Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin

After a night of playing tennis at the Hale Koa courts, my group and I decided to take a walk to the nearby streets for dinner. First thing that came to mind was Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. If you’ve never been there before you need to stop by. In my opinion, they’ve got probably the best katsu in the state…Imperial Cafe is a close second.

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin.

The establishment holds about 40 people comfortably. Unfortunately there is no parking. You'll have to park on nearby streets or next to the Waikiki post office.

Nice, golden brown, light and fluffy. If you don’t like Pork, it’s okay cause it’s so light it could probably be mistaken for Chicken Katsu. They also have shrimp katsu too so vegetarians, no worries…

On Tuesday and Wednesday night, they have the chef special which is Tonkatsu Curry for $17. The best part is the curry, rice and cabbage salad are all-you-can-eat!

Cabbage salad with miso goma dressing.

My second helping of cabbage salad but with Oriental shoyu dressing.

The meal also came with Japanese pickles which were actually pretty good. It’s a little different, it’s pickled pearl onions and pickled daikon & ginger.

Japanese pickles.

Yuko had the kushi tonkatsu. Which means tonkatsu on a stick.

The rest of us had the tonkatsu curry.

Make sure to try some of their homemade katsu sauce. It's probably better than anything you can buy at the store.

So next time you’re in the neighborhood or even if you’re not, you’ve gotta check out Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. The only warning is that it’s a little pricey since it is in Waikiki. Be prepared to spend at least $20 per person. It’s worth it if you go once in a blue moon like we did. Hope you can make it down!

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin
255 Beachwalk Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
926-8082

http://www.pj-world.com/bairin/

Lunch:
11am – 2:30pm Tuesday thru Friday
Dinner:
5pm – 9:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday
Closed on Monday

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Town

Town is located in Kaimuki on the corner of Waialae Avenue and 9th Avenue. There is free parking in the back of the restaurant (entrance on 9th Avenue, a one way street going makai) which is a plus since free parking is scarce in this area. Town is known for using fresh and organic ingredients. The portions are not enormous but are just right so that you can still function after your meal. The menu changes daily depending on what's available, therefore what you see here may not be on the menu on your next visit.

I didn't get to personally try this burger, but it looked delicious and the person who ordered it said it was really good. The fries were seasoned with rosemary and Italian seasoning - yum!

I ordered a salad with mahi mahi, and asked for the dressing (balsamic vinaigrette) on the side. It was topped with fresh cheese. I normally don't order salads at restaurants (since I can't see paying $12 for lettuce) but I'm trying to add more veggies to my diet so here it is:

Here is a vegetarian pasta dish with pesto.

And a pasta dish with hand made pasta and chicken

Salad with chicken. The chicken was moist!

I apologize for not being able to be more descriptive of the items. The items on the menu are not named, they just list the ingredients. I got to try a small amount of each dish (except for the burger) and everything was flavorful.

We came here for lunch on a Saturday. There were lots of open tables. Despite it not being crowded, the food took pretty long to arrive. If you're trying to keep your lunch to an hour, you may want to go elsewhere. But if you have some time to spare, I would definitely recommend this place for lunch. Our dishes averaged about $12, which I think is reasonable considering everything is made with the freshest of ingredients.

Town
3435 Waialae Avenue
735-5900
Closed on Sundays

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Shiro's Saimin Haven

During the late winter chill we recently experienced, I was craving saimin, so we headed to Shiro's Saimin Haven.

I got the Wun Tun Min with Garnishes.

It tasted as good as it looked.

And of course I had to get some French Fries with Gravy.

After I became addicted to french fries with gravy after trying them for the first time in Victoria, BC, I always check out restaurants' menus on the island to see if they serve their fries with gravy, and so far I've found that Shiro's is one of the few places in Hawaii that has them on their menu (most places I have to request the gravy).

DH has been trying to eat healthy, so he ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi with Brown Rice.

It was quite a generous serving of mahi, and it sure looked good! DH ate the entire thing!

We ordered DS2 the Keiki Hot Dog with Fries.

The service was quick and friendly, the food was good, and I already can't wait to go back.

Shiro's Saimin Haven: 98-020 Kamehameha Highway, Aiea, HI 96701, (808) 488-4834

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Koi Catering & Takeout

Since it was a furlough Friday, one of my office mates had her husband and daughter come by for lunch. We were also treated with a special appearance by her 6 month old puppy Fritz. Check him out, he's pretty frisky, thus the nickname "Fritzy"

It's Fritz!

On the way into the office, my co-workers husband picked up our lunch order from Koi Catering & Takeout in Kalihi on Dillingham. If you've ever been there and have seen a familiar face or two working there, if you remember the old Pu'uwainani's plate lunchwagon that was once on South Street & Halekauwila...this was the "original" Koi. The husband and wife that ran Pu'uwainani sold the lunch wagon and along with Chef Eric Bond from the eastcoast teamed up to open this new venture.

The restaurant is located across the Blood Bank of Hawaii on Dillingham between Puuhale & Mokauea Street. You can check out their menu by clicking here.

At first I was a bit hesitant since you normally want to get some feedback or hear something about a place you've never eaten before you try it. But none of us in the office except "Fritz's" mommy has ever eaten there. So, on a leap of faith, a bunch of my office mates and I decided to go for it... and we were pleasantly surprised! The food is pretty gourmet and good too!

Pesto Mahimahi. Mini - $5.20 Regular - $7.20 (Regular is pictured)

Steak & Portabello Salad. Mini $6.00 Regular - $7.50 (Regular is pictured)

Grilled Steak w/ Ginger Sesame dipping sauce. Mini $6.25 Regular $8.25 (Regular is pictured)

Furikake Mahimahi. Mini $6.25 Regular $8.20 (Regular is pictured)

Koi Bento includes rice, garlic chicken, garlic ahi and grilled steak. $9.50

All plate lunches come with your choice of white or brown rice and tossed or mac salad. For those who can't make it out to the Dillingham location, Koi also has a lunchwagon on Koapaka Street next to Xpress Trucking. Check it out when you get the chance!

