Melissa Chang

Frolic Contributor

Melissa Chang graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in journalism and has been blogging since 2007, mostly on food and travel. She works primarily in social media, so you can find her on Twitter and Instagram.

 

 

Articles

Aloha

Anthropologie opens in Hawaii

Women across the state are excited that Anthropologie, the boho-chic clothing and home accessory store, opens today at Ala Moana Center. We got a sneak preview and shopping spree last night at a special VIP event, so you can plan your shopping…

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Talk story with Jack in the Box CEO Lenny Comma

Fast food isn’t normally in my blog repertoire, but when I heard Jack in the Box Chairman and CEO Lenny Comma was in town for the grand opening of their latest restaurant, there was no question I had to drive outside…

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MW’s secret menu

Everyone likes to be in the know, and it’s fun to be able to order stuff that’s not listed on the menu, right? How many times have you gone to Starbucks to order a Captain Crunch, or proudly told the…

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Que Syrah Syrah at Chef Mavro

When chef George “Mavro” Mavrothalassitis and his wife, Donna Jung invited me to review their special “Que Syrah Syrah” menu — a lamb dish paired with a flight of Syrah wines — I was immediately intimidated. I drink wine, but I can’t…

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Something new: Whatchafillin’

I can’t believe it’s already been two years since Whatchafillin’ — the truck selling Japanese waffle cakes stuffed with original fillings — first hit the scene. Their version of the Japanese obanyaki/dorayaki (or the Taiwanese chēlún bǐng) was a monthly hit…

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Dom Perignon dinner: Learning about champagne

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Sten Lilja of Moet Hennessy was in town and, through two private dinners with Yasuo Ogawa and Dr. Jeff Yeoh, gave attendees quick lessons in enjoying premium libations. The first was Hennessy cognac; the second,…

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Hennessy Prestige dinner: Learning about cognac

It’s not every day you get to drink a spirit that costs $4,000 a bottle, so I’m going to blog about the unique experience  — not just to share it but to keep it in my memory. I’m pretty sure I won’t…

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Something new: Off The Wall Craft

It’s finally happening: Our Ed Morita is opening his own restaurant. He’s teamed up with Kyle Matsumoto, owner of Off The Wall Restaurant and Catering in Pearl Kai Shopping Center to bring a new dining experience to Honolulu with Off The Wall…

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Baking bread with Berkley

A few months ago, fellow blogger Olena Heu took me to an un-birthday dinner at Vintage Cave. It was my first time trying the restaurant since Jonathan Mizukami took over as executive chef, so it was pretty cool to taste…

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Tasting new desserts at MW Restaurant

It’s no secret that one of my favorite things to do is stalk Michelle Karr-Ueoka of MW Restaurant. I love her desserts so much, I once snuck under the ropes when I saw her serving pineapple shave ice in the…

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Origami Dō

With origami masters Richard Alexander and Michael LaFosse. How many of you have ever folded origami cranes for a wedding, or dollar bills for a graduation? Chances are, if you’re like me, you haven’t graduated past that kindergarten lesson in…

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Hidden gem: Thai Lao

Thai Lao in Halekuai Center. Shown here: Nikki Rae Padilla and Amelia Meyer. For those of you in the know, my “discovery” of this West side Thai restaurant is old news. But if you know me, you know I never…

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Something new: Lemona

I’ve eaten a lot of shave ice around town, so I’m a pretty good judge of good quality cones and bowls. In Hawaii, the shave ice game is so much more than the sno-cones on the mainland; you have to…

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Downtown Vegas: The D

Some of the bartenders outside The D Las Vegas If you’re from Hawaii, you can’t stay away from Downtown Las Vegas (even if you like to stay on The Strip). It’s got its own charm, it’s more laid back than…

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Vegas: A day-o-fun on The Strip

I’m actually being modest: we did the Downtown Container Park and Pizza Rock in this same day. But it goes to show you that you can do a lot in Las Vegas in one day if you put your mind…

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ YMCA of Honolulu

With Kathy Lohman of the YMCA of Honolulu. Have you started your resolutions yet? Most people resolve to lose weight and get in shape, but they don’t always know how to get started. I’ve been a member of the YMCA…

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Vegas eats with John Curtas: Marché Bacchus

John Curtas points out some wines he likes to Sean Morris. If you are into “Top Chef” or just the Las Vegas food scene, you probably have heard of John Curtas. He’s one of the city’s top food critics, but…

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Vegas eats: eat.

My Instagram friend @La_La_Laurie highly recommended eat., a breakfast and lunch joint in Downtown Las Vegas, and as with all her recs, this one didn’t do me wrong. Julie Yoneyama and I went on a whim, since it was within walking…

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Vegas eats: Carson Kitchen

Celebrity chef Kerry Simon. Every trip to Las Vegas is different, and if I could sum this one up, I’d say it was the discovery of so many great places in Downtown that are not the same old thing in…

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Viva Vegas! Great spots downtown

Lengua tacos at Pinchè Tacos in the Downtown Container Park. As you may know, every year for the last several years I escape Christmas and find refuge in Las Vegas. By myself. At any given time, you will find people…

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My little auto adventure: Prius c

If you read my last blog or even saw me drive around in the Camry XSE, you would have told me to make some sacrifices and get the car. There’s no doubt, I’m probably old enough to splurge on that…

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My little auto adventure: Camry XSE

As you know from my test drive experiences so far, I wasn’t looking to go back to Toyota because the egg-shaped designs in recent years have made it hard for me to see. My next test drive in this series…

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Winter truffles at Chef Mavro

Chef Mavro opening his box of Perigord truffles.If you are into truffles, as I am, you love everything about them: The taste, the smell, even the way they look. I love truffles so much, I carry a small container of…

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Tokyo: Touring TBS and other cool spots

The last two days of my trip were pretty mellow, but still very interesting. My friend Yasuo Ogawa introduced me to NHK Meteorologist Sayaka Mori, and asked her to give me a tour of the station. As luck would have…

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Tokyo: the insanity of Namja Town

With Ritsuko (left) and Naomi at Kyushu Jangara Ramen. If you have the time, one way to really experience the extreme quirkiness of modern Japanese culture is to visit Namja Town in Sunshine City. We had to go there because…

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Something new: Chai’s Market & Cafe

Chai in front of his market section.Renowned chef Chai Chaowasaree has opened a new restaurant in Waikiki, and it’s quite different from his usual high-end, high-service venues. Chai’s Market & Bistro, located in Canterbury Place, is his new casual, take-out…

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Tokyo: Akihabara and Narukiyo

I gotta say, Japanese culture — especially in Tokyo — is over the top on so many fronts. You’ll find a lot of hysterically bizarre sights, objects, and activities for people of every age, and some of these things don’t…

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Tokyo: Takarazuka and Andy’s Shin Hinomoto

It was jarring to come back from the serene surroundings of Obuse and Niigata to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. When the train doors opened at Tokyo Station, it was like being yanked back to reality with all the…