Lam's Garden

Best for: Chinese
Location: Waialae/Kahala

steamed fish fillets with ginger and green onion sauce

Lam's Garden is my family's default restaurant when we're lazy and want cheap, dependable Chinese food. It's about a 5-minute drive from our house and never disappoints. Some of my favorite dishes include the minute chicken cake noodle and fish fillet with tofu and ginger. The fish is soaked in a soy sauce and melts in your mouth. Dishes are served family-style and are about $10-15, which means you can easily feed a family of four for $40. In times like these, thank god for China.

hot and sour soup made with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, red peppers, vinegar, and tofu

salted fish fried rice

Imanas Tei

Best for: Traditional Japanese, Izakaya
Location: Puck's Alley

 
You know I really like you when I let you order my meal, especially when you're ordering things like sea urchin and beef tongue. In a previous post [about Nobu], I had established that if any place could get me to eat things I normally wouldn't, it would be at a good Japanese restaurant. So when I went to Imanas Tei for the first time with one of the few people whose impeccable taste I'd trust with my life, I knew I was in for a treat and in good hands.

After hearing horror stories about the inevitably long wait before being seated, I was amazed that Mizuki and I only ended up sitting on the outside bench for about 3 minutes, and were then taken past the crowds to a table that seats four. Nice! I guess it helps coming with someone fluent in Japanese.  

We started off with a couple of drinks: a grapefruit chu-hi and a sweet potato sake. Not bad.

seafood salad

We ordered the grilled beef tongue, some maki, a salmon skin hand roll, hamachi kama (broiled yellowfin ahi collar), and seafood salad. My first grilled beef tongue and hamachi kama! Both were amazing. The grilled beef tongue is sliced thinly, cooked just right, and perfected with a splash of lemon. My salmon skin hand roll was one of the most beautiful handrolls I've ever seen, with tobiko (flying fish caviar) and long shreds of daikon artistically sticking out. The hamachi kama has so much flavor, and the meat falls off the bone when you pick at it with chopsticks. 

grilled beef tongue

salmon skin hand roll

hamachi kama (broiled yellowfin ahi collar)

Time for round two of drinks. This time I ordered something safe, a plum wine on the rocks. Perfect. Mizuki ordered a sake, which was actually served in the traditional masu, a box made of hinoki or sugi. The server put a glass inside the box and poured the sake until it overflowed and filled both containers. Now that is how to drink sake!

the proper way to drink sake

We ordered even more dishes: abalone and mackerel, uni nigiri (sea urchin sushi), and tataki bonito (seared ahi). My first time for all three dishes! The abalone has an interesting texture that I'm still getting used to, but the mackerel was delicious. As Mizuki instructed, "Eat the abalone with wasabi, and the mackerel with ginger." Good advice. Watching me attempt to slurp down an uni nigiri is one of the funniest (or maybe most disgusting?) thing you can do; I'll have to work on that. It's creamy and smooth - characteristics I would never expect from such a spiny little creature.

our beautiful abalone and mackerel dish

uni nigiri (sea urchin) - not something I'll be ordering on a first date

Despite being packed the entire time we were there, service was always efficient and graciously put up with our multiple orders and my indecisiveness. Towards the end of our meal, our adorably clueless waiter - as in, it's a good thing he's cute because he's also kind of clueless - came over and sheepishly told us, "By the way, you two look very beautiful tonight." Wow. I wonder how he could sense the generous tip Mizuki was planning to give him. 

Dozens of people have called Imanas Tei the "best Japanese restaurant in Hawaii." While I could easily say the same, Mizuki has warned me that there are a couple more places I still need to try, so I'll hold off on definitives until then. Our bill came out to about $115, excluding tip. Definitely worth it, considering the ambiance, number of dishes ordered, and quality of food. Even more important, I broadened my palette and thus more fully appreciate another culture - and that in itself is one of the greatest achievements in life.

Downtown @ the HiSAM

Best for: Museum + lunch
Location: Downtown

black forest ham and sharp cheddar panini, about $10

Oh how I love museum cafés. This particular one is called Downtown (because -- surprise! It's located in downtown) and is located on the first floor of the Hawaii State Art Museum, which, by the way, is a free art museum, funded by the state government. Your tax dollars at work. Downtown is owned by the Ed Kenney, owner of town in Kaimuki. Town definitely has better food, but hey, this place comes with art galleries.

my water glass is stuck to the paper. Also, check out that art!

