Kauai Eats

Hukilau Lanai
520 Aleka Loop
Kapaa, Kauai

At the end of our first activity-filled day in Kauai, we were in the Kapaa area trying to figure out what to do for dinner. With the help of Google Places, we decide to eat at Hukilau Lanai at the Kauai Coast Resort. We didn't have a reservation, but they were still able to seat us quickly.

While browsing through the menu, we noticed a smaller menu promoting a 5-course tasting menu for $28. For only $12 more, each course will come with a wine pairing. This menu is available to early diners (from 5-5:45 PM). We decided that I would order the tasting menu, while Andrew would order off the regular menu so that we could share and try more items from their menu.

We started off with Andrew's appetizer: Adam's Poke Nachos, an ahi tuna nacho dish. These were nothing like the typical Mexican nachos we're used to. The nacho chips were actually deep fried won ton wrappers. topped with ahi poke, avocado, tobiko, tomato, and a sweet wasabi sauce. They were eaten with chopsticks and were very tasty.

ahi.tuna.nachos

We were also given focaccia bread which was delicious. It was light and fluffy and had a nice cheesy topping.

fluffy.focaccia

The first course in my tasting menu was an Island Gazpacho with a rum, pineapple, and sorbet. I'm not a big gazpacho person to begin with, so I wasn't a fan of this stuff. It tasted more like a fine tomato salsa to me, but the sorbet was very nice. The Mosel Riesling it was paired with matched well. At the same time, Andrew had the lobster bisque.

gazpacho.and.lobster.bisque

Course #2 was a candied ahi on top of a bed of rice with a coconut chipotle sauce. It was good, but I didn't like the Vinho Verde it was paired with. Course #3 was something I could have done without. It was sausage with warabi (a local vegetable). The sausage was nothing spectacular and I didn't like how the warabi was pickled. The Chilean rose it was paired with was too dry for my liking.

Left: candied ahi
Right: sausage with warabi

Course #4 was memorable, but I can't remember the name of the fish (short name starting with a t). It was served with a kale salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette, on top of summer quinoa. It was surprisingly paired with a red wine (Italian Sangiovese), which I enjoyed. Andrew's main course was also fish based - the catch of the day. It came with mahi mahi, shrimp, and one more fish that we couldn't recall, on top of tender orzo.

fish.entrees

For dessert, I opted for the Artisan cheese duo (goat cheese, which seemed to be bordered with brie, with honeycomb; and a hard cheese which I can't remember the name of, with macadamia nuts. It was served with a few slices of baguette. The wine it was paired with was gross (orange muscat). It was way too strong for me, and I shuddered each time I tasted it. I really tried to work on it, but it just wasn't going to happen. Andrew's dessert was the macadamia nut tart with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. I'm not really into tarts but the ice cream was yummy.

cheese.duo.and.macadamia.nut.tart

This was a really great experience overall and we felt that it was a much better value than Mama's Fish House, with similar quality food. Though I didn't catch the exact price of each of Andrew's selections, our meal cost about 40% less than at Mama's Fish House. Plus, it was fun to try the variety in the tasting menu. A reservation is not necessary, but I would recommend it just to be safe.

5/5

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Hamura Saimin
2956 Kress St
Lihue, Kauai

We met a friendly middle-aged Hawaiian woman and her daughter at the airport in Kahului. While our flight was delayed, we got to have a nice, long chat with them. The pair were returning to their hometown of Waimea in Kauai. They suggested that if we wanted to try some local food while in Kauai, we should go to Hamura Saimin. Having not had saimin before, they described it as noodle soup with vegetables and Chinese BBQ pork. It sounded a lot like Japanese-style ramen to me, which is what it essentially was. It was pretty cheap ($5-9 for a bowl depending on the size and if you want any extras in it). We both chose bowls of the Specialty Saimin ($7.50 for a regular size, $8.50 for the extra large bowl). In addition to the noodles in soup, it came with a some colorful sides including vegetables, green onions, roasted pork, wontons, egg, and fish ball. I wasn't blown away by the saimin, unlike many of the positive reviews stated on various websites from both locals and travellers, so I don't have much desire to return for the noodles.

