Thomas Obungen

Associate Editor

Thomas Obungen joined the Frolic Hawai‘i team in 2015 as a contributor after a two-year stint in Los Angeles where his passion for seeking out unique and delicious finds was set ablaze. In the years that followed, he rose the ranks to become the Associate Editor of Frolic Hawai‘i and HONOLULU Magazine as well as the Content Strategy Manager of aio, the magazine’s parent company.

Prior to Frolic, he worked for an Apple reseller that outfitted Hollywood’s top studios with custom computers, planned obscure costume parties and wrote press releases for the U.S. Navy. He is a graduate of Mililani High School and Hawai‘i Pacific University.

In his free time, he enjoys soaking up too many UV rays at the beach, playing with all the puppers and acquiring cute reusable tote bags only for them to stay in the trunk of his car.

Email Thomas

Articles

Local-Style Eats

Farmers Market Finds: Funky Fresh Spins on Spring Rolls at Kaka‘ako

The Corner Rolls wraps up cheeseburgers, shrimp and avocado into crispy fried spring rolls.

Han no daidokoro Yakiniku Wagyu Beef tray

What’s New

Luxe Japanese Beef Elevates Yakiniku Grilling at Kaka‘ako’s Han no Daidokoro

The Korean-Japanese restaurant from Shibuya flies in fresh Japanese wagyu and Oregon washu beef.

Favorite Dishes

What If Kim Chee Fried Rice and Paella Had a Baby?

The Korean-Spanish mashup is a March special at O’Kim’s Korean Kitchen in Chinatown.

Sandwiches

HONOLULU Staff Favorites: The 9 Best Sandwiches on O‘ahu

Paper-thin salami, juicy roast beef, tasty tonkatsu, sumptuous smoked brisket, hefty lumps of crab, fresh fish and everything else that’s best between bread.

What’s New

Foodland Farms’ New Fried Chicken Tenders Are Finger-Licking Good

Make no bones about it—these tenders pack well for beach days, lunch on the go and all-around snacking.

What’s New

Luxe Japanese-Style Omurice, Beef Stew and Curry Rice Debut at Waikīkī’s New Yoshoku Ginza Bairin

Western-style dishes viewed through a Japanese lens are quirky, comforting and oishii.

What’s New

Tenten Japanese Tempura Is Your New Must-Try Pop-Up—But Only for a Month

The new pop-up serves delicate seafood and veg tempura in the style of Waikīkī Yokocho’s shuttered Kaneko Hannosuke.

What’s New

Guru Guru Kitchen’s Fruity Japanese Sandwiches Pop Up in Mō‘ili‘ili and Kaka‘ako

Did you even know these pillowy fruit-and-cream sandos were missing from your life?

What’s New

Mō‘ili‘ili’s New Pizza and Hoagie Shop Opens on Beretania

The team behind V-Lounge and Prima return with ‘Ili‘ili Cash and Carry, a hipster bodega with killer pizzas.

Frolic Hawai‘i

Honolulu Skewer House’s New Locale Has a New Twist: DIY Tabletop Grilling

After a long closure, the Chinese barbecue restaurant has reopened in a new spot on Kapahulu.

chopsticks hold up thick biangbiang noodles coated in spicy Szechuan sauce and garnished with fresh scallions

What’s New

Find Fresh, Spicy, Hand-Pulled Noodle Bowls at These O‘ahu Farmers Markets

Youpo Noodles specializes in stretchy, bouncy biangbiang noodles from northwest China.

Mad Bene Ahi Carpaccio Raw Seafood Hawaii

Food & Dining

It’s Not Poke or Sashimi: Here Are 6 Other Ways Uncooked Fish is Served in Hawai‘i

Rare finds.

whole shrimp rim a plate of chorizo and shrimp fettucine

Vegetarian/Vegan

Here’s Why Kapa Hale Is One of Honolulu’s Most Exciting New Restaurants

Keaka Lee’s first restaurant fuses elements of Hawaiian, local, modern American and global.

What’s New

Find Detroit- and Brooklyn-Style Pizzas at Chinatown’s New Slice Shop

Pizza Mamo’s American-style pies are unique on O‘ahu.

Kapa Hale is one of 2020’s most exciting new restaurants

"Kapa tells a story," Keaka Lee explains. He is standing in the kitchen at Kapa Hale, his new restaurant. "A blank plate, much like a blank piece of kapa, is the canvas with which I tell my stories." Lee has spent…

spread of saimin, teri cheeseburger, teri sticks and fries

Local-Style Eats

Papa Kurt’s Is Honolulu’s New Old-Fashioned Saimin Stand

Curly noodles in steaming broth with teri sticks and burgers on the side, complete with a Coca-Cola menu board.

Noodles

SingMaTei’s Laksa Noodle Soups and Nasi Lemak Will Transport You to Southeast Asia

Slurp like you’re at a hawker stall.

Noodles

Build Your Own Fresh Pasta Bowls at New Mio Pastalogy

Freshly made pastas, sauces and breads are all to-go in McCully.

What’s New

Katsu Sandwiches and Burgers Headline a Healthy Menu at Coco Bloom Kitchen—Really

It’s not weird, it’s a yin-yang thing.

