Shiro's Saimin Haven

After a long day adventuring with three kids, we were all hungry and craving a comforting meal. We headed to Shiro's Saimin Haven in Aiea for some saimin and hamburgers.  Shiro's has been serving homestyle local favorites for over 50 years! They have over 64 different bowls of saimin on the menu, fried saimin, entrees, sandwiches, burgers, breakfast, and desserts. 

Here's what we all ordered:

Medium Old Fashioned Saimin with extra char siu

Hot & Spicy Saimin with Spicy Broth, Wun Tun, Vegetables and Garnishes

Country Fried Noodles with Mochiko Chicken

Hula Burga

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The kids really liked the old fashioned saimin, burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches! I had the country fried noodles - it was OK, but there are other places that make better fried noodles IMHO. But the portion was generous, and I had a lot of leftover for lunch the following day.  The service here is REALLY friendly. They are very kid-friendly. We would definitely come here again with the kids.

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SHIRO'S SAIMIN HAVEN
98-020 Kamehameha Hwy

808-488-8824

 

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Leeward Drive-Inn: fried noodles!

 

On our way back to town from Koolina Lagoons, we stopped at Leeward Drive-Inn for lunch. I  have been craving their legendary fried noodles every since Gem wrote about it in April (click here to see what she had to say). 

Although Leeward Drive-Inn is known for their fried chicken, I added kal bi to our plate of fried noodles, because one of my sons loves kal bi. He loved both the kal bi meat and the noodles, allowing me to take just a few fork-full of noodles.

The other son ordered a plain hamburger and fries. I felt a moment of sticker shock when I paid $6 for the fries, but after seeing the how much fries was given, I saw why it was $6.  It was a big serving of fresh cut and fried to order french fries. My son, who can polish off a large fries at McDs, could not finish this bag of fries in one sitting.

He liked his plain hamburger too, but he said he wants to make it a double the next time we come here!

Open daily 5 am - 11 pm.

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LEEWARD DRIVE-INN
94-209 Pupukahi St
808-671-7323

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Shay's Smash Burgers

 

Nice owners, tasty burgers, makes Shay's Smash Burgers a welcome addition to the food truck scene in Hawaii. 

The menu is small, making decisions fairly easy to make - do you want something simple? If so, go for the classic for $5.  For a buck more, you get lettuce, tomato, and onions with your burger.  If you want a really savory burger with sautéed mushrooms, harvati cheese and summer truffles, order the Fun Guy for only $7.  

I usually opt for the basic burger whenever I try a new burger joint, but today I could not resist trying the fully loaded Fun Guy.  It was a great decision!

With the fries, this combo came out to $10 - super reasonable for what I received! The burger was delicious and very filling. 

The burgers are made with hand-ground prime brisket short rib, and buns from local bakery La Patisserie.  I love that she uses a local bakery for her buns.  This is a JUICY burger, therefore if you are planning to eat this in your car, bring lots of napkins and hand wipes.

Also on the menu are chicken wings which were also quite good. I ordered the naked wings (6 for $6) and they were very moist and nicely flavored with garlic powder and salt.  If you want some spice in your life, ask for it with buffalo sauce.

My friend ordered the kale pig tacos and she said they were good! 

Shay's is open daily starting at 11 am on weekdays, 12 pm on weekends. I will definitely be back when the next burger craving hits!

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Shay's Smash Burger

98-291 Kamehameha Highway

(808) 381-3219

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Betty's Burgers Revisited

The boss wanted to eat a burger and fries for lunch today, so I made a run to Betty's Burgers in Puck's Alley for the two of us. 

The person who took my order was very friendly and did a great job of recapping my order before I paid (plus it was displayed on the screen in front of me). 

The boss and I ordered two different burgers, and I liked how each burger was clearly labeled so that we knew which burger was which. You'll be surprised at how some places do not do this!

This teri smash burger really hit the spot. It was juicy and cooked perfectly. Putting the teri sauce on the side prevented the bun from getting soggy.  

I didn't get a shake this time around, but I was really tempted to after seeing this sign.  Maybe next time!

Our order of two burgers and two french fries (one small, one large) came out to $21 incl. tax. Dealages yo!

For quicker service, call in your order ahead of time!  And don't forget to get your ticket validated by the cashier.

Betty's Burgers

1025 University Avenue

(808) 762-0099

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Restaurant Week Hawaii 2019 - Hank's Haute Dogs

It's the week all food-lovers look forward to in Hawaii - Restaurant Week Hawaii.  For ten days, participating restaurants offer discounts, promotions, and special menu items, some of which you will only be able to try during this special event. Restaurant Week Hawaii 2019 started on November 15, 2019 and runs through November 24, 2019, so you still have time to get in on the fun. A portion of the proceeds from Restaurant Week Hawaii will support the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head - Hawaii's first 4 year culinary program.

