12 July 2010

OAHU Day 2.. 18 May 2010

Let me make this clear before I continue on w/ Day 2.. everyday for breakfast(except for Sunday which you'll see later) we had this:

 Cinnamon Bread 

We picked this up on Day 1 from the local Walmart before we went to our resort because we knew that everyday was going to start off early and there wouldn't be anytime for a breakfast stop.  What a good choice because this bread definitely hit the spot for the both of us every early morning in OAHU.  Sorry I don't have any pix of what it looks like because I forgot to take one =P
Before I start showing all the great foods we munched on in Day 2.. My GF and I started off our day w/ a lil:

SKYDIVING!!

Now we can check that off our list of "crazy shit to do"! haha.. But yeah it was freak'n Awesome!! a breathe taking view w/ mad a drenalin rush! I could go on about the experience but that can wait for another time.  If you wanna know about, hit me up! I'll be glad to talk about it.. 1 thing for sure though, HAWAII isn't a trip w/o SKYDIVING over OAHU! If your single w/o kids, this is a MUST DO!

Now that Skydiving was over with, I was thirsty and low and behold, guess what pulled up right while we were waiting for our digital photos to be copied:

 (taken w/ an SD900)
The ALOHA SNACKS truck pulled up and a few locals said they were known for good smoothies so obviously I have to try one now.  Even though I preferred water to quench my thirst, a smoothie wouldn't hurt.

So here's a small picture of the Menu:


My GF isn't really a big smoothie fan but since I know she enjoys peanut butter, I went with #9!

CUTAWAY -
Bananas, Peanut Butter, Honey and Orange Juice

Freak'n BOMB!!!  Not too sweet but very thick and the peanut butter was just right! You could taste the bananas right off the bat with a sip, followed by yummy peanut butter, w/ a smooth taste of the orange juice and honey has it's going down!  Just awesome! What made it even better was that my GF enjoyed it because I didn't want to kill the whole thing myself, even though I know I could =P.  I'm glad she loved it!

After our pictures were done and the smoothie was killed, it was time to eat because we were starving! Finally it was time to hit up those highly TALKED ABOUT SHRIMP TRUCKS that siblings were talking about before we left. It was our turn to finally hit up a "SHRIMP TRUCK" in OAHU:

MACKYs SHRIMP TRUCK

This was highly recommended from my brother and his wife who have been to OAHU more than a few times and have DONE THIS TRUCK a few times as well.  MACKYs came up suddenly because it was located in a mini traffic circle and soon as it popped up, I was even hungrier! My GF and I were excited! so let's see what the hype was all about shall we!


This was the first sign that I saw going through the traffic circle.  The middle of the traffic circle is in the background, I don't know if you guys can see it.  And I don't have exact directions at the moment so sorry about that.
Garlic Shrimp w/ salad and pinapple

This was my GFs dish and it was sooo good! The garlic was the rice made it even better.  The shrimp was had a lot of flavor and it was very juicy.  Definitely a good choice from my GF and in her opinion, the MACKYs hype has lived up to it's reputation.
Coconut Shrimp w/ salad and pinapple

This was my plate and I give it a B+ because the Coconut Shrimp was just too damn HOT! not spicy hot but fresh hot! I tried giving it sometime to cool off but I couldn't wait because I was too hungry so I went for it.  Almost too hot to taste every bite but towards the middle, I begin to appreciate my plate.  Even my GF thought it was too hot on the bite, but that's cool w/ her because she knew she had an even better plate than me. haha.  That red sauce on the top left next to the pineapple was good for dipping the shrimp in it, but I ended up pouring it onto my rice.  Even though my shrimp was very hot, my MACKYs experience was still a good one! 

DONE DEAL! 
until next time MACKYs..

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mackys-sweet-shrimp-truck-haleiwa

Now it was time to flush all that salt and garlic down w/ another HIGHLY TALKED about joint called:

"MATSUMOTO'S"

Known for their fabulous SHAVE ICE! this was another highly recommended place by siblings and it was finally our turn to DO THIS and see what all the hype was about. 

