Cubby Caboose Mini Express Train at Windward Mall

After spending some time at the Indoor Play Area at Windward Mall, we took the kids to ride the new Cubby Caboose Mini Express Train.

Located near Sears lower level, it costs $3 for both kids and adults to ride (yes, adults can ride too!).

DS1 was too scared to go on, but DS2 loves train, so he went on with his friends and aunty.


It's quite a tight squeeze in there...

The train goes around the entire lower level of the mall (I apologize for the blurriness of the photos, as they're snapshots from video and I had a hard time taking photos while watching DS1).

When it was over, DS2 wanted to ride again, but since it was a holiday, the line was way too long so we decided against it.

Although the train is small and the passengers seemed kinda squished, the price is cheap, the ride is quite long, and I think it's great that adults are allowed to go on it too!

We'll definitely be back so DS2 can ride the train again (but we'll most likely end up going on a weekday).

Windward Mall Cubby Caboose (near Sears, lower level): 46-056 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, 808-235-1143

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Hokule`a Voyage of Discovery Indoor Play Area at Windward Mall

On President's Day we decided to meet up with our friends at Windward Mall.

We hardly ever go to Windward Mall. In fact, the last time we went there, the Hokule`a Voyage of Discovery Indoor Play Area (sponsored by HMSA) didn't even exist yet!

It's a fun place for the kiddies to run around and play, and the best part, it's free!

The play area objects are made out of a "soft" material, and the kids had so much fun!

The maximum height for kids to enter the play area is 42" (although I saw several that were taller than 42"), and they must take their shoes/slippers off.

Parents also need to take off their shoes/slippers, and there is a lot of seating for the parents to watch over the kids.

Because we went on a holiday, eventually the play area became PACKED with kids. It was total chaos. I saw many kids crying and pushing each other, which made me worry about DS2 since he was so little compared to the others.

Although the boys had fun, we probably won't be taking them on a holiday again when there'd be so many kids...but it's great that Windward Mall has a play area like this for the kids to run around and the parents to relax a little!

Windward Mall Indoor Play Area (near Borders): 46-056 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, 808-235-1143

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Shiro's Saimin Haven

Sometimes (okay, many times) I crave saimin with a side order of french fries with gravy, and recently I indulged my craving at Shiro's Saimin Haven.

I ordered the Wun Tun Min with Garnishes.


And here's the French Fries with Gravy.



As expected, everything was delicious. Total comfort food...

DS1 had the Keiki Pancakes with Choice of Meat (Keiki Hot Dog).

DH had the Loco Moco.

And for the first time, I ordered dessert at Shiro's.

I think the desserts are a new thing since I don't remember seeing them the last time I went to Shiro's. And I don't remember what company makes the desserts (I think it was Dianne's Gourmet Desserts, but I could be wrong), and I think they're all pre-made.

I wanted the High Peanut Butter Pie, but they didn't have it that day, so I ended up getting the Gourmet Turtle Cheesecake.

I love cheesecake, but I don't care for caramel, so I wasn't sure how I'd like the dessert...but I LOVED it! Even DH, who didn't want any dessert, ended up eating half of it!

For a pre-made dessert, it was sooooo good.

When I go back, I'll have my usual saimin with french fries and gravy, and hopefully they'll have the peanut butter pie!

Shiro's Saimin Haven: 98-020 Kamehameha Highway, Aiea - (808) 488-8824

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Makino Chaya-Take Out Bentos

Recently we went to a party where the hosts ordered bentos from Makino Chaya in Aiea for everyone.

The bentos are pretty cheap (most about $3.99 or less). You just have to call your order in the day before and pick up the the next day between 11am and 1pm.

I had the Chicken Katsu Bento.
We ordered the Salmon and Shrimp Tempura Bento for the boys to share, but they messed up and gave us Ribs instead of Salmon (the person who picked up the bentos didn't have the list of orders, just the number of orders)!


DH had the Garlic Ahi Bento.
Overall, the bentos were not bad. The chicken katsu was good, although I wish they gave katsu sauce.

The bentos came with a lot of sides too, like spaghetti, a croquette, and more.

For the price I think it's a really good deal, and if you decide to order bentos from Makino Chaya, just make sure to check your order!

Makino Chaya: 98-150 Kaonohi St. Ste B219, Aiea, HI 96701(808) 486-5100

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Ailana Shave Ice

There's a new shave ice place in town, and it's good. It's called Ailana Shave Ice, and it's located on Kona Street, across from Ala Moana Shopping Center (a few driveways Ewa of Bank of Hawaii).

They offer homemade flavors such as haupia, green tea, strawberry milk, in addition to their menu of regular syrups. Build your own, or order one of their specialties.

