A mochi crunch “mega mix” consisting of every type of mochi crunch and senbei
from one gift basket.

Similar to the fundraiser drives that were recently pointed out, Hawaii folks share a unique variety of foods and snacks as a token of goodwill and giving during the holiday season.

Everything from boxes of hot Manapua from the favorite dim sum shop, Sunnyside Pies fresh from Wahiawa, to those absolutely mouthwatering chocolate-dipped Macadamia Nut shortbread cookies assortment gift boxes from Big Island Candies.

Then there’s them gift baskets of all sizes and varieties, with everything from an assortment of flavored Kona Coffee blends, to mixed-themed cookies, candies and snacks.

Just to name a few.

It’s no secret Japanese culture and cuisine has a major influence in Hawaii, especially during the holiday season, when one of the most endeared terms, “Omiyage”, meaning “gift” is taken to a whole new level.

That in mind, one of the favorite snack foods here from the homeland of Sony® and Sushi® is Arare™, which in its simplest translation can be called “Rice Cracker”. Yet us Hawaii folks most often (arguably) call it “Mochi Crunch™”;  I personally call it both interchangeably.

That said, you can bet the arrival of this Mochi Crunch omiyage gift basket was the darling of our eyes when it was brought into our office…

A dozen long stem red roses ain’t got nothin’ on this as far as I’m concerned!

Ooooh! What get? What get?  Let’s take a closer look at each package…

Looks oishii. Now let’s open it up and try it!…

Iso peanuts. Senbei. Arare. Wasabi peas. This one is my favorite. Best balance.

Next…

The contents…

Not bad, but no can touch da’ first one. The golden-colored coated peanut on the bottom right had a curry-like flavor to it, which was interesting in how it added an extra dimension of savoryness to this mix.

Next…

Notice it says “Premium” Mixed Arare, which I buy. To date, I still stand by Tomoe brand as my “Premium Choice”. Tomoe has just the right balance of shoyu, sugar and nori to my palate. Not to mention being fresh and cripsy, not stale. This Wholesale Unlimited, Inc. version certainly was in contention and deserving of the “Premium” title. Guaranz good fo’ make Hurricane Popcorn.

Next…

These look like Wasabi covered peas or nuts, which we all thought they were at first glance, yet upon close inspection of the ingredients, you see there’s no sign of Wasabi at all. What they are is the same coated “Iso style” peanuts, except it has a piece (not a whole nut) of Pistachio in it…

What’s neat about these is that their individually packaged in portions of 4 “nuts”, as shown above. If you like Iso Peanuts, and you like Pistachio nuts even better than regular peanuts, than imagine taking the best of those worlds and making it one. There ya’ go. That’s how these taste. Light, yet cruncy and aromatic in a Pistachio bits ‘n pieces kinda’ way. Good stuff!

Finally there’s this Senbei…

These are lighter and fluffier than typical Arare, and also much, much larger…

They also have a similar sweetened shoyu-flavored coating, yet are less dense and crunchy; more airy and crispy. Not my favorite, yet still acceptably good.

Once again, my favorite in this gift basket are the Assorted (arare style) Peanut Crackers…

There was also these delicious dried and pickled ume snacks in this basket, but we all ate them quicker than I could get to it and take photos to share with you. I’ll buy some later and retrofit them here next time I go to Marukai or Don Quijote.

Goodness. When I see this much Mochi Crunch, I just can’t help but think of this and a good movie…

Hurricane Popcorn

Nigiri set, $3.99 from Don Quijote on Kaheka street

That sure looks pretty, but in this case, you can’t judge the sushi by its cover. While the Ahi, Sanma (or Saba?), Ebi (shrimp), shellfish (which I can’t identify, but it tasted similar to clam) and tamago (egg omelet) look mouthwatering (well to me, anyway), the sushi rice underneath it was just as expected: somewhat stiff.

Those trays upon platters, upon platters and trays of colorful, beautifully-presented sushi that fill the open reefer’ cases in the supermarket are almost irresistable to NOT put one (or more) in your cart, yet I’ve found time and time again that pre-made, refrigerated sushi just doesn’t work.

For me, refrigerated rice in general doesn’t work. The rice has to be fresh-made, and cooled to room temperature. Once it hits the fridge, the only way to bring it back is by nuking it, which for sushi, is something you obviously can’t do, lest you “kill” the raw seafood topping it. Nothing against Don Quijote (I love this store!), as this is an issue no matter who the retailer is, whether its from Costco, Foodland, Star Market or anywhere else.

All that said, Sushi MUST be made-to-order. Period. No way around it, and preferably consumed within minutes after leaving the hands of the chef.

I took a small bite from each one these refrigerated “seafood and starch blocks” for a taste and ended up tossing the bulk of it. While I hate to waste food, the rice was just not good. The seafood items and tomago very fresh and nice, but the rice was a deal-breaker.

Hopefully I’ve finally learned my lesson and will not give in again to the visually-tempting appeal of pre-made refrigerated sushi.

Being in impulse shopping mode for lunch, I also picked up this beautiful looking tray of Nameko…

Nameko (mushrooms), $2.86

These tiny brown mushrooms have a gelatinous, slippery-slimy texture to them that carry onto the greens; I couldn’t tell what those were, but it was similar to Warabi (fiddle ferns), though I’m not sure. The mushrooms are fairly mild in “earthyness”. Again, that slimy coating is its most distinctive attribute. The seasoning was in the typical Fukujinsuke style of shoyu and sugar. Eating it over hot rice (which I’ll get to in a bit) made this a fairly satisfying and healthy “lunch”, even though you might regard this as being more of a side dish. I’d like to try adding Nameko (by itself) into Miso Soup. Never had it that way before, but it sounds like a winnah, being the mushroom fan that I am.

As you know, Don Quijote (a.k.a. Daiei, a.k.a. Holiday Mart) offers a variety of sub-leased eateries fronting their stores. The Kaheka location includes a take-out for Greek, Chinese, Japanese, KFC and what we have here with this Chicken Katsu plate from Yummy Korean B-B-Q…

Chicken Katsu from Yummy Korean B-B-Q, $8.50

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, my favorite part of Korean food are the variety of prepared vegetables you get to pick and choose for your meal. At Yummy’s, like most other Korean take-out eateries, you get up to 4 choices with the regular plates.