specialty.saimin

The mother and daughter from the airport also told us to try the lilikoi (passion fruit) chiffon pie. Now that was something that I enjoyed. It was a light and fluffy taste of heaven, topped off with Cool Whip. The lilikoi filling was airy, fruity, and not overly sweet. I'm also not normally a fan of pie because I don't like pie crust, but this pie crust was also amazing! This is something I would return for.

delicious.pie

If you do decide to go to Hamura Saimin, it is a small place, and you do have to stand and wait until a section of the winding table is free. The servers are 2 slow moving old ladies who may be hard of hearing, as they brought us the wrong saimin and I had to repeat my pie order multiple times. They also run on a cash only system.

seating.at.hamura.saimin

Bottom line: while the saimin didn't meet expectations, it is definitely worth going for the pie.

2.5/5

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Kalapaki Beach Hut
3423 Rice St
Lihue, HI

After our helicopter tour of Kauai, we went to Kalapaki Beach Hut in Lihue, where I tried the Loco Moco ($6.95). Our friend Xueming, who was also in Hawaii at the same time as us, described it to us as being a fried egg and a hamburger patty topped with gravy on a bed of rice. Since it's a traditional breakfast here, I figured I had to give it a go. I actually really liked it!  Who knew that something this simple could taste so delicious? My favorite part was the gravy on top of the sticky short grain Japanese-style rice.

kalapaki.breakfast.and.loco.moco

Andrew had the Kalapaki #2 breakfast with scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage and breakfast potatoes ($6.25). Portuguese sausage seems to be a big thing here, but I wasn't much of a fan as I found it to be too salty. We also tried the taro fries ($3.95). I liked how they were sliced into half rounds instead of the typical elongated fries. They came with a nice spicy mayo.

taro.fries

Here, they serve breakfast and lunch all day, the seating is a free-for-all, and there is no service to the tables. There are a few spots on a picnic bench and eating bar in front of the ordering counter, and small booths and an eating bar area upstairs (good for a view of the bay area). Andrew waited for and saved us a table while I ordered and waited for our food.  While this place wasn't exceptional, I wanted to write about the popularity of the loco moco and Portuguese sausage in Hawaii.

3/5

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JoJo's Shave Ice
Kaumualii Highway
Waimea, HI

For our second shave ice adventure in Hawaii, we went to JoJo's Shave Ice. This time, I was more adventurous and had the Halo Halo, which was shave ice combined with red beans, fresh coconut, coconut and pineapple jelly, and coconut syrup.

jojo's - outdoor seating only

While I quite liked the crunchy coarse ice, I found this flavor of shave ice to be overwhelmingly sweet a third of the way in. Andrew had the rainbow shave ice (mango, guava, lillikoi) on top of macadamia nut ice cream. His was fruity and delicious, though he prefers the fine, delicate texture of the shave ice from Ululani's Shave Ice, like most people I've spoken to.

Suitcase Souvenirs: Kauai

Kauai, HI
February 22-25, 2013

When planning our trip to Hawaii, Andrew came across websites and forum posts suggesting that one must take an aerial tour when visiting the islands. We looked at the different options available, which included small plane or helicopter tours for anywhere from 1-6 passengers. We decided to book a 2-person helicopter tour with Mauna Loa Tours in Kauai ($259/person). We chose this company because of the seating options, and because helicopters can fly lower into places like the Waimea Canyon. They take a maximum of 3 passengers and each seat is next to the window. If there are two people booked for a tour, they will not wait until the 3rd seat is filled. In addition, we chose the doors off option for this tour and I must say that this is the only way to go, especially if you want an unobstructed view and to get some good photos. It was windy and cold as heck with this option, but it was so worth it! In addition to the Waimea Canyon, we got to see the Na Pali coast (only accessible by flying, boating, or hiking), Manawaiopuna Falls (featured in Jurassic Park), and the waterfalls in Mt Waialeale Crater.