Reservations are a good idea because it gets pretty crowded with downtown workers. Clean, modern, bright wood tones, with art all over the walls, Downtown serves typical museum café food: sandwiches, soups, and salads. I got the black forest ham and sharp cheddar panini. The panini was pretty good with lots of ham, and our waiter was fun. Chelsea and I shared a flourless chocolate torte - delicious!

Beachhouse at the Moana

Best for: Beachside Brunch, Dessert, View
Location: Moana Surfrider

There are people blocking my view!

This is my second favorite place for beachside brunching, after Plumeria. The Beachhouse is located at the Moana Surfrider, the oldest hotel in Hawaii. It's a beautiful, wedding cake-esque hotel. Speaking of wedding cakes, you will definitely see at least one wedding while you're here, which is to be expected.

Tahitian Vanilla French Toast

I usually order the Tahitian Vanilla French Toast ($16), which is served with whipped honey-rum butter. The toast has a bit of a crisp to it, which I love and makes me wonder if the batter contains some granola. My only complaint is that the beach is somewhat far from the tables. The outside portion (where I usually sit) is a long narrow patio, so only about 3 tables are actually right by the water. You can see the ocean, but there will be some heads blocking your view. Also, I'd like to see sand along with my ocean (hence the beach in beachhouse). However, the food, service, and general atmosphere make up for it.

Besides brunch, I also come here for dessert and prefer to sit on their low, cushy chairs closer to the entrance since you can't see the ocean at night anyway. Their Kona Coffee Spring Rolls ($11) are made with Kona coffee and chocolate in a crispy spring roll wrapper served with a grand marnier and white chocolate dipping sauce. You really can't go wrong with Kona coffee, chocolate, and grand marnier. Try their Dark Rum Creme Brulee (also $11), a vanilla custard infused with spiced dark rum and a torched caramel crust. Live music, great service, and delicious Hawaiian-inspired desserts are the perfect way to end a night in Waikiki.

Mermaid Bar

Best for: Salad
Location: Neiman Marcus (Ala Moana)

Bistro Turkey Panini

 As I explained earlier, I hate eating in mall food courts, which is why Mariposa, Jade, Goma Tei, and Panya are perfect for me. However, when I'm sick of dim sum and Japanese food (which is rarely) and am on a tight budget (which rules out Mariposa and Longhi's), the Mermaid Bar is a convenient place to go, especially when I want to pretend to be healthy. Like Mariposa, the Mermaid Bar is also located in Neiman Marcus, but it has a much smaller, less interesting menu and is usually less crowded. The menu basically consists of salads and sandwiches, all within the $10-15 range.

NM Sampler (soup + 1/2 sandwich)

Some sandwiches include the Duke of Windsor ($10.50), which consists of roast turkey, grilled Hawaiian pineapple, chutney, and cheddar; and the Bistro Turkey Panini ($11), is made of grilled onions, apple, arugula, goat cheese, sweet toasted walnut bread, and honey mustard. The Mermaid Bar's specialty, however, is their customized salads. For $10.25 you can choose different greens, dressings, proteins, and up to 7 toppings (artichoke, shaved radish, edamame, hard-boiled egg, pine nuts, etc).

Doraku

Best for: Americanized Japanese food
Location: Waikiki

 

Doraku isn't very authentic, but this sushi chain from Miami offers exactly what I expect of anything from South Beach: a fun environment. (Florida should really stick to Caribbean food and leave the Asian to us.) Located on the third floor of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, some of the tables are located on an outside patio and overlook the Royal Grove - perfect for dates, while the rest of the seating remains inside - perfect for parties. There are a variety of seating options here: some square tables, high bars, and booths that can seat 4 people. As someone currently in an urban planning phase, I think more mid-range restaurants (and cities) should adopt this - diversity is always better.

Lara and her pickled vegetables

Mariah had the misoyaki butterfish ($13.50), and since butterfish happens to be my favorite fish, I helped myself to her plate. It was pretty good - not the best I've ever had, but it's miso butterfish, so you can't really go wrong.

red dragon roll

I decided to order something that I would never order at an authentic Japanese restaurant: the red dragon roll ($13.50). As American as you can get. I was pleasantly surprised by the different flavors and textures of the spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and avocado, topped with unagi, red tobiko, tobiko sauce, and spicy aioli. It wasn't spicy enough for me, but that's because I like my food hot. The sushi definitely isn't as well-made as most places in Hawaii, but the prices are great, the crowd is lively, and the location can't be beat.