How a katsu sandwich got me hooked on healthy eats

This is a story of how a really great tonkatsu sandwich became my gateway drug to Coco Bloom Kitchen's local organic menu of power salads, jam toasts and smoothies. I'm yearning to travel again, especially to Japan, where eating everything I come across…

Top 5

You Voted: Here’s Your Top 5 Classic Loco Mocos

Readers had lots of opinions about Our Top 5 loco mocos, so we asked you to name your faves.

Reader poll: Vote for Hawaii’s best classic loco moco

How did we even make it this far into 2020 without hitting the reset button a million times? It's already Election Day, so take a deep breath and vote: Help decide who makes Hawaii's best loco mocos. Jason Chin's best…

Food Trends

We Found Birria Tacos and Birria Saimin in ʻAiea

The crispy, dippable street food is hot, and so are the imaginative dishes served out of La Birria Tacos food truck.

Pop-Up

Butcher & Bird Launches Pop-Ups Featuring Furloughed and Underemployed Chefs

It starts Sunday, Oct. 25, when you’ll have three hours to get smoked tako-chorizo gyoza and other grilled goodness.

Pizza

The Original Magoo’s Pizza Is Back in Business After a Long Hiatus

Remember “No hu hu, call Magoo’s”? Now you can—the iconic pizza shop has reopened in Kapahulu.

Farmer’s market finds: amazake smoothies, luxe breakfasts at Kakaako

Farmer's markets are breeding grounds for food innovation and have given rise to some of Hawaii's most successful concepts and restaurants. Frolic's farmer's market finds series shines a light on interesting, unique and ono discoveries. The Kakaako Farmers Market has evolved…

Food Trucks

5 Reasons We Love Kaka‘ako’s New Taro Doughnut Truck

Why we stand in line for $4 doughnuts.

Eat Local

Oahu, these are the chicken katsu sandwiches you need right now

Fried chicken sandwiches are so 2019. But chicken katsu sammies? That's a game-changer. Imagine: Katsu that's crispy on the outside and thiccc and juicy inside, paired with sweet-and-tangy katsu sauce and griddled burger buns or ultra soft Japanese white bread.…

The 7 Layer Tonkatsu At Ohana Hale Marketplace Nana Ai Katsu Bc 3

Takeout

What’s New in Honolulu: The 7-Layer Tonkatsu at ‘Ohana Hale Marketplace

Call ahead or get in line—Nana Ai Katsu already has a following.

5 holey reasons to try Kakaako’s new donut truck

I truly believe people are born loving three things: puppies, kittens and donuts. So when Holey Grail, a Kauai-based donut truck with a cult following, began popping up in Kakaako in late August, donut worshipers made the pilgrimage to Ward Village Shops…

Food & Dining

This Is the New Luxe Local Ice Cream We’ve Been Craving

Sage Creamery sells out so often, we recommend signing up for new flavor notifications.

Japanese

Two-Minute Takeout in Honolulu: Okata Bento

Kaimukī’s classic lunch counter is famous for teri burgers and deluxe bentos.

O‘ahu

Coming Sept. 12-13: Frolic’s Night In Virtual Takeout and Chill Events

Butcher & Bird, Village Bottle Shop, Colin Hazama and Sake Shop headline two takeout dinners this Saturday and Sunday.

The Plan Behind Miros Humble Okazuya Bentos 2

Local-Style Eats

The Plan Behind the Humble Okazuya Bentos That Are Now Available for Takeout from Miro in Kaimukī

Hint: There’s a new eatery in the works.

Farmers market finds: Kailua’s chill Lokahi Market

For National Farmers Market Week earlier this month, we took you to Hawaii Kai for Kaiser High School PTSA's bustling market. For two hours on Tuesday afternoons, people converge on the grassy parking lot for chef-driven comfort food, Swedish apple…

Eat Local

Heading back to Zippy’s? Here’s what it’s like to eat in now

Zippy's, the iconic local diner chain, was a regular stop for many, so while they've been open for takeout, there was a collective holding of breath through the months-long closure of all their dining rooms statewide. Now they're slowly reopening,…

Sweets

Hawai‘i Island’s Kula Shave Ice Brings Its Natural and Organic Bowls to O‘ahu’s North Shore

The shave ice shop from Hilo recently opened its second location in Hale‘iwa.

Farmers market finds: Kaiser High School PTSA’s amazing Tuesday market

Update: This farmers market closed temporarily from Sept. 1, 2020 for the duration of the islandwide stay-at-home order, since all school campuses are closed. Check kaiserptsafarmersmarket.wordpress.com for the latest. It's National Farmers Market Week and we're shining some light on…

Restaurants

First Look: Fooki, a Playful New Taiwanese Restaurant in ‘Aiea

The team behind Egghead Café brings beef noodle soup, a pineapple fried chicken burger, scallion-pancake nachos and more to the Pearl Kai Shopping Center.

Hilo’s farm-to-bowl shave ice expands to Haleiwa

I've planned vacations entirely around visiting shave ice shops. In 2018, I devoured 68 bowls of shave ice from shops in Japan and Hawaii. I just might be a little obsessed with shave ice. I know, I'm weird. See also: Shave ice…

Thomas Obungen

Articles

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