Gelato Milkshakes at Il Gelato Cafe

We are no strangers to Il Gelato Cafe, but for the first time, we got Gelato Milkshakes at the Waikiki Beach Walk location!

They have a menu of signature flavor shakes, or you can opt to make your own flavor.

My kids chose from the signature menu:

Ube Cookies & Cream

Choco Loco

They sure loved the shakes - so creamy with multiple scoops of gelato, blended with milk, with flavorful "walls" (condensed milk and chocolate, respectively), and topped with whipped cream.

They were perfect for the summer-like weather we've been having lately!

Il Gelato Cafe
227 Lewers Street
Honolulu, HI 96830

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UMI by Vikram Garg

While staying at Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani, we had dinner at UMI by Vikram Garg.

I was familiar with Chef Vikram's food, having dined at TBD..., so I knew we were in for some great food, where priority is placed on using the highest quality ingredients.

Kampachi

A delicate squid ink tuile offered a nice contrasting texture to the kampachi and pickled jicama, which tasted like pears.

Foie Gras & Duck Gyoza

The duck meat in the gyoza really helped to balance the richness of the foie gras.  This was a fave!

Grilled Romaine

My youngest loved the garlic Parmesan dressing on this dish!

Udon Noodles

He also loved the Udon Noodles (he said it was "amazing").  The noodles were mixed in with a wagyu bolognese, and topped with an onsen egg.

Wagyu Cheek

The Wagyu Cheek was served with tempura okra and an 'ulu mousseline.

Hamakua Mushrooms

I ordered the risotto.  It was full of mushrooms that were cooked to the ideal amount of firmness, and the risotto had the perfect texture as well.  The truffle butter and Parmesan added layers of umami.

Seafood Curry

The Seafood Curry was quite a spread, with koshikari rice, papadum, and raita.

Mango Popsicle

Cookie Jar

I was familiar with the Mango Popsicle and Cookie Jar from TBD.  The Cookie Jar comes with 5 cookies and dipping chocolate.  So simple, but so good!

Sundae

The Sundae consisted of brown butter ice cream, chocolate fudge, and a macnut toffee that really made the dessert.  

Celebration Dessert

We were celebrating my birthday, but they gave me a dessert that said Happy Anniversary.  

Service was very warm and friendly, but there were many times throughout the night our water glasses remained empty for a while (and one of us was without a glass for some time after being seated, and even after the other four glasses were filled).  

We still had an overall wonderful dining experience, however.

Note: Guests staying at Halepuna get 10% off!

UMI by Vikram Garg
2233 Helumoa Rd
Honolulu, HI 96815

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Aloha Melt

Aloha Melt in Waikiki offers grilled cheese sandwiches, but elevated.  With multiple types of cheese, caramelized onion, bacon, or even beef patties - the melts from Aloha Melt check the boxes for comfort food and delicious.

Aloha Patty Melt

The Aloha Patty Melt consisted of a beef patty with cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, and American cheeses, plus caramelized onion, bacon, pickled jalapeno, and a sriracha aioli sauce.

Four Cheese

The Four Cheese included all of the cheeses above, and nothing else.

Classic

I had the Classic, which included the same four cheeses, plus bacon and caramelized onion. It was so cheesy, so tasty!

The sandwiches were all grilled to a nice, golden brown, and I loved that all the sandwiches come with aioli that you can dip your sandwich in or pour onto your sandwich.

Aloha Melt
355 Royal Hawaiian Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

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Summer Fun & Wellness Deals at the YMCA

Sponsored Post: Mahalo to the YMCA of Honolulu for sharing their summer wellness promotions with us.

Looking for a little extra motivation to focus on your health and wellness this summer? The YMCA of Honolulu has several summer promotions happening from June 1 through July 31, 2026 that are perfect for both current members and anyone thinking about joining.

New members who join during the summer promotion period will have their joiner’s fee waived — a $99 savings! It’s a great opportunity to check out everything the Y has to offer without the added startup cost.

