Hua Mochi Aloha

 Sometimes the best food discoveries happen completely by accident. I was heading to Kahala Mall with my coworkers to grab lunch when a bright pink food truck parked along Kilauea Avenue caught my eye. I had no idea what it was, but I knew I had to walk over and check it out.

Turns out, it was Hua Mochi Aloha, a local vendor that regularly pops up at the KCC Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Mililani Farmers Market on Sundays. I had somehow never heard of them, but clearly plenty of people have — they’re known for their fresh mochi stuffed with whole strawberries.

Once I learned that, choosing what to order became very easy. I went straight for the classic strawberry mochi and also bought two of the strawberry chocolate. At $5 a piece, it’s definitely on the pricier side for mochi, but I don’t mind paying a little extra when something is genuinely good.

And these were good. Soft, chewy mochi on the outside, fresh fruit inside, and just the right amount of sweetness. Not something I’d splurge on every week, but absolutely worth trying at least once — especially if you’re a mochi lover or just appreciate a fun local treat.

I’m glad that pink truck caught my attention. If you ever spot Hua Mochi Aloha around town or at the farmers markets, give it a try!

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Visit Hilo: Bali'z Food Wagon

We were headed to lunch, but I saw the Bali'z Food Wagon in the Tokunaga Store parking lot and decided to stop there for lunch instead.  

Veggie Lumpia

The Veggie Lumpia was tasty!

Lechon Kawali

My friend ordered the Lechon Kawali and he thought it was good!  I thought the pork was cooked perfectly.

Pork & Peas

The Pork & Peas was good too.  The pork was really tender, and overall it was so flavorful.  Plates are served with both pancit and rice!

Portions were generous. 

Bali'z was a nice stop for Filipino food!

Follow them on IG to find out where they'll be!

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Visit Hilo: Kokoz

I went to check out the Kokoz food trailer near Kai Store one Sunday.  They offer nachos, acai bowls, tacos, and fries.   

Koa Fries

I decided to try the Koa Fries, and it did not disappoint!

The fries along were delish, and they were topped with kalua pork, cheddar, sour cream, and the "Kokoz" sauce.  

It was like a meal in itself!

I look forward to trying out more items from the menu!
 

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Visit Maui: El Bondi

We wanted to pick up a late lunch / early dinner for the airport on Halloween day, but to our surprise, most places closed early for Halloween!  

So after searching online for what could be open, we found the El Bondi food truck, which specializes in empanadas.

They offer meat-filled and veggie-filled empanadas.

We ended up getting a 3-pack (a single is $7, but the more you buy, the less per empanada it is).  We got Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Spinach.

I unfortunately didn't take decent photos of the filling (I was too hungry and just dug in), but they were all very delicious!  The crust was the perfect texture, and still held up even though we ate them about an hour later.  

Pepperoni and mozzarella is a classic combo that can't go wrong.  The Mushroom empanada was filled with white mushrooms, green onion, whipping cream, olive oil, salt, pepper, and mozzarella.

The Spinach turned out to be my fave, surprisingly.  It was also filled with onions, red bell peppers, hard boiled eggs, Parmesan, mozzarella, white cream sauce, salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano.  

The peppers and the eggs really made the empanada in my opinion.  

The empanadas were so filling and satisfying.

El Bondi turned out to be a great find!

El Bondi
380 Dairy Rd

Kahului, HI 96732

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No. 7 Japanese Food Truck

No. 7 Japanese Food Truck has been in Hale`iwa for a few years, dishing up tasty Japanese dishes, poke bowls, and more to both visitors and locals alike.  

Karaage Chicken

I had the Karaage Chicken - tender, juicy pieces of crispy, fried chicken with a tangy sauce.  It was really delicious, and a nice serving of chicken (I had leftovers for lunch the next day!).

Crispy Spicy Ahi

Crispy Spicy Ahi is a popular seller.  It comes with spicy tuna and spicy mayo, and topped with fried onion and tempura bites.  

