Cocina

Watermelon Paleta

Cocina recently had their Grand Opening just last week, and boy was it a hit. Located in the old Whole Ox Deli in Kakaako, Cocina has become a popular haven for industry folk and foodies alike. For starters, I love the bright sky blue color that they've repainted the exterior with. They've kept the casual sit-down benches and the infamous chalkboard menu- all in very hip and modern taste.

Food-wise, when I first heard about Cocina opening, I was most excited for their Head Cheese Carnitas Tacos. Yes, you have to have an open mind about Head Cheese that's for sure, but you will not regret it. It was my favorite dish out of everything I ordered. I went for lunch, so I wasn't able to order any dinner items, all of which I wanted to order (cue the Shrimp Adobo, Pork Belly, and Short Ribs OMG). Anyway, I'll be back for dinner SOON. As for other lunch stuff, I ordered the Fried Avocado (which I hear is their number one selling item), The Perfect Egg, Horchata Bread Pudding for dessert, and Agua Fresca to sip on. I was also able to try some Paletas (homemade Latin American Ice Pop made from fresh fruit) on that hot, hot afternoon. Thanks to Rich for that!

The half Avocado was fried to perfection and layered with a hefty amount of their special "cole slaw." It had a nice, light flavor and the slaw "made" the dish. I could hardly finish it though! As for The Perfect Egg, it was definitely on the runnier, more raw side for me. It sat on top of "orange rice," mushrooms, slices of poblano peppers, some green avocado sauce, and queso fresco. It looked absolutely delectable and creamy, but lacked some serious flavor. It was bland, and under-seasoned. I can see this dish being a complete standout if it had a little more oomph to it.

To finish, I loved the Horchata Bread Pudding. A big chunk of fried bread with a slightly crunchy crust, but a tender inside and a horchata cream sauce on the side. Can you ask for anything more? Well, more cream sauce, please! This dessert, people, a must try. So damn lush!

Can't wait to hit up their dinner menu and also that Mexican Style Street Corn that I missed! 

I tell you, folks, this is going to be the new in-spot to get your Mexican food fix. Give it a try! Follow them on instagram for hours and other info @cocinahawaii. Enjoy!

Agua Fresca

Fried Avocado

Head Cheese Carnitas Tacos!

The Perfect Egg

Horchata Bread Pudding

Rich repping Cocina, ready to rip open those Paletas!

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

Toroniku Shio

If you've been following me for awhile now, you know that I'm a ramen lover. Ramen lover, yes, and also pretty picky about her ramen. In Honolulu, there are a select few I will vouch for- one being Tenkaippin and the other, Yotteko-Ya. Until now. Last week, I went to the once-elusive (but not anymore!), Santouka, located in Don Quijote. If you're from LA or visit often, chances are you love love love Santouka. Santouka is highly coveted there. "Santouka ramen this, Santouka ramen that, I want Santouka NOW, I'm craving Santouka!"

Well, all you Hawaiians who yearn for that creamy broth with perfectly al-dente noodles and the most fatty, tender slices of pork.......you are in luck! Find Santouka in the old Ezogiku on the outskirts of Don Quijote and all the other food windows. They opened just a couple weeks ago, so ENJOY! Your dream come true awaits you!

Parking- Well, it's Don Quijote, and it's always crowded no matter what time of day. I found parking in the other parking structure across the street, which was nice because it's shaded. There's no way you're ever going to find parking in the main lot, unless you circle 10 times all the while dodging cars and human beings. Your best bet- street parking or their additional parking across the street. Now, this parking problem also goes hand in hand with waiting in line for Santouka. Of course, Santouka is newly opened and has a popular reputation already, so be prepared to wait 20-30 minutes to get a table, depending on how many people you have. The restaurant is really small, so I wouldn't suggest taking a party of 10 there for lunch.

Verdict on ramen? This has become one of my favorite spots. I crave it, I dream about it, I want it NOW. Yep, I've become one of those. I ordered #9 Toroniku Shio Ramen, where all of the toppings come on the side and comes with a nice full order of their delicious pork slices. All of this for $12.50- a really nice deal in my perspective. It also came with more noodles than I could finish! This never happens at Yotteko-Ya or Tenkaippin. I also wanted to try their Sake/Ikura bowl for only $5.80- I thought this was another great deal. The salmon was salted, while they gave a pretty generous amount of ikura and negi.