Koi Catering & Takeout
2028 Dillingham Blvd.
Phone: 845-4564
Fax: 845-6564
koi808@clearwire.net
http://koi808.net
Monday - Saturday, 10am to 2pm
Closed on Sunday, catering is available.

Lunchwagon
286-6161
Monday - Friday, 10:30am to 1:00pm
Cash only

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Giovanni Pastrami

After spending the morning playing tourist in Waikiki a few weeks ago, we decided to get lunch at Giovanni Pastrami.

The boys shared the Kids Pancakes.

I ordered the Western Chicken Sandwich--a chicken sandwich topped with barbecue sauce, bacon, fried onion rings, and jack cheese.

I normally don't like barbecue sauce, but this sandwich was good! It was pretty messy though--I ended up eating it with a knife and fork.

DH ordered the Western Burger, which was a burger topped with the same items as the Western Chicken Sandwich.

He enjoyed the sandwich and he really liked the onion rings too.

The service was pretty good, and prices are typical Waikiki prices (on the higher side), but we took advantage of a web coupon they were offering so we really saved some money.

Next time I'm going to have to try the pizza (Round Table Pizza), because I heard their pizzas are really good!

Giovanni Pastrami: 227 Lewers Street, Honolulu, HI 96815, (808) 923-2100

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Phuket Thai

Recently I met @incirclepets at Phuket Thai in Mililani while she was in town visiting family and friends.

We ordered Spring Rolls (poh pia).

I thought they were really good. Crispy and tasty.

And of course I had to order the Chicken Thai Fried Noodles (paht thai).

It's really the only other thing I eat at Thai restaurants other than the spring rolls.

Although I had to pull out all of the bean sprouts, I thought it was good (and so did DH, who ate the leftovers).

@incirclepets ordered a beef salad dish (don't know the exact name of the dish).

She said it was good, and the beef was tender. It looked pretty spicy too.

The service was pretty good and overall it was a really nice lunch, especially since I got to see @incirclepets (we've known each other since we were four years old!)!

Phuket Thai: 95-1249 Meheula Pkwy, #A6, Mililani, HI 96789, 808-623-6228

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Wildlife at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa

When we decided to play tourist in Waikiki a few weeks ago, one of our stops was the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa to see the various wildlife there.

The main reason we went was to see the African Black-Footed Penguins.

DS1 loves penguins so he enjoyed watching them.

There were also turtles...

lots of koi...

African ibises...

ducks...

flamingos...

and macaws.

We all enjoyed seeing the different types of wildlife at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Maybe one day we'll take a "staycation" there so we can spend more time visiting and seeing everything else at the Hilton Hawaiian Village!

Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa: 2005 Kalia Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 Tel: (808) 949-4321

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Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market

After taking the boys to Jungle Fun, we decided to eat lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market.

The boys shared the Kids Ping Pong Pepperoni Pizza.

The meal also included a side and dessert (french fries and JELL-O) which came in a cute little boat.
I ordered a Blueberry Smoothie (which I got for free after completing an online survey).

And for lunch I had the Texas Cajun Chicken Sandwich

It was really good--how can anything with bacon and guacamole ever not be good?

DH ordered the Accidental Fish & Shrimp.

He said it was good, but thought the portion sizes were a little too small.

For dessert DH and DS1 ordered Jenny's Minis: Peanut Butter and Chocolate and Red, White and Blue.

Since we've been to Bubba Gump's a few times before, and DH loves movie trivia, we already knew the answers to the trivia questions the server asked, but it was still fun to see if we could remember them.

Overall it was a nice lunch--great food, good service, and I'm sure we'll be back again!

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.: Ala Moana Shopping Center, 1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Suite 3253 Honolulu, HI 96814, 808-949-GUMP.

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Hawaii Army Museum

Even though I've passed by numerous times, I've never set foot into the Hawaii Army Museum until a few weeks ago, when our family played tourists in Waikiki.

Admission is free, but they welcome donations.

There were all sorts of exhibits both inside and outside of the museum, but we didn't get to spend too much time browsing because my boys were fussy.

These are some of the Hawaiian weapons.



There were many other exhibits, including a lot dealing with the attack of Pearl Harbor, but what really drew interest from my boys were the outdoor exhibits.

There are tanks outside of the museum.

And a helicopter on the rooftop.Unfortunately they closed the helicopter exhibit the day we went because of the strong winds.

The exhibits were interesting and maybe one day when we have more time and my boys are older we'll visit again.

Hawaii Army Museum: 2161 Kalia Road, Honolulu, HI 96815, (808) 955-9552.

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New Genki Ramen

Recently we ordered take out from New Genki Ramen.

I ordered the Chicken Katsu Ramen.


Now, I'm not a ramen expert like @wehearthawaii or @nanigurl, but I thought this ramen was just okay. I didn't like the soup (chicken and pork stock), and I don't care for bean sprouts, which there seemed to be too much off.

However, I really liked the chicken katsu.

I wish I ordered what DH did--the Chicken Katsu Curry Rice plate.

We took advantage of the Happy Hour Special--from 2:00pm to 5:00pm you can get 4 pieces of gyoza or a soft drink for free with any regular order.

We ended up getting two free orders of gyoza.

They were pretty good.

Next time I order from New Genki Ramen I'm definitely getting the chicken katsu curry.

New Genki Ramen: 95-1840 Meheula Parkway, Mililani, HI 96789 626-7829

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