Pongo's Kitchen

Pongo's Kitchen is located on Mokauea St. in Honolulu, Hawaii. They are across the street from a great food truck/catering company (Carval Express).


The first thing to note about Pongo's is the parking situation. Basically, if you're lucky, you can temporarily park right in front. Otherwise, you may be searching for a while in the sea of industrial businesses. Next, there is no seating at Pongo's (at least that was the case when I went in early December 2011). So it's really only a takeout establishment.

Pongo's regular menu may look complex initially, but is fairly simple: (1) choose a size; (2) choose an entree (probably the hardest part of the entire process); (3) ask for white or brown rice, (4) choice of corn, mac salad, or mixed vegetables; and (5) choice of drizzles or sauces if applicable.

Menu items include Hamburger Curry ($5.25 mini, $7.45 regular) and their various chicken offerings (fried chicken, sesame chicken, and guava chicken). You can also get a combination surf and turf plate for about $8.

They're also online!

Early Bird Special offer!

Specials are posted on this board

Regular menu (December 2011)

Drizzles and sauces!

When I went in early December, I got one of Pongo's (changing) daily specials: Grilled Ahi Belly with choice of chicken ($8.25). I went with the guava chicken, boneless dark chicken pieces battered and fried, with a special guava drizzle. The garlic ahi got topped with a ginger green onion sauce. I went with brown rice and mixed vegetables.

Grilled Ahi Belly with Guava Chicken
(Pongo's Kitchen)

The ahi was perfectly cooked, very moist. Come on now, this is ahi belly, you *know* you want this part of the fish. The sauce was outstanding here because it elevated a good fish to superstar caliber. Great layers of flavor. The ginger came through front and center.

I enjoyed that guava chicken. The glaze lightly coated each chicken piece, adding that bit of sweetness. I found the chicken hard to cut, but then again, I was using a plastic knife (dang those plastic good-for-nothing things....).

The rice did not appear to be the real fibrous brown rice; it had more of the white rice (smoother) texture. Thee mixed vegetables were as pedestrian as one can get...dull-looking peas and diced carrots that likely came out of a can. Perhaps I shoulda gotten the mac salad, but oh well, maybe next time.

For $8.25, I got what I felt was a lovely portion of food. Great presentation for the fish and chicken. Overall, it was well worth the price and then some. Check out Pongo's Kitchen, and I recommend getting one of the fish/chicken combination plates! 8.25/10

Alicia's Market

Alicia's Market is located on Mokauea St. in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the back of this market lies a food counter to get some plate lunches and poke.

A bunch of people in line for the plate lunches!

The meat portion of their menu

Menu (December 2011)

Luckily I had my dad drop me off in front of the building; otherwise, parking woulda been a problem. I walked in around 11:30 a.m. on a Friday, and there were already at least a dozen people in line waiting to order their food. I realized they have various meats to choose from, plus various styles of poke (from fish to imitation crab to mussels). The most popular order seemed to be the #2 a "surf and turf" meat/poke combination plate.

I just went with a half-pound of the Wasabi Masago Ahi Poke ($13.95/lb), paying roughly $7.25.

Wasabi Masago Ahi Poke
(Alicia's Market)

I loved the fresh ahi cubes here. The healthy dose of masago (capelin roe -- yeah, that's small orange fish eggs) provided a nice crunch for some texture contrast. No fishy smell, an excellent sign of freshness. The wasabi was barely noticeable, which may please some people, but I coulda used a bunch more. Call me a glutton for punishment, but I love that burning sensation in the nasal passages from wasabi overload. If you check out Alicia's Market, get there early to beat the lunch rush! 7.75/10

Ethel's Grill

Ethel's Grill is a small, quaint dive restaurant located on Kalihi St. in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Their takeout menu (December 2011)

I went to Ethel's and ordered one of its signature dishes: a side order of their Tataki Ahi ($5): about a dozen pieces of lightly seared ahi tuna, with cabbage, alfalfa, and bean sprouts, served with Ethel's special sauce (thin slices of roasted garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil).

Nice presentation for a takeout order

Tataki Ahi (Ethel's Grill)
Looks too good to eat...almost!

