Verde Kaimuki – Honolulu, HI

Verde Kaimuki has a pop-up at UH Manoa so we have a good go to place should one feel like Mexican food.  Now that they’ve closed down Taco Bell on-campus, I’ll bet this pop-up gets even more business! Well the cart is still limited to just burritos so we decided to give their actual shop a try. Before I came here, I thought it was a sit-down restaurant. It’s actually more of a take-out joint with seats on the side if you want to stay and eat. Let’s get to the food!

131230-01Mexican Loco Moco

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Staycation

Hi folks!  I hope you guys are having a great holiday season!  I’ve been off since Christmas day and it has been great.  I’ve been spending time with family and friends so it’s been hard to update as regularly.  My cousin is back from Chicago for the break so I’ve been trying to get some quality time in with her!  I have all this pictures burning a hole in my hard drive that I must share with you guys!  And share I will!  I promise.  Just wanted to drop by in the meantime to say hello.  Here’s a picture from my day off last week.  I had a crazy month so taking that day off was amazing.  Boy was I productive!  I went all around the island that day!  Here’s a picture from the Pupukea Beach Park…:)

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.  I already had a battery mishap – all things should come with batteries!   Okay positive attitude.  🙂  Anyway, I hope you folks get some good rest, good food and good gifts!  Hopefully you have some time off too!  Here’s a gingerbread tree I made…!

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MW Restaurant – Honolulu, HI

MW Restaurant is one of the newest shiniest restaurants in the Honolulu scene.  I was able to make a reservation here for my friend Kristian’s birthday and it was a pretty good experience.  Highlights include service and entrees.  Lowlights include service at the end and the dessert.  All in all, I’m glad I was able to try it but it’s not a restaurant I am dying to return to.  Let’s go through the pictures!

131222-01Grilled Salmon – $28

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Hokkaido Ramen Santouka – Honolulu, HI

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a fairly new ramen restaurant that opened in the Kaheka Don Quijote shopping center.  I was surprised when I heard it was a full on sit-in restaurant – if you folks know Don Q well enough, you know the aisle of shops are all take-out places.  I was pretty excited to give this ramen shop a try!  I did get to give it a try but before I share the pictures, I gotta vent about what happened!  You can skip the next paragraph if you don’t enjoy angry vents.  🙂

So my friend and I came here on a lunch break the other day at about 2 something in the afternoon.  Both of us were starving at that point and had a very limited time frame to eat.  We figured 2 something on a weekday would be slow…I guess for this place – they are never slow.  But it wasn’t crazy busy, there were two people in front of us on the sign in sheet so we signed in and waited patiently outside.  Well you can see into the small restaurant so I was constantly glancing in (ha!  Sorry diners).  Anyhow, as we were waiting, a few others came by and put their name on the list.  I wasn’t paying much attention only knowing that we were at this point the next to go in.  So we’re standing there and these two girls who I KNOW was waiting with the rest of us (and behind me and my friend) decides to just walk into the restaurant and ask for a table.  There were a few tables free but I think the wait staff hadn’t caught up yet.  So the clueless waitress inside seats them right away.  My friend and I walk in and inform them that we were next and asked why they were seated first.  The waitress goes to talk to them but then comes back and leaves them in their seats.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  At that point though, we get seated and it’s like really close to them and they can see us.  What a comfortable dining experience (not!).  Not once did the waitress apologize and those girls probably gave us stink eye the whole meal.  Those girls are evil.  You know why?  They knew we were all waiting and they had signed in after us and still decided to walk  into the restaurant to forcefully get a table.  It’s was so incredibly rude and calculating – sounds silly for me to get mad but I hate when people ignore morals and common decency.  We all have to wait – wait your damn turn.  The waitress did not apologize once and I think she handled the whole situation so poorly.  Not once did she communicate why she did what she did even though we called her on it.  I mean, if there were tables opening up she could have told us all – I’m sorry I mistakingly seated them but we do have tables opening up so I will be seating you all very shortly.  Something simple like that I would totally be okay.  Mistakes happen.  And no give me that she’s new and don’t know their waiting list – that restaurant runs on that sign-in sheet.  Okay rant over.  When we got into the restaurant, we were served by another woman who seemed like she was either an owner/manager.  She was very good.

131216-01Ahhh…was so worth it.  Yes I got a side of salmon and ikura rice.  No regrets!  

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Recipe: Autumn Pasta

I went to TJ Maxx the other week and I love browsing through the home section.  They have some great kitchen tools and some good food items too!  I spotted a bag of autumn shaped pasta and just had to get em!  It gave me great inspiration for a recipe!  Check it out!

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Fendu Boulangerie – Honolulu, HI

We ran an event in our office recently and ordered lunch for the participants.  Since I helped out – I scored a sandwich of my own!  I’m not sure if Fendu Boulangerie would be known for their sandwiches, but they are good!  I would definitely recommend them!  Here’s how two of them look:

131214-01Black Forest Ham Sandwich – delicious!  I couldn’t eat mine on the same day so I had it the next day and it was still good!  It’s a testament to how good the bread was!  I definitely recommend this. 

131214-02Vegetarian Sandwich – doesn’t that look great?  I love all the grill marks.  This wasn’t my sandwich but my coworker seemed to like it too!

Recipe: Spice Cake (shhh…Prune Cake)

So Prune Cake.  Have you heard of it?  I think I’m too young to know of it’s origins but I guess it used to be served at all the weddings a while back?  I’ve been wanting to eat prune cake for a long time now and I don’t know why.  I visited a craft fair a few weeks back and bought a mini prune cake loaf and it was DELISH.  Why am I calling it spice cake?  So people don’t run after hearing prunes.  Why do prunes get such a bad rap!  I really wanted to try to make this on my own to make up for that damn failed mochi donut recipe.  I think I succeeded!  Come and take a look!

131213-01Look at how moist this cake is…it is the most moist cake you will ever taste!

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Jajangmyun

My never ending quest to find some delicious black bean noodles.  You know the ones.  If you ever watch a Korean drama, there inevitably will be a black bean noodle eating scene.  Usually in anger and usually resulting in black bean sauce all over their lips.  It’s pretty funny and they make it look SO delicious.  There are a few places here in Hawaii but I haven’t had anything that really blew my socks off.  Well the one I am sharing is probably the closest to my favorite served in Hawaii so far – which is pretty darn good for take-out.  I got it from Palama Supermarket on North King Street!

131212-03Oh droooool…

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Spaghetti

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131211-02Just a quick update with some spaghetti I had earlier.  A friend was nice enough to give me some food as she returned my container.  Was onolicious!  Thanks bra!