influence has brought in a wave of izakayas -- Japanese food taverns -- that serve up a wide range of small plates.  In case you haven't noticed, I love the style of small plates (dim sum, mezze, tapas...) because I enjoy the whole communal feel and it gives the opportunity to try a little bit of everything!  Each izakaya has its own character and everyone seems to have their favorite.

I've only had the opportunity to try a few of the izakayas and my favorite at the moment is Sushi Izakaya Gaku.  This restaurant was suggested to me last year by multiple people.  It is one of the newest izakayas in the Honolulu scene and strays a bit away from the "traditional."  The chef/owner (who was behind the sushi bar when we were here!), Manabu Kikuchi, was a chef for 10 years at the popular izakaya, Imanas Tei -- enlisting his close friends, he opened up Gaku bringing his fresh flavors and fresh take on the izakayas.

Honestly, Gaku is one of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time -- in and outside of Hawaii. The food is simple, yet creative and memorable. So, I was thinking of just giving my favorite food highlights, but it is just so hard to choose! So here is a whirlwind tour of our meal :)

Hamachi Tartare with Nori Wrappers: This will forever be one of my go-tos. I had it the first time I came to Gaku and had to have it again. The slightly spicy flavor of the hamachi tartare with its soft texture matches perfectly with the crunchy thin sheets of seaweed wrappers.

O-Toro and Uni Sashimi: The o-toro here (fatty tuna) is simply melt in your mouth fresh (top).  The uni (sea urchin) sashimi is my mom's favorite dish -- creamy and slightly sweet -- presented in a shell.

Kumamoto Oysters: Our wonderful waiter suggested this special to us.  Each day, Gaku has a lengthy list of specials to choose from (hurrah for more selection!).  These were delicious -- topped with scallions and ponzu sauce, they were briny, savory, and umami-licious.

Beef Croquettes: These were also on the "specials" menu.  These croquettes are a mix of mashed potatoes and beef, coated in panko, and deep fried.  At first, I found the croquettes to be fairly bland... but then, I tried the sauces that they accompanied them and they were TRANSFORMED.  I know, it sounds crazy.  But the use of that miso based sauce just woke up all my taste buds and brought out all the different flavors in the croquette.  Drooling now thinking about that sauce...

Salmon Skin Hand Roll: This was my dad's salmon skin hand roll.  This is one of his favorite items to get at any Japanese restaurant -- and he wasn't disappointed here.  He said that the skin was incredibly crisp and did not have too much salmon meat hanging on the skin that often makes the skin soggy in other rolls.

Grilled Whole Moi: OMG.  This dish was FANTASTIC.  We had originally ordered the miso butterfish, but as it turned out, they were out of butterfish that day (which in retrospect was a blessing in disguise), so our waiter suggested the moi to us.  Once the fish of Hawaiian kings, moi is a popular Hawaiian fish -- moist, white, and flaky -- and I don't recall another preparation of moi that was this delicious.  The skin was crispy and had that deep flavor that comes from grilling.  The meat was light and flaky, yet flavorful.  Definitely would get this again in a heartbeat.

Sushi!: Of course, we had to get sushi while we were here.  Here we have the seared gold eye snapper, tuna, and scallops.  We got the gold eye snapper on a whim, and it was my favorite.  The slight searing brought out the best flavors in the fish.

Monkfish Liver: As they say, the "foie gras of the sea."  This was definitely a highlight of the dinner for my mom.  She devoured the little dish -- and agreed, it tasted just like foie gras.  Very smooth and flavorful.

Azuki Beans with Mochi Balls: Here is the first of our two desserts -- the lightly sweet azuki (red) beans surrounding chewy, soft mochi balls.  We got this every time we've been to Gaku and love the light flavors. 

 

Vanilla Ice Cream with Pomegranate Jelly: Originally, the special of the day was vanilla ice cream with blueberry... I was intrigued.  But sadly, they had already ran out of this special!  Our waiter though said he could have them whip up the same dish but with POMEGRANATE.  I immediately perked up and actually told him that that would be even better.  (How I heart pomegranate...).  And this was the perfect refreshing dish to end the meal.  I didn't realize that the pomegranate-ness would be coming in jelly form, but the jelly with the vanilla ice cream was a delectable mixture of creamy and fruity. 
Outside of the food, the standout for me is the service. The service is beyond friendly and helpful (the aloha spirit is alive and well!). And although this may have been just happenstance, our waiter actually remembered my family even though we hadn't been back in months. The feel when you walk in is immediately one of ... home. They go out of their way to make you feel at home in this small restaurant and there's a feeling of comraderie from the staff, the regulars, and even new diners like my family.