My friend, Kevin ordered the Kara Miso Ramen, which was fire red in color. I don't care for super spicy things, but I wanted to have a taste. Well, the color is completely misleading. It wasn't spicy to me at all, and was bursting with flavor. I let out a "MMmMmMM super good" after having a spoonful of broth. Only thing is his ramen came with two pieces of a different pork chashu, and it was definitely not as good as mine! If you want the "Otoro of pork" in your ramen, go with the Toroniku- Super tender pork cheek. How can you go wrong with that?

Kevin and I are Tenkaippin lovers, and we also love Tenkaippin's Aji Tamago (shoyu egg). Santouka's version, Aji Tama, was on the menu, so we ordered two. There were some difficulties with wrong orders for our table and some tables around us (the usual stuff when a new place opens), but nothing big. We almost forgot we had ordered the egg, but didn't get it yet. After almost finishing our meals, we got the eggs. Hot in temperature, our eggs were perfectly cooked with that gooey orange center, and sitting in some shoyu sauce. Love that! I must say (and I know Kevin agrees) that this was the best egg yet. You can tell it was marinated for awhile as the flavor was there. Tenkaippin's aji tamago's quality has gone down. Not enough marination, and the egg's yolk is usually pretty overcooked. Let's hope Santouka will keep it up! You're doing good so far, Santouka!

Hope you all get around to visiting Santouka!!

Sake/Ikura bowl

Kara Miso Ramen

Aji Tama

Barbie

This outfit is so unlike me. At first glance, I wouldn't usually buy the tacky pink-kissy-lips-printed crop top, but I guess there are firsts for everything. Made me feel like the ultimate Barbie doll as I dressed it up with some high-waisted shorts, fuchsia lipstick, and of course, some long curly hair!

More Fook Yuen!

I'm so glad my family's new favorite place to have Chinese food is Fook Yuen! We recently discovered how inexpensive and tasty their Lobster is, so now we go on a weekly basis! See HERE for original post.

This time, we ordered Wintermelon and Crab soup, Pineapple Fried Rice, Egg Foo Yung, Crispy Fried Stuffed Tofu, and two orders of Salt and Pepper Lobster. Everything we ordered was mouthwatering.

Zaratez!

Órale! I've known Paul of Zaratez since he was just a little ol' food truck trying to make it out there in a world full of many other food trucks; first seen HERE. I remember when he was located on Kapiolani in a food truck lot across 24 Hour Fitness, then on Mokihana Street in Kapahulu next to Waiola's, then he did some pop-ups and made appearances at Farmer's Markets, and now, he has opened his own little Taquería on King Street! Located across the street from Tsunami's, his shop is always bustling with customers and old friends. I have always pledged my love for Zaratez since first tasting his carnitas tacos a couple years back. Zaratez has the most legit tacos you will ever have here in Hawaii; the closest thing to the tacos you'd find in dirty old LA taquerías.

The newest things I love about his shop are the benches set up for eating and lounging, and they have a full stock of Mexican bottled drinks like Mexican Coke and Jarritos (Mexican Soda with fruit flavors) in assorted flavors. Mexican Coke is there only for limited times, so if they have it, be sure to grab one!

You will need to find street parking, no private lot. However, there is a lot of street parking around, and it is never a problem for me.

Vote ZARATEZ for Hale Aina Award's Best Mexican!

So proud of how far you've come, Zaratez!

Hours: Monday-Friday 11am-2pm, 5pm-9pm and Saturday 11am-4pm.

Carnitas Tacos with Guac

Arancino Kahala

Bagna Cauda

After going to both Arancino on Beachwalk HERE and Arancino di Mare HERE and HERE and loving both, I definitely wanted to check off their newest location at the Kahala Hotel as well! I heard that the menu was 4 ($85) or 5 course ($100) prix fixe with or without wine pairing ($7-$11 per glass) OR you could also order ala carte.

