chicken katsu | Memorable Dishes

We landed at Kahului Airport, Maui in the afternoon flying in from Honolulu. Our first day consisted of grocery shopping and getting ourselves organized for the next few days of adventure. My friends who had been here told me to pack lunches during our outings because the places we visited often didn’t have any restaurants or food nearby. The condo we rented had all the amenities including a cooler, beach towels, beach chairs, and boogie board. I still packed myself a foldable cooler bag just in case.

Haleakala National Park

In researching Haleakala National Park, I found many people recommend to come either for sunrise or sunset. But as we were traveling with small children we just headed out at a time which was convenient for us; after breakfast. We set our GPS to the Haleakala National Park Visitor Centre. I suggest researching as much as you can if you plan on doing some hiking.

It was a rainy and foggy day. My husband and I didn’t think it was scary driving up the narrow winding road but that’s because we couldn’t see down. When we paid for parking, the lady at the gate said, “Don’t worry, it’s sunny up there.” I thought to myself, “How did she know?” Duh, if you’re above the clouds, of course it’s sunny. It was a beautiful sight once we got up there. I kicked myself for not dressing a little warmer. Even with our spring jackets, it wasn’t enough. I saw people with winter jackets! I couldn’t have stayed long anyways because I got altitude sickness. On the drive down, I felt so tired that I fell asleep. Luckily, my husband didn’t get sick and drove on. Our tire pressure indicator lit up as we were driving down. I did a quick search on my phone and realized that it was normal for the tire pressure to go down when driving up high altitudes.

Haleakala National Park

Glass Bottom Boat Tour

We originally wanted to do a submarine tour with the kids but you have to be at least 36 inches tall and our toddler girl was 2 inches too short. I found another tour in one of the guidebooks I picked up at the airport. Also, if you stroll on the main streets in Lahaina, you can find different tours there too. We found a glass bottom boat company called Reef Dancer and it was even better. I know it would be cool to be in a submarine but the prices are so much cheaper taking the glass bottom boat. The service was friendly and helpful and we even got snacks and drinks while on the boat!

Glass Bottom Boat Tour

Lahaina Luna Cafe

Since we were in Lahaina for the glass bottom boat tour, I researched a few places to eat beforehand. We decided to come to Lahaina Luna Cafe because it was a perfect day to sit at this outdoor cafe. Around this stationary food truck there was also a shaved ice place and a few vendors selling trinkets and souvenirs. There were a few tables near the food area and also more seating at the back. The clean bathroom at the back was a bonus. The food was fresh and delicious and it was great sitting outside at this casual outdoor cafe.

Korean BBQ Beef Plate – Beef was tender and delicious. Of course it comes with macaroni and rice because that’s how the Hawaiians do their plate lunch.

Korean BBQ Beef Plate

Chicken Katsu Plate – Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can never go wrong with katsu.

Chicken Katsu Plate

Chicken Bites with Sweet Chilli Sauce – Crunchy chicken nuggets—who wouldn’t love it? I asked them to put the sweet chili sauce on the side in case the kids found it too spicy. Surprisingly, the kids liked them with the sauce too.

Chicken Bites with Sweet Chilli Sauce

Crazy Fries – Topped with spicy kochu aioli (have no idea what kochu is but very delicious) sprinkled with furikake. The kids went crazy over the crazy fries.

Crazy Fries

Taco Combo (1 mahi mahi and 1 Korean beef) – I love the mango salsa with the mahi mahi and the Korean beef was the same as the Korean BBQ Beef Plate.

Taco Combo (Mahi Mahi & Korean Beef)

Kale & Brussel Sprouts Salad – OMG! The salad was the best! The dressing was amazing and I can’t believe I’m saying that about kale and brussel sprouts 😛 .