Croquette sandwiches – a simple sandwich of freshly fried croquette, julienne cabbage and generous smears of mayo and katsu sauce. Brings me back to small kid time in Japan… Another popular carb-on-carb creation I remember was the yakisoba sandwich.
Archive for December, 2010
I met up with some friends at Sunrise Restaurant for our last get together in 2010. How is it that I’ve lived here for 13 years and never heard of this place? This tiny, bustling hole-in-the-wall Okinawan restaurant is tucked away from sight, just off Kapahulu Avenue and is a favorite of my friend’s hubby. He is Okinawan and navigated us through the menu. When I think Okinawan cuisine, I think goya (bittermelon), awamori, lots of fatty pork, and Okinawa soba and was delighted find all of these and more on the menu. (Except for the awamori – the restaurant is BYOB, they don’t even have soft drinks).
First up, Goya Champuru (stir-fry bittermelon with egg and pork, $8.00). I was never a fan of bittermelon until now, but this tasty dish changed that quite easily.
Nakami Champuru (stir-fry pig intestine with mushroom and veggies, $8.00). The intestine was very tender and flavorful.
And off their specials, Ahi Poke ($14.00) with a kick of wasabi.
Hamachi Kama ($13.00), a generous portion of the collar section of hamachi. Fatty and tender, I enjoyed the kama with a little grated daikon, lemon juice and shoyu.
Deep Fried Flounder – fried to a crisp so you can eat everything, crunchy bones and fins and all.
Shoyu Spareribs.
Assortment of Sushi. By this time we were stuffed but the food just kept coming!
Mini Okinawa Soba. Thick noodles, light broth similar to saimin broth.
Wow – they had to roll me out of there after all that food. For home style Okinawan cuisine, check out Sunrise Restaurant. I hear you can catch the owner’s impressive shamisen ( a traditional Japanese banjo-like instrument with only 3 strings) performance on some nights.
Sunrise Restaurant
525 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
808.737.4118
Mon-Thu 11:30a-2:00p
Mon-Sat 5:30-9:30p
Fried rice and seaweed soup. The fridge is getting empty and I had to use whatever was left: egg, Portuguese sausage, sliced turkey, green onion.
Heavy rain with flash flood warnings in Hawaii today. I love this weather – it’s perfect for curling up on the couch in long pajama pants and socks with a favorite cup of tea.
Apparently this weather puts hubby in the mood for a bowl of hot noodles so we braved the rain and headed to Goma Tei in Ward Center.
Tan Tan Ramen ($7.88), an addictive broth with a little spicy heat and lots of ground sesame.
Side order of Gyoza ($6.58/5pc).
Goma Tei Ramen
Ground level of Ward Center
1200 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.591.9188
(another location at Ala Moana Center, street level makai side)
Today was our nephew’s birthday party at SIL2’s house in Mililani. They rented a huge “bouncy thing” that kept the kids (and some adults) entertained throughout. I discovered that bouncing makes for excellent cardio exercise.
A party in Hawaii almost always starts out with pupus (aka appetizers). SIL2 got a whole bunch of horse divorce (just kidding – I know how to spell it, no really…) from Costco that were easy-prep and yummy.
Hot dogs wrapped in pastry
Mini pesto quiche
Seafood dip and hummus
Beef and chicken skewers
And everyone’s favorite, pizza!
And of course there was birthday cake, ice cream, soda, and lots and lots of candy from the pinata. And face painting and tattoos and hair spraypaint. A fun and exciting day for the children and for me, just a beautiful day spent relaxing with family…
The condo where my mom and auntie stayed was equipped with a full kitchen so we ate most dinners there. Eating out can get old fast when on vacation, plus it can be unhealthy.
For dinner on their last night, we bought some nice pieces of New York Steak at Whole Foods accompanied by simple veggies.
I took them to the airport yesterday and they should have arrived in Tokyo early this morning…
It’s been a busy week for me, playing tour guide to my mom and auntie. I forgot to take photos of most of our meals as we ate our way around the island but one meal I did manage to take was our garlic shrimp plate in Kahuku.
Kahuku shrimp has now become a must-stop spot for visitors with so many shrimp trucks to choose from. My sister swears by Sachi’s (I think that was the name – I don’t remember any large signage), between Giovanni’s and Fumi’s, right across the street from Kahuku High School. I’ve tried others and like Sachi’s so far, but am also interested in trying out others.
There are many flavors to choose from, but it’s always the Garlic Butter Shrimp Plate ($11.00) for me. This is no time to be modest: this plate requires digging in with your hands, sucking the garlicky goodness from the shells, then licking the dripping butter from your fingers. Yum!
Garlic Butter Shrimp - $11.00
A circle-isle drive is just not complete without a stop at one of Kahuku’s famous shrimp trucks.
My favorite egg+bread combination in the whole wide world: sunny side toast. Simply create a border around the edge of the bread with mayonnaise (it has to be Japanese mayo in a tube so you can squeeze out the border), crack an egg, salt and pepper, and pop in the toaster oven or oven for 10-15 minutes.
I’m off to the airport now to pick up my mom and her sister who are flying in from Japan for a week long visit. So excited!
Honolulu Eats 
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