Friday, April 3, 2015

Eating My Way Through Honolulu


So Much Food So Little Time!

Hawaii is truly a melting pot and when it comes to food, this can be a very good thing. Whether you're looking for some old-fashioned local food or feel more like biting into a juicy gourmet burger, Honolulu's got it all.
On my last trip to Hawaii, I naturally gravitated towards my favorite eating spots. However on this trip, I made sure to visit some new places as well and boy was I glad I did. Trying out a variety of new places for the first time taught me a few things about myself - I have a love for Cuban food, and I can't seem to carry a box of cupcakes straight.
So if you're ready for the ultimate food tour of Honolulu ( as much as I could fit in on a 2-week holiday ), keep reading!

Plate Lunches

There is nothing more "local" than plate lunches. In Hawaii, that usually means a plate with two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and an entree, which could be anything from chicken katsu to hamburger steak. If there is more than one entree, it would be called a mixed plate.

In addition to old-fashioned plate lunches, there are "gourmet" plate lunches that are created with the gourmand in mind. If you're eating for good health, they've got you covered. These days, many places let you choose brown rice and a green salad instead of the typical white rice and mac salad.
Since it was my friend's first visit to Hawaii, I made sure that he tried as much authentic dishes as he could consume on a short holiday.


Fried Rice, Pancakes and Chinese?

People in Hawaii love all types of food including fried rice, pancakes and Chinese food. However they know how to put their own special twist to these typical dishes from abroad, making them uniquely their own.

Typically, local-style fried rice usually includes ingredients such as spam, kamaboko ( fish cake ) and a handful of chopped green onions, although other ingredients can be substituted. Pancakes also get adorned with Hawaiian flavors such as guava puree and coconut syrup. Local Chinese food is far from authentic, but good nonetheless.

You Can Have Your Burgers Too!

If you're not as daring as I am when it comes to food, you can always go for some honest-to-goodness American cooking. Of course if you're in Hawaii, you can find your favorites with a little island twist.
There are many American restaurant chains here, but most of food that they serve are just ok to down right mediocre. So it is my responsibility to point people in the right direction and not all restaurant chains are that bad.

The Cheescake Factory is probably my favorite restaurant chain in Hawaii with California Pizza Kitchen coming in at a close second. Both have a solid menu with good food and sometimes feature items with an island flair.

When it comes to burgers, Hawaii does it right. Various burger joints battle it out to see who does it best and opinions will differ depending on who you talk to. One of my favorite burger joints in Honolulu is The Counter, where you get to build your own burger. In fact, their website claims you can make over 312,120 burger combinations!

Dessert, The Most Important Part of any Meal

After perusing my library of iphone pictures I took on my trip, I decided that posting all my pictures of desserts would take at least three lenses. So instead I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite bakeries on the island.

Liliha Bakery has been in business since 1950 and has been a favorite of locals and visitors alike. They are mostly known for their coco puffs, but they offer so much more.


Did you enjoy all the food porn? I hope you did! I sure enjoyed eating every single morsel of delicious food in Hawaii. Until the next update, happy eating!

2 comments:

  1. I love this...makes me drool all over the keyboard. What wonders you've provided for us on this page, my friend. Thank you for sharing your expertise, and I am also sharing it.

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    1. So glad you like this one my friend. Makes me drool reliving this. haha

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