takeoff!

doors.off

kauai.scenery

rainbows!

mt.waialeale.crater.and.waterfalls

a&k.after.the.ride

The helicopter tour was the first thing we did on Kauai; it was also useful because it gave us ideas for what to explore further. After the tour, we drove along the north coast to head to Tunnels Beach to snorkel. I've been told by Ken (and Google Places) that there are many fruit stands along the way, so we stopped at Banana Joe's, where the reviews told us that we had to have the banana-pineapple frosty.

banana.joe's

It was delicious! It was just made from frozen banana and pineapple, but run through a juicer-like device. The result is frozen fruit with an ice cream-like texture. We devoured it too quickly for me to take a picture of it!

There is no official parking lot for Tunnels Beach. Instead, you have to park at the beach a bit further north (about 7 mins walking) and then head back to Tunnels. The beach further north wasn't hospitable to swimming that day as the currents were way too strong. However, the water was clear and still towards the south end of Tunnels. One thing we experienced here on Kauai is that there are random periods of precipitation (from light drizzle to heavy rain). When we got to our chosen spot on Tunnels beach it started raining. Fortunately it was over quickly. We then headed into the water. Eventually we deviated from the safe spot and ended up going further north in the water where the waves got stronger and the water was shallower with large, sharp boulders and reef underneath. At one point a wave was so strong that it knocked me into the reef, cutting my knee in a bunch of different directions. Fortunately, the lifeguard saw my cuts and helped me patch it up.

Next, we carried on with our journey along the north shoreline to Haena Park where we saw the wet cave and a bunch of roosters, a hen and her chicks on the road. The chickens and roosters are all over the place here!

haena.park.and.wet.cave

Our last stop of the day was seeing the lighthouse at Kilauea Point. It's a beautiful coastal view there with the potential to see all sorts of avian species.

kilauea.lighthouse

The next morning, I woke up at 6:30 AM. I took advantage of this to head to the beach adjacent to our hotel and take some pictures of the sunrise.

kauai.sunrise

kauai.beach.resort.at.sunrise

Our journey for this day was go cover the south shore of Kauai. From Lihui, we drove to Poipu to check out the Sprouting Horn blowhole, However, since we saw the Nakalele Blowhole in Maui a few days earlier, we though that this one wasn't as amazing.

sprouting.horn.blowhole

Continuing along the south shore, Andrew's attention was caught by a road sign for a Russian fort, so he turned the car around to visit it. We ended up spending no more than 5 minutes there. His words were "it's just a bunch of rocks!". We don't even have photographic evidence that we've been to this site. We carried on to make it to the end of the road on the south side to complete our mission of driving around the entire island.

We then headed up Waimea Canyon to spend the rest of our time there until sunset. Waimea Canyon is described as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", and I would have to agree with that description.

waimea.canyon

We stopped at all of the official lookout points (and some of the non-official points), and I was told that we had to drive to the very end of the canyon road. One of the world's wettest spots turned out to be there; sure enough, it was pretty wet and misty!

misty.waialeale

We drove back to the lookout just before this spot which overlooked the Na Pali coast and waited for the sun to set from that direction.

na.pali.coast

kauai.sunset

Some other activities that Andrew took part in while I returned back home early included kayaking on the Wailua River and hiking the Sleeping Giant Trail - both which he highly recommends!

Stay tuned for Kauai Eats!

Maui Eats

Mama's Fish House

799 Poho Pl
Paia, HI

The fish menu at Mama's Fish House changes daily and they strive on providing fresh seafood. It's a popular place and highly rated, and we weren't able to get reservations for the day we wanted to go. However, they do have some tables set aside for walk-ins, so that's what we tried to do. We got there fairly early for dinner (about 5:30 PM on a Wednesday) and at the mandatory valet parking area, we were told that the wait would be up to 45 minutes. Upon checking in with the restaurant hostess, however, we got seated immediately. The restaurant space is expansive, with an ocean side view.

