Melissa Chang

This cold weather has had everyone looking for the hottest food they can find, so it's good timing for Seoul Tofu House, which just opened in the Laylow Waikiki. Their specialty is soondubu, or Korean soft tofu stew, which is…

Last week, I told you about Hawaiian Chip Company and how owner Jimmy Chan renovated the two lots across the street to make his part of Republican Street in Kalihi a new destination. Well, 'Olena by Chef Ron Simon is…

If you know, you know: Regulars at the Pearlridge Farm Lover's Market on Saturday mornings have either seen or stood in the hour-long line for Kahiau Jerky's super fresh, super ono poke. It's nuts. But it's worth it. Kahiau Jerky…

I recently headed to Mian at 808 Sheridan for a spontaneous lunch, only to find upon arrival that it had closed, and it was the first day of business for a new restaurant. Wait, WHAT? First, what happened to Mian? Don't…

Maybe you overindulged at Thanksgiving. Heck, maybe you overindulge all year round! You don't have to resort to salads every day to be making a healthy choice.  I like Vegan Hills in Kaimuki because — although they do offer soups…

There have been a lot of new food and drink venues opening at Salt Kakaako in the last few months, with more coming soon — we almost can't keep up with them! One of the newest is Vein at Kakaako,…

PAI owner/chef Kevin Lee. PAI Honolulu won Editor's Choice for Best New Restaurant at Honolulu Magazine's Hale Aina Awards last weekend, a well-deserved accolade for a spot that is still, after a year, a bit of a hidden gem in downtown.…

Editor's note: This spot has closed. If you've been to the Farm Lover's markets at Haleiwa, Pearlridge or Kailua, you'll usually see a line for the Amaebi booth. It's kind of hard to resist when you can see Patrick Malone cooking…

Whether you're familiar with "Top Chef" alum Sheldon Simeon's food or not, you're in for a treat when he opens his latest restaurant, Lineage, on October 15. It's going into the Shops at Wailea next to the Island Gourmet Market,…

I have to admit, I didn't try Basalt for most of its first year in business. There were a lot of kinks being worked out, plus they were bringing new ideas to life for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND happy hour.…

Pioneer Saloon has been a solid plate lunch spot on Monsarrat Avenue for a good nine years, offering hearty, tasty and affordable meals with familiar flavors for both tourists and locals. When it first opened, its "Japan meets Hawaii" approach…

Summer is all about enjoying outdoor grilling and barbecuing, so the Grand Wailea created an event that would completely elevate that family picnic. Imagine sipping Buffalo Trace while talking story with celebrity chefs Sam Jones and Justin Brunson as they hand…

I'm going to guess that most readers will initially see this blog post and shrug, as I did, when I first heard about Yamada Chikara opening. And that's okay. Like many things in Japanese culture, the restaurant and the owner/chef…

If you've been a regular at the Farm Lover's Saturday market at Pearlridge, as I am, you're familiar with the Ali'i Coffee Company booth that kept us caffeinated for the last couple of years. Will Gold and James Webb started roasting…

After a lot of fanfare over opening with chef Chris Kajioka and then a period with chef Jonathan Mizukami, the original Vintage Cave seemed to go dark once Shirokiya and the Vintage Cave Cafe got built on the Ewa side of…

When I was little, my mom would take me to the neighborhood butcher in Chun Hoon Market every week as she picked out cuts of meat for dinner. We were such regulars there that I called the butcher Uncle Burt.…

Downtown office workers are eagerly anticipating the opening of Gochi Grill in the Remington College building on June 4. Yes, there are plate lunches and bentos everywhere, but this one promises to be a little different. Not many people know…

It's been a year since Michael Mina launched his food hall concept, The Street, in International Marketplace, and he's looking to launch some new food stations in the next two months to meet the demands and tastes of the customers. …

I'm headed to one of the big events in Kaanapali this weekend, "Turf Meets Surf," a culinary exchange program that has Maui chefs Tom Muromoto of Kā’anapali Beach Hotel and Lyndon Honda of Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa collaborating with Canadian guest chefs Lino…

There's a couple of fresh new faces on Waialae Avenue opening a new restaurant in ... well, an old space.  The old Hung Won on Waialae Avenue closed after two decades and turned into a Thai restaurant last year. The…

We live in Hawaii, a cluster of islands surrounded by a vast ocean, so you'd assume all of our seafood is fresh and local. I was shocked when chef Lee Anne Wong told me that we import 60 percent of…

It's a good sign when you see Chinese people from the motherland eating in a Chinese restaurant. It's even more legit when the comrades are smoking outside. Are we in Beijing? Actually, we're eating noodles at 808 Sheridan. Wait, what happened to…