This is for the 2.2.25 event at Hamada General Store…read more Friendly table-side service for each course. Every dish --from the chips appetizer to the dessert, delicious. The sides hold their own with the star of the show--the prime rib. BYOB The staff--attentively open, pour and refill. I thinks it's one bottle per two guests, check your email. The ticket purchaser advised being ready to purchase as soon as sales open. The first seating sold out quickly, so we attended the second seating at 7:30. We arrived around 7:15. Most guests from the 5:30 seating left, so there was ample parking. Ambiance--Palaka print placemats, casual, Aloha wear type of atmosphere. Enjoy--you're in for a treat!

What do four guys with a passion for food and drinks create? The Prime Rib Club, a concept…read moreinspired by the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco. During this pop-up, trial period, 3-courses are $128, tax and tip included. There is also a separate drink menu with a couple of wines, beers, and cocktails. The first course was a local take on a Salad Lyonnaise featuring Waipoli greens tossed table side with house made papaya seed dressing and offered toppings of diced egg, bacon, and house made croutons. Salty, tangy, and a nice fresh start to the meal. Next came the star of the show. The 3-day herb cured, prime grade, prime rib was a perfect medium rare and carved table side. Each plate came with potato puree, creamed spinach, hurricane corn, and a shokupan bun. The prime rib was very tender as expected, and offered with creamy mild horseradish and au jus. The potatoes were food mill smooth and buttery. The spinach tasted "healthy" with just a touch of cream. The hurricane corn was a stroke of genius. Furikake works on popcorn, so it works on cream corn. The shokupan has a nice soft chew, just next time I might sneak my own butter in. And for those who can eat a little more, you might be offered a bonus slice. Dessert is a play on an Old Fashioned, with Asato Family frozen custard, orange whipped cream, toffee crunch, an old fashioned caramel, and a cherry. Like all Asato desserts, the flavors come through strong and true. I loved the addition of the toffee crunch for the texture and the boozy, burnt caramel which cut the dessert's sweetness. Only 16 diners per seating; check their website to secure your reservation. Tables are farm tables, so get comfortable with your table mates, and give The Prime Rib Club some love.

First time trying their take out at Fishcake (a rotating culinary artist incubator space). I…read moreordered "pork and lamb bolognese." Rich ingredients and taste satisfied me. Btw they cook in front of you after you place an order. You can eat in too. Thank you very much for an early dinner!

Chasing the C4 "rainbow"…read more We have been fans of Colin Hazama's C4 offerings between the Kaiser and Blaisdell open market locations. As of January, 2023, C4 is located in the Fishcake shop in Kakaako, there are several stalls right in the front for a quick dash to pick up your order. Same like before, you check their weekly offerings, email your selections at the latest, the day before, and schedule when you'd like to pick up your order, usually on a Wednesday. C4 offers a rotating selection of meals to go that are delicious, delightful and sized just right. These are not humongous servings but just right for most. Recently, we had jasmine scented steamed opakaka w/Choy sun and mushrooms. So nice and tender, not over cooked, it's always tricky to get it just right when you know most customers will be taking it home and not eating it immediately. It smelled flavorful when we received it and tasted as such when we ate it later. C4's hearts of palm coconut gazpacho: now the closest I've come this type of soup is a cold potato soup, but this soup was so much more tasty and refreshing. Perfect that it was not a cold evening to try it, it was delicious and decadent, but not heavy. A delicious starter. We were able to try the roasted 3 potato salad as an accompaniment, this was not your typical local potato salad but rather a more tangy lighter salad w/o the heavy local Mayo toss (just right for no Mayo, Fran C). I can see this one going with sandwiches too. Yum! Of course, the sweet finale has to be their flavored gummies, we are partial to their pog and strawberry gummies. Meals from C-4 are built into our go-to list when we decide to do take-out, and if it's on a Wednesday, we will always check out C4 to see what's on da menu. Support local! Mahalos Chef Colin for a nice selection of offerings every month.

I finally got to try this place for the first time at the strawberry moon market. Everything was…read moresooo sooo delicious. I personally think this was single-handedly the best musubi/okazuya I have ever had in a meal on this island. It is a shame that they do not pop-up as often but I was very grateful that they were able to make some more food even when the sign said they were "sold out." I guess it was fate that my taste buds were blessed by the hands of this cute Japanese family.

