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

First taste: Hapa Dog

Hapa Dog has its day ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 8 By Melissa ChangNonstopSeveral months ago, a new hot dog counter popped up in the food court in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza, and word has slowly spread about…

Not your typical school lunch

I had lunch with Twitter friend Mike Sumida the other day, and since he works in the Kaimuki area, he suggested we do something different and eat at Kapiolani Community College’s Ka Ikena restaurant. Wow! While KCC does have cafeteria…

The Willows’ anniversary party

Last night, while the rest of the Nonstop Honolulu crew was at the Hawaii Five-0 premiere, I took a mellower route and attended The Willows’ anniversary party. Although it’s actually their 11th anniversary, this is only the second time they…

Did this: Rice Fest

We went to the first annual Rice Festival on Saturday at Aloha Tower with a few hundred of our closest friends. The organizers had timed this to coincide with National Rice Month, as declared by the U.S. Rice Federation.It seemed…

Dinner at Azul

It was my last night at the Ihilani, so I decided to treat myself to dinner at Azul, the hotel’s signature restaurant. They recently put together a prix fixe tasting menu for just $45 ($20 extra for wine pairing), so…

Fia Fia at the Ihilani

Over the past year, I’ve had a run of luck when winning random prize drawings — I’ve been winning hotel stays around the island. No joke! I even stuck my hand into a pile of envelopes and won a night’s…

Tairyo’s grand opening party

Tairyo, an izakaya that’s been open a couple of months on Piikoi, had its official grand opening party the other night. They showcased some of their sushi and sashimi selections as well as some hot items, and one dessert. Here…

New eats: Lobster King

Lobster King ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12 By Melissa ChangNonstopI had wanted to try Lobster King since it opened a few months ago, but I figured I'd wait until the crowds died down. They haven't. At least,…

Chinee like me: Dining at Lobster King

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been Chinese all my life. So if I review Chinese food, it’s also safe to say I know a little about it. I was a little surprised at the revelation that came…

Grand opening of Sephora Waikiki

Sephora opened its third Hawaii store yesterday in Waikiki, showcasing a spacious 7,458 square-foot store. If you love cosmetics, you’ll have a ball in this new store — there are more than 200 brands comprised of 13,000 products, some of…

BYOB at the Burger Co.

Hot on the heels of Mari Taketa’s review of Honolulu Burger Co. and hearing it’s a BYOB establishment (bonus!), my neighbors wanted to get together and try it. We’d been trying to get together for a while now, and this…

Aloha ~ Alegria

I’m crossing my fingers and hoping I got the timing of this blog right. The September issue of InsideOut Hawaii should be in people’s mailboxes today or tomorrow, and you can read more about local boy Micah Naruo, one of…

Why Foursquare?

Last night, Twitter friend @Kamaka_Hawaii joined Foursquare, then asked what I like about it. I said my answer is too long for 140 characters, so I decided to turn it into a blog.When I first started using location-based programs to…

Exploring the Collections of Waikiki

Last night, Ed Morita and I got to go on a familiarization tour put on by Starwood and Kyo-ya to get us … well, familiar with the retailers that are part of a group called the Collections of Waikiki. The…

The Good Table

It’s kind of a sensitive subject for some of us, but — hey, we all have grandparents, right? — I want to talk to you about helping Lanakila Pacific Meals on Wheels, to help our kupuna.Last year, Lanakila Pacific experimented…

The Lupus Hawaii wine festival

Last night, InsideOut Hawaii editor Stacy Yuen Hernandez and I went to the Lupus Hawaii wine festival, an evening of grazing and sipping at the Hawaii Prince Hotel. The annual event benefits Lupus Hawaii, an organization that offers assistance to…

Meeting Morimoto… and more, at the Moana

I tagged along with Nonstop Honolulu foodie Mari Taketa last night to the Moana Surfrider’s “Tree to Table Mango Throwdown,” a food and wine event that doubled as a fundraiser for the Culinary Institute of the Pacific. There were 17…

Cruising on the Star of Honolulu

People often think of the Star of Honolulu as a touristy thing to do, but I found that it’s a pretty good activity for locals, too. I recently went on the Star’s five star dinner cruise with my Twitter friend…

Eating healthy at the farmer’s market

Hard to believe, but I really do try to eat healthy when I can, and it’s important that I buy local. One of my favorite things to do in this effort is go to the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s farmer’s markets.On…

Tweeting up with Chef Mavro

Fellow foodie (and Twitter friend) Jared Kuroiwa and I had talked about doing a tweetup at one of our favorite restaurants, Chef Mavro. But we thought it was just a pipe dream. After all, who else in the Twitterverse would…

Learning in Da Kitchen

Sometimes, when we go out to review restaurants, things get tricky when we end up not liking the food at a place everyone else seems to rave about. So it was with Da Kitchen, which opened recently on Isenberg Street…

Frolic Hawai‘i

New eats: Da Kitchen

Da Kitchen comes to Honolulu ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 14 By Melissa ChangNonstop HonoluluKnown on Maui for its big portions of local-style food, Da Kitchen recently expanded to Honolulu in the Saint Louis Alumni Clubhouse on Isenberg…