Tag Archives: Garlic Shrimp

Hawaiian Food Trip: Maui: Part 3

April 4, 2016 8:10 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

On our last day in Maui, we had to check out of our condo at 11:00 AM. However, our flight didn’t leave until 11:00 PM. So we had to hang out ALL day, hence we called the last day of our trip, “Hobo Day”. After eating all the leftovers as breakfast in the condo, we headed out for some fun.

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

I found Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary really close to where we stayed to kill some time. It’s free and the kids got to learn about humpback whales. The volunteers at the sanctuary were very helpful in answering any questions we had. There’s also a small play area for the kids and they spent at least a good half hour playing there.

Nalu’s South Shore Grill

Nalu’s South Shore Grill was also very close to where we stayed. Read good reviews about the place and decided to check it out. It was packed during lunch time because the food was so good! We almost didn’t get a table sitting our family of five together if it weren’t for a nice couple who gave us their table and moved to the high stools instead. We ordered at the counter and they brought us the food to our table. This casual joint is decorated nicely and has a lively vibe. Another thing I love about this place is that they have two huge self serve water dispensers full of flavoured water—cucumber mint and pineapple lemon. How refreshing!

Flavoured Water: Cucumber Mint & Pineapple Lemon

CBLT – Crab cake sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomatoes with a side order of chips. So flavourful!

Crab BLT

Fried Chicken Waffle – Large pieces of seasoned chicken strips on top of a big fluffy waffle, top with bacon with the right amount of syrup.

Fried Chicken Waffle

Straight Up Burger – Comes with greens and chips. Straight to the tummies of the boys.

Straight Up Burger

Next stop, Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice! When we got there, there was a huge line up. My husband almost didn’t want to line up. I said to him, “We have ALL day! We don’t get on the plane until 11:00 PM tonight so I think we can wait for 15-20 minutes!” It was well worth the wait. As their motto says, “All shave ice is not created equal.” Tis too true! We had some shaved ice at one of the tourist attractions in Honolulu and it wasn’t as good as Ululani’s. The ice texture is perfect and the syrup tastes like real fruits! The other place’s syrup was too sweet and tasted artificial. The kids got a large one to share and the adults did the same.

Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice

We could only eat so much food for the day. So we snuck back into our condo pool and swam for a bit before driving to Paia to walk around and have dinner. There are lots of cool shops at Paia but with our stroller, it was sometimes a bit tough since the shops are quite small. I heard that parking was tough but we lucked out and got a spot on the street because we got there around 4ish-5pm.

Café Mambo

As always, I found a few restaurants in the area to check out and we decided on Café Mambo. I’m so glad we did. I really loved the atmosphere there. We got to sit by the window bench and it was nice to absorb the ambiance. The staff at the restaurant was friendly and accommodating. Please note there is only one bathroom for men, and one for women and no change tables.

Pinchos Tapas Platter – Organic Maui Cattle Co. Steak, Grilled Chicken Breasts and Jumbo Shrimp. Served with Tortilla Chips, Curry Dip, Chipotle Salsa and Mixed Green Salad. The whole family went crazy over this platter—great for sharing. I have to say, the steak was so tender and delicious that I had to fight over it with my oldest son.

Pinchos Tapas Platter

Island Fish of the Day Burger – I know. Another fish burger. I can’t get over it because they are so fresh and delicious in Hawaii. But this time, my husband ordered it.

Island Fish of the Day Burger

Fish and Chips – Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Comes with tons of fries.

Fish and Chips

Jumbo Shrimp in Garlic Butter – So garlicky and delicious.

Jumbo Shrimp in Garlic Butter

Paia Gelato

When you see a gelato place, you have to go to it even if you are super full from your main meal. So when we saw Paia Gelato, we were like zombies drawn to human flesh—must eat gelato. The place was busy which is a good sign because you know it’s always fresh. I’ve been to less busy gelato places and their gelatos weren’t really good. Even in Italy, home of gelato, I’ve had not so good gelatos because the locale didn’t have enough traffic.

Big Island Macadamia Nut Coffee Crunch – Of course I had to try the local flavour! Unless you’re eating gelato everyday comparing from place to place (like when we were in Italy), there’s really no bad gelato if you’re having a one-off. Plus if there’s a lot of people eating there, it’s a good sign because it means the gelato is always made fresh.

Big Island Macadamia Nut Coffee Crunch Gelato

It’s not goodbye yet! I still have one more post to share from our Hawaiian adventures—Hawaii Food Trip: Food-venirs and Other Foods!

Posted in: Places Visited, Special Meals , Tagged: Café Mambo, chicken and waffles, crab cakes, fish and chips, garlic shrimp, gelato, hamburger, Hawaii, Humpback Whale Sanctuary, Maui, Nalu’s, shave ice, Ululani's

Hawaiian Food Trip: Oahu: Part 2

March 7, 2016 8:02 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

Here we continue our Hawaiian food journey in Oahu from my previous post—Hawaiian Food Trip: Oahu: Part 1 (Pearl Harbor). The major plan for this day was to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. However it didn’t open until 12:00 pm. So we decided to check out the Dole Plantation which was on our way to the Polynesian Center.