I definitely recommend Gaku to anyone visiting Oahu.  It's a place that really has something for every set of taste buds.  Be sure to make reservations though.  The restaurant is pretty small, and although they try to accommodate walk-ins, sometimes it just isn't possible.  (And on a sidenote tip, there is a small (i.e. approx 6 car) parking lot behind the restaurant where you can park -- spots disappear quickly and they are quite tight, but a great option as opposed to busy King Street.)  And if you do go, let me know what you thought and what you had!  With the ever revolving door of specials, I wish I could go back all the time, just to see and taste the chef's newest creations!

Sushi Izakaya Gaku
1329 S. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 589-1329

MY TOP 10 DISHES - Happy Blog-versary!

In celebration of my one-year blogersary (anniversary?), I put together a compilation of my favorite dishes from this past year. Call it, my greatest hits. Call it, my best bites. Whatever you want to call it, I hope you enjoy them visually as much as I enjoyed eating them. (I also took a few liberties with this, lol... I started my blog in September 2008, but have included here dishes starting from May 2008, when I got married :) Gotta include those memories!). Cheers!

In chronological order - MY TOP 10 (+ one) DISHES OF THE PAST YEAR!

(1) My Wedding Cake
As one of the most memorable and important days in a girl's life, my wedding meal was a definitely a meal to remember. But the cake itself was amazing. We enjoyed a slice at the wedding, enjoyed slices of the cake after the wedding (they placed slices up in our room!), and then a year later, we pulled the top tier of the cake out of the fridge (that we had carefully wrapped per our cake maker's instructions) and celebrated our first year together with bites of our cake (which was still delicious!!). Our cake was two different sets of flavors -- two tiers were vanilla cake with passion fruit mousse and the other two tiers were chocolate chambord -- chocolate cake with raspberry mousse and chocolate ganache. Amazing, just like our wedding :)



(2) Malassadas
For the first part of our honeymoon, we went to beautiful Hawaii. One of the places that my family frequents when we visit Hawaii is Leonard's, so I had to take Mr. J there for breakfast (nearly every morning). Our favorite thing are the malassadas -- basically Portuguese donuts. Deep fried fresh by order, my favorites are filled with various tropical fruit custards. Lilikoi, mango, pineapple...mmm.

(3) Alan Wong's Soup and Sandwich
This past year, I was fortunate enough to have this dish TWICE. The first time was over our honeymoon as well. Alan Wong's is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the entire world. Located on Oahu in a non-descript building, Alan Wong's serves up delicious Hawaiian regional cuisine along with some of the best service. This is their "soup and sandwich" combo, served with their 5-course dinner. Chilled Vine Ripened Hamakua Springs Tomato Soup with Grilled Mozzarella Cheese, Foie Gras, Kalua Pig Sandwich. Wish I had one right now...

(4) Fresh Seafood on Morro Branco Beach, Brazil
This past September, I visited Brazil for the first time with my family. One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Morro Branco, a town/beach about 2.5 hours from Fortaleza, Brazil (for more details, see here!). The beach is known for its amazing sand cliffs... and should also be known for their seafood, right on the beach. The seafood was incredibly fresh... and CHEAP. We ate up this seafood platter with fried whole fish, prawns, lobster... and another plate of prawns. This couldn't be beat -- literally feet from the ocean, feet in the sand.


(5) Grilled Oysters at the Maryland Oyster Festival
Every year during the third weekend of October, oyster lovers come to Leonardtown, Maryland, for the annual Maryland Oyster Festival. This past year was our first year going (read more here!). The weather was gorgeous, perfect for a day at a festival. And oh my, oysters as far as the eye could see, cooked up in any way that you preferred. My favorites were these grilled oysters -- I never had grilled oysters before, but the taste was both fresh and smoky, with loads of garlic and a bit of hot sauce. Delish.

(6) The "Cheesesteak" at Jose Andres's Minibar
For my birthday this year, my family and Mr. J took me to MINIBAR, Jose Andres's version of El Bulli, and a fabulously whimsical adventure of food. I had been wanting to go for ages and we made this the year to go! I certainly owe everyone a full entry on my Minibar dinner. This was one of my favorite bites of the night -- the "cheesesteak" with barely charred slices of beef atop a mini hollow "baguette" that was filled with delicious cheese.

