Visit Maui: Slappy Cakes

Slappy Cakes started in Portland and when I heard there was a location in Maui, it was a must visit for our family.  DIY pancakes made at our table?  Sounded like fun, fun, fun!  

The wait was really long, but we were very excited to make our own pancakes.  Because we had three kids in our party, we bought 3 squeeze bottles of batter so they could each have their own.  You can also order ready made pancakes so I ordered the blueberry pancakes topped with housemade lemon curd. So delicious!  I loved that they also offer French press Maui coffee and a variety of cocktails and mimosas 

DIY pancakes for the kids and ready made for Mom. 

It was a little overwhelming trying to eat while supervising the kids making pancakes, but it was a super fun experience for all.  Highly recommend! 

They offer five variety of batters.  We got buttermilk and chocolate.

Our little pancake chef.

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MW Restaurant Cafe Series

Makaha Mango Pop Tart: Yuba puff pastry, lychee tea cheesecake, mango and lychee salad.

Honolulu's MW Restaurant is one of my favorite restaurants primarily because of their monthly Afternoon Teas and Chef Michelle Karr-Ueoka's amazing dessert creations.  The cherry on top is MW does not stop there.  They host an array of events like Pop-Up Events where they collaborate with other great chefs and their Café Series where they feature a key ingredient. 

May's Café featured Tea with Byron and Satomi Goo from the Tea Chest.  Patrons can order small plates of savories or sweet, opt for the tasting menu, or do a combination of the two. 

Mojito tea cocktail and the tea pairings off the tasting menu.  Apparently, we didn't receive all five teas.

I was able on my second try and with some help from friends to talk my neighbor into sharing the tasting menu and ordering all the extra sweets plus one savory.  Yes, that would be 6 dessert plates in total.  I also opted to try one of their tea cocktails, which I loved.

 

Honestly, service at the restaurant can be hit or miss and it was definitely a miss that day.  We were understanding and patient because they were very busy and the kitchen must have had a difficult time keeping up with the demand (perks of being famous), but we got our bill before any of our desserts came out and we waited two and half hours for them.

But you can't keep me away, MW!  I'm really excited and looking forward to the next event:  Coffee and Doughnuts Café on Sunday, July 26, 2015. 
 

Clockwise:  Chicken Long Rice, Kona Lobster, Foie Gras, Kona Kampachi.

My favorite of the day: tea smoked duck breast.

 

Clockwise:  Mango Peach and Poppy Seed Cake, Strawberries and Cream, Lemon Mamaki and Blueberry Brioche Shortcake, Jasmine Dragon Pearl and Matcha Mousse Napoleon.

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Save Your Third Sunday For Afternoon Tea at the MW Restaurant

Being that the MW Restaurant is one of my favorite new places to dine and I am huge fan of Michelle Karr-Ueoka's desserts, I nearly flipped when I heard they would be hosting Afternoon Tea the third Sunday of every month.  I am after all, Afternoon Tea's biggest fan and I enjoy getting fancy for an afternoon of girly-ness and delicious bites.  

I braved the rain brought by Hurricane Ana to attend the October Afternoon Tea and it was unlike any high tea I had experienced.  Set in the modern restaurant, they forgo the tiered presentation and the usual tea sandwiches are replaced with beautifully plated gourmet bites.  The tea has a set menu ($35) that changes monthly but is filled with amazing petite sandwiches, savory bites, scones, and sweets.  But if that isn't enough, you can add on extra options and also upgrade your tea to a premium tea or mimosa.

At this tea, the petite sandwiches and savory bites included:  spam sandwich, duck pastrami, kamaboko sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, somen salad, chicken club sandwich, and Ho Farms butternut squash.  I also opted to add on the devilled eggs and caviar for an additional $8.  The savories were in a word, incredible.  The bite sized portions were bursting with flavor.  I enjoyed every single one of them.  I never knew I was a fan of duck or caviar.    

  

The fromage blanc scones were served with yuzu curd and Hawaiian pineapple relish.  Yum!  

The variations of the pate choux (light pastry dough) included:  tiramisu cream puffs, pumpkin pie profiteroles, banana cream pie gateau st. honore, strawberry haupia paris breast, lemon meringue eclairs, doughnuts and andagi.  They tasted as wonderful as they looked, but there were so many that as much as I wanted to, I could not finish.  Thank goodness for takeout boxes!  

This tea was excellent and the first time I left so stuffed.  My friends and I enjoyed ourselves so much that we vowed to be back.  Don't wait too long to make reservations, November and December are already full, but we got seats for January.  Hope to see you there!  

