GREAT EATS HAWAII

Sunday, June 23, 2013

CHUN WAH KAM

CHUN WAH KAM

HONOLULU, HAWAII

CHUN WAH KAM

537 PENSACOLA STREET

(Corner of Pensacola at Waimanu)

HONOLULU, HAWAII

808-744-1816

808-744-2801 Fax

HOURS: Monday thru Saturday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday 7:45 AM - 7:00 PM

www.chunwahkam.com

We have been driving by Chun Wah Kam on Pensacola for over a year. The new bright signs and large building looks good from the outside but we had no idea what to expect inside. I only know Chun Wah Kam from when we order Manapua or Dim Sum for takeout. Have never dined inside. Was quite surprised to find out the place is a type of Plate Lunch operation similar to a Panda Express. You order at the counter, pick a starch (noodles or rice) and then make your way down the line to choose your entree. The Mini Plate ($7.50) comes with up to two types of Starch and two entrees. This is a big heavy box of food that none of us really liked or finished. I liked the Fried Rice with Char Sui. Not a bad Fried Rice dish. The Beef Broccoli and the Sweet and Sour Fish was decent. My daughter and wife did not care for the Red Pork. Both thought it was uneatable. The Salt and Pepper Shrimp was too salty and greasy. The Pork Adobo was salty too. Tasted like Pork in Soy Sauce. Not our favorite type of food and probably will not return.

CHUN WAH KAM

CHUN WAH KAM - CORNER OF PENSACOLA AND WAIMANU NEAR ALA MOANA CENTER

CHUN WAH KAM ALA MOANA

PARKING AND ENTRANCE OFF PENSACOLA STREET

ACTUALLY A PANDA EXPRESS TYPE CHINESE TAKEOUT WITH SEATING

ORDER AT THE FRONT AND WALK DOWN THE LINE AND CHOOSE YOUR FOOD

LOTS OF SEATING

PLATE LUNCHES AND TAKE OUT MANAPUAS, DIM SUM AND NOODLES

MINI PLATE IS $7.50 AND REGULAR PLATE IS $10.80

LOTS OF NOODLE AND RICE SELECTIONS - YOU CAN ORDER TWO TYPES WITH THE MINI PLATE

AFTER PICKING YOUR STARCH - WALK DOWN THE LINE AND CHOOSE TWO ENTREES WITH MINI PLATE

CHICKEN, BEEF, VEGETABLE AND SHRIMP ENTREES

CHICKEN AND BEEF

RIBS LOOKED GOOD

FRIED RICE WITH SPAM AND SEAWEED PLUS BEEF BROCCOLI AND PORK

THE RED PORK WAS NOT WELL LIKED

NOODLES WITH PORK ADOBO AND SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP

CHOW MEIN NOODLES WERE GOOD

PORK ADOBO

FRIED RICE WITH CHAR SUI WITH BEEF BROCCOLI AND SWEET AND SOUR FISH

SWEET AND SOUR FISH

LIKED THE FRIED RICE

NOBU WAIKIKI

NOBU WAIKIKI

HONOLULU, HAWAII

NOBU WAIKIKI

WAIKIKI PARC HOTEL

2233 HELUMOA ROAD

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-237-6999

808-237-6990 FAX

HOURS: Sunday thru Thursday 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Friday and Saturday 5:30 - 10:30 PM

