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Sunday, January 22, 2017

DONUT KING HAWAII

DONUT KING HAWAII
MARKET CITY SHOPPING CENTER
2919 KAPIOLANI BLVD
HONOLULU, HI  96826
808-258-4119
HOURS:  Monday thru Friday 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM
                 Saturday and Sunday 6:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Surprised to see Donut King Hawaii grab the former space held by Toritos Mexican Restaurant for 17 years at Market City Shopping Center.  This prime space next to Foodland is golden and how a donut shop got this spot amazes me.  Donut King sound large and grand but the space is small and drab.  Kind of disorganized and not merchandised well.  You can see the Costco Bacon in the cooler where you grab a drink and the coffee is served out of large pots in a very cramped space.  My Daughter wanted some Ice Cream after school so she ordered one scoop of Chocolate ($3.50).  This is standard Ice Cream and nothing special.  I was fighting myself not to order a donut but I could not take my eyes off of the Maple Bacon Donut in the case.  While my Daughter waited in line I walked outside thinking I could stop here and not eat the donut.  As she placed her order I ran inside and said "one Maple Bacon please".  Shit....I could not resist.  I told myself that I would take one bite just to see how it tasted.  One bite became two and then the entire donut was gone.  Yes it was good.  Loved the maple glaze more than the bacon. 

MAPLE BACON DONUT 

DONUT KING IS LOCATED IN THE MARKET CITY SHOPPING CENTER ON KAPIOLANI BLVD
PLACE IS NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE AND NOT MERCHANDISED WELL
VERY SMALL SEATING AREA IN BACK
DONUT KING HAWAII MENU
NOT A HUGE SELECTION OF DONUTS
MAPLE BACON DONUTS CAUGHT MY EYE 
DONUT HOLES SEEMED TO BE POPULAR
A FEW FLAVORS OF ICE CREAM
A SCOOP OF CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

BYO BOWLS

BYO BOWLS
HAWAII KAI TOWNE CENTER
333D KEAHOLE STREET
HONOLULU, HI  96825
808-395-2695
HOURS:  Daily 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM

My Daughter loves Poke Bowls, Acai Bowls and when she saw BYO Bowls she dragged me over to take a look.  The restaurant was very large and we looked around at first to see what was going on here.  Turns out it is set up identically to the Pieology franchise except these are Rice and Noodle Bowls instead of Pizza.  We took a few minutes studying the menu and looking over all the ingredients offered at the counter.  Saw that you basically build your own bowl and then they cook it on a large flat top behind the counter.  I settled on the Thai Noodle Bowl ($11.50) and added onions and jalapeƱos, shrimp and spicy Szechuen sauce.  The flavors were ok but I did not have a "wow" moment that would make me want to return.  The Bi Bim Bap ($11) was liked by my Daughter but she said it was just ok.  My Wife ordered the Kale and Spinach Salad ($10) and she did not like it.  
Guess this place did not go over to well with our family.  

BYO BOWLS

BYO BOWLS IN THE HAWAII KAI TOWNE CENTER
GRAB LIFE BY THE BOWLS
BYO BOWLS IS LARGE, BRIGHT AND CLEAN
SET UP IS LIKE CHIPOTLE OR PIEOLOGY
BOWLS START AT $10
NEED SOME HELP DECIDING?  THESE ARE GREAT OPTIONS
LYCHEE LEMONADE, KIM CHEE FRIED RICE AND BI BIM BAP
CHOOSE YOUR RICE OR NOODLES
FRESH NOODLES AND VEGGIES
VEGGIE SELECTIONS
CHOOSE YOUR VEGGIES
LOTS OF VEGGIES TO CHOOSE FROM
BUILD YOUR BOWL 
ADD PROTEINS, EGG AND SAUCE
POKE BOLWS FOR $10
YOUR BOWL IS COOKED TO ORDER ON THIS GIANT FLAT TOP
THAI NOODLE BOWL
THAI NOODLE BOWL ALL MIXED UP
THAI NOODLE BOWL WITH SHRIMP
BI BIM BAP
KALE AND SPINACH SALAD WITH CHICKEN