Food is amazing and made to order. Onigiri and side dishes are authentic and just like in Japan!!!read more

About 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, there was already a line of people placing their order for fresh…read morepulled noodles. We were told that the first batch would be served about 11 a.m. so we quickly put our order in. The first thing that caught my attention, was the savory aroma of their 5-spice ground pork being cooked. You can add this as a topping to the noodle dish. The second thing that caught my attention, was the labor of love going in to each order of fresh pulled noodles. You can watch him stretch the dough ball and slap it on the counter before he boils each batch with careful preparation. The third thing that caught my attention, was their adorable mother, helping to slice the cucumbers and top each dish with crushed iso peanuts. Do not forget to order the side of pickled bittermelon....so good!! From beginning to end, this was an incredible experience of all my senses! To see and hear them at work and then to taste the delicious sesame sauce on the fresh pulled noodles....WOW! The soft noodles, the crisp bittermelon, and the savory sauce....super delish! Seriously, go early to place your order. The wait is totally worth it :) Will come back next time to try other menu items.

Shima Dreams of Noodles is a pop-up, located at Fishcake -…read more This place supposedly has a huge following, and people anticipate for the changing menu of various noodle dishes. When we went, the menu focused on udon: +Hot Yamakake Udon with Quail Egg (a special) +Cold Yamakake Udon (a special) +Hot Udon +Cold Udon The special udon dishes are servied with tororo (grated mountain yam), housemade tsukudani (seaweed braised in a sweet Japanese sauce), crispy nori, green onions, and an option to add wasabi. We went for both the hot and cold udon specials - I think it was a consensus that we would have liked to have more noodles in the dish. This is definitely a sweeter dish, with the tororo and the tsukudani. The place already had a long line, and the best way to enjoy would be to dine-in. Note that if you do order a carry-out, the quail egg would not be included. +ordering online is available +changing menu of noodle dishes +popup at Fishcake

The pork sisig was great and I am comparing it to sisig in Pampanga. The texture was amazing. Nice…read morecrunch and flavor. I highly recommend ordering the Ube Churros. It was something I tried for the first time and was very impressed. It's a cozy restaurant with an ambiance I appreciate.

My wife and I were on an adventure out to Waikele and decided to stop by Waipahu for lunch. How I…read morefound this place, I'm not sure. It might've been the search for fried chicken to which Minasa didn't disappoint. We arrived just after opening and happened to get the last open table - after ordering, of course. The restaurant is clean and well put together with darker accents. Our food came out relatively quick - having the chef's special and ube churros. The kalbi sauce soaking into the rice was the perfect balance of flavors. Same for the calamansi fried chicken. Lechon, I must say was also a fine example of how seriously the chefs take their selection of ingredients - as I looked closer, it had the classic 5 layers (shown in my photo). Usually, this is the prime factor in the perfect roast pork - providing juicy layers of pork meat. Overall, this has been the best (new) meal we've had in a LONG time. It was so delicious, I could only wish there was a way to share this place with a larger collection of diners because frankly, if you haven't tried this place, I honestly think you're missing out on the definition of culinary art. Each dish carefully crafted with the goal of providing the best experience to all the patrons. I seriously seriously hope you all have a chance to visit. If we're ever back on this side of the island, we won't hesitate to stop by.

We just had a wonderful dining experience at Giovedì, where Italian food is served with a pan-Asian…read moreflair. Every single dish we sampled was exceptional. We ordered the Scallop Carpaccio, the Nairagi Crudo (striped marlin), the Spaghetti Arrabbiata, the Gnocchi Mapolonese, and the Char Siu Pork. While every dish dazzled us, the Nairagi Crudo, containing sliced marlin, Calabrian chili crisp, charred eggplant, and mint, was our favorite. Elise, our server, was extremely attentive and helpful. It turned out to be a memorable evening. We can't wait to go back. Highly recommended! Before tipping, we spent $176 for a two-person meal (no alcohol, no dessert, 2 mocktails, 2 appetizers, 2 pastas, and 1 protein).

It was a nice experience, but im not sure I would go again, given the price and selection. The Milk…read moreBread was definitely amazing! The scallops were good because brown butter makes everything good. But the salad was anti climactic. Our main dishes were good but never wowed- and it felt like the menu never gave you a true idea what you were ordering so its kind of a blind order. I did like my take on the Vietnamese noodles though. The drinks were strong but meh. I remember it being enjoyable but its not memorable or recommendable. The desert Carrot Cake was a huge disappointment. Maybe its just not for me? We left a good half of it behind... The service was very good. Maybe not the most attentive but when it came around it was great and friendly, and very professional. I would go again if someone wanted to go, but I don't think ill return on my own accord