Current members can also take advantage of 10% off personal training packages during the promotion period. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your fitness routine, this is a nice way to get some extra guidance and accountability.

The Y is also offering 10% off InBody assessments. Non-members can purchase a single assessment, while members can purchase multiple assessments to help track their progress over time.

And for those looking for a little summer fun, the Y’s Summer Bucket List Wellness Challenge will be returning this year! Details are still being finalized, but it will be similar to last year’s challenge featuring more than 50 wellness-focused activities designed to encourage participants to stay active and make the most of summer. There will also be weekly prizes and a grand prize opportunity.

Here’s to a healthy, active, and fun-filled summer at the Y! 

For information on YMCA Memberships, click here.

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Shige's Saimin Stand

When it comes to comfort food, a nice bowl of saimin always hits the spot, and Shige's Saimin Stand in Wahiawa is a go-to.

Won Ton Mein

Beef Stick

I usually get the Won Ton Mein and a Beef Stick on the side.  The perfect combo!

Saimin

Cheeseburger Deluxe

Udon

The food always soothes your soul!

And the staff is always the friendliest.

We love Shige's!

Shige's Saimin Stand
70 Kukui St # 108
Wahiawa, HI 96786-1849
(808) 621-3621

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Handcrafted Ready-to-Bake Cookie Dough from Dough Boi

Fresh out of the oven!

For Mother's Day, I wanted my kids to bake me cookies from a recipe I found off the internet. When I told my daughter, she enthusiastically said OK, but when I told my son, he asked for my second choice. So when I was introduced to Dough Boi, a mom who handcrafts ready-to-bake premium cookie dough, I knew this would make a great gift from non-bakers like my son.

You can see the weekly flavors on Instagram @doughboi_hi and DM your order. I picked up my order from Mililani. The dough packs of 10 ready-to-bake balls of cookie dough come neatly packaged in a cute container and can be kept in the freezer. You get 2 dough packs for $25.

I tried the chocolate chip, macnut with white chocolate, and chocolate with white chocolate. I knew I was going to love the chocolate chip, but I was surprised that I really enjoyed the other two flavors as I am usually not a fan of white chocolate. The combos are just so tasty! The cookies are soft with crispy edges and perfectly sized.

Two packs for $25

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

These dough packs are definitely a gift I would love to receive so I was happy to gift them to people that I knew would enjoy them. I love having one in my freezer so that I can enjoy freshly baked cookies with no mess anytime the sweet craving hits.

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Kaimuki Shokudo

Kaimuki Shokudo offers a lunch menu that focuses on soba, donburi, sushi, and tempura.  They also have daily lunch specials from 1130am to 330pm.  One of the specials is a Teishoku Lunch Set for $20 (Hot / Cold Kake Soba, half size, Okinawan Sweet Potato Salad, half size), Sashimi, Rice, and Washugyu Sukiyaki Beef or Grill Saba).

The other special is a half Donburi for $7 with any Soba order. 

I took advantage of the half Donburi special.  

I got the Ume Oroshi Shiso Soba (Cold), which also included nori, takuan, and bonito flakes.

It was such a huge portion, and it was very refreshing for such a warm day.

For my half donburi order, I opted for the Veggie Tempura Don, which had eggplant, maitake mushroom, and shishito pepper tempura. 

It was so delicious and actually so filling - I ended up barely touching my Soba (of course I took the leftovers home)!

Half Order Veggie Tempura Don

And of course we got the Honey Toast.

Honey Toast

I know it's "Honey Toast," but I thought they put a little too much honey - it was so overpowering.  My friend loved it, however, and ate nearly all of it!

We were a little disappointed in the service, however.  Although the staff members were friendly, no one came to check on us / clear our dishes / take our dessert order for quite a while after getting / finishing our food, and my friend actually had to go up to the bar to ask someone if we could order dessert.  We were the second table seated for the day, but other tables seated after us had already left. 

Despite that, I wouldn't mind returning to try the dinner izakaya menu, and hopefully the service will be much better!

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