MW Restaurant
1538 Kapiolani Blvd.
808-955-6505

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Celebrate with Arancino at the Kahala!

I love celebrations!  Especially ones with food so when Arancino at The Kahala brought in A5 Miyazaki Premium Wagyu Beef to celebrate their one-year anniversary, I focused all my energies on how I was going to be a part of that experience.  

Just so you know, the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef is a premium delicacy that is ranked the highest quality of beef in Japan and a very rare find in Hawaii.  It is from the Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan, which is known for producing the best beef in the world.   Need I say more?  It didn't take much convincing to cancel existing reservations with a friend and bring her to try this amazing delicacy.  

We started our lovely meal with some signature cocktails, a kahuku corn cream amuse-bouche and the Arancini, lightly fried risotto balls with foie gras and white truffle parmesan.  Everything was amazing.  Equally excellent was the very rich lobster bisque with claw meat.  

Then came the pivotal moment we were waiting for, the Bistecca all Lavanda, lavender infused sous vide in A5 Miyazaki Wagyu filet with arugula, petite potato and onion petals.  It's served medium, cooked through.  It was hands down, the best filet I had in my entire life.  And I eat a lot of filet mignon.  It was almost melt in your mouth and the marbling in the meat was just indescribable.  You will be amazed.  It was definitely worth the $70 splurge. 

I've since then cancelled my birthday  at a popular steakhouse just because I cannot imagine eating any other kind of steak and want to keep that extraordinary memory locked in my taste buds forever.  So for my birthday, I plan to eat fish.  

We ended our incredible meal with coffee and desserts, a tiramisu and the torta al cioccolato, a beautiful dark chocolate torte with kumquat compote.  

From start to finish, it was easily the best meal I had ever experienced and of course the service was above and beyond.  Definitely recommend eating at this beautiful restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating.    

If you are celebrating a special occasion, be sure to tell the staff.  They will present you with the most amazing macarons made by their pastry chef to thank you for dining with them. How awesome is that? 

Along with celebrating their one year since opening at The Kahala Hotel & Resort, they are debuting new creations such as the Tagliatelle ai Frutti di Mare, featuring tiger shrimp, scallops, and fresh house-made tagliatelle pasta tossed in a lemon garlic white wine truffle oil and the Casarecce Ragu di Polpo, an octopus and casarecce pasta with spicy garlic tomato sauce.  A new chef's tasting menu featuring five courses is also being offered for $85 or with wine pairings for $110. 

Located at the Kahala Resort and Hotel 
Open daily for lunch and dinner.  
(808) 380-4400

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Tucker & Bevvy Breakfast

Tucker and Bevvy Picnic Food opened last year in Waikiki offering sandwiches, salads, juices and smoothies.  The beach food focus is on fresh and healthy.  This month, owners Tony and Cecily Ho Sargent, opened Tucker and Bevvy Breakfast Food in the Hee Hing Plaza, located next door to Tokkuri Tei.  

They offer fresh and hot Aussie breakfast favorites for dine in.  It took me two trips to try all the must have dishes they offer.  The first outing was with Hawaii Mom bloggers Gem and Nat and fellow foodie and yelper, Brandon.  This place is popular so be prepared to wait.  We ordered the mushroom rosti, chicken fried rice, and the roast beef hash.  The plan was to share the tim tam waffle for dessert, but for the month of June T&B was graciously giving a free ricotta pancake per entrée so we were too full.  After seeing all the pictures of the tim tam waffle on Instagram, we instantly regretted this decision.  

But that leads me to outing number two.  This time in my company were my kids and my poor/ brave dear friend, depending how you look at it.  I made sure to order the tim tam waffle when I ordered my croque madame.  Everyone LOVED the tim tam waffle, which was light and crispy, and went amazingly well with the vanilla ice cream.  That was the first item that disappeared and my son kept asking for more…and more.

The mushroom rosti and the roast beef hash are their popular dishes and often raved about.  I didn’t try those personally, but I loved my chicken fried rice topped with two eggs.  I ate the entire thing.  The croque madame was also very good.  The Dijon gives the black forest ham and Swiss sandwich a nice kick.  My kids were intrigued by the sunny side egg and really enjoyed a taste of it.

If you're not in the mood for breakfast foods, they also serve up a burger, BLT, and a smoked salmon tartine.  That's three reasons for me to return!    

The restaurant is open daily from 6:30am to 2:30pm.  Go check them out.  You'll be glad you did!  

