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Ordered a custom cake to celebrate me and my twin sister's birthday and it was exactly what we wanted. We're big grand sumo fans and we had requested a cake shaped like a dohyo (the ring that sumo wrestlers fight in). He even got the salt and water buckets we wanted! He was also kind enough to let us borrow his plastic container for transport!
Malu is a nice dessert place they have soft serve ice cream and the roll cakes are delicious. Also tried the sesame jelly drink that was so refreshing too. The owner was really nice and friendly. The place is small and has a few seats if you want to eat in.
It's always good to see Taka. I've been coming to him for years. Today, he opened the door for us and remembered me after months of being away. I got a new job, so I haven't been around as much. But his quality is as good as ever. Today, all of the items were winners. I think he is getting used to the American palate more. I loved the Halloween decorations, and the bright pick paint always lifts my spirits. Inside the case is the special of the week along with some of the staple items. On the wall is the rest of his menu. If you want, he can make speciality cakes for you. He really is fun to see. I love his hojicha soft serve!
First time visit. Met the owner Taka. Nice guy. He makes the cakes and goodies here. Ordered the original beef Kimbap, Coffee jello drink, Candied Pear and newly featured Pistachio pie. I parked on Makaloa Street metered parking per yelp tips. 75 cents for 30 minutes. Owner Taka makes the Kimbap when you order it! Great tasting. Coffee jello was a little sweet for me, but still delectable. The pistachio cake and Candied Pear were recommended by owner Taka. Great recommendations! Update: The candied pear was perfectly ripe. However the candied cover was sweet and ended up cutting up my mouth. Maybe a thinner layer? I ended up pulling off the candied cover and ate up the delicious pear.
Where to go after dinner in Honolulu, Hawaii... This is a common question which the Yelp app can answer. I searched for "dessert" and found Malu. I had seen it at the Ke'eaumoku Plaza (the building next to Sam Sung Plaza). It was time to check it out! Because I strongly dislike paying for parking, we parked elsewhere and walked over. Malu is between King of Thai Boat Noodles and next to Wen's Tea. It shares the parking lot with Cafe Gangnam and Kickin' Kajun. Inside, the cozy fuschia-colored shop is ready for Instagram photos. The bright pink decor is quite memorable! There's bench seats with a few tables and chairs for indoor dining. Service was very polite and friendly. My friend asked a lot of questions and the gentleman was so nice. We learned that "Malu" has many meanings. In Hawaiian, it's protection. In other cultures, it's peace or conversation. My friend asked - what's the Korean word for "pink"? The gentleman laughed and said that he didn't know because he's Japanese! LOL! My friends got fancy desserts - a cream puff cookie and a yuzu mousse - and strawberry jelly milk drinks. They really enjoyed the quality and flavors! I can't do dairy, so, I got Kimbap - Korean sushi. It was made fresh - it was delicious! The beef was tender and tasty! The rice was chewy and the takuan was crunchy! Yum! I wouldn't mind returning - especially since Malu stays open until 8pm. Note: closed on Wednesdays
What a nice treat after dinner! We tried the strawberry jelly drink. Don't forget to mix it before drinking! It tastes just like strawberry milk with jelly pieces (kind of like boba). We also had the vanilla soft serve topped with fresh mango sauce, and it was delicious! It felt like eating fresh cut mango with your ice cream. They're generous with the sauce too, which we enjoyed. Just a reminder: make sure to get your parking validated!
