Yama’s Fish Market

I picked up lunch at Yama’s Fish Market for some friends and met them at their workplace for a picnic lunch break.

Yama’s is one of my favorites for take-out Hawaiian food and fresh poke. I usually get their full Hawaiian plates with lomi salmon, poi, haupia, and poke so they run over $10.00, but I didn’t realize how reasonably priced their regular plate lunches are. Other than one tiny table outside, they don’t really have a place to sit down and eat so it’s the perfect place to get take-out on your way to the beach or a beautiful park.

Lau Lau Plate ($5.85). For anyone who doesn’t know what lau lau is, it’s pork (or chicken and/or fish) inside taro leaves wrapped up in ti leaf and steamed until it’s melty soft.

Yama's - Lau Lau ($5.85)

and a side order of Chicken Long Rice ($2.50)

Yama's - Small Chicken Long Rice ($2.50)

Kalua Pig Plate ($5.85). What a value for this heaping pile of kalua pig!

Yama's - Kalula Pig Plate ($5.85)

Mochiko Chicken Plate ($6.45) served with sweet chili sauce. I was surprised because I thought they gave my friend chicken katsu instead of the mochiko chicken she wanted, but she said that’s how their mochiko chicken is. It’s crusted with panko which is unusual to see.

Yama's - Mochiko Chicken ($6.45)

My Ahi Poke Patties Plate ($6.45) with sweet chili sauce, one of their specials for the day. I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting, but these panko-crusted ahi poke cakes (limu and all) were delicious. I thought they might be seared rare but FYI, they were cooked all the way through.

Yama's - Ahi Poke Patties ($6.45)

It was a cheap but most delicious lunch! Click here to view the menu on their website.

Yama’s Fish Market
2332 Young Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
808.941.9994
Mon-Sat 9:00a-7:00p
Sun 9:00a-5:00p

Kaka’ako Kitchen

This month’s dinner with the girls was at Kaka’ako Kitchen in Ward Center. They’re known as the “gourmet plate lunch” place, created by Chef Russell Siu who is also known for his fine dining restaurant 3660 on the Rise. Kaka’ako Kitchen serves up a more casual version of his pacific rim cuisine in take-out containers, as well as sandwiches, wraps, salads, and breakfast daily.

You order your food at the counter and they’ll give you a number. You can go pick a table at the open air seating area and sit down because they’ll bring the food to you. It’s actually a great place to people watch, because it’s located smack in the middle of the Ward Entertainment Complex. I saw 3 people that I know pass by while I was eating dinner!

My friend had the weekly special: Garlic Chicken Plate ($8.99) with mac salad.

Kaka'ako Kitchen - Garlic Chicken ($8.99)

My other friend had the Island Style Chicken Linguine ($9.99) with eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and hoisin cream sauce, one of their signature dishes. This used to be my favorite dish here but of course I’m not eating meat.

Kaka'ako Kitchen - Chicken Linquine ($9.99)

So I opted for the Furikake Tempura Catfish ($8.99) with ponzu sauce and green salad ($0.60 more) which was tasty. The fish was super moist and soft while the batter was crispy.

Kaka'ako Kitchen - Tempura Catfish ($9.59)

I guess considering a plate lunch at Zippy’s can cost around $8.00 nowadays, this is a nicer alternative combining variety, interesting flavor, and local  ingredients.

OVERALL: GOOD
PRICE RANGE: Around $9-$15 for plate lunches. Click here to view their menu.
MY BILL: $10.05
RETURNING?: Probably

Kaka’ako Kitchen
Ground Floor, Ward Center
1200 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.596.7488
Sun 8:00a-5:00p
Mon-Thu 8:00a-9:00p
Fri-Sat 8:00a-10:00p

Sunday Morning …

I treated myself to breakfast from McDonald’s. They now have a Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes ($4.99) which includes hash brown, biscuit, eggs, sausage, and hot cakes. I had mine with a small decaf coffee ($1.29).

McDonald's - Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes ($4.99) and Small Coffee ($1.29)

Although I don’t blog about it, McDonald’s is probably the restaurant I go to the most in terms of frequency. I love their french fries, soft serve ice cream cone, and sausage McMuffins. They just do it right, all the time. When my husband and I are in the mood for a treat, our little indulgence is 2 ice cream cones at the drive through at night. Sometimes we splurge and add on 2 apple pies…

Lunch at Royal Hawaiian Center Food Court

Did you know there’s a food court in the Royal Hawaiian Center? It’s located on the second floor and is a brand new, open air food court called Pa’ina Lanai. The tenants are pretty much all your food court usual suspects plus a few I’ve never seen before:

• Yummy Korean BBQ
• Panda Express (Chinese)
• Sbarro (pizza)
• Paradise Cafe (salads, sandwiches)
• Ezogiku (Japanese food like ramen, oyakodon)
• Tacone Flavor Grill (salads, burgers, wraps)
• Monkey’s (I forgot what this was)
• Kenny’s Hawaiian BBQ Express
• The Grove Bar (a fenced off area serving alcohol)

There are several places that offer similar things: sandwiches, wraps, and build-your-own salads.

Here’s a Taco & Enchilada Combo Plate from Maui Tacos ($8.95). What sold me on this place is the self-serve salsa bar with 5 different types of salsa, chopped onions, lime wedges, pickled jalapenos, and cilantro (my favorite!!).

