August 31, 2021

Farmers Market at Kaiser High School

The Farmers Market at Kaiser High School takes place every Tuesday afternoon from 4pm - 6 pm in the parking lot of Kaiser High School. The market is unique in that it is organized by the Friends of Kaiser PTSA, and serves as a fundraising program for the PTSA. 

I had the opportunity to check out this Farmers Market one Tuesday afternoon, and I really liked everything about it - from the easy of parking, to the spaciousness of the layout, to the selection of vendors. While this farmers market does not have as many vendors as other farmers markets like KCC or Kakaako, it's also not as crowded, and I noticed that most of the customers on this particular day were locals.




JOJA HAWAII is a relatively newcomer to Oahu's food truck and farmers market scenes. According to their website, they moved to Oahu from the Bay Area, and they specialize in house-made pastas and sauces using local ingredients. 




Bolognese - made with slow-cooked grass-fed beef, pork, red sauce, mushrooms and rigatoni 


Da Hub has a brick and mortar on Middle Street, but you can also find them at special events, craft fairs, and this farmers market.



It's hard not to avoid ordering the Braddahsadas, since it's there right in front. It's deep fried and sugar coated just like a malasada, but it's a lot crispier. 


the original Braddahsada


Ahikatzu - made with ahi and tofu ..  yes, tofu! 


the sauce drizzled all over gave it a nice kick






I also stopped by Kaji's Kitchen to pick up a bag of lihing peanuts and smoked meat. Their boiled peanuts are always cooked to perfection (not overcooked) and plump.  I like to eat the smoked meat by itself sliced, or in fried rice!



Visit the Farmers Market website for updates and list of vendors! 
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KAISER PTSA FARMERS MARKET
511 Lunalilo Home Road
Tuesdays 4pm - 6 pm

 

Visit Big Island: Omiyage from KTA Stores

On the Big Island, KTA is a go-to for groceries, and they are also a great stop for omiyage!

You can get Big Island Candies Pie Crust Manju, Kelly Boy Cookies, Diamond Bakery Cookies, Maebo's One-Ton Chip Cookies, Ugly Cookies, Ubae Ube Crinkle Cookies, Mountain Apple Brand Li Hing Mui Gummy Bears with Lemon Strip, and so much more!


What is your favorite omiyage from the Big Island?

August 30, 2021

Sage Creamery



Being the ice cream-lover that I am, I've been wanting to try Sage Creamery ever since they launched over a year ago. When they popped up at Mililani Farmers Market, I was even more excited, since I would often frequent there pre-pandemic.

Because I've been off-island for work most weekends, I jumped at the chance to go to the Mililani Farmers Market to finally pick up some Sage Creamery ice cream.

I met @deniset73 there since I know she often goes to the Mililani Farmers Market.

Well, the very generous Denise ended up buying a pint in every available flavor for me! I was honestly planning on buying every flavor for myself (yes, I love ice cream that much), but what an amazing surprise!

I was so excited to try them all! The flavors were:
  • Petites a la Mode (collab with petitesweetshi)
  • Milk + Cereal
  • Camp Ma`ema`e Smores
  • Thick Mints
  • Cookies & Cream


I absolutely loved the Cookies & Cream. It's often my go-to at any ice cream shop. It was loaded with huge chunks of cookies, and the ice cream itself was so rich and creamy.

All of the flavors were really good, and with just one bite you can tell quality, premium ingredients are used in each pint.


Sage Creamery offers familiar flavors and unique combos too. Try them all!

August 28, 2021

Kansai Yamato Mochi

I HEART mochi. Any kind of mochi. Chi chi dango (sweet mochi), daifuku mochi (mochi stuffed with sweet fillings, usually an - a sweet red bean paste), mochi waffles, mochi pancakes, mochi ice cream ... virtually anything with the word "mochi" in it.

I have recently been addicted to the mochi offerings from Kansai Yamato. Their flagship store is located in Moanalua 99 (formerly Ranch 99) in Mapunapuna, but they also have small shops in Times Kahala, Aiea, and Beretania. You can also find some of their products in other Times locations, Marukai, and other stores around Oahu.  Since their store in Moanalua 99 is their main location, you'll find all of their offerings here.  Everything is made fresh everyday, throughout the day.



My favorite item right now is the Fruit ChiChi Dango. Imagine pillowy soft mochi topped with sweet red bean paste, whipped cream, and sliced fresh strawberries. 


The strawberries are so fresh, and the whipped cream is so light. 


The mochi stays soft, even after a day or two in the refrigerator.


Another favorite item of mine are these strawberry bombs which are labeled as "Yukiichigo". 


I refer to them as strawberry bombs because that's what they look like to me! It's a very large piece of mochi filled with whipped cream and a big strawberry. 


I love whipped cream, and this has lots of it. I will usually cut this in half and eat one half at a time.  There is also an oreo version of this which I would love to try, but I always end up getting the strawberry. 


Kansai Yamato also makes traditional chichi dango and daifuku mochi, honey cake, Ohbanyaki with assorted fillings, sakura, puddings, mochi platters, chinese pretzels, and more!

Follow @kansaiyamato_hawaii on Instagram for updates!

