Harbor Village Cuisine

After an early morning hike at Hanauma Bay Ridge (just over 3 miles round trip!), my friend and I were starving and craving one thing: dim sum. We’d been meaning to try Harbor Village Cuisine in Hawaii Kai for a while now, and this post-hike hunger felt like the perfect excuse to finally check it out.

Unlike the typically packed dim sum spots in town on a Sunday morning, Harbor Village was quiet and calm — exactly what we were looking for after being out in the sun and wind. No long wait, no noisy crowds, just a peaceful sit-down meal with good company.

While Harbor Village doesn’t have the traditional dim sum carts rolling around, every dish we ordered came out fresh and hot. We tried:

• Shrimp dumplings (har gow)

  

• Pork dumplings (siu mai)

  

• Spinach and shrimp dumplings

  

• Fried seaweed rolls

  

• House special cake noodles

Everything hit the spot. The dumplings were juicy, the fried seaweed rolls had the perfect crunch, and the cake noodles were saucy and satisfying — exactly what we needed to refuel after the hike.

Bonus: The restaurant also offers fresh crab and lobster if you're looking to splurge. (Market price for crab that day was $85.)

We left full and happy. If only it were a little closer to town! For now, we’ll keep it on our post-hike eats list whenever we’re on this side of the island.

HARBOR VILLAGE CUISINE

7192 KALANIANAOLE HIGHWAY

808-395-2311

Read More

Heavenly Island Lifestyle Hawaii Kai

Avocado Toast

Did you know that Heavenly Waikiki and Heavenly Hawaii Kai has a common brand story? The former restaurant is themed around a 27 year old surfer girl and the latter sees her lifestyle eight years later married with children with a focus on family and a health conscious lifestyle. This carries over to the restaurant's warm, relaxing, and family friendly ambience.

We stopped in after a hike and was excited to see the new restaurant with breezy marina views. I had a green juice and the avocado toast. The breakfast and lunch menu has a variety of options including acai bowls and and savory options like the Beef Sukiyaki combo. The food is delicious and the setting is cute and relaxing. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Acai with Peanut Butter

Green Veggie Juice

Matcha Latte

Beef Sukiyaki

Bar Seating

Tables and booth seating as well as window seating available.

Heavenly Hawaii Kai
7192 Kalanianaole Hwy
Koko Marina Center

Read More

Babes Bakery

A friend gave me a bag full of treats from Babes Bakery. As a lover of bread and carbs, I was really excited to check out what was in the bag! 

Mooncakes (only available during the Mid Autumn Festival in September), Ube dinner rolls, steakhouse rolls, and guava bars. 

Just look at the color of the ube diner rolls! 

My favorite of them all was the guava bars - they are made with FRESH guava - you can taste the freshness.

You can find Babes Bakery at 808 Craft and Gift Fairs every third Saturday of the month at Koko Marina Center. Follow them on Instagram (@babes_bakery) for updates. 

 

Read More

Chopsticks and Rice

A trip to Hawaii Kai to pick up a few items at Costco and City Mill led us to Chopstick and Rice, a newish Vietnamese restaurant located in Hawaii Kai Towne Center (opposite side to Costco, near City Mill). The restaurant is very spacious with lots of open space for dining in customers to spread out. We ordered our food to-go, since we were bringing home a plate for my mom. We ordered two cold noodle plates, and one fried chicken appetizer. I'd say the taste was consistent with most casual Vietnamese restaurants. I like how the cold noodle plates come with a spring roll, because one spring roll is usually enough for my liking. The staff is friendly, and service was quick. We'll definitely be back to try other items on their menu.

Grilled Pork and Spring Roll Vermicelli Cold Noodle

Grilled Shrimp and Spring Roll Vermicelli Cold Noodle

House Fried Chicken

 _____________________

CHOPSTICKS AND RICE
333 Keahole Street
(808) 460-9898

Read More

HAWAII KAI TOWNE CENTER CELEBRATES YEAR OF THE TIGER WITH DYNAMIC LION DANCE

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, 11 a.m.

WHERE: Hawaii Kai Towne Center
333 Keahole Street
Honolulu, HI 96825

WHAT: Hawaii Kai Towne Center welcomes the Year of the Tiger, with a cultural celebration featuring the award-winning Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association. Community members and visitors are invited to ring in the Lunar New Year at the scenic Marina Docks, as the group dances and presents a martial arts demonstration.

This free and family-friendly celebration is a spirited tradition at Hawaii Kai Towne Center. Watch as the dancing lion is fed lai see (lucky red envelopes with money), a custom that is believed to bring prosperity to the giver throughout the year, while it visits businesses around the center. The performers will be socially-distanced for the safety of guests.

Also visit community partner Gimme a Break as they present a Resource Fair and Mini Educational Seminar, next to Maile’s Thai Bistro. Gimme a Break is a non-profit whose mission is to support caregivers by giving an emotional and physical break, as well as resources for continued well-being.

Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association, founded in 2005, is committed to preserving the Chinese traditions of lion dancing and martial arts for future generations. The association has been praised for both technique and artistry, competing against teams from around the globe.

While attending the Lunar New Year celebration, guests are invited to grab a bite to eat and visit the wide array of retailers at Hawaii Kai Towne Center. Dining options include Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Euro-Asian and American cuisine, among others. 

With more than 50 stores, restaurants and businesses, Hawaii Kai Towne Center has something for the entire family to enjoy. From national brands to local businesses, Hawaii Kai Towne Center is East Oahu’s leading retail destination and community gathering place, featuring a variety of stores, administrative and business offices, business services, plus an assortment of restaurants and dining options.