The Menu

We finally ordered and shared this:

 Large Shave Ice -
flavors include: banana cream, strawberry, and mango on a bed of beans and ice cream

The best SHAVE ICE I've ever had! I swear and I'm not just saying that! Another talked about place that lived up to the hype! and I could see why it's so popular.  The ice wasn't like small bits of crushed ice like an average shave ice place would make, this ice was more like powder from the mountains.  Very soft on the lips.  The flavors were very juicy and sweet but not too sweet like I intended it to be by the looks of it.  I wish we ordered a carrier cup on it because it was mad dripping down our hands! 


Told you it was dripping.. look at those flavors sitting on top of the paper cone!! ahhhh I wish I had one rightnow damnit! So it came w/ a straw and you could either sip the Shave Ice out of a straw or eat it like a real MAN! haha.  

(screen shot courtesy of an HD GoPro Video Camera)

Our hands were too sticky at the time to grab a camera but I remembered I recorded our MATSUMOTO Shave Ice experience so I did a quick edit to show you this.  See the beans! there's ice cream in there as well but I think we killed most of it already! haha but I can still see a little bit under the beans.  The flavored ice mixed w/ the ice cream and beans was so freak'n good! Damn I wish they made a shave ice like that around here for the summer time!

So I rate Matsumoto's an A+ because it was very satisfying and lived up to the hype! The ice was unbelievably soft and powdery! The mixed flavors weren't too sweet and the ice cream and beans complimented it very well.

http://www.matsumotoshaveice.com/
So our day went on w/ a lot of fun site seeing and activities etc.. that I'd like to mention but this blog is mostly about food so I'll hold on to those stories until I see one of you guys. Hehe.. 

Before I go onto the next food adventure, here's a clip of where we went in the middle of the day:

(taken w/ an Olympus 1030 SW waterproof)
Waimea Valley Water Fall

Make sure you do Hawaii w/ good water proof Digital Camera & HD Video Camera equipment!

Now off to take advantage of our GO OAHU card w/ a little visit to:

DOLE Plantation and the MAZE!

We didn't necessarily go through the entire maze because we read that it could take hours so we walked around entrance of the maze and around the DOLE Plantation.


The MENU

What made our GO OAHU CARD valuable during our visit to the plantation was this:

Pineapple soft swirl
I'm not really a fan of Pineapple because I find it a bit sour but since this was free because of our GO OAHU CARD, we took full advantage of it.  I basically ate 1.5 of a swirl because my GF just wanted the cone! haha.  She's not really a fan of pineapple.  Since it was a hot afternoon in Oahu, this swirl turned out to be pretty damn good! haha.  I recommend for any of you guys that live pineapple, this is was good!

http://www.dole-plantation.com/

As we continued the late afternoon on our way to Bonzai Pipeline aka PIPE, my gf and I started getting hungry for some snacks so we pulled over to this little joint off kamehameha hwy:

Ted's Bakery

A cool little mom n pops bakery w/ a lot of goodies and friendly customer service.  Here's what we got!

Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cream

My GF got this and she liked it a lot.  I didn't take a bite of it because I had this:

Glazed donut

My GF was like "are you serious? a donut?" I know I could a donut back home but there was something about this donut behind the counter that looked good for some reason. Haha.  I had to go for it so I ordered it and wooooooow!! I'm glad I made that choice! Even my GF thought it was good.  It was warm and moist like it was freshly cooked.  Maybe it was but I don't know, all I know it was good and nothing like the average regular glazed donut like they have back home.  So if you guys are in the North Shore craving a donut after swim, after a snorkle, or after a surf session, hit up Ted's Bakery just north of Sunset Beach on kamehameha hwy on the right side across from the beaches.  It'll satisfy your donut crave!

ohh and this as well:
Chips

Not special about this Kettle chips like we thought they would be but still a good munchy while on the road.

After a long day, it was time to end it all w/ some good o'l filipino food for dinner from:

Thelma's Filipino Restaurant

Even though we've only been away from home for about 2 days, we already missed filipino food so we had to get some.  We found this place on Yelp and it was delicious.  I felt very much at home in that restaurant w/ other filipino's that lived on the island.  It almost felt like my GF and I were hitting up the local filipino restaurant back home in Cerritos but it wasn't.. we were in OAHU! I was loving every minute of it!