Yuzu Wasabi Poke

Sukiyaki Beef

Beef Curry Rice

Fried Pork Gyoza

All the entrees came with a side salad.  I thought the quality of the food was good and the portion sizes were good too.

They do have seating, but we took out food to the beach to eat.  

Take advantage of online ordering so you can minimize your wait!

No. 7 Japanese Food Truck

66-235 Kamehameha Hwy

Haleiwa, HI 96712

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Visit Hilo: Crusty Buns

I've seen the Crusty Buns truck parked outside of Kai Store, and my schedule finally allowed me to give them a try. The menu on the website is not reflective of what they offer, so you'll have to go down to see what's on the menu (a couple of things we wanted on the website menu were not available, and they had items available that were not on the website menu).

I got the Full Monte (lots of cheeky-named menu items!), which was was essentially deep fried pieces of battered Japanese bread stuffed with ham and cheese, served with a liliko`i guava sauce. 

If you love sweet and savory like I do, you'll enjoy this dish. I wish there was more ham and cheese in the middle, but the contrasting textures and flavors were great.

An order consisted of 3 huge pieces, and just one was very filling!

My friend ordered the Fish Tacos, which were loaded, but flavor-wise, he thought were just "okay."

I'm eager to go try other sandwiches on their menu! 

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Big Wave Surf Shrimp

There is an abundance of food trucks dishing out shrimp plates on the North Shore, but if you're looking for one that also offers other types of food, check out Big Wave Surf Shrimp!

Spicy Shrimp

Fried Chicken Wings

Steak Plate

They offer all types of shrimp plates (garlic butter, lemon pepper, spicy), as well as fried chicken wings, steak, fish and chips, and even spring rolls.

Each place comes with rice and salad for a complete meal.

Big Wave Surf Shrimp
66-521 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712

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Visit Hilo: Tacos Jalisco

Tacos Jalisco is a food truck in Hilo that I've been wanting to try for some time now.  They don't take phone orders on certain days, so on the day we went, we had to order at the truck and wait for our food (fortunately the wait was not that long).

Fish Taco

Nachos

I got the nachos, which was topped with refried beans, cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream, and you can add your choice of meat for extra.

It was so flavorful - some of the best nachos I've had in a long time.  I had to restrain myself from eating the entire plate in one sitting.

Tres Tacos

My friend had the Fish Taco and the Tres Tacos.  He ordered the Tres Tacos with carnitas and carne asada - he liked these tacos much better than he did the fish taco.

Tacos Jalisco is a great option for Mexican food!

Tacos Jalisco
277 Kekuanaoa St

Hilo, HI 96720

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Penny's Malasadas Opens Second Truck at Aiea Shopping Center

I've been following Penny's Malasadas on Instagram back when they were operating on Schofield Barracks. Never made it out there. Then they moved to Hauula, which is closer to where I live (at least it's on the same side of the island!), and still never made it out there. But a couple of weeks ago, we spotted their truck in the parking lot of Aiea Shopping Center (corner of Moanalua  Road and Aiea Heights Drive), and I immediately DMed @pennysmalasadas to see if they were opening a second truck in Aiea, and they confirmed that they were, in about a week!

Since we were visiting the in-laws in Aiea the following weekend, we stopped by Penny's to get a box of malasadas. They have traditional malasadas, and malasadas filled with rotating flavors. Since this was our first Penny's Malasada experience, I opted to get all traditional so that we could all get a sense for the true flavor and texture of their malasadas. 

I really liked these malasadas. Although they are more expensive per piece than at other places, their malasadas are very light, fluffy, and not super greasy.  

Next time I'm going to give their filled malasadas a shot!

Follow Penny's on Instagram @pennysmalasadas for information and updates.

 

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Penny's Malasadas at Aiea Shopping Center
99-115 Aiea Heights Drive
Instagram: @pennysmalasadas

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A Pasta Truck and Ice Cream Shop in the Heart of Waikiki

Some of the best Italian food and locally made ice cream on Oahu can be found in the heart of Waikiki behind the Alohilani Resort.  It's a bit hard to find at first, since it's located on the backside of the hotel, up a ramp.  Just look for the sign like the one below when you're on Kealohilani Street and head up the ramp.  