Maui Tacos - Taco & Enchilada Combo ($8.95)

Here’s an Angus Burger Panini with Sweet Potato Fries ($11.98) from Tacone Flavor Grill. This place also has a self-serve sauce bar with Buttermilk Ranch, Cilantro Lime, and Chipotle BBQ Sauce. The Cilantro Lime Sauce was REALLY good.

Tacone Flavor Grill - Angus Burger Panini ($11.98)

I love condiments because you get to enjoy your food in different variations many times over depending on the sauce you use. Plus, I feel like I got more value with all the “freebies”. I was always mad at McDonald’s for charging me 25 cents for BBQ sauce, and I was disappointed at Jack (in the box) when he recently started charging me for his buttermilk ranch sauce. I believed in Jack! Oh well, times are tough I guess… 

Just show me an eatery with a free condiment bar and I’m drawn to it like a fool … (It’s gotta be good stuff though, not just ketchup and mustard). For this reason I’m in love with Arby’s, El Pollo Loco in the mainland, and now Maui Tacos and Tacone Flavor Grill. If anyone knows of any places with an awesome condiment bar, please do share.

Pa’ina Lanai Food Court
2nd Floor, Royal Hawaiian Center
2201 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
808.922.2299

My Favorite Sandwich …

… in the whole wide world: Chicken and Pate Sandwich on Croissant ($4.75) from BA-LE. The crunchiness of the cucumber, pickled daikon and carrots, the rich flavor of the pate, and fresh cilantro combine together for an unbelievable experience!

BA-LE Sandwich & Bakery
Various locations  including:

• Kahala Mall (by McDonald’s and L&L’s)
• Ala Moana Shopping Center (inside Sears, ground level)
• Ward Center (by Sports Authority and Ross)

Best Deals – Lunch at Costco Hawaii Kai

When you’re in the mood for a romantic alfresco dining experience with waterfront views, but you’re short on cash,  Costco in the Hawaii Kai Towne Center is the place to go! They have the most unbelievable deals ever, and you don’t even need a Costco membership card.

My husband and I always get a Polish Hot Dog ($1.50 includes a soda), Pizza ($1.99 slice) and Chicken Caesar Salad ($3.99) which is more than enough food for the two of us. Our entire meal for two is only $7.83!

We got the combination pizza, a nice big slice of sausage, pepperoni, olives, bell peppers and onion toppings.

Costco - Pizza ($1.99)

There’s a condiment station for the hot dog with ketchup, mustard, relish, and chopped onions.

Costco - Hot Dog ($1.50)

and their Chicken Caesar Salad is so fresh and crisp with tomatoes, parmesan cheese, tender chicken breast, and a separate packet of croutons.

Costco - Chicken Caesar Salad ($3.99)

After grabbing our food we walk over a few short steps to the marina side of the towne center (behind Panda Express) to pick out a picnic table.

Check out the amazing marina views from this table…

 

Costco Hawaii Kai
333A Keahole Street
Honolulu, HI 96825
808.395.5538
Mon-Fri 11:00a-8:30p
Sat 9:30a-6:00p
Sun 10:00a-6:00p

Kiawe Grill B.B.Q & Burgers

If you’re in the mood for barbecue but don’t want to bother pulling out your Weber Grill from the garage, Kiawe Grill BBQ & Burger is the perfect place for you. You can enjoy the flavors of meat freshly grilled over a kiawe wood fire without any of the hassle. We ordered take out and enjoyed the amazing aroma of kiawe smoke BBQ that filled our car on the ride home.

Their menu is a combination of a Korean BBQ plate lunch place plus a hamburger joint. Here, the Korean side dishes are self service with a limit of 14 ounces and a scale to monitor yourself (honor system). Not to worry though, 14 ounces is still a good amount of food. They give you a separate small container for your choice of 4 side dishes, and that means there’s more room in the large container for your main dish and rice. Thats’a  lot of food.

Kiawe Grill - side dishes

I ordered Kiawe Grill Lamb Chops ($9.95) which included 4 large bone-in chops over a layer of rice. For my sides, I chose mac salad, kim chee, choi sum, and daikon. There’s enough food here for at least 2 people.

Kiawe Grill - Lamb Chops ($9.95)

My husband decided to try the Kiawe Grill Ostrich Patty Plate ($9.75) which comes with a grilled hot dog (I suppose just in case you discover you don’t like ostrich). Ostrich tastes like somewhere in between beef and turkey; not bad at all.

 

Kiawe Grill - Ostrich Patty Plate ($9.75)

OVERALL: GOOD
PRICE RANGE: Average $8.65-$9.95 for kiawe grill plates, $6.75-$8.65 for burgers
MY BILL: $20.63 for two
RETURNING?: Yes, to try the venison and buffalo burgers next.

Kiawe Grill B.B.Q & Burgers
2334 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(Located in the Old Stadium Mall in Moiliili that also houses Japanese restaurant Maru, L&L Drive Inn, and Kozo Sushi)
808.955.5500

Shirokiya at the Ala Moana Shopping Center

This is one of my husband’s favorite places to eat, and a great place to pick up bentos on the go.  Timing is key: if you go around 7:00pm, they slash prices on a lot of the bentos, but if you go too late, they’ll be sold out.

We shared a shrimp tempura musubi set ($3.99):

My husband had his favorite Chicken Shigure Bento (discounted price $5.95):

I had the Ika Bento (discounted price $5.60):

And we discovered a new kiosk that sells Crepes (another of my husband’s favorites)! He opted for Strawberry, Whipped Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce; a little pricey at $6.25 but well worth it.