I thought the ahi was seared very well (retaining the shiny, magenta hue of raw tuna inside), but unfortunately, I got the stringy portions that didn't look too appealing (a white stringy line on all the cuts, instead of the silky smooth tuna with a vibrant magenta color). The garlic in the sauce was quite tasty. Adding one or two pieces (with the sauce, of course) enhanced the experience.

Other reviewers on Yelp praised dishes like mochiko chicken, hamburger steak, and miso soup. Maybe I'll consider one or two of those if I happen to go back. 6/10

Champion's Malasadas

Champion's Malasadas is a bakery located on South Beretania in Honolulu, Hawaii. As one might expect, Champion's is known for their malasadas, a fried Portuguese doughnut traditionally rolled in granulated sugar. they can be filled with cream/custard or plain in the middle.

Menu (December 2011)

Champion's started in 1983 as "Champion's Bakery and Food," founded by Joc C. Miw and his wife, Sandra. Originally on North King and Robello Lane, they served breakfasts, Chinese dishes, and multi-ethnic pastries. Ultimately, they switched their focus to malasadas, moving to South Beretania in 2000.

I ordered the original malasada for 65 cents (68 cents including tax). Yeah, that's right. I actually got a pastry for less than a buck. Most bakeries that I know of would still find a way to make the simplest doughnut at least $1, if not more. Light and fluffy in the middle, fried to a lovely golden brown on the outside. A comforting blend of crunchy and chewy. FYI, their filled malasadas (either custard or chocolate pudding) go for $1.05 each.

Original Malasada
(Champion's Malasadas)

Gotta see what it looks like inside!

So I defeated the purpose of my workout, got a major sugar high, and then completely crashed later. Oh well. Champion's serves some great malasadas...get one ASAP! 8.25/10

Gina's Korean BBQ

(Second Review -- January 2013)

Gina's Korean BBQ is a family-owned dive restaurant located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Sisters Gina Song and Yong Hae Han opened this place in 1991.

Marukai

Marukai is an Asian market located on Kamehameha Highway in Honolulu, Hawaii. Inside the market, they have a couple of food stands filled with various bento lunches and snacks. Just outside of Marukai, there is also a food stand where people sell andagi (Okinawan doughnuts).

The Marukai logo

My uncle and aunt came up from from Maui in early December, so that day, we headed to Marukai for some food. I don't eat a ton of fresh fish in Oregon (generally opting for the poor man's canned tuna), so, for what seemed like the eleventy billionth time in Hawaii, I got more fish.

First up, some Misoyaki Butterfish ($5.98 for about a 4 oz. piece). the oils of the fish combined with the sweet miso for a lovely richness. But yeah, watch out for the small bones in there! Ingredients like mirin (Sweet Japanese rice wine) and white sugar flavored this rich-tasting protein.

Misoyaki Butterfish (Marukai)

Next, some Miso Saba ($3.85). Again, a lovely sample of a hearty, perfectly cooked fish. I have to admit, I was eating this fish so fast, it wouldn't surprise me if I did end up eating some of those small thin fish bones that hide in there....

Miso Saba (Marukai)

Finally, some spicy tuna ($4.99). Honestly, this was the most disappointing of the bunch, namely because the consistency resembled a pasty, smashed product that may have been more suited for a sushi filling. The taste was fine and the fish was pretty fresh. But of course, it needs more spice to make me happy. Regardless, I doubt it woulda lived up to the saba and butterfish.

Spicy Tuna (Marukai)

Yup, Marukai has some good eats! Check it out! 7.25/10

Kilani Bakery

Kilani Bakery is a family-owned bakery located on Kilani Avenue in Wahiawa, Hawaii.

Since they are famous for their brownies, I got three of them (55 cents each). Each brownie (I'd guess about half an inch in width and a few inches long) also gets dusted with some powdered sugar.

Brownies on the display shelf

Brownies were wrapped up in a plastic bag

Brownies (Kilani Bakery)

A very light brownie, with the chocolate taking center stage. The powdered sugar gives a nice color contrast, but doesn't make this confection overly sweet. I liked the nuts in the brownie...more texture contrasts!

In some respects, I thought the brownie was, well...maybe too light. If the brownies were a bit richer, they would actually come close to satisfying my appetite without having me scarf down about a dozen of these. But hey, people love them, so don't change it, right? Check out Kilani Bakery and get some brownies ASAP! 7.5/10