M: Let's go get dessert... Me: I have to work... M: Let's go get dessert!! Me: I'm busy now... M: LET'S GO GET DESSERT!! Me: ok... I should be working but Mink wanted to get dessert so we went to check out Malu. She insisted we go but at least we went during off hours. Samsung Plaza had lots of open stalls and the place was empty. You can't miss this place because it's bright pink. Inside is cozy and they validate for 30 minutes if you dine in. She knew she wanted the soft serve with Oreos and chocolate. Mink ordered me the soft serve with fresh strawberry sauce and Fruity Pebbles. I think she got me one so that she could have two lol. It was pretty good and the Fruity Pebbles offered the soft serve a nice textural component to each bite. Mink was satisfied and got her pics for the Gram. Main thing is she's happy and had a good experience there. Glad I was able to come and give this spot a try. It was nice break from everything and the soft serve was quite good. Definitely worth trying and solid spot near the Ala Moana Center area. 4.5 stars
Teeny mega pink shop. Usually it is quiet and peaceful, but the pink is always bright and welcoming. No matter what day you stop by to have a dessert, this place always has something for you (different selections often from the creative chef) and the nice man there who makes everything! Sometimes there are seasonal/themed desserts available too, and you can also order custom cakes for special occasions. I have no pictures of the taiyakis but they were delicious each time. All of the cakes, soft serves, and kimbap are delicious as well! Every bite is flavorful (and not too sweet or overdone). Parking is not the best in that plaza, but it has always been a good time on slow days. I like coming when I'd like a treat to myself.
It was my first time trying this place! I have seen the advertisements for this business and follow them on IG as well but never actually had the time to go there to try it! It used to be a soft serve place and I've been there once before it changed establishment! The boyfriend was the one who said we should go. I think he may have seen it online or something. But I was so glad we did! We got there and no one was in the shop! There was only one person working and I am assuming that's the owner of the shop. He was very nice and made our order all by himself! We had ordered the 5 taiyaki, 1 kimbap, and 3 desserts! We got the spicy tuna and cheese kimbap and that was soooo good!! It's very cute that the top was sprinkled with rainbow sesame seeds! The egg was like a tamagoyaki egg versus the actual pan fried egg so it gave the kimbap a slightly sweeter taste! For the taiyaki we ordered two spicy tuna melt and one of each of the beef, chocolate, and custard! Omg!!! It was all sooo good!!! I don't eat beef so the bf had that and he said that it's realllllyyyy good!!! The spicy tuna melt was so good too!! But the sweet taiyaki...omg!! Chef's hand kiss! The chocolate was soo good!! It's like chocolatey but minus the extra sweet flavor! It's like actual dark chocolate!! The custard was amazing as well! Like I don't usually like custard but this custard is like the ones I've had in Korea! It's not the super heavy cream or pudding like custard it's the more transparent and not so sweet kind!!!! All of it was sooo good!!! For the desserts we got the Mont Blanc, nama Choco, and the cookie cream puff! They were alll really delicious but my favorite has got to be the nama choco!! It's like a dense mousse cake but when you take a bite of it, it's like this velvety chocolate that just melts in your mouth! The Mont Blanc has this really nice layer of chestnut and cream and the crust is nice and crispy/flakey!! The cookie cream puff was probably the best cream puff I've had! Like the puff itself was crispy on the outside with the cream on the inside! But the shell itself doesn't break down and make the cream gush out when you cut into it. Like the shell stays in tact when you cut and doesn't crumble!! That's a miracle!! Like I've never had anything like that!!! If you haven't tried Malu, I would definitely recommend you try them out!! Definitely will not regret it!! The price is pretty reasonable as well! I mean we ordered all of that and it was about $40 something! We will definitely be back to try the other items he has as well!!