_______________________________

KANSAI YAMATO
1151 MAPUNAPUNA ST.
(808) 838-1355

 

August 27, 2021

Last Chance for Zippy's August Specials

You have just a few more days to indulge in Zippy's August specials!  Hawaii Mom Blog was fortunate to receive coupons to try some of the specials, and I indulged in the following:

Breaded Mahi Mahi Plate

Spaghetti & Fried Chicken Mixed Plate

I loved the Mahi - extra crunchy on the outside, with tender fish on the inside.  You can't go wrong with a mixed plate of Spaghetti and Zippy's famous Fried Chicken!

From Napoleon's Bakery:
Twist Glazed Donut
Guava Coconut Long John

Banana Chantilly Cake (Oahu only)

I love chantilly, so I was beyond excited to try the Banana Chantilly Cake.  It had a very nice banana flavor, and I just love the chantilly frosting!

Other August specials include:

  • (Thursday) Chinese Style Steamed Seabass
  • (Friday) Kalbi Pork Pac and Kalbi Pork Spaghetti & Chicken Mixed Plate
  • Breaded Mahi Sandwich
We also ordered:
Chicken Trio

Korean Chicken & Chili

Mini Fried Chicken & Chili Mixed Plate

Have you tried any of these specials yet? What's your go-to from Zippy's?

Visit Zippy's online for their full menu.  

Merriman's Honolulu

It's been a couple of years since I last dined at Merriman's Honolulu. The menu has changed, but the ambiance and quality of food is still classy and fun. My friends treated me to lunch here one Sunday morning for my birthday. We splurged! It's hard not to when you don't get out to these fancy places very often. We dined in their outdoor seating area, which is located on the Kamakee Street side of the restaurant, and is nicely shaded in the mornings. 

We started our meal with the Bag 'O Biscuits appetizer, and Day Boat Monchong, Clams and Pacific Shrimp Bouillabaisse. The bouillabaisse was heavenly and I'm so glad we decided to share this dish. It was loaded with seafood and the broth was packed with flavor! It was large enough for the three of us to share as a starter. For the main course, my friends ordered the Hirabara Farms Kale Salad, Organic Mac Nut Crusted Fish (today's fish was salmon), and I ordered the Wagyu Umami Burger. We could not resist ordering a side of Parmesan Truffle Fries to share (what's a burger without fries??). I can't speak for the salad because I didn't try it, it looked really fresh and colorful. The mac nut fish came with a generous portion of salmon - my friend took half of it home. The burger was heavenly, thanks to the wagyu beef and truffle aioli (yum!). For dessert, my friends insisted that we order something since we were celebrating my birthday.  We selected the lilikoi posset. Fortunately for me, my friends just wanted a taste of it, so I was "forced" to eat most of it, which I happily did, just short of licking the dish. 

Visit Merriman's Honolulu website to view their menus or to book a reservation (via OpenTable).



Bag 'O Biscuits





Big Island churned butter



Day Boat Monchong, Clams and Pacific Shrimp
Bouillabaisse (daily special)


Wagyu Umami Burger




Organic Mac Nut Crusted Fish (salmon)


Hirabara Farms Kale Salad


Parmesan Truffle Fries


Lilikoi Posset (mac nut cookie, strawberries and cream)

 ____________________________

MERRIMAN'S HONOLULU
1108 AUAHI STREET
(808) 215-0022

August 26, 2021

Black Sheep Cream Co.

Black Sheep Cream Co. is one of my favorite ice cream shops on the island.  We recently went to the Wahiawa location to celebrate National Ice Cream Day!

Chocolate Wasted

Salted Crackamel

Unicorn Poop

Let There Be Cake

Buttah Cakes was not on the menu (it's my fave flavor there), so I opted for Let There Be Cake - Cream Cheese Cream with Homemade Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cake (in a chocolate cone since they were out of regular cones).

I loved the ice cream - it was rich, creamy, and with bits of cake swirled in (Buttah Cakes is still my fave though).

What's your favorite flavor at Black Sheep Cream Co.?



Black Sheep Cream Co.
43 S Kamehameha Hwy
Wahiawa, HI 96786
620-5550

August 25, 2021

Highly Anticipated Podmore Now Open



Pretty much the only things I looked forward to in August were the kids going back to school, my birthday and the opening of bar Podmore.  I was very excited that my friend scored a reservation on my birthday and Podmore's opening weekend.

Full disclosure, to dine at Podmore, you will need to show either negative Covid test results taken within 48 hours, or a full vaccination card completed at least two weeks prior to your visit. You will also need to show your ID.

Walking into Podmore was like stepping out of Hawaii and into a beautiful European restaurant.  It's absolutely gorgeous and so very chic and luxe.  


The cocktail menu is divided into three parts: Specialty, House, and Classics.  I ordered The Chung Chow, one of the three Specialty cocktails, made with Pimm's No 1, cucumber, mint, strawberry, orange, and lemon.  It's served with colorful tiny ice spheres of the same flavors and beautifully presented.

The Chung Chow

Even though we had dinner reservations afterwards, it didn't stop us from ordering everything from the savory menu.  They were small bites, but all together, it ended up being a lot so we ended up canceling the last item to show.  The evening snacks were all very delicious and the presentation was top notch.  My very favorites were the Scotch Quail Eggs and Hamachi Roll.

Scotch Quail Eggs

Beet Cracker

Steamed Ricotta Dumplings

Salmon Duo

Roasted Pork Bun

Foie Gras Parfait

Hamachi Roll

Devils on Horseback

For September, I am looking forward to the holiday, returning to Podmore, and when Podmore's start serving brunch.

Podmore
202 Merchant Street
Honolulu, Hawaii