RICE PAPER

RICE PAPER
1160 MAUNAKEA STREET
HONOLULU, HI  96817
808-528-3663
HOURS:  Tuesday thru Sunday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Really enjoyed lunch at Rice Paper in Downtown Honolulu. This little Vietnamese restaurant rocks with a large menu and even larger flavors.  Actually liked everything we ate on this day.  Started with the Crispy Spring Rolls ($9.99).  The Rolls were fresh and filled with Ground Pork, Vegetables and Rice Noodles.  Terrific when wrapped in lettuce, mint and hot sauce.  The Green Papaya Salad ($10.99) was also delicious.  Served with a good amount of Shrimp and Pork.  This is one of my favorite Salads.  So light, refreshing and flavorful.  Loved it!  The Char Siu and Steamed Pork Banh Mi Sandwich ($7.99) also hit the mark of flavor.  Liked the fresh bread and pickled vegetables.  Only thing missing was a little Liver Pate.  This would have really made this a really great Banh Mi.
Last up was Rice Special Combination ($13.99) with a delicious marinated Pork Chop, Rice with Fried Egg, Shredded Pork Skin and what they call Meat Loaf.  The Meat Loaf included Egg and noodles and had a nice peppery flavor.  Loved the Egg with the Rice.  The yolk blended into the rice and it was delicious.  This was a very filling and satisfying meal.  Nice to try a little bit of everything on the table rather than stick with one dish.  Rice Paper uses fresh, quality ingredients and the food pops with flavor.  Service was excellent and the food came out of the kitchen fast during lunch hour.
Really want to return here again and try the Pho.

RICE PAPER

RICE PAPER ON MAUNAKEA STREET IN DOWNTOWN HONOLULU
LONG CONTINUOUS TABLES AND CLEAN BRIGHT SPACE
RICE PAPER MENU
RICE PAPER HOURS, ADDRESS, PHONE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
APPETIZERS AND SALADS
BEEF NOODLE SOUPS (PHO) AND SANDWICHES
STEWS, CURRY AND RICE PLATES
NOODLE, RICE DISHES AND SOUPS
MORE SOUPS, VEGETABLES, DESSERTS AND BEVERAGES
GREEN PAPAYA SALAD WITH SHIRMP AND PORK
CRISPY SPRING ROLLS
BANH MI SANDWICH WITH CHAR SIU AND STEAMED PORK
LOVED THE FRESH VEGETABLES IN THE BANH MI SANDWICH
RICE SPECIAL COMBINATION - GRILLED PORK CHOP
DELICIOUS PORK CHOP AND THE EGG WITH RICE WAS AWESOME


Sunday, January 15, 2017

KONA GRILL

KONA GRILL
INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE
2330 KALAKAUA AVENUE #312
HONOLULU, HI  96815
808-756-9591
HOURS:  Monday thru Thursday/Sunday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
                 Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Really enjoyed Happy Hour at Kona Grill.  This is a great spot within the new International Marketplace in Waikiki that will surely be a hit with both locals and tourists.  The menu is large and includes a wide variety of Sushi that you can enjoy inside or on the outdoor covered patio.  Really liked the Happy Hour menu and prices where from $5 to $10 you can really eat well.  I basically want to go back with friends and try everything on the Happy Hour Menu.  We started with the JalapeƱo Yellowtail Sashimi ($10.50) from the Happy Hour Menu.  It was pure heaven.  The fish was fresh, light and topped with a slice of JalapeƱo and Ponzu Sauce.  Delicious.  Next up we went for the Lobster and Tuna Flatbread ($10.50).  Delicious pieces of Lobster and super fresh Ahi Sashimi on Flatbread.  After eating one slice with the Flatbread, I ate the others without the bread.  It was just too much bread for me and I don't think Ahi Tuna goes well on bread.  I just wanted the fish.  Good dish though for $10.  The Taco Trio ($8.25) is a super bargain.  Three tacos of your choice and they are filled with meat or seafood.  We went for the Fish, Shrimp and Pork.  All good with quality ingredients and toppings.  Three Taco's like this in Hawaii for $8 is a steal.  The Cheeseburger Sliders ($8.25) were not really Sliders but full on Burgers.  Two Burgers served with French Fries and they were good and filling.  Wish I could have eaten more here because there is so much on the menu that I liked.  You cannot beat the Happy Hour prices for a place like this in Waikiki.  Happy Hours are Monday thru Friday 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Monday thru Thursday 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM and Friday/Saturday 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM.

KONA GRILL

KONA GRILL KITCHEN - SUSHI - COCKTAILS IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE
BEAUTIFUL INDOOR/OUTDOOR SPACE
LARGE BAR WITH LOTS OF WIDE SCREENS TO ENJOY THE GAME
DINING ROOM WITH OPEN KITCHEN
PATIO BAR OPENS UP TO SOME NICE SEATING AREAS
LIKED THE PATIO SEATING IN THE EVENING
HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS ARE FANTASTIC!










JALAPENO AND YELLOWTAIL SASHIMI
LOBSTER AND TUNA FLATBREAD
FRESH TUNA WAS DELICIOUS
NICE PIECES OF LOBSTER ON THE FLATBREAD
TACO TRIO
CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS
YOU GET TWO OF THESE BURGERS WITH FRIES FOR $8