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

B & W

I really love black and white together, but you have to make sure it doesn't look too waitress-y. Here I paired my new House of Aria open-front maxi skirt with my Bamboo Sky sleeveless lace button-down. Love the simplicity and classy combo that black and white portrays.

Earrings are made by a friend of mine and local designer, Amber of Mango Luxe. Please check out her Etsy! She designs earrings, bracelets, and necklaces all with bright colors and cute nautical charms, not to mention, at the most affordable prices. She is amazing. She also updates her Etsy and Instagram (@mangoluxe) quite often!! I'm always swooning over her newest jewelry pieces!

Earrings by local designer, Amber of Mango Luxe!!

Arancino Di Mare Lunch Special!

Owner's Favorite Pizza!! This is my favorite pizza on the regular menu. Can't believe this is part of the $10 lunch special!

I love Arancino Di Mare, located in the Marriott Waikiki. I always ask to go there for my Birthday, otherwise, it's pretty pricey. However, to my surprise, their every day lunch special for Kama'aina is an amazing deal! Dad and I had a 2-day conference at Marriott a couple weeks ago, and I surely did not want McD's for lunch. I went to check out the menu at Arancino and heard about their lunch deal. I was so excited to learn about it that we ordered it for lunch on both days! Both meals came out to a total of $20.97. Wait til you see how much food it comes with!

If you are in Waikiki and need a satisfying lunch at a great price, I highly recommend sitting your butt down at Arancino Di Mare. Amazing food and service.

PS- Be sure to show your Hawaii State License to get the special $10 deal!!

The $17.95 pricing are for out-of-state. Kama'aina pricing is around $10 and includes everything!

1st day- Dad's meal- Spaghetti and Meatballs with Garden Salad. Papaya Seed Salad Dressing. Dad said it was delicious!

My lunch- Owner's Favorite Pizza (Garlic and Shrimp) and Tomato Bisque!

Another great deal for breakfast! Crepes!

Dad ordered the Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza for his lunch on our second day of work with a Garden Salad. This was a great meat lover's pizza. I wish I had ordered it over my Margherita.

Second day of lunch for me. I wouldn't order the Margherita again. It was pretty skimpy. I'd have either the Pepperoni and Sausage or Owner's Fave. Highly recommend those two!