The choices for this plate include kernel corn, Sigumchi Namul (seasoned spinach) and bean thread sesame noodles. If it were my plate, I’d certainly have the Korean style seasoned potatoes on there… that’s my favorite.

The chicken katsu was done quite well, with a nice golden crispy panko crust, and the chicken moist and tender, although the cut of chicken could have been a little thicker. As it was, the panko crust was a bit more dominant than the chicken (the main part) in flavor.

Speaking of dominant flavor, I was impressed with the katsu sauce Yummy’s provided here. While it certainly ain’t no Bulldog Brand, it’s a pretty good mock-up of the traditional Japanese style “fruit & vegetable” Tonkatsu Sauce. Certainly a far cry better than Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce (bleck!.. cough cough.. spit spit). Good enough where I didn’t actually grab my handy-dandy bottle of Bulldog out of the fridge. What they gave works. I’m speaking about this plate as if it were mine, but actually I just finished the other half of what my girlfriend couldn’t finish. This made up for my lacklustre Nigiri Sushi quite nicely. Especially with the Nameko over the still-hot rice served with this Katsu plate.

Hanahou addition (11/18/08) from Yummy’s, a Kalbi plate…

Kalbi plate from Yummy B-B-Q at Kaheka Don Quijjote, $9.00

This time, the Korean vegetables chosen were (left to right) Seasoned Potatoes (made with Mayonnaise), Sigumchi Namul (seasoned Spinach) and Seasoned Seaweed.

Making our shopping rounds in the Ala Moana area, we also stopped by Walmart for some household and automotive cleaning products. Greeting customers at the front right door entrance, next to the Hawaiian Telcom public telephones, I spotted this “something you’ll only see in Hawaii” Plumeria-draped TheCab dispatch phone…

All this photo needs is a hairy middle-aged man dressed as an Aunty in a mu’umu’u, wearing a lauhala hat and 1960’s era sunglasses, standing next to it holding up a sign saying “Just call TheCab at 4-tu-tu, tu-tu, tu-tu”.

Finally, walking down Kalakaua late yesterday afternoon, I spotted these radical choppers parked near the Cheesecake Factory…

What? Mean Green not loud enough for you? Then how about this?…

All this photo needs is a beautiful bikini gal standing next to it (or sitting on it) with a rainbow shave ice in her hand.

I’ll conclude by mentioning that the main reason I went shopping at Don Quijote (Daiei/Holiday Mart) was to buy Poi and some other prepared Hawaiian foods for a soon-to-come “Hanalei vs. Taro Brand Poi Shootout”. That’s gonna’ be a fun one!

Iriko (Japanese dried and salted anchovies) on Gohan (rice), with Beni Shoga (pickled Ginger) and Negi (green onion) garnish

With today’s historic general election taking place across our great 50th state and nation, along with the spirit of freedom celebrated as us Americans cast our vote (I voted this morning), I thought it was a fitting time to introduce a relatively new feature for WordPress users in the form of POLLS! All in the name of your further enjoyment visiting this site through enhanced interactivity.

While Iriko and rice is as American as a Steak and Baked Potato are Japanese, that’s relatively beside the point. Point is, it’s a dish which can inspire a number of personal opinions - just as there are in politics - regardless of whom or where you’re taking about.

Opinions in mind, let’s take a closer look at this dish called Iriko (pronounced ‘ee-dee-koh’), which are Japanese-prepared dried and salted whole anchovies - head and all.

First I’ll say I grew up eating this stuff, which was always prepared (very simply) as shown here, except sans the fancy Tsukemono stuffs (juss’ rice… das’ it).

Obviously one individual fish (by mass) isn’t going to fill you up, therefore you must consume a bunch in bulk, along with rice, to get your fill. Here’s how it looks right out of the package (make that tray in this case)…

Iriko tray from Marukai, $3.01 (total price) @ $5.99/lb.

Here’s a closer look…

Iriko (close-up)

Each Iriko here measures approximately 1-1/8″ in length (just over a quarter coin in diameter) x 1/8″ thick from dorsal to pectoral area. There’s actually Iriko for sale are even smaller than this, but this is the size I’m familiar with.

You simply sautee them as is in a hot pan with oil (in this case I used LARD!) until nice and crispy. Once they reach that point, turn off the heat, then drizzle your favorite shoyu, just enough to coat and soak into all the iriko…

Iriko, fried-up and drizzled with Shoyu

This would certainly be a welcome dish on Andrew Zimmern’s BIZZARE fOODS Travel Channel show.

IRIKO  - Dried anchovies and salt; sauteed in oil, then seasoned with soy sauce

Transfer the Iriko directly over a hot bowl of white rice and your choice of garnish. In this case I used Tsukemono that was readily available from the recent Goteborg Musubi Project. If you don’t have all that stuff. Just plain by itself works too, but these other condiments really step it up!…

Iriko (Japanese dried and salted anchovies) on Gohan (rice), with Beni Shoga (pickled Ginger) and Negi (green onion) garnish

Regardless of how it looks or sounds, you know I’m very fond of this dish.

Now let us know what YOU think by voting your opinion on Iriko in the following Poll…

Goteborg Musubi - a specialty from Kauai - with 7 varieties of toppings

A few weeks ago I wrote about the discovery of Goteborg Musubi - a Kauai specialty - introduced only recently to us Oahu folks at The Poke Bowl, a new take-out eatery in Ward Farmers Market.

To further demystify what this is all about and its potential, I set out to make Goteborg Musubi myself, taking it another level by adding various pickled vegetable (Tsukemono) toppings, along with a few extra twists.

Obviously the first question you might ask is, “What is Goteborg?”. Well, that would be the sausage, as you see is the foundational base underneath the rice. According to this website, Goteborg sausage is described as “Swedish sausage or Goteborg consists of 75% beef and 25% pork. The meat is chopped coarser than cervelat. It is stuffed in beef middle casings and smoked hard. In appearance it is similar to Farmer sausage. Swedish sausage is popular with the Swedish and Norwegian trade”.