ocean.side.view

mama's.fish.house

I ordered a glass of refreshing riesling ($12) and Andrew had the mango fruit colada ($15) - his drink was amazing and I ended up drinking most of it!

mango.fruit.colada

We started off with lobster guacamole ($20), which may very well be the best guacamole we've ever had. The avocados were creamy and incredibly fresh tasting. The guacamole was served with taro and yam chips.

lobster.guacamole

We both chose mahi mahi for our entrees; mine was stuffed with lobster and crab, encrusted with macadamia nuts, and baked ($52). According to the menu, my fish was caught by Mike Holley along the north shore of Maui, close to Hana. The mahi mahi was cooked to perfection. The restaurant also provides complimentary poi upon request, so I decided to give it another try. It was very bland, as expected. I can handle it in small amounts, but couldn't eat it on a daily basis.

mahi.mahi.and.poi

Andrew's entree was a combination of mahi mahi and ahi tuna in a panang curry ($46). It came with an interesting set of 4 Chinese spoons consisting of crushed macadamia nuts, chili sauce, sliced bananas, and mango chutney.

mahi.mahi.ahi.curry

For dessert, I let Andrew make the selection. He chose the Hana banana macadamia nut tart topped with a scoop of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream ($14). I found this to be the weakest part of the meal, but only because I'm not really a tart/pie person. Andrew was more than pleased with it.

hana.banana.macadamia.nut.crisp

I was very impressed by our dining experience at Mama's Fish House. The service was fantastic and efficient, and the food was stellar. Though the prices are on the higher end, I thought that the atmosphere, quality of service and food made it worthwhile. If you visit Maui, plan to make this your special meal out for your trip!

5/5

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Coconut's Fish Cafe

1279 S Kihei Rd
Kihei, HI

We went to Coconut’s Fish Cafe based on a Google+ Local search. It was pretty good, but we ended up ordering way too much food! We started off with the Caesar salad ($7.95) and a cup of the seafood chowder ($4.99). The seafood chowder was very tasty with a creamy base, ono, mahi mahi, and clams. We ordered one entree each, but in hindsight, we should have just shared one. I chose the fish tacos topped with mango salsa ($11.95). Each order of tacos comes with 2 (which doesn't sound like a lot, but they were heavy on the toppings). Andrew chose the catch of the day ($11.95) - grilled fish over brown rice. He was given a list of fish with very foreign sounding names to choose from, and he selected the opakapaka.

caesar.salad.and.seafood.chowder

fish.taco.and.grilled.opakapaka

We were very pleased with our selections, but couldn't get through eating it all. We tried our best to finish as much as we could, but we ended up having to take the Caesar salad to go. Luckily our hotel had a fridge!

coconut's.fish.cafe

Coconut’s Fish Cafe is fairly small, so they encourage sharing of the surfboard-shaped tables. We sat next to another couple and ended up having a long chat with them. Josh and Abby were from Spokane had just gotten married a few days before on the Big Island and were visiting the rest of the islands. They were going to be in Kauai at the same time as us so they gave use their contact info to meet up with them there, which is what Andrew did as I had to end my vacation earlier due to work conflicts.

4/5

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Costco
540 Haleakala Highway
Kahului, HI

I love Costco, and I had not visited one outside of Canada. Since our hotel was close by, we knew we had to go and check it out! They had a bunch of items unique to Hawaii for sale. We bought some taro and yam chips, macadamia nuts/chocolates for gifts, seaweed salad, and ahi poke. One thing I really wanted to buy was a pineapple. They were fragrant and giant, and only $2.99 each! Sadly, there was no kitchen in our hotel room so that idea went down the drain.

Since we often make a stop at the cafeteria during our Costco visits, we had to see what this one had to offer. We ordered the chicken bake with chicken, bacon, Caesar dressing, and cheese ($2.99) and a berry smoothie ($1.45).

costco.cafeteria

The ahi poke came from a deli counter section inside the store, and it was available in several varieties, both with and without rice. We picked up a small container to eat with our cafeteria findings. We noticed that in this Costco cafeteria, there were ample service lines and a vast eating area - quite a bit larger than the Costcos we're use to in Edmonton. We were also amazed at the low prices here. We did notice that they didn't have fries or poutine on their menu though. Overall, it was fun to check out a different Costco and to sample some of their other menu items!