To the right of the truck, you'll find Double Fat Ice Cream, where you can get high quality locally spun ice cream and sorbets with toppings that you would only find in Hawaii.

We tried the Crack Seed Delight, which is one of their specialty sundaes.  Since a good friend of mine recommended the yuzu creamsicle ice cream, I asked to sub the sweet cream ice cream with yuzu creamsicle.  The toppings that came with this sundae included: lihing powder, mochi crunch, condensed milk, and dairy-free whip.  

The sundae was definitely large enough for both the hubby and I to share. It's pretty obvious as to why they call this the Crack Seed Delight!  The mochi crunch definitely added a unique flavor and texture to this sundae.  Click here to see the menu.

On our way out, we ordered a couple of menu items from Piccola Onda (same owner as Onda Pasta) to-go:

Zozzone - a ciabatta sandwich filled with an Italian sausage patty, roasted peppers, mozzarella, and greens.  

 Gnocchi Ragu Bolognese - ultra-fresh potato dumplings served with locally sourced beef.  

I don't know where else you will be able to find fresh Italian fare in Waikiki, at these prices.  Online ordering is available here.

Park at the Alohilani Resort and get your ticket validated at either place for 2 hours of free parking.  Yes, FREE parking!

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Double Fat Ice Cream Shop & Piccola Onda
at the Alohilani Resort
2490 Kalakaua Avenue

 

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Chubbies' Veggie Burger

Recently two friends of mine (one of whom is the one and only Gem! Read her review here)  mentioned to me about how good the veggie burgers from Chubbies Burgers are.  So of course, they piqued my interest, since I am a meatlover and always get the beef burgers from Chubbies (I love that they use local grass-fed beef from Kauai). 

veggie burger and onion rings

Chubbies makes their own veggie patties, which explains why this veggie burger is so good! Each patty is composed mainly of mushrooms, barley, zuchini, and beans. Top that off with Chubbies' 50s sauce, iceberb lettuce, and tomato on a housemade potato bun, and the end result is one delicious, unforgettable veggie burger.  Would I order this again? While not as satisfying to me as an all-beef grass fed, juicy beef patty, I would definitely order this again on days when I feel like skipping out on the red meat (days like that are few and far between, but it does happen). 

I also tried their onion rings for the first time.  The small size comes with three crispy onion rings - the perfect compliment to my veggie burger.  

Online ordering is available by clicking here and I highly recommend taking advantage of it, as every burger is made to order to ensure freshness!

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CHUBBIES BURGERS
960 Auahi Street
Open daily 10:30 am - 9 pm (check their Instagram page @chubbieshawaii for updates)

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Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop Malassadas Truck in Wahiawa 9/28-10/1!

 

Great news for Wahiawa!  You can get Agnes’ famous malassadas, hot and fresh, from their food truck that will be located at 834 Kilani Ave for the rest of the month! 

They will be open Monday through Thursday from 6:30am until they sell out.  Check their Instagram account for the latest updates. You can also call 808-284-4963 to preorder like I did and have your order ready for pickup. They take both cash and credit cards. 

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Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop

 Thanks to Nat, I was able to try Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop's Malasadas for the first time!

Fresh and hot from the food truck, the malasadas were so yummy!  I am not a huge fan of malasadas, but I wanted to eat more than one!  

They were light on the inside, but golden, crispy, and sugary on the outside.  

Such a treat!

Thank you Nat!

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Agnes' Portuguese Bake Shop Is Back!

In 2017, Agnes' Bake Shop, a bakery in Kailua town known for made-to-order malasadas, closed after 48 years of business. Three years later, the new owner has re-opened the business as a food truck, selling fresh, traditional Portuguese malasadas, and I swear they are better than the original!

Look for the truck in the parking lot of Manuhealii in Kailua Town. 

Malasadas are currently $1 each, or $11 for a dozen. 

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