(7) Ginger Ale at the Kapiolani Farmers Market
One of our favorite places to frequent in Hawaii is the Farmers Market held at the community college on Oahu every Saturday. Their options for tasty dishes are endless, but one thing I keep coming back to is the FRESH GINGER ALE. This tropical drink is made to order by Pacfikool -- fresh ginger with pineapple... or lilikoi... This day was especially warm, and I remember clearly waiting with the growing crowd for my ginger ales. Definitely worth the wait. This is my dad holding the drink.


(8) The pork slider at Side Street Inn
I definitely owe everyone some entries about all my food eating this year in Hawaii. When we went in May, I tried all sorts of places I hadn't been to before. One of these places was Side Street Inn. My parents had been before and I had heard of it before as, of course, the local after hours hangout for the famous chefs in the area. I also remembered seeing it on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations." So my parents made it a point to take me there this trip. We got there on the early side to ensure little waiting. My parents had already picked out things they wanted to get again from the last time they were there, but this one dish caught our eye that wasn't on the menu before. The PORK SLIDERS. And...they...were...drool. Sandwiched in the buns that you would often get with Peking duck was moist shredded Kalua pork, with a slightly sweet sauce and a slice of pineapple. The flavors melded together into this fusion of sweet, salty, smoky, and just plain deliciousness.


(9) Negihama Tartare at Sushi Izakaya Gaku
After hearing much talk from my Hawaiian foodie friends about Sushi Izakaya Gaku, we also made sure to eat here while in Oahu. We wanted to try a number of the izakayas that have sprung up around Oahu (see my friend Steph's Where in the World Wednesday about Japan for more info on izakayas...) and this was at the top of my list. We quickly understood why Sushi Izakaya Gaku had such a following. The food was fresh, inventive, and memorable. The service was wonderful -- friendly, attentive, but not overbearing... and with a touch of aloha :) This was one of my favorite dishes (although hard to choose!) -- the negihama tartare -- a mix of finely chopped fish, mayonnaise, sambal, sesame oil, and a secret ingredient :) It is topped with tobiko and a quail egg. On the side, you're served sheets of seaweed/nori -- we took dollops of the fish and placed on sheets of seaweed, wrapped it up like a very mini burrito, and as you bite through the crunch, you experience a mix of flavors and creaminess.

(10) Uni at Sushi Izakaya Gaku
Also at Sushi Izakaya Gaku, I had my first experience with UNI. My mom is officially obsessed with uni and tries it almost any time a restaurant serves it to see how it measures up with past experiences. She took one bite of this uni and that day and since then, she has continued to say that this was the best uni she ever had. So of course, I had to try it. The uni (sea urchin) was completely different from what I expected. It has a custardy consistency and is sweet, salty, and incredibly delicate in flavor. Since then, I've tried it multiple times, and have been pleased with what I've had ... but I agree that they don't measure up to the uni at Sushi Izakaya Gaku.

(11) Homemade Barefoot Contessa Brownies
Finally, I was looking through my pictures of food from this past year, and was like, well, there must be something that I made that would make this list? I've cooked up quite a few dishes over the past year and although most of them were good, I wouldn' t rank them in the best of the year. Except for these. These brownies were ... simply the best brownies I've ever had. They were made as part of Barefoot Bloggers, a group that shares a mutual love for the Barefoot Contessa and cooks up two of her recipes every month. For the recipe and more info, see here! This was the first time I ever made brownies from scratch and I would use this recipe every time in the future. I brought them in to my office to share (so I wouldn't eat them ALL), and they were devoured within an hour. If you're ever in need for a chocolate overload, this is your ticket.

So there it is! I hope that you enjoyed the dishes... this was fun to go back and think about my food experiences from this past year. Needless to say, there were many dishes that were fantastic, but didn't make the list. I'm sure there are many that I didn't take pictures of, so they are somewhere in the recesses of my memory and will surface in the next few days. Many of my most memorable dishes also came from vacations and trips -- other meals that stood out were dinner at Gordon Ramsey's and Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza in LA. There were certainly memorable dishes that took place here in DC... and I certainly eat out my fair share in DC :) In particular, I discovered and heart the strawberry cupcakes at Baked & Wired, can't get enough of the chocolate ganache cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake, my recent discovery of Fojol Brothers food truck, my first time at Amsterdam Falafel... There are those places that I always go back to and this year, I'll make a more concerted effort to keep track of the dishes as they stand out to me. Here's to another year of good eats, good travels, and good times.