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Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice
Locations in Lahaina, Kihei, and Kahului

My only experience thus far was from Dream Tea House in Edmonton. I loved it there due to the crunchy ice topped with things like condensed milk, grass jelly, flavored syrups, and red bean. I was told by many people that the best shave ice in Maui comes from Ululani's. Taking their advice, we went. We chose cherry, mango, and coconut milk-flavored syrups for our toppings. We chose to have it pure without any additional toppings (like macadamia nuts, shredded coconut, or tapioca pearls) for our first experience.

ululani's.in.kahului

This shave ice was very fine and snow-like. It reminded me of a snow cone, but much more delicate. While Andrew was pleased with the fine texture, I prefer larger chunks of ice as I enjoy crunching down on ice between my teeth! But I think I'm the oddball, so if you're looking for a sweet treat to cool down, give Ululani's shave ice a try!

Suitcase Souvenirs: Maui - Part 2

Maui, HI
February 17-22, 2013

The road to Hana town is a loopy drive along the northeast shore of Maui, with over 50 bridges to cross (many of them are single lane) and amazing scenery. There are lots of hairpin turns on this road, so if you're prone to motion sickness, take appropriate medication with you. Plan for at least a full day for this trip. From Kahului, it took us about 4 hours to drive the 70 or so miles to Hana. There are tons of roadside turnouts and we took advantage of most of them for the views and photo opportunities. There were some amazing views of the shoreline and lots of beautiful waterfalls to admire. Apparently there are black sand beaches and lava tubes to check out, but we missed those!

view.on.drive.to.hana

tiny.bridge

waterfalls.near.hana

Many Maui tourist brochures have ads from the Hana Bay Picnic Co in Paia, the last town to load up on food and gas before reaching Hana. Their claim to fame was their picnic box lunches, which ended up being nothing more than a combo containing a glorified sandwich, a small bag of chips, and a cookie. They also sell many items that tourists may need along the way, including sunscreen, ponchos, motion sickness pills, and CDs to follow along to for a self-guided tour. Though this is a convenient stop for food and sundries for the trip, I would have been happier stocking up on stuff from the grocery store we went to the night before in Kahului. In addition, there are a bunch of self-serve flower and snack stands as you get closer to Hana (they operate by the honor system - make sure you have exact change!). Some claim to carry amazing banana bread! We picked up some tasty coconut brittle at the Nahiku self-serve stand.

nahiku.self.serve

Most people head back to Kahului the same way they got to Hana. Andrew was feeling adventurous and upon talking to locals, he was convinced that it was ok to drive back via the south shore, as long as the conditions were dry. The car rental companies warn against driving on this road due to the isolation, stretches of bumpy unpaved roads, blind corners, and some paths being at the edge of cliffs. We drove with caution, and at one point a Hike Maui van passed us and Andrew decided to follow them as close as he could because they were driving confidently and knew when to honk to warn oncoming traffic at the blind twists and curves.

scary.section.of road

We were treated to some spectacular views completely different from the northeast shore. At one lookout, the landscape showed a beautiful rocky shoreline in one direction, and complete desert in the other direction. Another thing I didn't expect to see was the number of cows in Maui - it was even more than what one would typically see driving along the highways in Alberta!

maui.south.shore

The afternoon before our flight out of Maui, we decided to drive from Kahului along the north shore to see the blowhole at Nakalele Point. From the parking lot, it's about a 15 minute hike down to see the blowhole, but there are warning signs for visitors to not get too close, as the waves are so strong that they have sucked people away into the ocean before.

warning!

dude.ignoring.warning.sign

nakalele.blowhole

After our visit to the blowhole, we were able to say that we drove along the entire shoreline of the island (as far as the highways would allow). We decided to try to accomplish this on island of Kauai as well...stay tuned!

maui.northwest.shoreline

Suitcase Souvenirs: Maui - Part 1

Maui, HI
February 17-22, 2013

This was our first trip to the Hawaiian islands, and my first real beach vacation. We chose to visit Maui on the recommendation of many others who have frequented the island in the past. I loved it enough to want to go back in the future! The highlights of the trip were snorkeling, driving the road to Hana, catching the sunrise at the Mt Haleakala crater, attending a luau, and seeing the Nakalele Blowhole.

