Tsuku Tsuku Tei

Many of you know how much I love my udon. For me, I'm game for udon or ramen any day of the week, and any time of day- breakfast, lunch or dinner!! My favorite Udon place? Jimbo's Udon. But, hey, I'm always down to try new places of course!

Haven't seen or had lunch with my cousin, Kory, in awhile, so we planned on eating somewhere on Keeaumoku. There are always so many new places popping up, and I can never keep track! I know Tsuku Tsuku Tei is fairly new and opened up earlier this year next to Panda's Cuisine. So, we decided on that!

Park in the structure below the restaurant and get your ticket validated. It's free!

So, the food. Maybe I'm biased, but I still love the casual feel of Jimbo's coupled with the unbeatable service. I'm also in love with Jimbo's dashi. It has that perfect smoky taste that is not too salty, but not too bland. It's perfect. Not to mention, Jimbo's has been a neighborhood favorite of mine and other's for quite some time. They really built a big following.

So, yes, I may be biased, but if I had the choice to go to Jimbo's Or Tsuku, I'd probably choose Jimbo's. No need for me to read the menu- I'll take the Tendon Combo, please!

Anyway, this post isn't about Jimbo's. I'd rather give you my opinion and have you see for yourself. My cousin, Kory, and my good golfer friend, Brandon, both said that they think Tsuku is much much better than Jimbo's. I talked to them on separate occasions, but they said the exact same thing about Tsuku Tsuku Tei. Have your udon cold or hot, the noodles (which are homemade) are cooked "perfectly." Mind you, both Kory and Brandon used the word "perfectly." They are cooked al dente, so udon noodles are chewy. On the other hand, according to these two guys, Jimbo's noodles can be overcooked at times.

I do have to say for Tsuku Tsuku Tei, that their lunch deals were off the wall. In a good way. The lunch sets included quite a bit of food, LOTS of noodles and all for $8!! That's another thing- Tsuku, in my opinion, gives much more noodles than Jimbo's. And that's just the regular size portion! They have Large for you big eaters, too.

Your homework for the week, folks, is to give Tsuku Tsuku Tei a try and report back!! What did you think?

Love that they have tempura chips on the table for you to dispense on your own!! Some were a bit soggy, though. PS- the Barley Tea is DELICIOUS.

My lunch set- Hot or cold Udon with California Roll....EIGHT DOLLARS!

Karaage Chicken. Looks bland, but is actually perfectly seasoned and super light and crispy. Very, very good, Tsuku Tsuku Tei!

Kory's lunch set for $8

$2.50 for Seasoned Rice Onigiri. Kory said these were a little on the bland side. Maybe the dashi was too watery?

678 Hawaii- Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong

PSY is everywhere in this place!

678 Hawaii is now one of my favorite Yakiniku places in Hawaii. They opened up about 4 weeks ago, and are one of the hottest places on the market to go to. Service is impeccable, the place seats many parties and the wait is short, not to mention it's also a very clean restaurant. The owners have their numerous staff working hard and fast.

The one thing that sticks out in my mind about this place is the service. This probably has to be one of the best places in Hawaii with A+++ service. I cannot stress this enough! We barely had to lift a finger to eat here. The wonderfully-nice staff (our waiter Jason, included) were always at our table cooking for us and making sure we were absolutely happy. The side dishes were always replenished quickly. Grill plates were changed often and when we were ready to eat our Kalbi, they changed the type of grill plate, so the meat would cook better. They were literally at our beck and call! And, if we needed something ASAP and no one was able to help us (which NEVER happened), we would be able to press a button on our table and someone (or two or three) would show up to ask you what you needed. They all wear the same watch and if any of the tables press their button, their watch lights up, buzzes, and shows what table called.

Food-wise, you pay about $50-60 depending on what combo you want- Pork or Beef. You can't get a mix of each- either one or the other. It may seem like a lot of money, but you get much more for what you are paying for, not to mention, the service!! Trust me, you walk out very full and satisfied. Bring a large group, split it, and you pay even less for LOTS of food! It's a win-win situation here. I had the most pleasant experience.

Another thing- they have a vacuum nozzle that you pull down to your food while cooking. It sucks up the smoke from the grill, so you don't walk out smelling like Yakiniku itself! Awesome, awesome, awesome.

CORN CHEESE. AMAZING. And, they keep refilling it, so have all the corn cheese your heart desires! I did! FYI, Banchan is All-You-Can-Eat. The Banchan includes salad, your choice of 3 types of Soondubu, Cold Black Noodle Soup (without the noodles), Green Onion Pancake, Sweet Potato, Corn Cheese, Kim Chee, Onion, Egg and much much more! Besides the Corn Cheese, the Green Onion Pancake is amazingly light and crispy and their Sweet Potato was delicious.