Malu is a small pink dessert shop in Honolulu. They sell bentos, kimbaps, and taiyakis too. I bought a soft serve with black sesame chocolate and fruity pebbles. The soft serve was a nice ice cream delight. The desserts are pricy for how small they are, but it takes skill to make these that make me think it's worth it. Malu posts on their Instagram the "dessert of the day" which only lasts for 3 or 4 days. I would suggest checking out their "dessert of the day" posts and if one does catch your interest; Go for it! I recently tried their 'White Dress or Wedding Dress' which is sweet potato pound cake coated with mascarpone cream ribbons. This small dessert was sooo good, that my friend and I had to buy a few more. I didn't know sweet potato and mascarpone flavors would combo well together. The "dessert of the day" is different now, so keep your eye out for their desserts if you're interested. I also requested a custom cake from Malu. You can fill out a request cake form on their website: www.maluhonolulu.com Their cakes are limited, for example Basque cheesecakes, flavored moose cakes, cakes for dogs, and others, but the chef is open to designs. I picked a mango mousse cake which was $50 and the design I found on social media. I asked for it, with the manga pages from the anime Haikyuu. After you submit the cake request form, Malu will let you know the total price. Since, I asked for a custom detail on my cake. The extra charge was $30, so total was $80. The mango mousse cake looked amazing and my family & myself enjoyed eating it.
Cute little boutique dessert and snack shop. One man show. Boy does the owner work tho; And he creates the cutest snacks and things. Check them out on their IG page or website to see some of his creations. First time I stopped by the shop was to buy a few dessert items for my friend's kids and kimbap for me. It was fun to choose! Saw that they also had taiyaki in sweet and savory choices and my favorite...jelly drinks! They had coffee jelly, matcha jelly, and mango jelly that day. Had to stop in later that evening with friend to try the coffee jelly! So delicious! Today I came back for the taiyaki and of course a jelly drink. Taiyaki choices include tuna, spicy tuna, beef, red bean, chocolate, and custard. Bought three to get the discount price. Ohhh swoon...I want more I WANT MORE!! Choices on jelly drinks today are coffee, matcha, and strawberry. Ohh boy, choices...such hard choices! Got the matcha jelly. Yumm so delicious! Looking forward to returning. Located in the Sam Sung Plaza on Keeamoku Street. Only the owner runs the space so if there is a line, expect to wait. I arrived first so my order was quick. The lady who arrived 4th while I was still waiting was not happy to be quoted 30 minutes for Taiyaki and Kimbap made to order. Taka, the owner, mentioned customers can order online at their website and he will start to work on your order before you get there. Small shop. Slightly small portions still, love the selection. Look for the bright cute pink shop. Thank you so much Taka, again, for your good service and delicious treats! Arigatoo ne, ja mata!
A cute little Japanese dessert shop tucked away off Keeaumoku. They specialize in custom cakes, pastries, soft serve and even kimbap. I've come to Malu to get cakes for a special occasion, once for a custom birthday cake and just recently for their Valentine's special chocolate heart. Both 5 star experiences, especially the custom cake. They were able to perfectly capture what I was going for and were very responsive via email. My frog cake turned out great! The only thing was the cake needed to be buttercream based (instead of whipped cream) to accommodate my request for decoration. The inner cake ended up being like 60% buttercream and 40% cake and was a bit hard to eat. Their pastries are very delicious and are Japanese style so not that sweet. The nama choco is one of my favorites because it tastes just like Royce chocolate from Japan. Aside from the sweets, I've come here twice so far wanting to try their kimbap...but they were out of rice both times :( I don't want to give up on trying the kimbap because I hear it's really good! In general, I find that many items sell out by the afternoon, so come early. Every time I've come, only Taka (the owner) was working. He can only help one group at a time, resulting in long wait times even if there's only 2-3 people in line. Major props to him though for managing all that by himself.