Thanks to reader “Shar”, I found Goteborg Sausage at Times Supermarket’s Kahala location. Here it is…

Hormel Brand Goteborg Sausage - measurement: 17″Lx2-3/4″D

As you see, this Goteborg sausage measures just under 17″ in length x 2-3/4″ in diameter. It’s HUGE.

Here’s a better look at the label…

Here it is unwrapped…

A 3-1/4 lb. sausage. Whoah!

To further give you scale of just how big this sausage is, that bamboo place mat measures 20″ diagonally from corner to corner, and the sausage practically fills that span. That rectangle plate is about as large in length as your typical round dinner plate is in diameter.

This Hormel brand (same makers as SPAM!) Goteborg has an inedible plastic-based casing that must be removed before cooking and consumption.

Here it is, cut and sliced for service…

Here’s a closer look at each slice

The most crucial part of a good musubi is properly cooked rice. Thankfully our automatic rice cooker does a great job at that…

According to Derek of The Poke Bowl, they fry their Goteborg, just like how SPAM is fried to make SPAM Musubi. So I fried the thin slices (about 1/8″ thick) in LARD! The heat tightens it, making the thinly-sliced Goteborg take on a concave shape as you see here…

I still don’t know the exact history of Kauai’s now famous Goteborg Musubi, but can just imagine someone, somewhere from Kekaha to Koloa to Kapaa fried a slice of Goteborg up like I did here, looked at it, and said, “PERFECT! All that needs is a ball of rice to fill this bowl-shaped sausage slice”.

So I balled up an approriate amount of Gohan (rice) in my wet hand, along with just a slight sprinkle of table salt (like my granda used to make our musubi) and formed a ball by -squeeze-pressing it into shape, then topping each Goteborg sausage slice…

Ya’ know, just plain like this without the Furikake or other toppings was ono in its own right. Winnah! See, the Goteborg - like most other sausages - is quite salty. So that flavor really carries through in the rice. It has exactly the same complimentary texture and taste dynamics as a SPAM Musubi. That’s the best way I can describe it.

The Poke Bowl presents Goteborg Musubi with Furikake on it, Jobo’s (a personal friend with roots in Kauai) style…

So I figured there’s so much more potential, aiming for Tsukemono (pickled vegetables) as the primary theme. With that, here’s what I chose to try adding to the Goteborg Musubi toppings mix…

AKA UME - Plum, water, vinegar, salt, food colorign, potassium sorbate

TAKUAN (pickled radish ) - Radish, water, salt, sugar, glacial acetic acid, yellow food coloring, sodium benzoate)

I actually forgot about the Takuan in the fridge when making each musubi, so I didn’t get a picture of it with that on top. But I tried it afterwards and can say, it’s a fantastic combo! The pungeant, slightly-sweet and distinctive flavor of the Takuan along with the rice and Goteborg is excellent. Excellent!

Next…

SUSHI SHOGA - Ginger, sugar, vinegar, amino acid, red food coloring

KYURI ZUKE (salty) - Cucumber, ginger, sesame seeds, salt, soy sauce

GOMA KONBU (sweet) - Sea weed, sesame seeds, sugar, soy sauce

BENI SHOGA (salty)  - Ginger, salt, vinegar, amino acid, red food coloring

Tuoy’s Hawaiian Chili Pepper Pickled Onions

KIM CHEE

Trying something completely different than the rest, Iriko was added to the mix…

IRIKO  - Dried anchovies and salt

Iriko are small, dried and salted (preserved) anchovies. You prepare it by simply frying them in a pan with oil (in my case I used lard!) until golden and  crispy, then drizzle with shoyu and toss to coat. So delicous with rice!

As expected, it was too salt and a bit too fishy to compliment the already-salty, beefy Goteborg sausage, but wasn’t bad. By itself with rice, awesome. With Goteborg? OK to try, but not something I’d make again.

Let’s look again at the entire spread with the various toppings presented here…

The Tasty Island’s Goteborg Musubi Project

Gotta’ admit, that looks delicious and really pretty! Dig the contrasting shapes and colors of the toppings, highlighted by the white rice underneath them.

Let’s check out each one…

Goteborg Goma Konbu Musubi

Goteborg Kimchee Musubi

Goteborg Iriko, Pickled Onion and Sushi Shoga Musubi

Goteborg Kyuri Zuke Musubi

Goteborg Ume Nori Musubi

This was my favorite.Except for the Iriko version, all of them were excellent in their own right. Yet, this Ume and Nori version stuck out as my number one favorite, mainly because that’s my favorite musubi even without the Goteborg.

I liked the Nori version so much, I made one with Nori completely encapsulating the musubi, as I like to sometimes do with “regular” musubi…

Hey, common, you gotta’ admit that that little strip of Nori just enough! “Choke” da’ nori. Choke ‘em! lol

Really though, the acidity, saltyness and sweetness of each pickled vegetable topping all shined with character, complimenting the Goteborg beautifully. I’d certainly recommend you try any one of them if you decide to take on a Goteborg Musubi project of your own.

If that’s too much work (I didn’t think it was!), just head on down to Ward Farmers Market and check out The Poke Bowl. They sell them there.

This truly was a fun and tasty project. Goteborg Musubi rocks!

Related links:
• Kauai Classic: Goteborg Musubi
• The Poke Bowl

Keoni - an Air Force F-16 Avionics Specialist with the 309th AMU “Wild Ducks” - holds up a Hawaiian Luau plate. That’s a funny, rather odd-lookin’ montage. lol

Our family threw a “small” luau this past weekend for my nephew Keoni in celebration of his recently-belated birthday.  Joining in the celebration were 40 of his closest Air Force friends (he’s Mr. Congeniality) from the 309th aircraft maintenance unit (AMU) he’s with. Based at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, they were stationed here at Hickam AFB recently for several (short) weeks in support of the 309th fighter squadron (of F-16s), performing combat training in the pacific. Keoni is an F-16 Avionics Specialist, now in his fifth year in the Air Force, as well as an Iraq war veteran.

Here for such a short time on duty (and play) in the islands, this was a great opportunity for us to share some good ‘ole home-cooked island style food for these fine young men and women serving our country.

Being in the Air Force, those who attended mentioned having experienced cuisines from places all over the globe,  including pacific-based locales such as Korea and Japan. Yet Hawaii, and the related indigenous and fusion cuisine we offered were mostly unfamiliar to most, as they attested after all was said and done.