We tried the azuki lover's, with strawberry milk flavor. Because we ordered a flavor off of their homemade menu, they added 50 cents. It came with mochi, ice cream, and azuki beans. The shave ice was ultra fine and the strawberry milk flavor was really good.

All shave ice lovers should definitely give this place a try.

Ailana Shave Ice

1430 Kona Street

(808) 955-8881

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Wahoo's Fish Taco

Wahoo's tweeted a coupon for a free combo meal during Valentine's Day weekend (2/12-2/14), so the hubby and I went to Wahoo's newest location in Kahala for lunch on Saturday. We walked from Kahala Mall, although there were many open parking spaces in their parking lot. They share the parking lot with Subway and The Olive Tree, and in the evenings when the Olive Tree is open, it'll take a stroke of luck to find an open space in the parking lot.

Here's the free combo. I had the choice of either a fish taco or enchilada, and I chose the enchilada with chicken, red sauce, black beans, and brown rice. It was delicious.

My hubby ordered the classic burrito with chicken. It was the perfect size and very tasty.

The restaurant is clean, the staff is friendly, and the service is quick.

The Valentine's Day free combo deal is good through 2/14, so if you haven't made plans for Valentine's Day yet, head on down to Wahoo's for fresh Mexican cuisine and a free meal for your date!

Wahoo's Fish Taco

4614 Kilauea Ave.

(808) 732-9229

Also located at:

940 Auahi Street

(808) 591-1646

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The Original Pancake House

I never used to like pancakes until I tried the ones at The Original Pancake House (I don't order any pancakes, I just always take a few bites from DH).

Recently we went to the one on Dillingham. We usually go to the one near Ala Moana, but since DH went to get some work done on his car near the area, we decided to go to the Dillingham one.

DS2 had the Biggle Little Deal (five dollar pancakes).
He ate them ALL!

I ordered my "usual," the Potato Omelette, with Hashbrowns.

The omelette is stuffed with potatoes and bacon and served with a sour cream sauce (I usually order the sauce on the side, but I forgot to ask for it on the side this time). It was so yummy!

DH ordered the Dutch Baby pancake, which is German-style, oven-baked pancake served with butter, lemon and powdered sugar.

It takes approximately 25 minutes to bake, but it was worth it the wait, because DH ate it all!

The food was good, and so was the service.

I was surprised at how crowded it was. There was a non-stop flow of people going in and out, but no one seemed to wait longer than 5 minutes.

I already can't wait to go back!

The Original Pancake House: 1414 Dillingham Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii 96817, 808-847-1496.

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Birthday Parties at Gymboree

Many of my boys' friends go to Gymboree, and recently one of them held a birthday party at the Aiea location.

The party packages start at $219, one of which includes Pizza Hut pizza for up to 30 guests.

You can bring your own drinks and cake, and Gymboree provides paper products, party hats, and goodie bags!

You get the gym for 90 minutes.

The first 60 minutes is for the kids to play. It's all just "free play!"

Near the end of the 60 minutes the teacher brings out the bubbles and the parachute for a couple of structured activities.

After the 60 minutes, we all headed into the small room where they teach music and art for pizza, drinks, and cake (since no food or drink is allowed in a play area).

The kids had a fun time, it's just too bad that they couldn't go back and play after they ate. Many of the kids ate really quickly and wanted to go back out to play, but the teacher said it had to be shut down for the cleaners.

Also, the room where we ate was quite small and all of us (approximately 12 kids, 12 adults) were just packed into that tiny room.

Despite that, the kids had a great time and that's what matters!

For more information on birthday parties, visit Gymboree.

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Tango Contemporary Cafe

We didn't feel like driving anywhere for dinner, so we walked to Tango for dinner.




We split the caesar salad for our appetizer. The wait seemed a bit long considering it consisted of just romaine lettuce, croutons, cheese, and dressing. $9.50




I ordered the Grilled Grass Fed Tenderloin of Beef. I made the fatal mistake of ordering it medium well. It was more like well done and thus the steak was a little on the tough side. $23.50


My husband ordered the Asian Style Five Spice Braised Beef which was excellent. The meat was really tender. I would definitely order this the next time around. $19.75


For dessert we ordered the strawberry mango crumble with cinnamon ice cream. It was delicious. $5.50





We did not mind the prices since we paid with a gift card we had received as a Christmas gift, however, I don't know if I would want to go again if we had to pay out of pocket. There are other places that I'd rather go if I'm going to drop $60+ for a meal.




Tango Contemporary Cafe
1288 Ala Moana Blvd.
(808) 593-7288
http://www.tangocafehawaii.com/

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