I got a dessert here one evening and it was so tasty - they sell kimbap here but I didn't know they had soft serve I got a small strawberry cake this place is hidden near the korean bbq place and across from Walmart - I was walking around and stumbled upon it - read more
Such a cute place! They have a small lunch menu and a bunch of desserts ! I got the coffee jelly which was amazing (although I don't think they have a option for milks) and I got the red bean taiyaki. They made the taiyaki fresh so it's a bit of a wait but it's super fresh and crispy. I will definitely come back again if I'm in the area. read more
7 years ago
Step into this place, and you've immediately entered a pink panther wonderland. At this time of year, the walls are adorned with cute Halloween decor and crepe cake/soft serve flavors are tailored towards the season. On my visit, I had ordered a pumpkin crepe cake and a spicy tuna-mayo kimbap ($11.25 total, with tax). The workers were very friendly and patient as my party and I marveled at the small but tantalizing selection. The pumpkin crepe cake was basically a pumpkin flavored blanket over pumpkin spice whipped cream. It was very cute and flavorful, but for the price, I don't think I'd get it again. The spicy tuna-mayo kimbap was well worth the price though-- flavorful and a good portion. A snack you can't go wrong with! I got to try my friend's lilikoi soft serve with li hing powder. Omg so great. And with the Yelp checkin, this topping is free. So be the great Yelper that you are and check in! Also got to try another friend's tuna-cheese taiyaki. An upgraded tuna melt, for sure! Parking is inside the Samsung Plaza (the same one as Cafe Gangnam, sushi ii, and sikdorak). The first 30 min are free with validation, and anything beyond that is $2 I believe. Seating is ample for the crowd that comes in. I recommend! Will be back for the shave ice with foam on top. Last time I had shave ice with foam on top was on Kauai-- really miss it! read more
7 years ago
The shave ice was amazing. You could taste the freshness even just from the aroma. The sweetness was just right. The flavored whip topping was creamy and very sweet. It has a hint of sourness. It paired great with the shave ice. Underneath the ice was lilikoi and it was a nice treat. It's a great desert option after dining across the lot at an all you can eat buffet Yakiniku. The kimbap was delicious and I can taste the pickledingredient. The area looked pretty clean. read more
7 years ago
Cute all pink spot in Samsung plaza! They have Kimbap and variety of desserts here. We tried their lilikoi cheesecake crepe cake and their pineapple soft serve with li hing mui topping. This place is pink everything and super cute! Great instagrammable spot! read more
7 years ago
Went again and was great! This time we had Taiyaki w soft serve Green tea dorayaki Strawberry shortcake Coffee Jelly read more
5 years ago
5 years ago
Oh, my, god! Their cake was so delicious and beautiful Inside was strawberry short cake. Not so sweet and almost I could eat whole cake by my self read more
This is your late night treat with small eats! Having small food options with amazing treat options was exactly what I needed. This location is small and cannot accommodate big groups. Parking is decent but I can imagine it would also be challenging when busier. I ordered KimBap and their mango passion fruit shaved ice. read more
3 years ago
Their ice cream is the best! It is soft serve and you can get toppings. My favorite is the matcha chocolate syrup, which is matcha and white chocolate mixed together. It balances the matcha with just the right amount of sweetness. The owner is very nice and hardworking as well! Support small businesses! read more
3 years ago
Fantastic vanilla soft serve! Plus delicious toppings like fresh strawberry sauce, mango sauce, green tea chocolate sauce, and more! And the kim chee cheese beef KIM BAP is the bomb! Highly recommend this hidden treasure! read more
Delicious!!!!! I've been curious about this place and when the craving for something sweet came on after a meal, decided to swing by. The owner, I assume, was working alone on Thanksgiving and I had an opportunity to ask some questions about his delicious looking pastries. He was so nice and informative. Several items were sold out but I got to try the chestnut montblanc cake and it was heavenly... I was hoping that my friend would order a different cake so I could try it but he ordered the same, which I can't blame him, it was delicious... With the 2 slices of cake, he had a special for one free beverage and I got a really strong but great iced coffee... To top it off, I was given a personal special Thanksgiving treat by the owner, a slice of the rich ganache- like chocolate cake. I'll definitely order that next time. I had to try something more so, I ordered a slice of Japanese milk tea cake to go. I can just imagine how good it will be... This place just had a one year anniversary, I can't believe I didn't make it here sooner.. read more