ALOHA HAWAII! - In search of restaurant reccs!

In case you didn't know, I love Hawaii ... in fact, it is on my list of places that I would one day like to move to. That's not particularly feasible at the moment, so as the next best thing, I try to make it to Hawaii as often as possible. I'm happy to report that a trip is on tap for this year and was hoping for some restaurant recommendations for Oahu.

I've tried out a variety of places over the years... I have a soft spot in my heart for Alan Wong's restaurants so we definitely plan to go to his King Street restaurant one of the nights we are there. On our list to try this time also include Sushi Izakaya Gaku and Side Street Inn.

We're open to all types of food and would particularly love any hole-in-the-wall or new restaurant suggestions!

Ahhhhh, can't wait. Would like to go now! Thanks :)

On the fourth day of Hawaii... dinner at Alan Wong's!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

On the fourth day of Hawaii and on this very cheery day, my true love gave to me... dinner at Alan Wong's! I know, a double dose of Alan Wong's but I couldn't help myself.

On a sidenote, I had emailed Alan Wong to ask him a little bit about his favorite holiday traditions -- and to my delight, I heard back! Here's what he said:

"I actually like to eat traditional roast turkey on Christmas, just because it's a tradition. It reminds me of home-cooked meals with family in a festive atmosphere. I actually like the taste of turkey with gravy and rice. My favorite holiday tradition would be to spend some time with my mom and eat her deliciously prepared food. She usually prepares Japanese food, especially at New Years, but her American food is great too!"

Thank you Chef Wong!

As for the dinner at Alan Wong's Restaurant, here is the Christmas Dinner Menu:

Alan Wong's Christmas Menu:

AMUSE BOUCHE
Araimo Potato Croquette with Sevruga Caviar

FIRST COURSE
Choice of One:
“Oxtail Soup”: Braised Oxtail Terrine, Peanuts, Ginger & Grated Mochi
“Scallop Dumpling”: “Superior” Broth, Spinach & Shiitake Mushrooms

SECOND COURSE
Seared Ahi with Edamame Mousse, Soy Calamansi Sauce

THIRD COURSE
Butter Poached Lobster with Lobster Sausage, Miso Mustard Vinaigrette, Tokyo Negi Sauerkraut

CHOICE OF ONE ENTRÉE
Ginger Crusted Onaga with Organically Grown Hamakua Mushrooms, Corn, Miso Sesame Vinaigrette

Maui Cattle Company Beef Tenderloin with Black Pepper Coconut Sauce, Hamakua Mushrooms, Swiss Chard & Baby Beets

Smoked Kurobuta Pork Chop with Braised Red Cabbage, Foie Gras Bread Dumpling, Ohelo Cranberry Sauce

Red Wine Braised Duck “Sauerbraten” Style with Spice Roasted Pumpkin, Gobo, Hasu & Carrot

Japanese Wagyu Beef with Nagaimo Potato, Pickled Vegetables & Calamansi Lime(Supplemental Charge of $30.00)

CHOICE OF ONE DESSERT
“Chocolate Wishes”: Waialua Chocolate Chestnut Cake, Eggnog Truffles,Chocolate Sorbet and Candied Chestnuts

“Caramel Dipped Apple”: Ohelo Berry Fruit Cake, House Made Hot Apple Ciderwith Green Shiso Kanten, Macadamia Nut Praline Ice Cream

YUM!

Eating Local -- Kapiolani Farmers' Market

On the third day of Hawaii, my true love gave to me...

One of our favorite things to do while traveling is to make a stop at the local farmers market, to search for local crafts, tropical flowers, and more so, local eats. Hawaii, blessed with rich volcanic soil and a tropical climate mixing brilliantly sunny days and warm rains, offers so much to see and eat at their farmers' markets. What I love is trying all the produce and agriculture that I can't find at home.

Our favorite market to go to in Oahu is the Diamond Head Saturday Farmers' Market at Kapiolani Community College. The market is sponsored by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at the KCC. Located up near Diamond Head, the Saturday Farmers' Market runs from 7:30 am to 11:00 am. It's best to get in early, as that the parking lot fills up quickly, and the best picks of the day disappear. That said, still come regardless of what time -- we've visited at all hours and still found plenty to fill our bellies and our suitcases.