We managed to snorkel in 3 different areas around the island; our favorite spot was at Honolua Bay along the northwest coast of Maui. The waters were calm the morning we went, and we got to see the most variety in the sea life here. 

honolua.bay

The other 2 snorkeling spots we checked out were Black Rock just off of Kaanapali Beach, and Turtle Town at Maluaka Beach. It may have been bad timing for us, but we found that Black Rock was too busy for our liking, and although Maluaka Beach is supposed to have calm and still water, we got there near evening when the currents had picked up and so it wasn't welcoming to snorkeling. 

maluaka.beach

We found this site to be incredibly useful in planning our snorkeling journeys. Some friends also recommended going on a snorkeling sail out to Molokini Crater, where the water is supposed to be incredibly clear for snorkeling. We didn't do that this time because we figured there would be enough places to explore right off the beaches of the island.

kamaole.beach.1

When in Maui, one must partake in a Luau! Went to the Old Lahaina Luau because it had higher ratings on Trip Advisor and because it was recommended by others. It's about $100 per person, and it includes a traditional Hawaiian buffet, unlimited drinks (including yummy alcoholic beverages), and entertainment.

old.lahaina.luau

We did this early on in our trip and that is what I would suggest to others. It really sets the tone for a Hawaiian vacation. Upon entering the luau site, guests were greeted with a fresh orchid lei and a Hawaiian cocktail. We were then free to roam around the grounds with live Hawaiian music playing in the background. We also got to watch the unearthing of the kalua pork - a pig that has been roasted in an underground pit.

kalua.pork.unearthing

It was to be served to us at dinner. Next was the buffet dinner, which included traditional foods like poi, which is steamed, mashed taro. It was meant to be a palate cleanser as it had no flavor to it. Many people didn't like it, but the taste eventually grew on me (or maybe because I mixed with other items on my plate). Other dishes included things like ahi poke (marinated tuna sashimi), fresh island fish, and the aforementioned kalua pork. The last event of the evening was the Hula dancing and music telling the history of Polynesia and how inhabitants migrated over to the islands Hawaiian islands of today.

traditional.hawaiian.dancing

Another "must-see" while in Maui is the sunrise at Haleakala Crater. Depending on what time the sun rises and where you are on the island, you may have to get up as early as 3 AM to get to the observatory on time - not only for the sunrise, but to get a parking spot and to find a good spot to watch the sunrise. On the day we went, the sun was to rise at 6:45 AM, so we got up at 3:50 to leave our hotel by 4:30 make the 1.5 hour drive from Kahului to Mt Haleakala's summit. I was told that the summit is chilly, so I had on 4 layers: a tank top, a fleece lined long-sleeved shirt, a yoga zip up, and a fleece hoodie, with gloves, closed toed shoes, and jeans. I was still cold!

It was very foggy when we arrived at the summit. At around 6:45, there was still a lot of cloud cover and we were worried that we wouldn't see the sun.

fogginess.at.mt.haleakala

A few minutes later, all of the fog and some of the clouds magically cleared away and we were able to see the rising sun.

sunrise.at.mt.haleakala

We enjoyed the view for about half an hour before it started to fog over again. We then descended and carried on with our day. Though the $10 admission fee is valid for 3 days, we didn't get a chance to go back to enjoy the view at sunset.

Stay tuned for Maui Part 2 and Maui Eats!

Suitcase Souvenirs: Maui Sneak Peak

Sunrise on top of Mt Haleakala

Wailua Falls south of the town of Hana