  

Chicken fried rice

Mushroom rosti

Croque Madame

Single ricotta pancake

Tim Tam Waffle

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The Secret Is Out: the nook neighborhood bistro

I have a problem with all these delicious breakfast spots that are opening up all over the place.  A five pound problem, to be exact, but I just can’t stay away from restaurants that offer mochi waffles and French toast sandwiches!  The newest place I made a beeline to is the nook neighborhood bistro, located at 1035 University Ave (Puck’s Alley). 

The restaurant is nice and cozy inside and I fell in love with it immediately.  I usually get coffee, but was so intrigued by their tea menu.  It was a tough choice but I selected the ooh la cocolong, an oolong coconut tea.  It was subtle and relaxing which is the opposite impact of dining with my children.

We shared the jidori chicken and mochi waffles and the French toast sandwich and I ordered the made from scratch haupia oatmeal.  The food was a hit with us!  I LOVED the mochi waffles and spent the rest of the weekend thinking about them.  I even considered ordering another before leaving for a day of shopping.  Then the thought reoccurred when it was time to go home after shopping. 

The nook is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7am to 3pm and serves all day breakfast, brunch and lunch.  They support local farmers by locally sourcing their eggs, milk, produce and meat!  I have so much love for this place and look forward to returning!  Besides the delicious mochi waffle, they have an Asian pear grilled cheese on the menu that sounds amazing.

Cozy space. 

The fabulous coffee and tea menu boards.

The famous mochi waffle. Get it with or without jidori chicken. 

French toast sandwich is filled with organic peanut butter and sliced apple bananas. 

Haupia oatmeal topped with bananas and coco nibs. 

Two eggs anyway with your choice of meat and rice or potatoes and toast. The toast is accompanied with a home made pineapple purée. Delicious! 

Our bill was delivered to us in this cute bag. 

Happy bellies. 

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Buho Cocina y Cantina Grand Opening July 5th

Imagine yourself on a rooftop, 12,000 square feet, to be exact.  You can feel the warm summer sun on your face.  You're sipping a margarita from the 55-foot bar and you can smell the delicious aromas of contemporary Mexican food.  You don't have to travel to a luxurious beach resort in Mexico because you can experience it all on the 5th floor rooftop deck of the Waikiki Shopping Plaza at Buho Cocina y Cantina, opening July 5th. 

     

Gem and I were so fortunate to attend Buho's media preview party!  We tasted their specialty cocktails and sampled some of their signature dishes by Mexico City-born chef Arturo Silva. Guests that night were greeted by a live mariachi band and witnessed a taco eating contest with some local celebrity contestants.    

Come July 5th, Buho customers can expect traditional fare such as salsa and nachos with freshly made tortilla chips.  But many menu items will boast a modern vibe like the prosciutto wrapped jalapeno poppers and Kauai shrimp ceviche.  The restaurant plans to use as much locally sourced food and produce as possible and everything is fresh.  

I loved everything that I sampled that night and I thought that each dish had just the right amount of heat.  My favorites were the Kauai shrimp tacos and the jalapeno poppers.  I am excited to return to this beautiful restaurant next month.  

Visit buhocantina.com for a complete menu and for information on hours of operation.

The house made tortilla chips come with 3 salsas.

The ice pool keeps the Coronas nice and icy.

L-R Kauai shrimp tacos, ceviche sample, goat cheese quesadilla, proscuitto wrapped jalapeno popper, jidori chicken, baja buzz, and skinny margaritas.

We were lucky to meet Hide Sakurai, owner of Buho and Shokudo Japanese Restaurant and Bar. 

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Uncle's Fish Market & Grill

I recently met Nat at Uncle's Fish Market & Grill.

Even though I don't eat seafood, when I originally looked online at the menu, I saw that they served Mahi Tacos, and was planning on ordering that (since the only fish I usually eat is Mahi).  However, the online menu must've been outdated, because their current menu offered another type of fish in their tacos.

There was a chicken dish on the menu, but that dish didn't sound like something I wanted to eat, and since I was really looking forward to the tacos, the server ended up recommending Monchong (she said they were flexible in substituting the type of fish), and so I ended up ordering Monchong Tacos after Nat said Monchong is good (since she is the more experienced foodie, after all).

When I got the tacos, the smell of the Monchong immediately turned me off and I almost didn't bother trying it, but it turned out tasting a lot better than it smelled.

I still wish they had Mahi instead, but the Monchong wasn't all that bad.

Nat ended up ordering the Poke Tower.

For dessert we shared the Japanese Cheesecake. It was really light and delicious!

There is plenty of parking and we had a friendly server, and I'm sure those who love seafood will enjoy the offerings at Uncle's Fish Market & Grill.

Uncle's Fish Market & Grill: 1135 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI  96817; (808) 275-0063

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