Apartm3nt

Best for: Happy Hour, Drinks
Location: Century Center
Foodgasmic dish: Bombay Passion (cocktail)

$5 pizza

Lounges that actually serve good food blow my mind. Apartm3nt is a bit awkward - it's located in the same building as my old piano teacher, and for a while Erin and I weren't sure how to order - but once we got past all that, we had a great time here.

$5 happy hour

It's a pretty dressy place, at least by Hawaii standards. During happy hour, food is half off, which means $5 pizzas. I've heard complaints about their other dishes, but I am a big fan of their pizza. Cocktails are also $5, and my bombay passion (Bombay Sapphire, raspberries, passion fruit, and vanilla) was so good that I didn't even bother to try a different cocktail and instead ordered it again.

There are supposed to be different rooms for dancing and playing pool, but we were having such a good time eating that we forgot to explore. However, the bathroom is another story. While the rest of the lounge is beautiful, the bathroom, while designed to be just as classy, is not maintained at all. It was as disgusting as a nightclub on Kuhio. Work on that, Apartm3nt, because I'd like to come back.

Royal Garden

Best for: Dim Sum
Location: Ala Moana

  
I tend to alternate between my four go-to places for dim sum, depending on my mood: Mandalay for the best char siu bao and siu mai; Kirin for a more traditional Chinese atmosphere; Jade for the best service and snow mountain; and Happy Day for the best deal. Royal Garden is the last of my top five.

Like Kirin, Royal Garden is one of the remaining Chinese restaurants at which waitresses still push carts around the room, and you have to call out to them and point at the dim sum you want, which is always a fun experience. The dim sum here is good, but none are really memorable, unlike at the others, which each have a few unique dishes. However, the parking is more convenient since you can easily park at Ala Moana and walk over.

Yotteko-Ya

Best for: Ramen
Location: McCully

Yotteko-Ya is my favorite place for ramen. It's located on the second floor of McCully Shopping Center. Apparently their paitan soup has a special ingredient - collagen, which is supposed to keep you looking young. So that's why I look so young! As a 21-year-old who can still pass for a high school student, age-defying potions are not my highest priority. However, good taste is. The noodles are cooked perfectly, the broth tastes like nothing I've tasted anywhere else, and the char siu is always juicy.

I usually order gyoza and a bowl of ramen, a set that costs about $13.

Coffeeline Campus Coffeehouse

Best for: Coffee
Location: Manoa

  
Coffeeline is to UH as the Paradox is to Reed. Only about 2 of you will get that analogy. Coffeeline is a homey coffeeshop across the street from the University of Hawaii. It is cluttered with magazines, random plants and pieces of artwork. If I was a UH student, I'd probably be spending a lot of time here, since Glazers is a bit of a journey, and Hawaii doesn't really have any other coffeeshops conducive to studying

The interior space is pretty large, but what I really like about Coffeeline is that there are a couple of tables on the outside balcony. The view just overlooks the YWCA, but I'm always looking for ways to drink coffee outside. My only complaint with this place is that it doesn't provide coffee cups to-go. I know the owner is being environmentally-conscious, but what are desperate students supposed to do when they forgot their thermoses?

Goma Tei

Best for: Ramen, Gyoza
Location: Ala Moana

I always forget that Goma Tei exists because it's located on the ground floor of Ala Moana, a floor I tend to avoid. However, it's great when I do remember because Goma Tei happens to be my second favorite ramen place (after Yotteko-Ya). You can tell they take their ramen seriously because their spoons are those huge wooden ones.

It's a fairly large space, with half of the restaurant dedicated to tables and the other half dedicated to a double counter with a walkway in the middle for the waiters, which is a pretty cool arrangement. I usually order the gyoza ($6.25), which is stuffed with fresh pork and vegetables, cooked just right to provide the perfect amount of crisp on the outside and warm filling on the inside. You create your own dipping sauce using the various ingredients on each table. Next I order the char siu tan tan ramen ($9), which is a hearty, slightly spicy broth with juicy pieces of char siu. There are other ramen variations, such as chicken or seafood. Service is always efficient.

Edge of Waikiki

Best for: Happy Hour, View
Location: Sheraton Waikiki

$5 cocktails

The Edge of Waikiki is the poor man's Mai Tai Bar. The drinks are not quite as fancy, the view is not quite as breathtaking, even the hotel is not quite as nice (Sheraton vs. Royal Hawaiian). However, at five bucks during happy hour, who cares if the cocktails are served in disposable plastic cups when you can still stare out into the Pacific Ocean?