When you enter, you'll receive a "TIP SHEET" for the day pointing you to the day's specials and also a list of all the day's vendors. This past Saturday's specials include: Breakfast cooked up by Grandma G, the Wailea Agircultural Group's Hawaiian hearts of palm, avocados, and fresh nutmeg, Gourmet Island's Hamakua mushrooms, and Big Island Bees' local honey products. After purusing the Tip Sheet, just enjoy your morning wandering through the stalls, picking up free samples, chat with local farmers and eaters, and pick out your favorite treats.

The range in items is incredible -- Kona coffee, braising greens, tatsoi, lowfat fruitcake with gogi berries, mango, pumpkin, and pecan oatcakes, sea asparagus, holiday music, fresh roasted Kahuku corn (mmm), marinated fresh seafood, Waialua Big Wave Tomatoes, pineapple and macadamia nut cakes, fresh strawberry mochi, jams, jellies, salad dressings, Maui kaki (persimmon), bok choy, papayas, roses, orchids, hibiscus plants... and that's only "Row A."

Some of my favorite places include:

PacifiKool: Fresh Island Ginger Ale
Two Hot Tomatoes: fried green tomatoes, sweet Maui onion rings
North Shore Cattle Co: naturally raised hormone free beef from Haleiwa (North Shore), all beef Portuguese and andouille sausages

What better way to explore a new (or an old favorite) place than visiting their farmers markets?

Cheers!

On the second day of Hawaii, my true love gave to me... malasadas!

On the second day of Hawaii, my true love gave to me... malasadas!

My family and I had traveled to Hawaii for years before discovering the magical breakfast item known as the malasada. If you haven't heard of it, then you're in for a real treat (and a new love in your life). A malasada is essentially a Portuguese donut. Not to be confused with the ubiquitous Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kremes (which don't get me wrong, I love those donuts too... I mean, we specifically drove to Portland from Hood River to eat at Voodoo Donut... but that's a story for another time), malasadas are served piping hot and somehow manage to be airy and doughy at the same time.

Malasadas were first made by inhabitants of Sao Miguel Island in the Azores. Deep-fried in oil and coated with sugar, they were traditionally made to use up all the "bad stuff" (fat and sugar!) in the house before Lent. They're often eaten on Mardi Gras -- Mardi Gras is also "Malasada Day" in Hawaii.

I don't even recall exactly how we came across the malasada, but all I do know is that every time we are in Oahu now, we find ourselves promptly on the doorstep of Leonard's Bakery at 933 Kapahulu Avenue. The lines are often long, but they move quickly...and are worth it. Step up to the counter, contemplate to yourself -- sugared or cinnamon? Filling or no filling? Everyone has a personal favorite. My dad loves the traditional, plain sugared malasada. My mom could go for the cinnamon. Me, I love the fillings... I'm not a jelly-donut person, but there's something about those tropical cream fillings that Leonard's pipes into their malasadas that makes me want to come back every month to try a different filling. When last there, I had the mango filled malasada... I am awaiting to try the lilikoi (one of my favorite tropical fruits!) malasada. (I just heard from my parents who just came back from Hawaii that this month's "fillings" are strawberry and pumpkin... mmm, pumpkin).

We've tried other malasada bakeries around Oahu, but none of them quite live up to Leonard's. I'm sure it is just a personal preference, but all the other places were too doughy or too cakey or too yeasty. We've also tried to seek out malasadas elsewhere, widely doing google searches for malasada offerings nearby or in places we've visited. My dad eventually found a place in Los Angeles that occasionally will sell them (you have to call to make sure), but he was rather disappointed with the results. My parents tried to find them in Macau, thinking that these Portuguese donuts may be found in a former Portuguese colony. No luck. We tried to find them in Brazil, thinking again about the Portuguese history... although no "malasadas" were found, we did learn on the last day of a pastry called the "solhnos" (my spelling is probably quite off...).

In any case, I suppose I'll just have to go back to Hawaii. Darn.

On the first day of Hawaii, my true love gave to me...Alan Wong's!

In celebration of the holidays, I decided to do my own version of the "12 days of Christmas" as the "12 days of Hawaii" as that would be my ultimate Christmas gift (a trip... or rather an extended stay in Hawaii!). But, as always, as the holidays approached, life became busier, and my "12 days of Hawaii" have now shrunk to "5 days of Hawaii." Originally I was going to end this on Christmas Day, but figured why not add an extra day?