Getting right to it, let’s look at the spread, starting with the appetizers, including my sister’s ever-popular fried wontons…

309th Luau - Keanu’s Wontons, served with a sesame, garlic and ginger soy dipping sauce

Yes, Wontons. While obviously not part of a traditional Luau, these Chinese Dim Sum are popular all around the islands as an appetizer, and are often served at pot lucks and parties, as is the case here today.

Adding to this more eclectic, modern take of a luau theme (as is often the case nowadays) was a platter of Sashimi, which is raw, thinly sliced Ahi (tuna), served with soy sauce and wasabi…

309th Luau - Sashimi

Reason I’m only showing a portion of the tray, is because the other two-thirds of it had been quickly wiped out before I could get there with my camera. Big mahalo to Kazu san and ohana for bringing this super-fresh and super-awesome Sashimi spread!

There was also a huge tray of Au Poke, but I missed a photo of it.

Of course, there also was the usual store-bought snack stuff like tortilla chips and salsa, as well as clam dip and potato chips.

Getting back to the buffet line, we have the starch portion of the main meal, with none other than Poi…

309th Luau - Poi

“Sampler” portions were offered in the containers on the right side. This, in anticipation of those who wanted to try Poi, without wasting an entire container (poho!) in case they disliked it. Hey, nowadays Poi is GOLD… no can waste!

A hand-in-hand starch accompaniment along with poi at every luau are sweet potatoes…

Throwing in some personal favorites, here’s my sister’s (Keoni’s mom’s) Fried Noodles…

309th Luau - Fried Noodles with SPAM

While we call it a “salad”, in essence this is really a starch, which we’re talkin’ macaroni salad…

309th Luau - Macaroni Salad

Hopefully nobody was expecting this to taste like Mac ‘n Cheese!

Now for the entrees, every Luau has to have Chicken Long Rice…

309th Luau - Chicken Long Rice

And Kalua Pig..

309th Luau - Kalua PIg

and Squid (or Chicken) Luau…

309th Luau - Squid Luau

The squid luau came out very good. Personally I’d have preferred more coconut milk, but that’s just me.

and Lomi Salmon…

309th Luau - Lomi-lomi Salmon

If it looks like there’s something amiss in that pan, you’re right, which - no, wouldn’t be the salted salmon, as there’s CHOKE! - it’s the green onions - which were offered on the side as a courtesy to those who don’t like onions. And there are many nowadays, come to find out, who don’t like onions. But this is NO “Lomi Tomato” my friends; get CHOKE (plenty) salmon.

There was also a huge tray of rice.

For dessert, there was my sister’s Pineapple upside bunt cake…

Keanu’s Pineapple Upside-Down Bunt Cake

There was also cut pineapple, and a variety of pies…

309th Luau - Fresh-cut Pineapple

And there was a tray of Haupia, which I also missed a photo of, as it was covered with foil.

Here’s how it all looks plated-up…

309th Luau Plate

Shown above clockwise from the top is: Au Poke, Sweet Potato, PIneapple, Poi (in container), Wonton (with sesame/garlic/ginger/soy dipping sauce below), Lomi-lomi Salmon, Kalua Pig, Fried Noodles and Squid Luau.

Here’s another plate…

309th Luau Plate

Shown in the plate above that wasn’t shown in the first plate is the Haupia (the white block in the top-left corner) and chicken long rice in the bottom right corner compartment. Speaking of compartments, this is a MUST when you serve Hawaiian food, as many of the dishes are very “saucy”, and you don’t want that running into the other item.

As you might imagine, the sum of all these complex parts was very ONO (delicious)!

As expected the more “strange” sounding items - mostly the seafoods - like the au poke, squid luau and lomi salmon weren’t as popular with this mainland crowd as the other dishes, yet still, some of the more adventure in the bunch dove right into it and mentioned how much they enjoyed it. Others who tried them were still unsure. That’s OK, we’ll be more than happy to finish those leftovers!

All-in-all, it was an enjoyable afternoon spent celebrating Keoni’s birthday, along with all his friends of the 309th AMU.

Related Links:
• 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Maintains Flight
• 309th Fighter Squadron

Warabi Salad

My girlfriend’s mother from Maui stayed with us this past week and cooked a few of her favorite dishes while here. What a treat!

One of those is her friend’s Warabi salad recipe, as shown in the first photo. That’s made with Warabi (fiddle fern), tomato, cucumber, kamaboko (fish cake - the pink and white stuff), seaweed salad (Korean style with sesame oil in it), prepared kombu (seasoned seaweed) and bago’ong (a Filipino fermented anchovie sauce).

How is it? EXCELLENT. A flavor and texture EXPLOSION. This is something I’d bring to a potluck.

A spin-off from that is this Tofu Salad…

Tofu Salad

While the picture isn’t going to win any awards since this was a packed lunch I took to work, the dish is perhaps a contender.

This uses the same prepared kombu, which has shoyu and sugar in it, imparting a robust, well-rounded flavor to the mild tofu and crisp cucumbers. Sugoi!

My girlfriend has Russian, Filipino, Spanish and Hawaiian heritage, with the Filipino side coming out strong from her dad’s (100%) side.

From her Filipino side, we have here one of the family favorites, Grandma Mary’s Tinola…

Tinola - Filipino style Chicken and Papaya soup

Tinola, a.k.a. chicken and papaya soup is a simple dish, made with chicken, green papaya, ginger and either Bago’ong or Patis. In this case, Bagoong (Bago’ong). Chili pepper leaves or other greens are also usually added, but not in this case.

How is it? I polished off about a half-gallon’s worth of it, if that’s any indication. It’s tastes like chicken long rice, sans the long bean noodles, plus the papaya, which has a squash-like quality, both in flavor and texture. MASARAP!

Next up, she made Dinuguan and Pancit…

Dinuguan (Filipino Pork Blood Stew) and Pancit)

Yes, pork blood stew. Traditionally the dish uses innards (gut stuff) from the pig, but modern recipes (like this) use only pork butt (shoulder meat). It’s sometimes referred to as “chocolate meat”. It may not LOOK very appealing, but let me tell you, it’s absolutely MASARAP (delicious)!!! There’s a secret ingredient (don’t ask, cause I’m not telling) that Maui Mom puts in her Dinuguan that sets its texture apart from all the rest. Not too dry, not too thin, but just saucy-thick-right over rice and noodles. The best!

