Mililani Restaurant

Mililani Restaurant is another neighborhood restaurant that has been around for decades (since 1979).

Fried Saimin

Portuguese Sausage Fried Rice

Their Fried Saimin and Portuguese Sausage Fried Rice are my go-tos, and I noticed they had something new - Ginger Chicken Fried Rice, with their staple ginger chicken sauce, so we ordered that too.

The plates were heaping with food!

Ginger Chicken Fried Rice

I've tried other dishes before, but the Fried Saimin and the Fried Rice are the classics that never disappoints.

Mililani Restaurant
95-221 Kipapa Dr
Mililani, HI 96789
(808) 625-2000

Read More

Supreme Dumpling Opens at Ala Moana Shopping Center

Supreme Tan Tan Noodles 

You can now satisfy your xiao long bao craving any day of the week at Supreme Dumplings located in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. The restaurant opened last month and features soup dumplings in a variety of fillings each folded by hand.

We ordered the Supreme Pork Xiao Long Bao and the Black Truffle & Chicken Xiao Long Bao. Each order comes with six dumplings. While they seemed good sized, they are easily eaten in one bite. Just let them cool a little first. The restaurant had an extra order of Supreme Tan Tan Noodles and let us have it on the house. That was very fortunate for us because the noodles were delicious. We ended the meal with the popular Onyx Golden Lava Custard Buns.

Supreme Pork Xiao Long Bao

Black Truffle & Chicken Xiao Long Bao

Onyx Golden Lava Custard Buns

Booth Seating

Main Dining Area

The restaurant itself is bright, modern, and fitted with both tables and booth options. The service was great as well. You can make a reservation on Yelp. My friend and I already know what we are ordering when we return!

Supreme Dumplings
1450 Ala Moana Blvd Ste 2500 

Honolulu, HI 96814

Read More

Visit Anchorage: South Restaurant + Coffeehouse

Our hotel provided a free breakfast buffet, but on our last day in Anchorage, I suggested we go out for brunch, so we went to South Restaurant + Coffeehouse. 

We dined in the restaurant side, and ordered:

Vegas, Baby! Omelet

This omelet consisted of honey-cured bacon, roasted garlic, red onion, tomato, avocado, pepperjack, ranchero sour cream, and pico de gallo.

Sourdough Pancakes with Side Bacon

Sourdough is very significant to Alaska's history, so we had to try the Sourdough Pancakes.  You could definitely taste the tang in the pancakes. 

Death by Bacon

I love bacon, so this sandwich was the obvious choice.  It had simple, quality ingredients that made it delish - egg, bacon, arugula, cheddar, and maple bacon aioli.

Chorizo Burrito

You can add ranchero, salsa verde, or both for extra. 

Service was a bit on the slow side because there was a huge mishap with a table next to us, and a lot of attention was being spent on them, but the food was good.

After we ate, I went over to the coffeehouse side to pick up some sweet treats to go.

Walnut Brownie

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie

McNeill Bar

Oatmeal Scotchie

Turtle Bar

The fresh baked treats were great!

South Restaurant + Coffeehouse
11124 Old Seward Hwy

Anchorage, AK 99515

Read More

Mu‘u & Mimosas, a Kaimana Tea Party

I love a tea party so I was happy to join my friend at Mu‘u & Mimosas held by Hau Tree at the Kaimana Beach Hotel. This weekly Saturday event features locally sourced Hobbs Tea from Kauai, island mimosas, craft cocktails, and house-made bites all served while you enjoy a gorgeous view and live music.

Our tea experience started with very delicious house-made vanilla scones and choice of Hobbs tea as well as our choice of island mimosa, specialty cocktail or iced tea. Then we were served our sweets: ube macaron, guava fruit tart, dream cake; and our savories: gougere, ham and cheese spiral, cucumber dill sandwich, and chicken salad croissant.

Love the setting!

The green tea was very good.

These house-made scones were my favorite!

The sweets.

The savories.

Tea times are 2pm, 2:15pm, and 2:30pm and is an afternoon well spent on good vibes and food. Cost of the tea is $55 per person and reservations can be made on Open Table. The room holds a max capacity of 24 making it a great venue to hold a shower or group gathering. It's valet parking only at the hotel at a $10 fee. 

Read More

Wholesale Unlimited

Wholesale Unlimited is one of my favorite spots to pick up omiyage.  

With several locations around the island, you're not far from being able to pick up some goodies for a trip, graduation, a birthday, or just because.  

I usually go to the Waipahu location, and my go-tos are li hing gummy bears, chocolate gummy bears, Betty's Best cookies, rice crackers, and whatever is on the "What's New" section.

On my most recent visit, in addition to my standard picks, I also got the Wasabi Shirayuki and the Strawberry Shortcake Crunch.

With such a huge selection, I always leave with something new-to-me each time.  

Read More

Lunch at Formaggio Grill

Dropping the boys off at Scout camp for a week is always a mix of emotions. I'm  excited for the adventures they'll have away from home (and us parents), but the house is definitely quieter once they leave! So after saying our goodbyes, one of the other Scout moms and I decided to celebrate our "kid-free" week with lunch at Formaggio in Kailua.

Since neither of us was in a rush, we decided to order a few dishes to share. Our server recommended starting with the bruschetta, explaining that the focaccia is made fresh in-house. That recommendation did not disappoint. The house-made focaccia was the perfect base for the fresh toppings and was one of my favorite parts of the meal.

Next came the veggie pizza, which featured a thin, crispy crust. It was light, flavorful, and perfect for sharing.

We also ordered the salmon Caesar salad, and I was especially impressed with the salmon. The skin was crisp while the fish itself remained seared and moist. Combined with the fresh Caesar salad, it rounded out our well-balanced lunch.

Spending a relaxing afternoon catching up with a fellow Scout mom after camp drop-off was exactly what we both needed before a week of enjoying a little extra peace and quiet at home.

FORMAGGIO GRILL

305 Hahani Street

Kailua, HI

808-263-2633

 

Read More

Visit Anchorage: Taco King

We like to try local / regional fast food spots whenever we travel, just to see what kind of specialties they offer.  One that I saw mentioned in Reddit was Taco King.  

Grilled Chicken King Burrito

King Fries

Fries were loaded with refried beans, carne asada, cheese, chipotle ranch dressing, and guacamole.  

Grilled Quesadilla

Bunuelos

Churros

The family liked the churros, but I loved the bunuelos.  They were so crispy, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, and drizzled with honey.

Taco King was a great spot for tasty, quick eats!

Read More