Dole Plantation

The grounds of the Dole plantation is free to visit but if you want to do different activities, you have to pay extra. When entering the premises you pretty much have to go through their giant store (Very sneaky to get you to buy stuff! I fell for it and bought some souvenirs and a lei apron 🙂 . Even if you don’t end up paying for the extra activities, the grounds are very nice for kids to run around in. We took a ride on the Pineapple Express train (Nothing to do with the movie—this is a family place after all!) and went through the World’s Largest Maze. From an aerial view, the middle of the maze is the shape of a pineapple—which I thought was pretty cool. They make the maze fun by having secret stations for people to hunt for. One thing to note is that the maze isn’t stroller friendly because it’s narrow and paved with gravel. After the maze, we rewarded ourselves to some Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve). They’re famous for this refreshing treat so it’s a must-try.

Dole Whip, Dole Whip Sundae, Dole Plantation Grounds

Zippy’s

Almost lunch time! I pre-found a restaurant that was a short drive from the Dole Plantation and also didn’t stray too far from our way to the Polynesian Cultural Center. When we got there, the place was permanently closed! Yikes! I saw some restaurant nearby that looked interesting so we walked there instead. However, there were no bathrooms that we were allowed to use and no high chairs. I’m usually OK with no high chairs because we make do when travelling but I really needed to use the washroom! So I did a quick Yelp check and yippee, we found Zippy’s! Of course, we’d never heard of this chain restaurant before because it’s only found in Hawaii. I wanted to order everything on the menu because I’ve never seen anything like it. You could order a beef stroganoff and a Korean chicken all at the same place! It’s like an American-Asian diner!

Zippy’s Menu

Chicken Katsu Curry Saimin – I’ve never heard of saimin before and I believe it’s a Hawaiian term. Tastes good and I wish they put the katsu on the side so it wouldn’t get soggy. The broth has a hint of curry taste but not very strong. Soup noodles are always very satisfying!

Chicken Katsu Curry Saimin

Minced Pork and Tofu Rice – Almost like Mapo Tofu but the sauce is not as spicy and almost has a chili-like consistency. (It’s like the chili you get when you order chili dogs.) The kids ate it all up because I’m sure it reminded them of the foods I made at home.

Minced Pork and Tofu Rice

Loco Moco – Of course we had to try this famous Hawaiian dish! It’s rice topped with beef hamburger and fried egg with gravy on top.

Loco Moco

Fried Wuntun (We usually spell it like “Wonton”.) – It came with a dish of hot mustard and my husband just dipped it and complained that it was too spicy. The waiter told us to add soy sauce and mix it. I guess he couldn’t tell we weren’t locals 😛 .

Fried Wuntun

Polynesian Cultural Center

After lunch, we continued our journey and finally arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We got there later than expected and by the time we parked and got to the ticket booth, it was around 3:00 pm. The village grounds were open from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm. If you end up staying for the luau and evening show, that part of the center stays open until the show ends.

If you’re short on time, go to the information booth and ask them to highlight all the village shows and places to check out. We were lucky we were talking to a couple who was also short on time. The information booth staff wrote all the times and shows for them to check out the different villages. So we followed their itinerary and checked out a few shows from their list. Otherwise, we would’ve missed the shows and wandered around aimlessly not knowing where to go.

Polynesian Cultural Center Map

The kids, my husband and I really enjoyed the live shows and exploring different areas of the villages. The boys even got inspired by their environment and started to pretend they were villagers roaming around the land. Since we got there late, by the time we were done watching the different shows, everyone was gone. No one came to kick us out—I wonder if we could’ve roamed around the village area a little longer? But we decided to head back to the front gate before the actors/villagers came rounding us up. We ended our visit with a short film called “Hawaiian Journey” at their theatre. This is something you could do last if you end up coming late because I believe the last show starts at 6:00 or 6:30 pm. You could explore the rest of the village first before catching the film.

Tita’s Grill

Tita’s Grill Sign

By the time the movie ended, the kids were starving. We didn’t book the luau and evening show because we already pre-booked a luau in Maui. The reviews of the restaurant on the premise looked promising so we were planning to check it out. But instead we got sidetracked when we saw a couple of food trucks near the front entrance. I beelined to the Tita’s Grill food truck after seeing the yummy foods people were eating at the nearby tables. I believe they have another more permanent location north-west of the Polynesian Cultural Center (about a 10 minute drive away). I ordered the garlic shrimp and kalbi (Korean beef ribs) plate for myself. My husband ordered the Tita’s burger. I ordered the fish burger for my toddler girl and the boys had the regular hamburgers and fries (the boys ate their burgers before I had a chance to take photos.)

Garlic Shrimp and Kalbi Plate – The most delicious garlic shrimp ever! I like that the shrimp comes in the shell because I find it more flavourful. The kalbi was tender and delicious. It also comes with rice and macaroni salad (standard Hawaiian plate). I’m usually not too crazy about macaroni salad but it’s super tasty and I couldn’t stop eating it.

Garlic Shrimp and Kalbi Plate

Tita’s Burger – It’s essentially a banquet burger. By the look on my husband’s face and the speed he was eating it, I assumed it was mighty tasty.

Tita’s Burger

Fish Burger – This was shared amongst us because, of course, my toddler girl couldn’t finish the whole thing. I found the toasted buttered bread too oily. However, I really liked the fish. It was lightly breaded so you get a good chunk of fish. My girl loved it and asked for more. I limited the amount of buttered bread I gave her afraid that she might get a tummy ache.

Fish Burger

I hope I whet your appetite with all these delicious Memorable Dishes from Hawaii so far! Stay tuned for Hawaiian Food Trip: Oahu: Part 3 where we continue our culinary journey on our last day in Oahu.