Need some tips exploring the local culinary landscape
 

I have been to HNL before but this time I would like to work on a report exploring some aspect of local cuisine. I plan to do a fair amount of photography to supplement my "research" and I have about 3 days to accomplish this.

I want to put myself in the shoes of the locals and see what type of food they enjoy. One theme that I have been playing around in my head is the lunch truck concept and would appreciate any suggestions about where to find the best. I have two restrictions on this trip - I will stay in Waikiki and will have to rely on public transportation to get me around.

Being somewhat familiar with HNL, I have the following places in mind too:

- Ono Hawaiian
- Rainbow's Drive Inn
- Leonard's
- Zippy's
- Shirokiya food court

I'd appreciate your feedbacks - especially from locals.

Random thoughts from a non resident mainlander: The number one population group is Chinese, which is about to be overtaken by the Filipinos. A tour of the inside and outside food markets/stands in Chinatown would show what they buy (and price) for the preparation of their own meals. Could be part of your project. Some Chinatown restaurants might also be good. The Rainbow, as stationary, has a greater assortment than most trucks, which often have a few standards and a special of the day but is typical enough. Pulled pork and cabbage is a big item. We always found it at Dukes lunch buffet and sometimes at the Shore Bird's lunch buffet. Perry's Smorgy has some local favorites. Finally no Oahu food story would be complete without telling of the North Shore shrimp trucks. While not on the North Shore, Blue Water also has a shrimp truck at 2145 Kuhio. Most locals say it is not as good as Giovanni's on the North Shore.

I'm a big fan of Yelp when it comes to food reviews. My favorite truck was Tsukenjo's; not sure if they are still running. Their roast pork is so good! There's some links to other lunch trucks in the area as well.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tsukenjo-lunch-truck-honolulu

Zippy's, to me, isn't quite as a unique experience as the other places on your list. I think somewhere in time, I became an L&L fan over Zippy's. Of course, Leonard's is all about the malasadas and other sweets...

Here's some other ideas along your suggestions:

Kaka`ako Kitchen in the Ward Center for plate lunches with a gourmet twist.
Fukuya Delicatessen near the University of Hawai`i for old school oykazuya.

I also posted this recently:

Over at Honolulu Harbor, there is another hot-spot that the locals like; I hear they procure their fish straight from the auction next door.

http://www.nicospier38.com/

All of the places I've listed above are easy to get to via TheBus.

Here's some other thoughts - in Hawai`i, there are unique dishes to ethnic cuisines; some of these I crave because I cannot get them anywhere else. For example, the Cantonese food includes "cake noodles" which are somewhat like pan-fried noodles (but better) and gau gee, which are huge dumplings (imagine a fried won ton that has been over-stuffed and not twist-folded). At Korean places, the kim chi runs a bit milder and while every place will have meat jun on the menu, I've only seen it once in Southern California and it was at a place run by locals. The Hawaiian versions of "Portuguese Sausage" and "Malasadas" also appear to be much different than one will see outside of the Islands.

The #1 population group(s), from the 1990 census, is not Chinese, but Japanese & Caucasian (tied at 24% each). Next is "part-Hawaiian" at 18%, Filipino 11%, then Chinese at 6%. See http://naturalhawaii.com/html/about-...in-hawaii.html But, with Hawaii being such a melting pot, these figures may be a little inaccurate. :)

You are correct, my brain got tangled and should have said Japanese. Thanks for the correction.

Thank you guys for the suggestions. I am planning to do something similar to this report that I wrote a while ago about a trip to Vancouver but this time emphasizing the local predilections a bit more.

Hawaii is a fascinating ethnic melting pot and I am no stranger to the fusion of cultures. I was born in Latin America but you would never guess that I am from there because my ancestry is Chinese. My fascination with food started when I was a kid - my parents owned an import business and was one of the few places in my country that imported caviar and other gastronomic goods. I was privileged to have experienced great food at an early age. For instance once I saw how fresh shark fins were processed to make into soup. My parents also owned restaurants and I used to help in the kitchens. One time they were featured in an article on the Miami Herald as one of the best "mom and pop" places to eat in Miami. Eventually I obtained a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Mgt. but never quite pursued that path. However, at one point in my career I became the regional catering manager for UA in SFO.

AW: Shark fins have come into prominence! On another subject, I hope you post a link to your article, whenever. Any link to Vancouver?