Finally we have Granma Mary’s Pork Rolls…

Granma Mary’s Pork Rolls

This is like a Maki Sushi in architecture, where instead of rice making up the bulk of it, there’s marinaded and cooked pork. Inside of that is macaroni, eggs, red peppers and raisins, along with a tempura-style outter-crust, making this a contrasting flavor POWERHOUSE. It takes your taste buds into all kinds of directions. It’s totally crazy, yet absolutely OISHII-MASARAP-ONO-BROKE DA’ MOUT’ WHINNAHZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aahhh, nothin’ like Mom’s cooking.

Shoyu Ahi Poke Bowl: White rice with hot sauce, Shoyu Ahi Poke and Pickled Onion topping

Ever since Tropic Fish & Vegetable closed their doors in Ward Farmer’s Market back in March of this year, I’ve never noticed or heard about any tenant taking their place. Although to this day I continue shopping at Marukai on the other end of Ward Farmer’s Market, the half-open door and relatively small, front-facing banner sign on the front of The Poke Bowl way over on the opposite side never caught my attention. Not to mention, I always park in front of Marukai, then drive away from behind the warehouses, further missing the opportunity to see them.

Only after recently doing a web search on Tropic’s whereabouts, did I stumble upon the world-wide-ed.com local blog site, where Ed Sugimoto wrote about this new place there named The Poke Bowl.

The Poke Bowl opened for business at Ward Farmers Market on July 13, 2008. That long? I just feel bad I missed out on all the ono grinds there, as you’ll soon see.

Of course, poke and me are best friends (in fact I’ve been called that once lol), and after reading about the concept of this place, I just had to head on over there myself to check it out.

Here you see they take up what was formerly the right section of Tropics…

Click image above to view alternate angle

If you’ve been to Tropics before, you’ll recognized some similarities of the space once you enter The Poke Bowl…

Click on image above to see the partitioned-off section of what was formerly Tropic’s produce area

There’s even a few decorative remnants of Tropics still up on an overhang wall above the shop…

The photos are of the owners’ friends’ past fishing adventures.

Speaking of owners, that would be brothers Derek and Craig Uyehara, along with their friend and business partner Blaine Kimura. While this is a full-time venture for Derek, the acting General Manager, Craig juggles this along with his “day job” in construction, while Blaine tends to other business projects, including Aloha Salads in Ward Warehouse.

Here’s Tyrone (”Tunda”) and Derek tending the poke counter…

Tyrone, a.k.a. “Tunda”  and owner/manager Derek Uyehara

Derek is a super friendly guy and spent a good amount of time talking with me about their business, so big mahalo for that!

Now what exactly is this “Poke Bowl” concept? Well, this chalkboard menu above the front counter explains it…

As you see, you choose your rice, mild or hot sauce (which is drizzled on the rice before the poke goes on), type of poke and any additional toppings, and there you have it… a Poke Bowl!

I gotta’ admit (and I told Derek this), I’ve NEVER eaten Poke on rice before. Really! Cooked fish and rice, yes, but raw fish such as poke or sashimi on rice? No. Not even Tekkadon. Well OK, Nigiri Sushi, but that’s a little different. I’ve always eaten poke just by itself, pupu style, or along with other items on a mixed plate.

But hey, there’s always a first!

There are two bowl sizes to choose from: small…

and large…

Then you choose white or brown rice, regular or hot sauce (which is shoyu-based, or you can omit that), then choose the style of poke you want on it…

Soy Bean Poke, Tofu Poke and Lomi Salmon

Finally to top it off, you can opt for a variety of toppings for an additional 50 cents each…

Fukujinzuke, Kimchee, Sesame Seaweed Salad and Natto

Natto on Poke, eh? Now THAT’S an acquired taste right there!

Nori, Kyurizuke Pickled Cucumber, Takauan and Ogo Namasu

Cucumber Kimchee and Taegu

Chili (pepper) water, Furikake and chopped green onions

They also have these two toppings for sale by the pound…

Ogo Namasu and Cucumber Kimchee by the pound

I ended up choosing two small bowls to try: the mild Ahi Shoyu Poke over white rice with hot sauce and Sweet Pickled Onion topping, and Spicy Tuna Poke over brown rice with mild sauce and Kyurizuke Pickled Cucumber topping…

Shoyu Ahi Poke Bowl & Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl

Shoyu Ahi Poke Bowl with white rice and sweet pickled onion topping

Spicy Tuna Poke bowl with brown rice and pickled cucumber topping

How is it? I’ll get to that later. Next, let’s see what else this cool little store has.

Sitting atop a counter to the left are a variety of bento lunches and other goodies to choose from…

The descriptive sign cards for each bento remind me of Mana Bu’s…

This is one I’m definitely trying on my next stop there…

Behind the bento lunches and sushi are some interesting products from the neighbor islands, such as these cookies…

Big Island Delights cookies

Pacific Gold Jerky (from the mainland)

Maui Upcountry peanut butter, mustard, jelly and jam

Then there’s the refrigerated snacks, such as this…

Dry Aku and Smoked Tako

Boiled Peanuts, Fruit Salads and Salsa

Potato Crab Salad and Pickled Onion

Tuna Salad Sandwich (they also sell Chicken Salad Sandwiches, but were sold out at the time of my visit)

There’s also a wide selection of cold juices, energy drinks, water and soda, all at very reasonable prices.

My overall impression here was that most items were competitively-priced, making it even more attractive as a one-stop shop for all your beach picnic grinds. Derek reinforced this by mentioning they want to keep prices affordable for everyone. At just $3.95 and $5.25 for that heaping bowl of poke and rice, gotta’ say, that’s a great deal!