So, here is the kickoff! I can think of no better way to kick off my "5 days of Hawaii" than with an entry about my favorite restaurant in the world - Alan Wong's. I never thought I could pinpoint one particular restaurant as my favorite in the world, but after many repeat visits to Alan Wong's, I think I can safely say that I've found my number 1. Located on the third floor of non-descript building in Honolulu, from the moment you step into the restaurant, you feel welcomed. Perhaps it is the aloha spirit or just the "Wong Way," but you just know that it is going to be a good evening once you enter. I've yet to encounter an unfriendly staff member at Alan Wong's - from the hostesses to the servers, everyone is there to make you feel right at home.

I've also yet to encounter a restaurant where nearly everything on the menu makes my mouth water. I've done meals of solely appetizers -- a medley of Hawaiian/Asian flavors ("Hawaiian Regional Cuisine"), with sizeable portions where even just two appetizers satisfies your hunger (everyone seems to have their favorite -- mine is the "Chinatown Roast Duck Nacho," my dad's is the "Da Bag" -- steamed clams with kalua pig, shiitake mushrooms in a foil bag, and my mom's the "soup and sandwich" -- Foie Gras and Kalua Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/Yellow and Red Tomato Soup). I've done your typical three course meal.

And most recently, I've been coming back to the five course meal time and time again. The five course consists of:

• Appetizer Duo : the "Soup and Sandwich" and "Poki-Pines" (Crispy Won Ton Ahi Poke Balls on Avocado with Wasabi Sauce)


• Ginger Crusted Onaga with Organically Grown Hamakua Mushrooms and Corn, Miso Sesame Vinaigrette (My favorite dish at Alan Wong's, I love every ingredient in it!!)
  
• Butter Poached Kona Lobster with Nagaimo Potato Cake, Green Onion Oil


• Twice Cooked Shortrib, Soy Braised and Grilled "Kalbi" style with gingered shrimp and Ko Choo Jang Sauce
  
• Dessert Duet : Chocolate "Crunch Bars' (my favorite dessert -- for you Washingtonians, similar (but betterrr) than Michel Richard's Kit Kat bar) and Coconut Tapioca

We've celebrated many events at Alan Wong's from birthdays to anniversaries, and most recently, our honeymoon! It's such a small detail, but I loved the "Congratulations" dessert and the personalized copy of the menu, titled with our names and signed by all of the Alan Wong staff.

Maybe that's what I love so much about Alan Wong's -- all the little details that add up into an amazing experience. It's the chili aioli accompanying the warm bread. It's the smiling servers, happy to answer your questions. It's Chef Wong himself coming around to say hello to his guests and making them feel welcomed. It's the food, the drinks, the atmosphere.

Alan Wong's isn't a stuffy, over the top restaurant -- instead, it is a place that you can and WANT to come back to time and time again, where although the menu may be infused with some new dishes, you know that the experience itself will live up to the last time you were there and the time before that and the time before that. I know that I often speak positively about the restaurants I try, but Alan Wong's is a place that I simply love and would urge you to try.

And in case you don't want to take my word for it, perhaps several accolades will help :) Alan Wong's Restaurant was listed on Food & Wine Magazine's Go List 2008, listed as #8 in Gourmet Magazine's America's Top 50 Restaurants in 2006, named as "2008 Best of the Best Winner" Best Pacific Rim Food by the Honolulu Advertiser Annual People's Choice Award, and received multiple times the Best Restaurant 'Ilima Award.

Simply 'ono-licious.

Alan Wong's, 1857 S. King Street, Third Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96826, (808) 949-2526

(Btw, if you don't have time to try out Alan Wong's, perhaps stop by his slightly more casual outpost at the Ala Moana Mall - The Pineapple Room. Some of the same dishes are offered there, plus, my favorite, Maui onion soup with kalua pig and gruyere cheese. That soup by itself could be a whole meal.)

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - Hawaii

For no good reason, I'm posting about Giovanni's Shrimp Truck today... or really, for no other reason than I love Hawaii, wish I was there right now, and adore the shrimp truck. Located on the North Shore of Oahu (this is the Kahuku one, but I've heard rumors of a Hale'iwa one...), the drive is worth it to get these sweet, fresh, dripping in garlic shrimp with two scoops of rice. If you are brave (and enjoy spicy food!), get the spicy version... be prepared with loads of napkins!

For more shrimp truck details, check this out...