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

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Tucker & Bevvy

Waikiki beachgoers — locals as well as tourists — are familiar with the Australian-inspired take out place in the Park Shore Waikiki Hotel, Tucker & Bevvy. It’s known for its fresh, light fare, perfect for hot, sunny days.What you may…

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Party pics: Hula Grill’s 10th Anniversary

Hula Grill Waikiki celebrated its 10th anniversary on Friday with a big party, featuring live entertainment by Robert Cazimero and friends and food stations with the restaurant’s specialties. All bar proceeds from the event benefitted The Wahea Foundation, an organization dedicated…

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Kailua eats: The Food Company

Jason Kiyota (third from left) and his crew.As you know, I’m a townie and don’t drive outside of my five-mile radius very often. I complained about driving over the Pali to get to an event for my other blog this…

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Something new: Monsarrat Shave Ice

I’d been hearing about this newish shave ice place on Monsarrat Avenue for a while, but whenever I drove by, I couldn’t figure out where it was. My foodie friends Sean and Lena Morris offered to show me (and some…

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Revisiting Pioneer Saloon

I couldn’t believe that several years had passed since I first reviewed Pioneer Saloon for Metromix Honolulu … and had not gone back since. It wasn’t because the food was bad; in fact, the eclectic plate lunches were good. But…

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Something new: Cafe Maru

People familiar with the old Geisha House on Kapiolani Boulevard have been wondering what took its place. (It’s turned over a few times over the years, so some of you may remember it as Emerald City.) Well, after looking at…

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Eating local: Hawaiian Crown Plantation

You’d never know it if you passed Hawaiian Crown Plantation on Kuhio Avenue, but the store is owned by a local farmer and most of the products come straight from his farm. If you’re looking to eat and buy local…

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Did this: Honolulu Ekiden and Music 2014

More than 300 relay teams — about 100 more than last year — from Hawaii and Japan participated in yesterday’s Honolulu Ekiden and Music festival, put on by travel company H.I.S. The course was the length of a marathon (26.2…

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Party pics: Nijikai 2014

Several hundred people filled the Pagoda Hotel’s special event spaces last night at the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce’s third annual “Nijikai” event. In Japanese, nijikai means “after-party,” a time for co-workers and friends to get together to eat,…

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Pint & Jigger’s second anniversary

Time flies when you’re having fun, so the guys at Pint & Jigger decided to go back to the future with an 80s-themed anniversary party last night to celebrate their second anniversary. Spandex, fluorescents, skinny ties, Magnum P.I., tight-permed rockers…

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The 2014 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards

It was a star-studded night at the annual Na Hoku Hanohano awards, the most prestigious celebration of Hawaii’s music. Some of the highlights included Hulu Lindsey winning Female Vocalist of the Year, her first Hoku award in her 55-year career;…

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ B&D Butchery

A couple of months ago, I got to attend the first collaboration “table to farm” dinner at Moke’s Bread and Breakfast, presented by B&D Butchery and Shinsato Farm. Award-winning chef and charcuter Doug Kocol and Brett Robinson, both known for…

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The Chef’s Table at Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas

A lot of restaurants in Hawaii — especially those that have been around for a long time — are successful because they keep their most popular items on the menu for both regulars and those still discovering them. But all…

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“Ala Cart” night at Vino

I’ve never been to State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, but Vino Italian Tapas chef Keith Endo has, and says it’s a creatively-themed, always-changing menu of little plates with a long waiting list of diners. Vino, with its regulars, doesn’t…

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Did this: The Ka’u Coffee Festival

Breakfast of champions in Ka’u: Rusty’s Hawaiian coffee and a box of Punalu’u malasadas.Although it’s been around for six years, this past weekend was my first time at the Ka’u Coffee Festival on the Big Island. They had hired my company…

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Kalei Gamiao

As mentioned in an earlier post about Mele Mei in Hawaii, this month is full of musical events throughout the state — many of them free — all featuring big names local entertainment. If you appreciate local-grown music, these free concerts…

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Kicking off Mele Mei 2014

Mele Mei kicked off on May 1, starting a monthlong celebration of Hawaii’s music that culminates with the Na Hoku Hanohano festival and awards. For the launch, various local musicians (who are also Na Hoku Hanohano Award nominees) played for a…

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This weekend: Celebration of the Arts

When I travel, I like to blog events as they happen, but sometimes the days are so jam packed with things to do, there’s no time. Such is the case with the annual Celebration of the Arts, happening this coming…

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Aloha Beijing! Last looks

The famous Bird’s Nest stadium from the Beijing Olympics I got to spend, literally, one full day back in Beijing before heading home at midnight. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day and the pollution was low, so we could enjoy…

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Amazing and quirky eats in Shanghai

I debated on splitting this day’s blog entry into two, because each restaurant is notable in its own right, but in the interest of time and space, I gotta keep them together.On our last full day in Shanghai, we had…

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Shanghai: China art and an artsy dinner

I saw some reports on China’s “ghost towns” and was intrigued. The world’s most populated country builds gigantic cities fashioned after European destinations to house a million people each, but only a fraction of that reside in them. Many of…

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Aloha Shanghai! New sights in an old city

Inevitably when I travel, I fall a day or two behind in my blogs due to fatigue and/or lack of time. This time, I also had to factor in spotty internet connectivity, so I am now behind four days. I…

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Return to Shanghai

Part of 1933 Shanghai If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I visited Shanghai last year as a detour off Hawaiian Airlines’ inaugural flight to Taipei, Taiwan. My niece Cymri lives there, so it’s natural that I would…

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Aloha Beijing! Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

To help you learn more about China’s history and culture, Beijing tours will always have The Forbidden City and the adjacent Tiananmen Square on your list of sights. The Forbidden City, built from 1406 to 1420, was the Chinese imperial palace…

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New: Kai Coffee

If you find yourself in Waikiki and in need of a good cup of coffee, check out Kai Coffee Hawaii, which just opened in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa. Whether you want something simple or have a developed…

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Aloha Beijing! The Great Wall of China

As mentioned in my initial travel post, it’s been 30 years since I was last in Beijing. One of the highlights of my last visit here was visiting The Great Wall, which was started as early as 7th Century B.C.…

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Maui Ag Fest 2014

I had a hard time choosing a promo pic to represent today’s blog about the Maui Agricultural Festival. The highlight is definitely the collaboration between Maui chefs and farmers, but there is so much more to the event.On the first…