One other note about the poke, as you noticed by the price signs fronting each tray, if you don’t care to have it in a bowl with rice, they also sell it by the pound in 1/4 lb. increments…

Wrapping up this virtual walkthrough of the place, we have a couple of Gyotaku paintings they have on display…

Finally, their Maneki Neko good luck charm, commonly found at the entrance of most businesses here in the islands…

OK, now back to the grinds. I figured, what better way to enjoy this Poke Bowl than to sit by the beachside, so I went to Ala Moana Beach Park, which is just a block away from Ward Farmer’s Market. There I found a spot at a park bench at Magic Island overlooking the surf…

Ah yes, nice place to grind. Itadakimasu (let’s eat)!

As I mentioned earlier, this is absolutely the very first time I’m eating poke with rice, so here it goes…

Well I’ll be damned… it’s AWESOME! I asked Derek if folks are ever concerned about the rice cooking the delicately raw Ahi, to which he said only one person asked about that besides myself. He did say that they try to serve the rice warm, but not piping hot, so that when you eat it, there’s a harmony of temperature contrast without one or the other canceling each other out, such as the rice being too cold or the poke being too warm.  Even after sitting around for a good half-hour (covered) before I finally got to eat it (after having spent time talking and stuff), it was just right; the poke was still a bit cool and the rice still on the warm side.

While I have to honestly say, the Shoyu Ahi poke here wasn’t nearly as the “like buttah”, made-to-order poke from Ono Seafood on Kapahulu (the golden standard), it held its own as a very respectable representation of the dish.  Especially the way they seasoned it. Very nice. Perfect balance of salty-sweetness to it. What really, really, REALLY took this Ahi Shoyu Poke Bowl to new heights was the sweet pickled onion topping. EXCELLENT CHOICE! If you’re in doubt what to put on yours, get the pickled onions. The sweet, spicy and crunchy contrast of the onions along with the smooth, exotic poke and granular, starchy rice is another one of those marriage-made-in-heaven deals. Simply fantastic. This one alone inclines me to immediately and sincerely grant The Poke Bowl a 5 Spam Musubi rating.

Here you can see the layered “construction” of this bowl…

You can see the spicy secret sauce has evenly coated the white rice. That really did add a dimension to the dish that would have otherwise have been missing. Good call on adding that!

Now let’s try the Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl…

Whoah, this buggah is HOT!  After acclimating my palate to the heat, I really enjoyed this one too. I liked the Shoyu Ahi Poke Bowl much more, but this one was delicious in its own right. The pickled cucumber added a refreshing, calming element to the dish, while the husky brown rice stood up well when accompanied with the spicy coating on the poke. Again, this is spicy HOT, so be ready.

Yes, I’m now a converted poke and rice fan, thanks to that seriously awesome Shoyu Ahi Poke Bowl with sweet pickled onions.

Being friends of the Tanoue family, owners of Tropic Fish & Vegetable, the guys who run The Poke Bowl still do plenty of business with them.  All their seafood and produce comes from Tropic’s wholesale operation, which is located in one of the adjacent warehouses in back. Tropic Fish Market also still owns the remaining three year lease to their former Ward Farmers Market location, in turn subleasing the partitioned space to The Poke Bowl. Also, all their bento lunches, sushi and musubi are prepared by the same ladies who worked for Tropic’s market.

Derek said they also do catering, where they can provide party-sized trays of just about everything you see prepared here.

He also mentioned every wednesday they have what’s called The Hawaiian Bowl. I’m surprised they don’t do that on Friday, as that’s when most places do their Hawaiian-themed “Aloha Friday” specials. Anyway, this Hawaiian Bowl is made using the large bowl (Hawaiian style!), with white rice and topped with lomi salmon, Kalua Pig and Ahi Limu Poke. Sounds ono to me! I’ll check that out this Wedesday.

For best selection, I’d recommend arriving as early as possible. Many of the bento and musubi items may be sold out if you get there after peak lunch hour.

Oishii Japanese and local style food, driven by a unique concept, streamlined operation, reasonable prices, friendly owners and staff, plus convenient location and hours all make The Poke Bowl a guaranteed WINNAH!

The Poke Bowl
Ward Farmer’s Market
1020 Auahi Street, Building #1
Honolulu, HI 96814
Tel. 593-1074
www.ThePokeBowl.com

Business hours:
Mon-Fri 7AM-5PM
Sat 8AM-3PM
Sun 9AM-3PM

MENU
Poke Bowls
White or Brown Rice,
Mild or Hot Sauce,
your choice of Poke (as indicated)
Small: $3.95, Large $5.25

Toppings: 50 cents each
Takuan, Nori, Natto, Ogo, Kim Chee, Taegu, Pickled Cucumber, Pickled Onion and more

Island Style Poke
(Market Price)
Ahi Shoyu Poke (Mild/Hot),
Ahi Shoyu Limu Poke (Mild/Spicy),
Spicy Tuna,
Limu Ahi,
Hawaiian Style Tako,
Shoyu Tako,
Kim Chee Tako,
Tofu Poke,
Soy Bean Poke

Bentos and Musubis
Breakfast Bentos: $3.95
Deluxe Grinds Bento: $6.85
Ahi Patty, Sakuraboshi, Derek’s Fried Chicken, Spam, Teri Burger, Furikake Rice
Derek’s Fried Chicken Bento: $4.25
Sakuraboshi Bento: $4.25
Y. Kimura Fish Market Seasoned Ahi
Teri Burger Bento: $4.25
Ahi Patty Bento: $4.25
SPAM, SPAM Egg/Takuan, Shoyu, Tuna, Shoyu Hot Dog Musubi, Luncheon Meat Musubi starting at $1.45

Prices and availability subject to change

The Tasty Island rating:

(5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)

Related links:
• www.ThePokeBowl.com - Official site
• The Poke Bowl to open at Ward Farmers Market - World Wide Ed

**********************************************************************************

BONUS content! More photos from around Magic Island yesterday, Saturday, October 11th around 1pm.

Here’s the view I had from the park bench where I sat and enjoyed those delicious Poke Bowls…

This is looking towards Ewa

Looking toward Ala Moana beach from Magic Island…

A family makes their way to Magic Island lagoon…

Magic Island’s lagoon…

This is where the pyrotechnics are set-up for the annual Ala Moana Center 4th of July fireworks displays

The Hawaii Superferry on its daily afternoon return voyage from Maui to Honolulu Harbor…

Ala Moana Bowls on a flat day…

The entrance to Ala Wai Boat Harbor…

The two condos to the left are Yacht Harbor Towers. Next to that with the domed pink roof is the Ala Moana Rennaisance Hotel. The circular-shaped tower on the right is the Hawaii Prince Hotel.