One of the participating restaurants this year is Hank's Haute Dogs. They are offering a Pastrami Hankburger (1/2 lb fresh beef char-grilled, NY navel pastrami, Swiss cheese, hank secret sauce, onion, lettuce and tomato for $9.95. 

 You may be thinking "why would a hot dog place feature a hamburger during Restaurant Week?" 

Because Hank's Haute Dogs has one of the best burgers in town IMHO.  

And when you add NY naval pastrami to it - it's just heaven on a plate.

In recent memory, I cannot recall a burger leaving such an impression on me, and I enjoyed it so much that I'm planning to stop by again at some point before Restaurant Week is over, because I'm not sure if they offer this on a regular basis.

 And just as a side note, you can get 20% off hot dogs and hankburgers (the Pastrami Hankburger is probably excluded from this offer) every day from 4 pm - 6 pm!

HANK'S HAUTE DOGS
324 CORAL STREET
(808) 532-4265

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The Daley

I finally got to try the highly-hyped burger at The Daley.

The Daley recently opened in downtown Honolulu and A LOT of people have been posting pics of their smash burgers and crinkle cut fries on social media. 

If you're not familiar with a smash burger, it's a style of cooking a hamburger - it's literally smashed into the grill with a large metal spatula or other flat device, which creates brown and crispy edges. 

As I sat on the counter, I was able to watch how they make their burgers.... the chef starts with a ball of Kunoa grass-fed beef and places it on the grill.  After smashing them down, the chef sprinkles chopped onions on the top, then flips the patties over ... adds some seasonings, places a piece of American cheese on each patty, and that's it. And while the patties are being cooked, the buttered potato rolls are grilling on the same grill.  

The burgers are served with a special relish sauce .. that's it.  No lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon, etc.
Plain and simple. And if you've got a hearty appetite, you can get your burger with two patties (it's called "double down" on the menu) for a few bucks more.

Of course you cannot have a burger without fries. The Daley offers crinkle cut fries for $4. My friend and I shared one order between the two of us and it was the perfect amount.

We were too full to try the soft serve but I'm sure we'll try it next time around.

THE DALEY
1110 NUUANU AVENUE

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Lunch at The Counter

Every now and then, especially when I'm stressed out, I crave a fat, juicy burger. One of my favorite places to get one of these stress-relievers is at The Counter in Kahala Mall.

One recent Saturday afternoon, we brought the boys to The Counter although the service was slow, it did not disappoint.

Our order of the Fifty-Fifty (fried onion strings and shoestring fries) came out first, much to the delight of one of our sons who LOVES french fries. The fried onion strings are my favorite - the batter is delicious.

The Kid's Combos came out  next - chicken tenders and fries for one ...

grilled cheese and apple sauce for the other.

There was a long wait for our 1/2 LB Bacon BBQ burger to arrive, and when it did, we demolished it in seconds. 

Since we told them we were going to share the burger, they cut it in half and delivered it on separate plates. Here's a cross section of the burger - cooked medium rare and stacked with more of my favorite fried onion strings, crispy bacon, and tillamook cheddar cheese. 

 THE COUNTER
4211 Waialae Avenue
(808) 739-5100

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L.A. EATS

We recently traveled for the first time as a family of four to Los Angeles, California, to attend a family-member's graduation from college. While we were there, we virtually ate our way through Southern California. Here are the highlights from our family's food adventure!

MINI MONSTER

440 S Anaheim Blvd

Strawberry Lemonade with Boba

KETTLEBAR STEAM COOKING

440 S Anaheim Blvd

Kettlebar Pan Roast

Mac N Cheese

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

RANDY'S DONUTS
805 W Manchester Blvd

Glazed Raised

Sprinkles Iced Cake

FOGO DE CHAO

133 La Cienega Blvd

SANSAI JAPANESE GRILL

630 N Sepulveda Blvd

Spider Roll

Kids Meal - teriyaki chicken

IN-N-OUT BURGER

600 N Sepulveda Blvd

LA PIZZA & LA PASTA AT EATALY L.A.

10250 Santa Monica Blvd (Century Center)

Agnolotti

Tagliatelle

Margherita

DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY

189 The Grove Drive

May 2018 Cronut Pastry Flavor
Raspberry Jam & Toasted Oat Ganache

BOB'S COFFEE & DOUGHNUTS

6333 W 3rd Street #450 (The Original Farmer's Market)

FUKADA

8683 Irvine Center Drive

Udon

Udon and Unagi Combo

NICK'S MANHATTAN BEACH

451 Manhattan Beach Blvd

Classic Cheeseburger

The Prime Rib Dip

MANHATTAN BEACH CREAMERY

1120 Manhattan Ave

Out of everything pictured above, I would say the best things I ate was the Tagliatelle at Eataly L.A. and the Cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery at The Grove (which turned 5 years old on May 10, 2018!). Honorable mentions go to Randy's Donuts and In-N-Out. :)

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