Monday thru Sunday Bar Lounge 5:00 PM - 12:00 PM

EMAIL: waikiki@noburestaurants.com

http://www.noburestaurants.com/waikiki/experience/introduction/

First off let me say that I like Nobu Waikiki. I like the food and the staff. Have eaten here several times and always have had great food and service. The staff smiles, they are knowledgeable about the menu and they deliver a great dining experience. The problem is when you get the bill. Place is a bit expensive. Dinner without tip for three was $300 and we were still hungry when we left. Lucky we had several Nobu gift cards for this night out. When you enter Nobu it is a bit dark. The lovely young hostesses greet you with big smiles and promptly seat you in the main dining room. As you enter the dining room, the entire staff yells "Irashamase" which means Welcome to our House. This is repeated for every customer that enters the dining room so you automatically look up when people enter. Great for people watching. The crowd on a Saturday night was mixed. Lots of families with children, couples and a mix of locals and tourists. While the prices, service and decor are upscale here, the dress code is pretty much open with many of us wearing shorts. Our waiter Landon was exceptional. He recommended dishes and explained the ingredients thoroughly. We started with one of my favorites at Nobu. The Kanpachi Jalapeño ($33). I never realized how pricy this dish was until we got the bill. $33 for six small pieces of fish eaten with a slice of jalapeño, cilantro and Ponzu Sauce. Really good but really expensive. My wife tried the Lobster Miso Soup ($10). The Miso Soup included small pieces of lobster. I tried the Miso and both me and the wife said it was just o.k. Next up was the Ahi Poke ($21). The Poke was buried under a pile of Hearts of Palm. There were only a few small pieces of Ahi under the pile. It was super fresh, silky and delicious. Just not much of it for the price. Our waiter recommended the White Fish ($29.00) Pretty much the same as the Kanpachi with different topping. Again the price. The Kurobuta Pork Belly ($20.00 half order) was a star. The Pork Belly melted in our mouth and tasted like good bacon. Served with some delicious Brussel Sprouts. My favorite dish at Nobu is the King Crab Tempura ($29.00). Lightly battered King Crab that you eat with a slice of jalapeno, cilantro and red onion. Served with a light Ponzu Sauce. This dish is fantastic. One of my favorites of all time. I could literally eat three orders of this myself. Again the price though. Our waiter recommended a special Duck entree served with Foie Gras ($45). Thinly sliced Duck and a nice piece of Foie Gras that was cooked to perfection. The Foie Gras was the star on this plate. We did not know this dish was $45 until we got the bill. Still hungry after all this we added a Fire Cracker Ikura Sushi Roll ($23.00) to the meal. Ahi with Avocado and Asparagus with a bit of heat at the end. Good sushi but we all agreed we would prefer going back to Doraku (see blog post) for sushi. Still hungry, we ordered two deserts to share. The Banana Toban ($13) was delicious. Mochi Sponge Cake with Banana,Caramel and ice cream. I am not a big Mochi eater but this desert was probably my favorite Mochi dish ever. The Bento Box ($13.00) is a Flourless Chocolate Cake with more gooey chocolate inside served with ice cream. Fantastic..delicious...awesome. This was a great dinner with great service. Really hope we get some more of those Nobu Gift Cards again for Christmas.
Click link below for updated post on Nobu and their new location;
https://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2017/04/nobu-honolulu.html

NOBU WAIKIKI

VALET PARKING IN BACK OF WAIKIKI PARC HOTEL

ENTRANCE TO WAIKIKI PARC HOTEL TRANSFORMS WITH COLORS

NOBU IS LOCATED JUST OFF THE LOBBY OF THE WAIKIKI PARC HOTEL IN WAIKIKI

ENTRANCE TO NOBU

THE NOBU SIGN IS KIND OF HIDDEN ON THE SIDE OF ENTRANCE DOOR

NOBU BAR AREA WHERE YOU CAN SIT AT THE BAR AND ORDER THE ENTIRE NOBU MENU

FIVE SUSHI CHEFS MEAN QUICK SERVICE IF YOU SIT AT THE SUSHI BAR

FRESH FISH AT THE SUSHI BAR

COLD DISHES AT NOBU

NOBU HOT DISHES

KANPACHI JALAPEÑO

AHI POKE - POKE IS IN THERE SOMEWHERE

WHITE FISH

LOBSTER MISO SOUP

KING CRAB TEMPURA

KING CRAB TEMPURA WITH CILANTRO, JALAPENO, RED ONION AND PONZU SAUCE

KUROBUTA - PORK BELLY WITH SPICY MISO AND BRUSSEL SPROUTS

PORK BELLY WAS DELICIOUS

DUCK WITH FOIE GRAS

FIRE CRACKER IKURA

FIRE CRACKER IKURA WITH AHI TUNA, AVOCADO AND ASPARAGUS

BANANA TOBAN

BENTO BOX CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH ICE CREAM

Saturday, June 22, 2013

DORAKU - KAKA'AKO, HONOLULU

DORAKU

HONOLULU, HAWAII

DORAKU

1009 KAPIOLANI BLVD

HONOLULU, HI 96814

808-591-0101

HOURS: Lunch 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Dinner 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Happy Hour 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (Bar and outside tables only)