A high roller parks their ride at Ala Wai Boat Harbor…

Mahalo for visiting The Tasty Island!

The principles of a macrobiotic diet continue to thrive over at Mana Bu’s - Hawaii’s Musubi Headquarters. I was a bit perplexed to find them closed on Saturday at 1pm (after I left the Portuguese Festa), when come to find out by a sign posted on the front door, they had already sold out. Wow!

The word is obviously out on the wonderful Musubi, salads and sweets at this specialized Onigiri Boutique shop, as when I arrived yesterday (Sunday) right about when they opened, the place had a considerable line!…

According to a gal shopping (yes, shopping) who claims to be a daily regular, she said sometimes there’s a line formed in front even before they open the door for business. Unreal.

This is the man himself, Manabu Asaoka, and his lovely wife Fumiyo…

Manabu Asaoka and his lovely wife, Fumiyo

By the time I walked in the door at just about 15 minutes after opening, that line of folks had already made good work of the selections…

This is a new shelf added into the establishment (on the front window side), which looks to be stocked with Mana Bu’s best-selling Musubi selections…

The perfectionist inside of me wanted to “face” the shelves (bring everything to the front) for the shot, but I don’t think customers (or Manabu and his wife) would appreciate another customer (myself) touching all the goods like that.

Manabu san did mention to me having customers both from the mainland and locally who mentioned this blog as their reference in discovering it. Nice.

Let’s take a closer look at the selections on this beautiful Sunday morning…

It’s so easy to choose with those descriptive sign cards!

Oh my, the Musubi choices!

Whichever ones you choose, by all means, as a side dish, if the Teri Corn is still available (if you’re lucky) when you get there, DO get that!…

So ono. Sugoi oishii desu!

Then there’s the salads…

Tofu & Broccoli with Sesame

Curry Potato & Edamame (soy bean) Salad…

Green Papaya Salad…

The steam obscured the contents in this photo, but the gal I spoke with in the shop gave testament that this Udon Tofu Udon salad is fantastic…

Speaking of steam, upon the time of my early (yet already busy) arrival, many items on the shelf were still warm, indicating they had just come off the production line. Doesn’t get fresher than that.

That same gal also swore by this Kabocha Nishime (I’m so getting this on my next visit)…

Spicy Shoyu Edamame (soy beans)…

Sweet Potato and Grandma’s Huki…

French Beans & Sesame…

Then there’s the sweets, such as this Red Bean Zensai with Mochi and Coconut Pudding…

Thumbs-up were given for this Strawberry Milk Pudding as well…

Steamed Muffins…

I swear I could have filled two baskets, and wanted to with all this deliciousness! Yet, I only chose what I could eat for the day, as I don’t believe in 2nd-day old Musubi that came out of the refrigerator. It’s gotta’ be eaten the day it’s made at room temperature for best texture. I could stock-up on the salads though, which I’ll do next time.

That being said, here’s my selections on this visit…

Teri Corn, $1.20

Oh-my-God.. this the most killer Corn-on-the-Cob. So delicious!

Spicy Takuan Musubi, $1.50

That looks like Ume, but it’s not. It’s red peppers…

How is this one? Excellent. To be honest, I kept thinking I was going to biting into Ume, even though I knew it was red peppers. Kind of a curve ball effect, but still, a winner!

Kombu Musubi with Brown Rice, $1.50

How is this one? Very nice. The kombu has a pronounced “sea” flavor, whereas the Hijiki version has more resemblance to the familiar Nori. It’s amazing how Manabu San is able to cook that brown rice to just the right point of stickiness. It doesn’t fall apart like you’d expect it to. He also salts the rice just right.

Shoyu Gobo Pilaf Musubi, $1.50

How is this one? Oishii desu. Again, the rice is salted perfectly, while the tender, robust Gobo and sweet carrot offer a savoriness to the whole package. Nice, nice, nice.

I also got the Okinawan Sweet Potato and Macadamia Nut Salad…

Okinawan Sweet Potato and Macadamia Nut Salad, $2.00

Just $2 bucks? Are you kidding me?! I swear, you could put this on a beautiful plate in a fine dining restaurant and charge $15 for it. This, my friends, ROCKS! The very light coating of Best Foods Mayonnaise, along with the corn, peas, and nuttiness of the Macadamia Nuts topping those tender, sweet purple potatoes is pure genius, yet so simple. I love, love, love this dish!

Finally for dessert, I got one each of the Apple Banana Mochi and Maui Strawberry Mochi…

Look at how perfectly dusted it is. Again, a showcase of the Japanese tradition in quality and attention to detail.

Let’s look how the Banana Mochi looks in a cross section…

Apple Banana Mochi, $1.50

I’m not normally a Mochi fan, but now I am. lol Seriously, the mochi is so soft and silky, while the coolness of the fresh, slightly tangy banana in it marry beautifully. It’s also not too sweet, which is always a good thing.

The Maui Strawberry Mochi…

Maui Strawberry Mochi, $2.00

As much as I love Japanese food, I’m also not really an Azuki bean fan, but now I am. lol Seriously, that legume-flavored quality of the Azuki (red bean) mochi on the inside, combined with the more neutral plain mochi surrounding it, along with the tangy-sweet strawberry inside is another case of pure genius. Totally diggin’ this one.

What a delicious, light and healthy lunch. I wish Mana Bu’s were closer to my work place and/or open longer so I could get some every day on my way home. I’m thinking of going on a “Mana Bu’s Macrobiotic Diet”. While I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, like most of us, I could stand to lose a few pounds.

I just love Mana Bu’s. So much that I recommended Zero Point Zero Productions (producers of Anthony Bordain’s ‘No Reservations’) stop by there and do a segment on the place. They’ll be in Hawaii filming at the end of the month for their PBS television show titled, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie. I’m sure Emily will take my word and at least stop by for a bite to eat.

Just keep in mind, the word is out, and so will the Musubi and other treats be if you don’t arrive early. It’s that good.