I made reservations online through the website which was easy and fast. Click HERE for that, or you can call Arancino Kahala directly.

After valet parking (or you may self park), we walked into Arancino. It was a beautiful day, and we were sat on their open-air patio. I adored the ambiance of the outside seating!

For 3 of us, we all decided to go with the 5 courses plus wine pairing. I suggest going with 3-4 people, because you can try more of the menu. We discussed our three dishes each for the 5 courses, and then just shared everything. Trust me, you are full after. No need to go to McDonald's to fill up!

Verdict? There were many dishes that touched our table, but only a few that really blew my mind. I loved the very first dish that was a complimentary starter- A corn and prosciutto foam that was so luscious and rich that I wished there was a full size on the menu. I also fell in love with their Crostacei di Mare dish- Abalone and Amaebi that was beautifully-arranged with a salad of flowers and leaves. Almost too pretty to eat. My favorite dish by far was their Bagna Cauda. You can find this at the other Arancino locations, but not with this presentation. Vividly-colored vegetables come "planted" in shaved cremini mushrooms camouflaged as dirt. The best part? The garlic anchovy-oil dip which is heated on the bottom. Ran out of veggies to dip? That's what the bread is for! Make sure you get every last drip of that stuff. It's amazing.

As for the Uni Pasta? Well, I anxiously awaited the return of my beloved Uni Pasta. I expected it to be extra good here at this location. Once it came in its creamy, thick, oranged glory, I couldn't wait to dig in. The pasta was literally drenched in Uni goodness. But, this dish didn't please my taste buds as it had before at Arancino di Mare. It was a little too ocean-y for my liking. Not as sweet like I remembered. On the upside, I do give them major props for the amount of Uni they throw in that dish. More than any other restaurant. 

Other memorable dishes? The Braised Short Ribs with Truffle Mashed Potatoes. I would have finished the plate by myself if I wasn't so stuffed by then! Delicate and tender, these short ribs were one of the best I've had. And lastly, be sure to save room for dessert because their Panna Cotta with housemade Hamakua Tomato Sorbet with sweet tomato compoté and gélee is unforgettable. Such a delicious way to end the meal.

I really enjoyed this dinner. It was definitely a memorable experience, and I graciously thank Arancino Kahala for giving us another Prix Fixe dining option in a beautiful open air location. I did not think it was worth $176 (with tax and tip) per person, though. Nice to try once, but I think I'm going back to their sister, Arancino di Mare, for more options, bigger portions, and a smaller bill.

Kahuku Corn and Prosciutto Foam

Bread with butter and black sea salt

Zuppa di Aragosta- Lobster Bisque with claw meat and brioche

Insalata alla Cesare- Flame-grilled baby Romaine with Prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano Crocante

Bagna Cauda

Veggie Crudités

Lightly fried Foie Gras and white truffle parmesan risotto balls- Dime-sized Foie Gras bits in the risotto balls were too tiny to taste!

Sauteed Foie Gras with a wild raspberry red wine reduction- THIS was good. But again, very small portion.

Amaebi and Abalone

Chitarra alla Pescatora- Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, and Calamari with a garlic tomato sauce over fresh housemade squid ink chitarra.

Tagliolini ai Ricci di Mare- UNI PASTA

Gnocchi Viola con Prosciutto- I thought this was a creative new way to incorporate more flavor into Gnocchi. I loved the subtle yet sweet taste of the Okinawan Sweet Potato. Chewy, perfectly cooked, and perfectly topped with just the right ingredients- walnuts, prosciutto and parmesan shavings.

Arrosto di Agnello- Colorado Lamb

Every time someone ordered this and the cover was lifted, it filled the air with a warm, smoky scent. For a slight second, you might have believed you were in the mountains heating up some marshmallows over a fire.

Muscovy Duck with organic mushrooms and lightly fried leeks with a roasted duckling stock reduction

Braised Short Ribs with Truffle Mashed Potatoes

Panna Cotta

Arancino's deconstructed Signature Tiramisu

Torta al Cioccolato- Dark Chocolate Torte with Kumquat Compote

Coffee to finish