Late Night Happy Hour 9:00 PM - Closing

EMAIL: kakaako@dorakusushi.com

www.dorakusushi.com

Simply stated one of the best dinners of my life. Doraku is good. Really good. Only problem is that I was with business clients that do not know that I blog and did not take one single photo of the food. I blew it big time not taking pictures during my first visit to Doraku. Not to worry though, this gives me a reason to return real soon. Doraku on Kapiolani is located directly across from the Neil Blaisdel Center so it is very convenient for a pre or post concert dinner. We went prior to attending the Blue Man Group and let me tell you, the dinner at Doraku was the best part of this evening. Our seating was a 5:00 PM and we arrived the hostess offered us the option to enjoy the discounted Happy Hour menu if we sat in the bar or at the outside tables. Since were were entertaining guests, we opted for a standard table inside where you cannot order off the Happy Hour menu. Our waitress and her support staff were good. Saw a lot of piercings and tattoos between plates but it was all good. We started with Ahi Poke ($11.95) and Tako Poke ($8.95). Both of these are served with sweet onions, Ogo and Macadamia Nuts marinated in Doraku's Special Poke Sauce and garnished with Crispy Green Onions and Spring Mix Salad. Liked the freshness of the Tako. Ahi was fresh too, but these were not the dishes that knocked my sox off during our dinner. The Hamachi Carpaccio ($12.50) was "unbelievable". Thin slices of Yellowtail Sashimi garnished with slivers of Jalapeño and finished with Sweet Miso, Chili Oil, Red and Green Onions and Ponzu Sauce. We must of ordered four orders of this dish. The Yellowtail melted in your mouth and had a kick at the end from the jalapeno. The Grilled Hamachi Cheeks ($13.50) was fantastic. The Cheeks were meaty pieces of fish grilled with Hawaiian Sea Salt. Almost burnt on the skin and the fish just tasted incredible with and without the grated Chili Daikon Radish and Ponzu. The entire table went crazy over this dish and we ended up ordering several. The Red Dragon Roll ($12.95) consisted of Spicy Tuna, Shrimp Tempura and Avocado topped with Unagi, Red Tobiko, Unagi Sauce, Ao Nori and Spicy Aioli. Wow.....another flavor explosion in my mouth. Loved it. We enjoyed several of the Spicy Tuna and Avocado Rolls ($7.50). Fresh and delicious with buttery avocado. The Emperor Roll ($12.95) was another one that blew our socks off. Tuna, Salmon, Crab, Shrimp, Scallop and Avocado rolled together, crusted with Panko Breadcrumbs and flash fried. The scallop was in the middle and really cooked to perfection. I absolutely loved the Kagu-Tsuchi Roll "God of Fire" ($11.50). Spicy Tuna rolled with cucumber and jalapeño topped with Tuna Sashimi, Habanero Tabiko and a Spicy Garlic Aioli. Flavor and heat bomb that lit my head on fire. I wanted more....The Fire Cracker Shrimp ($9.50) was good but not my favorite. Shrimp lightly fried and covered in a little too much mayonnaise for me. We mixed it up a bit with the Japanese Garlic Steak ($16.50). Grilled Ribeye steak served with garlic ginger Ponzu Sauce and served with bean sprouts, mushrooms and sweet onions. Nice change of pace after all of the seafood. Everyone liked the Eggplant Miso ($6.25). Deep Fried Eggplant served with Yuzu Miso Sauce. The Panko Crusted Hamachi ($14.25) was also a table favorite. Fillet of Hamachi crusted with Panko and Fried. Served over King Oyster Mushrooms and Asparagus and topped with Mango Salsa, Cilantro, Mango Puree and Lemon Butter Ponzu. A lot going on here but good. This was a major grind session where everyone at family styles. Platter after platter of very high quality and perfectly prepared food that was simply delicious. Love this place and cannot wait to return and take some pictures! UPDATE 9/15/13. We went back and got some photos of this great food. Once again the food and service were fantastic. Doraku is now a TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITE!