What? Small kid time, Yick Lung's Nib-bits used to be my favorite snack. Ask people from my Gen X era and they'd all probably tell you they could pound one whole bag, no problem. I not sure when exactly, but…
What? I love it when local companies team up with Mainland companies for create new hybrid products. This collab between Dunkin' and Diamond Bakery stay getting lotta publicity lately and like many people, I kinda curious too. Every single ting you need…
Q: Which classic chili with hot dog plate stay mo' ono? For me, growing up in Aiea, Rainbow's has always had kinda that townie mystique. All da kids who lived townside would talk about Rainbow's. One of da dishes dey…
I been seeing da ads for this all ova da place. Get three new limited-time, Hawaii-exclusive smoothies at Jamba Juice in celebration of them being in Hawaii for 20 years now. For this assignment I knew I needed assistance since…
Q: These old-skool diners built their reputations on oxtail soup. So which one mo' bettah? Legend has it that Kapiolani Coffee Shop and Kam Bowl share da same legendary oxtail soup recipe. Something about one divorce and da secret recipe as…
Da Sumo Saimin Special My go-to omiyage for bring back from Kauai had always been Hamura Saimin noodles. Whenever we went Kauai we always made sure for eat Hamura Saimin at least couple few times, then on our last day we…
In Hawaii we kinda lucky our McDonald's get lotta exclusive tings that other McD's no more. It warms my heart when I see tourist peoples getting excited when they eat one of our delicious Taro Pies. Their faces so opposite compared…
What? My secret shame wuz going be revealed when my editor texted me one picture of this and asked if I wanted for review 'em. Though I wuz super intrigued, I wuz kinda hesitant for get 7-Eleven's new Local Style…
I tried 15 flavors of Spam. Which one going reign supreme?
Da ad for da New King's Hawaiian Sandwiches at Arby's popped up on top my Facebook. I had tried their special fish and roast beef sandwiches before where they use King's Hawaiian sweetbread, but this latest round of limited-time offerings…
Our gang wuz at The Lanai food court at Ala Moana and we wuz all taking story, having fun. Everybody went for choose their food and I came back with my loco moco burger and loco moco dog from Mahaloha Burger.…
I love creativity, so I'm always down for trying one unusual take on da classic loco moco. Most times it means just subbing out da meat portion with some oddah kinda meat besides one hamburger patty. But chef people do…
Pesto Ramen, Gashoken I wuz with couple pesto lovers when I first saw this and they wuz kinda snooty, brah. They firmly said, "Pesto only belongs with pasta!" But I wuz intrigued. This wuzn't just ramen noodles mixed with pesto sauce. This…
What? People tease me cuz I eat rice with anykine. Pizza and rice. Manapua and rice. I get hard time coming full if no more rice das why. So I wuz kinda tripping when I saw this Teriyaki Char Siu…
I wuz impressed when I saw on top my children's school lunch menu that they wuz going have ulu in their beef stew. Turns out this wuz part of da once-a-month special Aina Pono program where da Hawaii State Department…
What? 7-Eleven has a lychee-flavored Slurpee that made me think of my dad. When I wuz growing up, me and my faddah would always pick lychee during da summer time, cuz our tree only give fruit once a year.…
What ting inside this bento you eat first? Here’s what your choice secretly reveals about you.
I gotta admit, years back when I first saw da H&T Burgers open up at Windward Mall I wuz kinda skeptical. I attributed da long lines to there being no other burger places around since da McDonald's in da mall…
I wuz just wandering around da Makai Market Food Court at Ala Moana Center and I came across MyungRang Rice Hotdog Hawaii, one kiosk in da dimly lit, central area of da food court. My first instinct wuz for ask if this…
When Kanani Keliipuleole and her husband Rooke had their first child, they took their baby's piko or umbilical cord and planted one ulu tree on top of that in their yard. Why one ulu tree? Cuz of its cultural significance.…
Maybe you dunno it, but when you go to your Thanksgiving potluck, you going be judged. If you make something, but taste junk, da judges won't penalize you cuz at least you put forth da effort. If you buy something special…
Will any Hawaii candy ever supplant da popularity of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts? I think it's kinda interesting that chocolate-covered macadamia nuts is da gift local people buy for oddah people, but I hardly ever see local people buying it for…
Update: The owner notified us that because of the volume of her flower business, she stopped making mandoo in late 2019. So I picked up some homemade mandoo for my family and everybody wanted for know where I got 'em…
What I found at ... is a series that tests and vets intriguing store-bought foodie finds. It’s the mainland and global parallel to KaSnack attack!, our series reviewing made-in-Hawaii snacks. What: Teriyaki Steak BowlWhere: All Jack in the Box Hawaii…
When I first saw Hauoli Pastry's Mochisada at da Aiea Family Fun Fair I wuz doutful. I mean, could it really taste any different from any old regular mochi donut? Cuz I tink that market's kinda saturated. Everybody selling mochi…
Da world can be divided into two kine peoples. Those who prefer vanilla ice cream and those who prefer chocolate. I remembah small kid time, whenever we had family parties, Grandma would get upset if she had for spend extra…
Since no mo’ no Chicken Alice, these five picks are Lee Tonouchi’s next best choices.
I had heard about Manago Hotel's pork chops. But I wuz kinda doubting. I normally no even boddah chancing da pork chops when I go restaurant cuz typically da ting comes out either dry or really dry. But since our…
What? I wen make da empirical kine observation that women who like pretty cookies tend for like da pretty boys. Some friends said liking pretty cookies was more of a kid thing, cuz only kids like fancy cookies with sprinkles…
As a kid did you play with your food and draw maple syrup happy face on top your pancakes? Or maybe you sculpted your mashed potatoes into one volcano and made da brown gravy be da lava? As kids we was always…
In order for determine if one local restaurantʻs any good, my friend David Miyashiro has devised what he calls The Hamburger Steak Test. When he goes to one restaurant for da first time, das what he orders. And if it…
What? If you buy these cookies, you buying ʻem for one good cause.For every package of KTAʻs Mountain Apple Brand Lava Cookies you buy, 10 cents goes for support Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.KTA Super Stores wen introduce five diffʻrent kine…
‘Da Pidgin Guerrilla’ Lee A. Tonouchi is one Pidgin author and playwright. He also sometimes contributes Da Kine 5 Tings We Love to da Honolulu Star-Advertiser. His favorite food is local food. What da heck’s Bacon Steak? Das what I was wondering…
Grand-Prize Winner
The 21st Annual Honolulu Magazine Starbucks Coffee Hawai‘i Fiction Contest Grand Prize Winner