Two things:
1. They bring you a sauce for your meat which is almost like Ponzu with some peppers in it to add a bit of spice. If you want the Salt and Pepper Oil, just ASK. They have it, but don't automatically bring it!
2. No water. Their "water" is the green tea that is already on the table when you sit down. It's refillable, so drink up!

Parking- Park in the back of the restaurant by Club Rock-Za. Stalls 71-90 are free!! Or there is also Valet for 678 Hawaii.

Reservations? You can't reserve for parties less than 4. But honestly, we went on a Friday around 8pm. The hostess said the wait would be 15-20 minutes, so we went to move our car into one of the free spaces, came back, and she had called our name already! The restaurant is really large, so they move people in and out very fast.

If you haven't eaten here yet, plan to! You will not be disappointed!

PS- We were such noobies here, but Jason, our waiter, was the nicest guy EVER. He has a Korean accent, but was so patient with us and explained everything. If you are lucky enough to have him as your waiter, you will walk out a happy (and full) customer!

They even have their own car!

Napkins are hanging on the wall!

Menu and Tea!

Told you he's everywhere!

Liquid Egg!! Very cool. Very bland though...

Our grill is ready!

Beef Combo- Brisket, Skirt, and Kalbi

The vacuum vent!

Our Tofu Soondubu

Change Plate...KALBI time!

Press the left button and Jason's watch will buzz! We were table 3.

Aiea Bowl's Alley Restaurant

Dad and I love Aiea Bowl's Oxtail Soup. The oxtail is ultra-tender and the broth is the most flavorful broth I've ever tasted. Check out my two posts here and here.

Last time my family and I went, we tried their most popular cake- Lemon Crunch. This time, Dad and I ended up taking a piece of Pumpkin Crunch home to be festive. But boy, did it also look delectable. And, it was. Can you imagine? Layers of equal parts of both Pumpkin and whipped cream with a pecan-crusted bottom! This is a must-try. Did I mention a slice goes oh-so-well with your morning coffee? Enjoy!!

Layers on Layers on Layers!

It was staring at me while we were having lunch, so I just HAD to take a piece home! Sprinkled with Cinnamon.

Nico's Mahi Mahi with Shiitake Mushroom Cream Sauce

There was once a point on this blog that you were seeing Nico's posts every other day! Well, it's actually been months since I've been back, if you can believe that.

Brian and I met for lunch at Nico's (like we used to) last week. To my surprise, it wasn't as crowded and crazy as I remember it, and it was definitely the peak lunch hour. I still saw many military people and business people having lunch, as the atmosphere is lovely and breezy. Open air, and if you sit by the opened windows, you have a perfect view of the Pier. I was also surprised that there aren't more flies and birds around, but they keep those critters out and keep the place very clean. A plus for me!

I also noticed that they've added much more to their Deli area. More drinks, more asian food supplies, more fresh fish, more poke choices, and even a variety of delicious Smoked Fish. Pick from Smoked Opah, Smoked Marlin, Smoked Cod, Dried Aku and Dried Ahi. I loved that they had samples for each, so you can see if you like it before you buy it! I fell in love with the Smoked Mahi and took a quarter of a pound home!

They also stocked up on their wonderful Salad Dressings that are all a hit. My favorite is their Lemon Miso, but the Plum Vinaigrette and Sweet Chili Dressing are just as good, too.

More deliciously-creamy sauce, please!!!

Tokkuri-Tei Part 2

Now, when I go to Tokkuri-Tei, I only see Ryuji. Not only is he the nicest, funniest and most entertaining Chef, but he knows his stuff! Read here for my first dining experience with Ryuji. He's amazing!

I went again, but ordered way too much other stuff, and forgot my favorite Chutoro-Yaki! Guess that only means I'll have to visit Ryuji very soon! We ordered a lot of mediocre menu items, so long story short, we're ordering straight from Ryuji next time.

Green Apple Chu-Hai

Ankimo

Crispy Fish Skeletons. A great combo with an ice-cold Kirin!

Seared Duck

Salmon Skin Salad and Ika Yaki (Squid Pancake) in the background.

Mauna Kea Roll- Shrimp Tempura Roll with melted cheese and coconut flakes. Sounds amazing, but very strange-tasting. Don't know if I like sweet with my savory sushi rolls.

Now this. This was amazing. And, of course Ryuji designed this for us. Unagi Omelette. 

Yuzu Sorbet