Follow Hawaii Kai Towne Center on Facebook and Instagram @hawaiikaitownecenter. See www.hawaiikaitownecenter.com. 

Read More

Farmers Market at Kaiser High School

The Farmers Market at Kaiser High School takes place every Tuesday afternoon from 4pm - 6 pm in the parking lot of Kaiser High School. The market is unique in that it is organized by the Friends of Kaiser PTSA, and serves as a fundraising program for the PTSA. 

I had the opportunity to check out this Farmers Market one Tuesday afternoon, and I really liked everything about it - from the easy of parking, to the spaciousness of the layout, to the selection of vendors. While this farmers market does not have as many vendors as other farmers markets like KCC or Kakaako, it's also not as crowded, and I noticed that most of the customers on this particular day were locals.

JOJA HAWAII is a relatively newcomer to Oahu's food truck and farmers market scenes. According to their website, they moved to Oahu from the Bay Area, and they specialize in house-made pastas and sauces using local ingredients. 

Bolognese - made with slow-cooked grass-fed beef, pork, red sauce, mushrooms and rigatoni 

Da Hub has a brick and mortar on Middle Street, but you can also find them at special events, craft fairs, and this farmers market.

It's hard not to avoid ordering the Braddahsadas, since it's there right in front. It's deep fried and sugar coated just like a malasada, but it's a lot crispier. 

the original Braddahsada

Ahikatzu - made with ahi and tofu ..  yes, tofu! 

the sauce drizzled all over gave it a nice kick

I also stopped by Kaji's Kitchen to pick up a bag of lihing peanuts and smoked meat. Their boiled peanuts are always cooked to perfection (not overcooked) and plump.  I like to eat the smoked meat by itself sliced, or in fried rice!

Visit the Farmers Market website for updates and list of vendors! 
_______________________________________

KAISER PTSA FARMERS MARKET
511 Lunalilo Home Road
Tuesdays 4pm - 6 pm

 

Read More

Koko Crater Botanical Garden

Koko Crater Botanical Garden is a great place to take young kids on an outdoor adventure - it's relatively short (2 mile loop trail) walk, and the terrain is easy to navigate on foot.  Best of all, it's free!  The garden is open daily from sunrise to sunset every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

There is a map displayed at the entrance to the gardens, as well as a mailbox that holds paper brochures. I would suggest taking a brochure on your way in, as it has information on the various trees and plants that you'll encounter along the way, as well as a map.

As you can see, the trails are wide and very spacious! 

The boys were very intrigued with the various cactus in the Cactus Garden.

During our hike we saw a group of military planes fly overhead!

Our favorite part of the trail was the Plumeria Grove at the beginning/end of the trail. There were so many different colors of plumeria flowers, and they all smelled so good!

Tips:

• Go in the early morning or late afternoon - it gets hot!
• Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, hat
• Wear a good pair of shoes that you won't mind getting dirty
• Don't leave valuables in your car
• The only bathroom available for use is a porta-potty

Koko Crater Botanical Garden

7491 Kokonani St.

Hawaii Kai

Read More

Wild Tiki Fun Zone

Complimentary games and Gelati were provided by our sponsor. All opinions are my own.

Planning a kid's birthday party or just looking for some indoor fun? Head on over to Wild Tiki Fun Zone. They have two locations on Oahu (Hawaii Kai and Iwilei), and they both have something fun for everyone of  ALL ages!

Gem and I were invited to bring our families to the Hawaii Kai location to check out the offerings at this location, and we all had a blast. 

Wild Tiki is located in Koko Marina Center, next to the theaters. Just look for the glass windows and doors to the left of the theaters. It's easy to find and there is ample parking for customers of the shopping center (although it does tend to get busy, especially on weekends).

Upon entering the Fun Zone, immediately to your left you'll see Rita's Italian Ice.  More on that later ...

Wild  Tiki has a great layout of classic and modern arcade games, that keep both the kids and adults  happy and entertained. 

Once we received our arcade cards, we were ready to play!

virtual bowling

skeeball

fishing

ball drop

air hockey

air hockey

horse racing

race car driving

 space invaders

shooting

virtual coaster 

spin and win

Some of the games give out tickets (which are loaded onto your card automatically). 

Tickets can be redeemed for prizes - check out the goods!

About an hour into our experience, the 9 of  us checked out the laser tag.  My family were newbies at laser tag, so we really had to pay attention to the video that they showed prior to our game. 

Locked and loaded. 

It didn't take very long for us to get the hang of it, and for the boys to get into it! 

Daniel kept trying to zap Aunty Gem. :D

Wild Tiki also has a sports simulator which has at least 11 different sports games on it. We didn't get to try it but I did see someone playing golf on it.

Wild Tiki has private rooms for birthday parties, corporate events, school field trips, etc.

The Cafe has a small but tasty menu of kid-friendly food items such as hotdogs, pizza, nuggets, etc.  Believe me, game playing does work up an appetite!

Which is why it's so nice to have Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen treats right on-site!

We were each treated to a mini Gelati with our choice of flavor of Italian ice, each topped with Rita's famous frozen custard. 

I was told lemon was one of the most popular Italian ice flavors, so the boys and I tried it, and it was  delicious and so refreshing! It was the perfect pick-me-up after two hours of non-stop fun. If you are planning a party here, I would highly recommend adding these frozen treats to your party package - they're really good and the perfect size.

Wild Tiki has a lot of specials  (especially on the weekdays!) and packages going on right now - check out their website for the details.

We all had a blast at Wild Tiki Fun Zone, and  my boys have already talked about wanting to have their next birthday party here!

WILD TIKI FUN ZONE - Hawaii Kai

7192 Kalanianaole Highway (Koko Marina Center)

(808) 465-2234

Read More