5 years ago
Friendly service and great taiyaki's! This was just what the family was craving! Warm and fresh red bean, chocolate and custard taiyaki's and soft service ice cream with oreos! Yummmm...will definitely be back!! read more
6 years ago
The cake here is amazing! Moist, delicious, made to perfection. They offer custom design cakes for your occasions. When you open the cake they also write a personalize note for you! Inquiry with the bakery for more details. Don't forget to check in when your here you receive one free extra soft serve topping you can save it for later or use it when your there! I have tried anything else beside there cake. I'll need to go back and try the other items on the menu. Snacks, Drinks, Bento, Soft serve... read more
5 years ago
This is not an over exaggeration...my favorite dessert on the island! the freshly made taiyaki waffle fish with vanilla flavored soft serve omg! Taka is amazing, always there making everything fresh to order and even the sauces are homemade! I always get half and half of the strawberry sauce and the chocolate sauce! Obsessed is putting it mildly haha. So delicious. And Taka bakes fresh pies daily! They rotate the flavors of pies so you can always try something new :) my favorites so far have been lemon mascarpone pie and the pumpkin (darn can't remember if it was a creme or a mousse) I believe it was a holiday flavor and it was delicious! So light in texture and the crust is amazing. Love love love it here! read more
6 years ago
Malu had some super cute pink decor that was definitely fun to use as backdrops in photos. The cafe itself is not one for staying in long due to being smaller and the parking in general. Though, it is nice for a quick bite to eat or grab n go. I got the Lychee Tart that caught me by surprise. The lychee was super flavourful and the raspberries on top were fresh and added a nice touch. My friend got the Cheesecake and that also caught me off guard. It was definitely not a generic cheesecake; it was a super rich, thick, heavy, and creamy cheesecake. As a cheesecake fiend I fell in love immediately because that is the best type of cheesecake the service was quick and the man who served and took our order was very nice. read more
4 years ago
My birthday cake from Malu was beautiful and delicious. Very light and not drowning in sugar and heavy chocolate. In all my decades and decades of life, this was the prettiest cake I was ever presented. I love the fact the cake was made by a small and locally owned business and not some large enterprise that does not know how to control the use of white sugar in whatever they make. For the great service and quality, I think Malu's prices are very fair and I love supporting Malu. Thank you so much! read more
Stopped by after dinner. Such a cute space all decked out in pink EVERYTHING! The staff is super friendly and very nice. We were talking outside when our drinks were ready and the staff brought our drinks to us on a tray. That goes beyond customer service. We went in and sat with our drinks and ordered some cheesecake desserts. The cheesecake wasn't too sweet and there was filling in the center. The outside of each cheesecake was a yummy crepe with eyes on it....too cute!! The staff brought us some of their custard filled cookie shells to sample. They were also delish! I'll definitely be back. If you are in the Samsung Plaza area, stop on in and give them a try. You won't be disappointed. read more
This is a super cute place to go for dessert or a late night snack. They have milk tea drinks, shave ice, soft serve with taiyaki, pineapple soft serve and vanilla swirl soft serve ice cream. What's really fun about this place is that you can order a sweet treat or something savory. They have kimbap kinda like sushi rolls. We ordered the taiyaki with the soft serve. You get to choose one free topping, I chose the chocolate sauce. My friend chose the strawberry. I liked the strawberry a little better, it tasted like strawberry jam. The best thing we tried was the lilikoi mango shave ice! They top it with a lilikoi foam it is a little tart but mixed with the shave ice and the mango it is delicious!!! Bursting with flavors! The staff are all really friendly. They also have cakes you can purchase for birthdays or special occasions and little mousse cakes as well that are showcased in their glass casing. The decor is fun. It's a small space but they have some bar stools and cute pink tables and benches where you can sit and enjoy your food. read more