Pretty good experience overall. I had made a reservation for opening for two on a Tuesday. There…read morewere about 3-4 other groups and eventually the lunch hour group trickling in from the surrounding businesses. We were promptly seated then we ordered from our phones after scanning their QR code on a sign on our table. We ordered four things: two appetizers and two mains. For our two appetizers, we got the lumpia look fun and the ilocos empanada bahn xeo. The two mains were utog burger and pancit pad see ew. The lumpia look fun tasted good, but I don't think I would get it again. I'm used to getting look fun in Chinatown and eating homemade lumpia. I didn't think the combination was profound for the price point. As for pancit pad see ew, I think I would have wanted to taste more of the "pancit" than the pad see ew. For me, it tasted too strongly of soy sauce, and I think I'm used to flavors closer to pancit or beef chow fun, so I couldn't quite enjoy or finish it. Would like it to be less salty and have more wok hey served hotter. Of the four, I enjoyed the utog burger and the ilocos empanada the most. I liked that the utog burger wasn't too salty and the bun held up. I absolutely love the garlic shoestring fries that went with it. The ilocos empanada was delicious, within my expectations of what ilocos empanada is (after trying some of the ones made in Waipahu) but in good balance with the lettuce. Definitely would like to have the utog burger or ilocos empanada again and try the other mains!

Finally had a chance to try them out. Non traditional…read moreFilipino food that works well IMO. The limited menu makes it easier for you to choose. . Tried a few items: Utog Burger - surprised how good this was. Reminds me of a better version of the Big Mac! If you look burgers, you won't be disappointed. Lumpia Look fun - soft on the outside and crispy on the inside. Wifey liked this one the best. Also very good. Banh - taste like a Vietnamese/Filipino fusion. The cheese shell gave it another twist. Pancit/see ew- a bit too salty. Shrimp portions were good tho . But the Thai version is better IMO. I'd skip this one next time. This dish was meh. Service was good. You order thru the app. Can also do take out. Easy process. Similar ambiance to your average china town spot. Overall solid 4/5.

Came here when it was less crowded the seating area is big wide open with chairs, tables, and a…read moregreen luscious outdoor view. There were only a few vendors like maybe 4 trucks at the time we got a plate from a vendor called "Wasabi Express by Tiger" the white woman who most likely also works with the main chef randomly approached us recommends it for my partner and I says it's going to taste great it's made fresh daily,, said why not we came for a trip but honestly it was mid and this is why I don't listen to people but realistically I should've just dogged it in my opinion; understand it's Hawaii we are in a touristy spot, but too overpriced for something that tastes like yoshinoya meat and rice that tastes just like fried rice from a regular Chinese takeout

Went here with friends! The food selection and trucks they have is alright! I thought it would be…read morebigger and lots of trucks like OC night market in LA but i cant complain, the food is amazing! And love the drink i got from the truck strawberry pineapple flavor from tropics truck

They are back!!! This time in the old Cafe Lani space which is much larger. They even have a…read morerestroom in the location. They just opened yesterday and are open 5pm until midnight Su-Thu and until 2am on Fridays & Saturdays through Halloween. Fun Halloween themed pop up bar with drinks that are just as festive. They serve their shots in a syringe and have a prop coffin that makes for a great photo op. Goose shot with strawberry ($10) in a syringe. Good amount of alcohol as it is a large vessel. Faceless Lady ($7) shochu, lychee, lemon-lime soda. Spider ring to keep. Green Lady ($7) shochu, melona, lemon-lime soda. Spider ring to keep. Drinks are in smaller plastic cups and on the sweeter side which is an ode to the candy holiday. Not the place to get hammered as the drinks aren't that strong. I can appreciate the work and cost that has gone into putting up such an elaborate pop up for my favorite holiday. If you love Halloween like I do, Ghost Bar is a must, costumes optional. Can't want to go back!

This is a pop up Halloween themed bar on the second level of the Ala Moana Center. It is right next…read moreto Longs Drugs on the parking garage side. The bar has some cool decorations and unique novelty drinks. When I went there the place was packed. I had to wait a few minutes in a line while they checked IDs. Then I never was able to get a seat. I stood at a bar area along the side wall. It is open seating, so it's everyone for themselves when they get in. There most popular drink by far is the one that comes in a trick or treat pumpkin and serves 2 to 4. Seating is on picnic tables positioned around the bar. You can either go up to the bar at the front door and place your drink order or they have servers that can take your order from you where you are, if you are paying with a credit card. This be is a novelty and is only open in the month of October. The crowd is a mid to late 20-ish crowd. The draw for me was the novelty. I had to check this place out. For me it is not a place that I would visit frequently. But like I said, it is a must see, especially for Halloween lovers.