Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya Cook-at-Home Ramen Kits

Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya now offers Cook-at-Home Ramen Kits!  I was lucky have been invited to try a couple of these kits (currently only available at the Ala Moana location), which include prepared soup broth, a package of noodles, and garnishes.  

There are four varieties to choose from: Tanaka Classic, Tanaka Tori, Tanaka Rich Garlic, and Spicy Creamy Vegan.

Tanaka Classic

I chose the Tanaka Classic, which included pork broth, thin noodles, pork chashu, green onion and kikurage, and the Tanaka Tori, which included chicken broth with thin noodles, chicken chashu, green onions and spinach.  

The kits were a cinch to prepare.  Simply heat the broth, cook the noodles, and garnish!  In a matter of minutes, I had a tasty bowl of ramen!

Tanaka Tori

You can even add any other garnishes you may have in your fridge or pantry.

These kits have come in very handy, as I still rarely dine out (but do a lot of take-out), and they are so convenient for when the ramen craving strikes.  

The kits are $12 each, and $42.99 for any four kits.  

Call 808-400-0506 to place an order.

More information on Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya:
In addition to its new Cook-At-Home Ramen Kits, Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya also launched a new Happy Hour menu available at their Ala Moana Center location (Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and Kapolei Marketplace location (Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.). Both locations offer a different assortment of pupus priced from $3 to $5 such as edamame, crispy chicken wings, karaage chicken, pork gyoza, fried oysters and more. To wash it all down, drinks – including a house sake, Asahi draft, Orion draft and more – are also available on happy hour starting from $4.

Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya’s Ala Moana Center and Kapolei Marketplace locations are open for dine-in and take out daily – with proper safety measures in place from – Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. To place an order, call your nearest restaurant or order online at www.tanakaramen.com. Delivery is also available through Uber Eats and Bite Squad.

The business is planning to open an additional location at Pearlridge Center in April 2021.

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Rokaru Shabu Shabu

The last time I went to Rokaru Shabu Shabu was shortly after they had just opened nearly 5 years ago.  

Rokaru Bento

The Rokaru Bento consists of rice, gyoza, arabiki sausage, sukiyaki beef, fried chicken, tonkatsu, and tsukemono.

The serving of tonkatsu was a lot smaller than what I saw on the original photo on their Instagram, but it was still a pretty good deal at just $10.  

Deep Fried Pork Gyoza

Miso Garlic Shrimp Plate

Fried Ramen

Garlic Chicken Plate

Zucchini Fries

Eggplant Fries

The Eggplant Fries and Zucchini Fries were great - I imagine it would be even better eaten just cooked at the restaurant.

You can order take-out online, and they have a service charge for COVID Materials (2%).

Rokaru Shabu Shabu

1140 Kuala St
Ste 104

Pearl City, HI  96782
(808) 455-3000

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Choco le'a Book Club + Upcoming Specials

Photo Courtesy of Choco le'a

I really enjoyed reading Erin Kanno Uehara's (owner of Choco le'a) book, “Bringing Peace To Our World, One Chocolate Story At A Time” 20 Reflections & 20 Routines from 2020. I found her honest reflections that evolved into sharing her lessons learned and finding the opportunities now very interesting so I have logged into her weekly book club that is held on Instagram live.

It's a great, no pressure way to hear her discuss chapter lessons, provide personal examples of taking the opportunity now, and answer questions about herself and the business. If you're interested, her book is still available for sale at www.chocolea.com and you can join her book club @chocoleahawaii on Fridays at noon on Instagram. You can also subscribe to Choco le'a's emails and be the first to know about upcoming chocolate specials like the ones for Administrative Professional's Day and Children's Day!

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Chocolate Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs

I bought some organic cacao nibs for smoothie bowls, and I thought it would be a great idea to incorporate them into muffins!

I made Chocolate Banana Muffins with apple bananas and Malama Mushroom's Lion's Mane Cacao Mix, and they turned out yummy!  It's a fun breakfast treat, snack, or even dessert!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

• 6 T butter, melted
• 3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 apple bananas, mashed
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c Malama Mushroom's Lion's Mane Cacao Mix (or can substitute cocoa powder)
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c organic cacao nibs (for topping)

Directions: 

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• In a large bowl, mix together sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla.
• Mix in mashed bananas.
• Mix in flour, cacao mix, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, being careful not to overmix. 
• Mix in chocolate chips. 
• Scoop evenly into prepared muffin tin.
• Top with organic cacao nibs.  
• Bake for approximately 15-17 minutes. 

You can find the original recipe here on Show Me the Yummy.  

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Vons Chicken - Waimalu

I'm so late to the Vons Chicken game, but I finally tried the popular KFC, and I wasn't disappointed!

Shoyu

Regular

Garlic

Honey

The chicken was nice and crispy on the outside, and very flavorful!  My fave was the regular, with the Shoyu a close second.

Mandoo

I thought the mandoo was just okay, and the servings of fries were quite generous!  The Snow fries consisted of fries topped with cheese and onion powder.  Quite an interesting combo!

Regular Fries

Snow Fries

I'd definitely order chicken from Vons again!

Call in your order if you can to minimize wait time (if the line is busy or no one picks up, just keep trying).

Vons Chicken Waimalu
(808) 367-1384

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Shingen Now Located in Mo`ili`ili

Shingen, formerly located in Waikiki, is now located on South King Street in Mo`ili`ili.  They are known for house-made soba noodles, made with high quality buckwheat flour imported from Shintoku, Hokkaido.  

We came here one Saturday during the lunch hour, to check out their new location.  The entrance to their restaurant is near Kozo Sushi on the makai/koko head side of the parking lot.  

The Special Lunch Combo is a great deal - your choice of soba or udon (hot or cold) + your choice of mini-donburi (natton don, tem-don, ahi-poke don, curry-don, or gyu-don).

I decided to try the cold soba + tem-don.  

My friend also ordered cold soba + tem-don, but she opted for the "Moringa soba" for an additional $1.  According to the menu, Moringa is the "next generation superfood and is said to be a miracle food with over 90 nutrients." 

We both really enjoyed our soba and tempura.  The rice that comes with the tempura was also really good! I normally don't eat both noodles and rice, but I couldn't help myself this time around because of the high quality rice that they use.

After our meal, we walked a couple doors down to Lunar Tea to take advantage of their BOGO special for their grand opening!

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SHINGEN SOBA IZAKAYA AT HEART MOON 
2334 SOUTH KING STREET

(808) 926-0255

Open Daily for Lunch and Dinner

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Farm to Barn Cafe

Farm to Barn Cafe has been quite busy despite the pandemic.  Every time I pass by - there are many people seated outdoors, and I was eager to revisit them for take-out. 

Bagel Special

The Bagel Special included bacon, cheddar, eggs, cream cheese, and caramelized onions.

Fried Rice Bowl

The Fried Rice Bowl came with sauteed veggies, egg, and your choice of protein.

Barn Burrito

The Barn Burrito was stuffed with potatoes, bacon, sausage, pico de gallo, egg, cheese, and caramelized onions.

You can also opt for it in a bowl (no tortilla), like I did.  It was such a hearty meal, and I love the savoriness of all the ingredients.  

Nelas Burger

The Nelas Burger consisted of Big Island grass-fed beef stuffed with mozzarella cheese, and topped with lettuce, caramelized onions, red onions, cheddar, tomato, and a basil aioli on a taro bun.  

Order online so you don't have to wait for your food!

Farm to Barn Cafe
66-320 Kamehameha Hwy.
Haleiwa, HI 96712

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