Been seeing this place all over my friend's social media and on yelp! My boyfriend wanted a drink next store so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to come here. We ordered the tuna cheese kimbap and the taiyaki with strawberry sauce. The taiyaki is only 1 dollar more than just the soft serve itself. It is also filled with nutella ( I don't think there's other options, or they didn't ask) It was very good! It wasn't too sweet and the strawberry pure was very fresh and my boyfriend was a big fan. He said it's better than somisomi..haha ! The kimbap was also very good! I was surprised that there was also egg inside the kimbap. They also sprinkle rainbow sesame seeds on it. I asked what the difference between the spicy tuna mayo and regular was and all they add is siracha! Their menu is simple and yummy. They also have daily bento specials, I saw my friend get mapo tofu from them! I asked if they know what day they have it and they didn't know. I think their still working some kinks out. They did say it will be sometime next week, so you could probably call in and ask what their daily special is. There is also a mini bento option. I'll be back! I want to try the cakes and the shave ice! it's only cash for now though :( they also give 30 min parking validation read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
Small business owner who's located in a small restuarant complex across walmart. Desserts are amazing and just ordered a bento box. Hopefully it's as good as it looks. read more
7 years ago
We just happened to come across this place as we were headed to another dessert place. Luckily we saw their menus taped to the front door and stopped to take a look. I was excited to see they make taiyaki so we decided to eat here instead. It's a small storefront but you can't miss it because everything is pink. It's in the same shopping complex with Kicking Kajun and Sikdorak, across from Walmart on Keeaumoku. The parking can fill up fast especially during peak times. This store offers free 30 minute parking with validation. We ordered the lilikoi mango shave ice. It was a layered treat with each layer complimenting the others. On the bottom was lilikoi boba, topped with finely shaved ice, a lilikoi puree, and then topped with a lilikoi foam. It was delicious and refreshing! The puree and foam are made from the fruit so it's tart but exactly what you would expect from eating a lilikoi fruit. We also got the soft serve with taiyaki. The soft serve was a pineapple vanilla twist. The pineapple tasted like a Dole Whip. We got strawberry syrup which was a nice compliment to the soft serve. We added Nutella to our taiyaki, which was crispy and slightly overcooked (which is fine for me since I like my food a little burnt). Each item was $6.50, a little pricey for what we ordered but I understand that they are a small business trying to make a profit. The owner was friendly and attentive- you can tell that he wants to make sure you leave happy. I'll definitely be back to try their kimbap and the other shave ice flavors. read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
7 years ago
This is a cute little dessert and bento shop off of keeamoku. The two gentlemen that served my friend and I were awesome. I had the soft serve with matcha chocolate and she had the strawberry shave ice!! We both enjoyed our choices! We got to catch up and talk story.. We lost track of time and stayed past their closing time but they were nice enough to stay open late and even gave us snacks for the road!!! Must try!!! read more
7 years ago
7 years ago
7 years ago
We got there only 5 mins befoew closeting time and there were super nice, attentive and helpful. We got the Cookies and Cream puffs and there were delicious, hot the spot! Definite will come again to try more things. read more
6 years ago
Came across this adorable storefront while looking for a snack after a long day in the sun. We got two rolls - the spicy tuna with cheese and the spam and egg. I grew up in Seoul and can confirm this is good kimbap! Also found this sweet note in our takeout bag. It's the little things :) read more
7 years ago
So very good and tasty! Fresh and not over sweet just perfect. The little raspberry, chocolate, & vanilla cheese cakes with the little cute faces are very good. Anything with the strawberry sauce on top is delicious. Carmel cream puff, got an A+! The strawberry short cake is large and a great value! We got 5 different items and they all were so good. I don't think you can go wrong here. read more
7 years ago
Everything here has been delicious and the staff (probably the owners) are delightfully helpful read more
5 years ago
5 years ago
5 years ago
More info about Malu
661 Keeaumoku St
Ste 106-E
Honolulu, HI 96814
Directions
(808) 600-7104
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http://maluhonolulu.com
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7 years ago
