Lemon Peel Gummies from Sun Chong Hawaii

 I love gummy candy, but the lihing and lemon peel gummy candy craze never attracted my attention, as I always proclaimed myself to be a purist when it came to gummy candy. But then my husband decided to try and make it home for his friends at work, and since it was right in front of me, I tried a few, and thought "hey, this is actually pretty good!".  

So of course I did some searching on the web to see who makes the best ones (since there are sooo many people and places that sell them now).  I watched Frolic Hawaii's Assistance Editor Thomas Obungen's taste 7 different lemon peel gummies in a blind taste test, and he selected Sun Chong Grocery's lemon peel gummy bears (click here to view the video).  Sun Chong Grocery also won the 2020 Best of Honolulu 'Best Lemon Peel Gummies' award.  These two accolades had convinced me to make a special trip to Chinatown to seek out Sun Chong Grocery's lemon peel gummies.

Upon my arrival, (about 15 minutes to closing), a lady greeted me at the entrance and asked me what I was looking for and she would retrieve it for me. I told her I was looking for lemon peel gummy bears, and she came back with a handful of different types. Since it was 4 for $20, I purchased two gummy bears, one gummy strawberry, and one Gushers.  

gummy strawberries

gummy bears

Gushers

I gave the Gushers to my nieces, and they loved it! Their initial reaction was "whoa!". I think the lemon peel add a slight "zing" that a first-timer doesn't expect.  The gummy strawberries were my favorite, since gummy strawberries in general are my favorite gummy candies. While I'm not an expert on lemon peel gummies, I do think Sun Chong mixes in just the right amount of lemon peel to give the gummy candies that perfect balance of sweet, salt, and tart. 

If you can't make it to their little shop on Hotel Street in Chinatown, you can order online at sunchonghi.com. 

SUN CHONG HAWAII
127 N. Hotel St.
(808) 537-3525

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Honolulu Crack Seed

A new crack seed store has opened in the heart of Honolulu and it's a snack-lovers dream.  It's called Honolulu Crack Seed and it's located on South King Street, on the mauka side of King Street, between Kaheka and Kalakaua. The best way to get here is to go down South King Street, hang a left onto the narrow street after you pass Keeaumoku Street. Then turn right into the first parking lot and park in one of the stalls that's marked for guests.  The entrance to Honolulu Crack Seed is in the parking lot. 

Enter Honolulu Crack Seed and you'll be amazed at the selection of house-made crack seed and other local favorites.

They have a wall full of lihing and lemon peel flavored gummy snacks that are currently trending in Hawaii.

They also sell goodies from other local purveyors such as Hungry Hawaiian and the original Crack Seed  Center (which was located in Ala Moana Center for over 40 years).  

They also offer ICEE (with li hing, of course!), boba ice cream bars, and Hawaiian Freeze Pops.

 I was looking for gifts for a friend who made some masks for me and my family, and I found a great assortment of treats that I'm sure she'll enjoy! Treat yourself or buy a bunch of snacks to send to friends or family on the mainland!

HONOLULU CRACK SEED 
1500 SOUTH KING STREET
(808) 913-2288

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Traveling Plum

The first time I met Chef Rob Ramshur was at Lineage, and at the end of a fabulous dinner with friends, he shared some of his Fig Mui. I went back a few months later, and was treated to even more of Chef Rob's Mui!

His passion for preserving fruits led to the Traveling Plum in Maui, where he creates muis, or crackseed candy, from local fruit and natural ingredients.  He uses zero preservatives.

He turns Pineapple, Indonesian Guava Peel, and Pink Guava Peel into mouth-watering muis that are a combination of sweet, sour, and salty in each bite.

The pineapple mui was my favorite, and it really was like eating candy to me - I couldn't stop eating it!  The guava peel muis were a bit on the saltier side, but I still enjoyed it, as it reminded me of how I used to love eating li hing mui just because of how salty it was.

If you grew up eating crackseed as a kid, these muis are very nostalgic.  I didn't eat wet muis growing up, but I'm now a fan. 

Follow Traveling Plum on Instagram to find out when Chef Rob's new creations go live for ordering, because they sell out fast!  

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