For trivia freaks:

Hawaii 2000 population of Hawaii: 1,211,537 (2000 census)
Rank Ancestry % of Population
1. Japanese 20.7
2. Filipino 17.7
3. Hawaiian 16.3
4. Chinese 8.3
5. German 5.8

Ken - no personal links to Vancouver except that it is one of my favorite cities (after Paris) and that I would love to live there one of these days.

Thanks for the interesting facts. For some reason I thought that Portuguese were pretty prominent in the make up but I guess I am wrong.

Perhaps the Portuguese assumption comes from the use of a lot of Portuguese sausage in local fare, or because the Malasadas that Leonard's is so famous for are Portuguese in origin, IIRC.

BTW, +1 on both Kakaako Kitchens and Nico's Pier 38, two of my favorite places in HNL.

You beat me to it! Was interrupted (volunteer fireman) writing the following.

Your Portuguese population thought was probably the result of the sausage being very popular. Thinking of that brought up the thought of Spam and Poke. The supermarkets deli case is one place where you can see all sorts of poke. Some links on Hawaiian food follow.

Portuguese Sausage: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/...order_Mainland

Plate Lunches: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/...ate_lunch_menu

Spam: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/..._Spam_Jam_2010

Poke: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/...i_style_recipe

Plate Lunch Near Waikiki: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/...nts_locals_eat

You could probably skip Zippy's as noted above. It really isn't that special.

I'd probably consider going to Shirokiya as they do offer decent Japanese food for a cheap price.

You should probably go to Legend Chinese Restraunt at the Chinese Cultural Plaza in Chinatown. Easily reachable by bus. I love the fried cake noodles. Nice and crunchy.

Spam is very popular here. Probably moreso here than anywhere else in the USA. Try eating a spam musubi.

Agree with above that Kalua pork and cabbage is very good as a plate lunch item. I like Garlic Chicken too.

Another local delicacy is haupia, a sort of firm coconut pudding. Probably won't see this one anywhere on the mainland.

Korean BBQ (chicken, etc.) places are plentiful in HI. For example:

http://www.yummyhawaii.com/yummy.htm

A relatively recent, but fast growing chain is Blazin Steaks. I see some negative reviews (am always suspicious of possible competitor's postings) but have had their 8 oz sliced steak, (or chicken) 2 scoops of rice and salad at least 12 times @ $6. Always very good. The latest info I could find says there are now over 20 in HI.

http://www.blazinwaikiki.com/

I appreciate all the great tips from everyone. At this point I am a bit intrigued by lunch trucks, markets and will definitely check out some of the places suggested.

I am not usually a morning person but will probably wake up early (or stay late) and go to "Eggs 'n Things" for breakfast. One does not have pancakes or french toasts with guava/coconut syrup often in the mainland. Does anyone know if Shirokiya still discount the bento boxes at a certain time at the end of the day? That seems to be a very Japanese business custom. There is a Japanese market close to my place that does that everyday and it has become quite an "event" as people pack the store before closing time. They even make announcements telling people not to push as they let people in. Just crazy.

Maunakea Market Place Food Court

It's in Chinatown, has lots of different Asian Foods in one place and pretty cheap.

I used to live on Oahu, am caucasian and my husband is Korean. The Korean BBQ is unique to Hawaii (very different from real Korean BBQ) but I miss it so much! Any Yummy BBQ place is worth a try - get macaroni salad with it! Great for generous plate lunches to take out to the beach or home. They're usually in strip malls.

Also, do not miss Genki Sushi. They have the best spicy tuna! Usually we're the only non-locals when we go there (we go almost every other day when we're back for a vacation). There's one in Pearl City, one in Waikiki (short drive) and one that I like near Kapolei. They are also very inexpensive. Pearl City one used to be BYOB but I don't think they are anymore.

Costco has very fresh fish and poke - we love to pick up some fish and grill it. Add sticky rice and seaweed salad.

We also used to love two Korean places - one in Kailua (right outside the back gate of the Marine Corps base) called Willow Tree, and one in Kaneohe called Enchanted Lake Kim Chee (we used to be in Kailua). Both are great spots to try Hawaii Korean food.

Go to the flea market!!! I love the dried cuttlefish - get the spicy kind. Also it's a great place to pick up nuts and crack seed (I don't like it but Hawaiians do).

Have shave ice with beans up on the north shore - but they often have a long line (Matsumoto).