Mana Bu’s
Hawaii’s Musubi Headquarters
1618 King St
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 945-2323

Business Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 10:30am to 2:30pm (or until everything is sold out)

The Tasty Island rating:

(5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)

Related Links:

• Mana Bu’s - For the Best Musubi Ever - Photos by Jalna
• Musubi Mania at Mana Bu’s - The Tasty Island
• Musubis have ‘Mana’ - The Honolulu Star Bulletin

Castella Honey Cake (brick shape), Mikasayama (round) & Apple Turnover (semi-round) from Bunmeido of Hawaii

If you’re wondering how I discovered Bunmeido of Hawaii, the truth is, although this place has been here for decades, only in the last week have I heard about it via, of all people, a New York-based television producer interested in taping a segment for one of their shows at Bunmeido, which I’ll share more about later when the time is appropriate. Anyway, this TV producer requested if I could go and check the place out for them. Of course, no problem, so I did just that this past Sunday, early at about 9am.

Before I continue, I’ll need to come forward and say I’m really not a cake fan. Call me unsophisticated or whatever else, but I’m just not into the sweetened bread-like form that most cakes are based on, much prefering the fresh, cool and moist fruit and custard-based fillings and crisp, baked crust offered by PIE. Still, all the Yelp user postings gave highly favorable reviews of the Castilla sponge cake here, so that was all-the-more encouraging in paying a visit to try it out.

Bunmeido of Hawaii is a small bakery located on the Makai side of South King Street, just past McCully, tucked between several other businesses who share the ground floor of a low-rise walk-up office building. It’s a one-man show here, owned and operated by Akira Sugiyama, who you can tell is a hard-working and humble man.

He’s there from early morning, 7 a days a week preparing, baking and wrapping the various treats displayed in the shop’s front display case. Speaking of which, he’s also the sales person and cashier. Hey, when you want the job done right, sometimes you gotta’ do it (all) yourself!

There were Raspberry roll cakes, various mochi, cookies and the items I bought to try as shown here today.

First let’s look at the Mikasayama…

Mikasayama - “Red Bean Jam Pancake Sandwich”

Let’s open it up and and cut one in half see what’s inside…

Mikasayama, net weight 3-1/4 oz.

The pancake has a spongy, airy texture and sweetness similar to sponge cake, having you wonder if it’s the same recipe as the Castilla, in comparing the ingredients, it’s different. As the name suggests, the sweet Azuki “Red” bean filling is made into Jam form, with a good balance between sweet and robust. Overall it complimented the pancake shell nicely.

Next we have the Apple Turnover…

Bunmeido Apple Turnover, net weight 2 oz.

Let’s open it up and see what’s in it…

I liked this better than the Mikasayama, prefering the gelatinous texture and chunky, tender apple filling over the more Jam-like Azuki Bean. I’m not particularly an Azuki Bean fan either, which further explains my preference for the apples. Again, the same “pancake” (Castella?) batter is used, being soft, spongey and slightly sweet. That said, this certainly was an interesting twist in comparison to the classic apple turnover, which of course uses a flaky, baked crust. Cake lovers rejoice!

According to Akira san, you can also get the Bunmeido Mikasayama and Apple Turnovers at Shirokiya in Ala Moana Center. Forgot to ask if they also carry the Castilla.

Finally, speaking of rejoice, here’s where cake lovers everywhere might do just that after trying the Castilla Honey Cake…

Bunmeido of Hawaii Honey Castella sponge cake ????, net weight 10 oz.

The size of the box reads:

Bunmeido Castella
King of Cakes

In Delicate Natural Honey Flavor.

Castilla is made exclusively from choice ingredients. No substitutional agents are used.

Castella is famed throughout the world for its rich nutritious flavor and quality. You will be amazed with Castella’s delicate texture and smooth crust.

It’s a favorite dessert with everyone, wherever you go!

In Japan, it’s referred to as “Kasutera”, obviously being an accented iteration of “Castella” - the latter of which is pronounced “Cas-tee-ya”. It’s said that Castella found its way to Japan via Portuguese Merchants (my peeps!) back in the 16th Century, with the name evolving from the Portuguese Pão de Castela, which translates to “Bread of Castile”.

Anyway, getting back to the Honey Castilla we have here, as always, the Japanese tradition of quality and attention to detail reflects all the way down to the packaging. Looking at the box, you’d just as well assume a bottle of $1000 perfume were in there.

Let’s open it and see what we got…

Detail, detail, detail. Even the inner wax paper wrapper is folded and taped-down meticulously, while making sure that it’s sealed properly. According to the box, the ingredients are sugar, eggs, wheat, flour, honey and corn syrup.

Once again, unwrapped, it looks like this…

It measures 7-1/2″ long x 2-3/8″ wide x 2″ thick.

Let’s cut a few slices to try out!…

Looking at that, are you thinking what I’m thinking?  Coffee!  So I ran to the kitchen and fired up the pot, making myself a hot cup o’ joe to go with it.

How is it? It has that familiar light and airy sponge cake texture, while being soft and moist, with a sort of sweeter, slightly sticky browned, yet still soft crust. That sticky crust is where you can distinguish the honey flavor. While even if this were the best Sponge Cake on planet earth, it still hasn’t turned me into a cake convert. Yet for those who are into sponge cake, I can see them going through leaps and bounds to get their hands on the Honey Castilla at Bunmeido. Sure was great with my cup of blended Kona Coffee, gotta’ say that!

The Honey Castilla cakes are boxed in varying sizes from small to large. I forgot to write down or make a mental note of the exact prices for each item here, but my receipt total came out to $7.25 for the Castilla sponge cake (I think was medium size), and 2 each of the Mikasayama and Apple Turnover (5 items total), so the prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality and level of craftsmanship he puts into each and every item on the shelf.

Here’s the shop front…

Bunmeido of Hawaii
2065 S King St Ste 109
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 949-0555

Business Hours:
Monday - Saturday 8am to 5pm
Sunday 8am to 12pm

Related Links:
• A Sweet Slice of History - Hana Hou! The Hawaiian Airlines Magazine
• Bunmeido of Hawaii - Yelp user reviews (there’s a photo of Akira san on that site)
• Oyatsu and kasutera (castella), a Japanese sponge cake - A pictorial cooking demo’