Mariah's first mai tai!

Wailana Coffee House

Best for: Hangovers
Location: Waikiki

Wailana is the perfect place for sobering up. The last time I was here was after a night of two Long Island iced teas in a row at the Lobby Bar. It's located across the street from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, open 24-hours, and is there for people just like you - all craving cheap food and no judgment.

It's basically like a Denny's, but I think the portions are slightly less grotesque. Pancakes are the best remedy.

Amuse Wine Bar

Best for: Wine tasting
Location: Honolulu Design Center

Amuse seems like it would be a great date place. It's a wine bar at which you purchase a prepaid card that allows you to taste different wines at the push of a button. There are over 80 wine dispensers that pour one ounce samplings - feel free to hold the button longer if you want more than one ounce. Enough cabernet, chardonnay, pinot noir, and riesling to keep you happy. I had (too much) fun with the moscato.

They also serve food (dinner and happy hour), but I come for the wine. Next door is Stage Restaurant, which I need to try some time.

Top of Waikiki

Best for: Happy hour, Late-nite, View
Location: Waikiki

gorgeous views of Waikiki, whether you come before the sun sets or after

The Top of Waikiki is Hawaii's only revolving restaurant. Located at the top of the Waikiki Business Plaza, this three-tiered restaurant offers a 360-degree view of Waikiki and much of Honolulu. The hour-long revolution is slow enough so that you barely feel the rotation, but sure enough, especially after a few cocktails, eventually you'll wonder why you are suddenly facing the mountains instead of the ocean.

I've been here four times, at three different times of the day. The first time was the only time I came for an actual meal (dessert), so I was seated at a table on the edge of the top tier, close to the bar. Dessert is okay. I had the Candy Bar, which is exactly what it is: a glorified deconstructed candy bar... Twix, perhaps. Not the most memorable dish, but who cares what you're eating when you have a view like this?

The next two times I went were for the 5-7 pm happy hour, which offers $4 martinis and $7 appetizers. You are only allowed to sit at the bar for happy hour, which is at the very center of the top tier. None of the appetizers are very memorable, even though the chef is obviously trying to be innovative. However, for the price, it is certainly a good deal. The 5-7 happy hour is packed, mostly with tourists in their 40s and above. Not exactly my kind of crowd, which is why my fourth time coming to the Top of Waikiki was the best.

A couple of months ago, I returned with Mariah for the 9-11 pm happy hour. Just like the 5-7 pm one, martinis and appetizers are cheap. The main difference is that, instead of swarming with old people, the bar is now almost empty. As someone who values privacy and good service, I will now only be coming at this time. The bartenders are much more attentive and friendly this late in the night, which usually means you can order cocktails that aren't even on the happy hour menu for the same $4 price. Love it!

Orchid's

Best for: Brunch, View
Location: Halekulani

kalua pork omelet and lomi lomi tomato

I'm not a huge fan of this place, but I come here when I've gone to Plumeria Beach House too often. Orchid's and Plumeria are similar in many ways, and not just because they are both named after flowers. Both are located in Honolulu's two best hotels, the Kahala and Halekulani, both are pretty pricey, and both are beachfront. Now I will tell you why Plumeria is so much better (and I swear I'm not biased just because I'm from Kahala).

First of all, Halekulani is in Waikiki. It happens to be in a serene, secluded part of Waikiki, but you're still just steps from throngs of tourists from who knows where. The Kahala Hotel is located at the end of a ritzy street of a residential neighborhood. No unwanted tourists from the Hilton, no locals who bum around the beach all day.

classic eggs benedict

Secondly, Plumeria offers a completely unobstructed view of the ocean. By this I mean you can literally get out of your chair, lie on the ground, and start rolling until you are on the beach. If you please. Orchid's claims to be beachfront, but what is the point of being beachfront when there is a 3-foot hedge blocking your view? No rolling possible here.

why is there a hedge blocking my view??

Third, Plumeria has its famous Three B's: Beachfront Brunch Buffet. No buffet at Orchid's. For that, you'll have to go to the other Halekulani restaurant, House Without a Key, which doesn't really belong in the same sentence as Plumeria.

Well, we got an unobstructed view of the next restaurant

Now that I've criticized this place sufficiently, I will tell you that it is a lovely beachfront restaurant in Waikiki. Usual breakfast food presented beautifully, and you can listen to the waves while you dine. Also, Orchid's is highly rated for dinner, so perhaps I should be coming here when the sun goes down instead.