So here's what we ordered:

 GFs Plate, Thelma's special

My Buffet Plate

Even though I had a buffet plate, our orders were basically the same except for I had Adobo fried rice.  Our orders had crispy pata w/ tomatoes and onions while I had Adobo and she had a small bowl of mungo on her plate.

So if you guys are ever in Oahu in the Waipahu area, I would recommend Thelma's Filipino Restaurant because my GF had a yummy dinner here and also because it scored good ratings on Yelp! 

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Thelma%27s+filipino+restaurant+oahu&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Thelma%27s+filipino+restaurant&hnear=Oahu,+Pearl+City,+HI+96782&cid=15409776995900473328

Day # 2 was a very productive and successful food day! Day #3 will be posted soon.. stay tuned!





28 June 2010

OAHU Day 1.. 17 May 2010

My dream of finally going to the NORTH SHORE in OAHU was finally going down!! My gf and I have been planning this trip for almost the past yr and today it finally arrived.

NORTH SHORE - 1987

This movie is what started it all! my passion for the ocean, for the waves, for wave riding, and my dream of 1 day visiting the NORTH SHORE.  The very first time I saw this film might have in '88 or '89 when my brother brought home the VHS, and since then I might have watched it a thousand times.  It's even cooler that my gf enjoys this movie because this has to rank up there as one of my all time favs.  
So leading up to our trip, we had to watch this movie a couple times to build the excitement and to do some note taking on what spots to check out in OAHU.

So we flew out of LAX on United Airlines on 17 May @ 8am.. Man o man.. my gf and I were so excited! I had Bodyboarding videos in mp4s and the North Shore mp4 on my iPOD just to pump me up because I was "Going to Hawaii to surf the BIG WAVES of the NORTH SHORE" (unfortunately it was already spring, so the waves on the North Shore were basically all flat because it wasn't winter anymore, but I wanted to stay that quote because the star of the movie said that).

3.5hrs into the flight and my gf and I were getting hungry!! The spam & eggs back home for bfast @ 5:45am PST felt so long ago and we didn't pack any snacks on the plane.  All these Japanese tourist on the plane were heating up some mad HEAT in the microwave and it was torture! We had to buy something..

(taken w/ an SD900)
Ham & Cheese Croissant

Thumbs down to Air plane food but we were hungry!  It was cold and the cheese was stiff, but fuck it.. we were hungry! but I knew... I KNEW that once we landed and for the rest of the trip, we were going to eat REAL NICE!  I had my mind set on a LOCO MOCO as soon as we get the opportunity after we land, but for the mean time this Croissant will do.  But word of advice, try to pack your own goodies(if you can).


Here's a shot from my point of view next to the wing. I think that's the Big Island right there.. I was getting excited because we were close!


We have arrived!! A warm welcome on our way to baggage claim..

I'm not going to blog about each and every detail about our trip because this blog is about Foooooood! but don't worry, if I see you, i'll be glad to tell you about my trip =)

LUNCH
Nicos Pier 38

Our first place to eat on the island right off the plane would be here @ Nicos Pier 38 in Honolulu.  A small and humble place that appeared to be a very popular place based on all the people that were eating there.

In line to order!

Look at that Breakfast menu!


Lunch menu #2, I wasn't able to get a shot ofLunch menu #1 by itself but if you look at the picture above, just zoom in.  What caught my eye on the menu that got me close to ordering one was the "Grilled Ahi Sandwhich".  Interesting huh? I came close to ordering it but NAWWWW this is Hawaii, I had my mind set on a LOCO MOCO all along! a LOCO MOCO from Hawaii!

1/2 n 1/2 Plate
Teriyaki chicken w/ sauce, cho mein & rice
Loco Moco w/ rice & salad

My gf and I shared this heavy ass plate and it was delicious! What a way to start off our trip w/ grub like this.  I almost started eating right away because it looked so bomb but I had to control myself because I had to take a minute or 2 to take pictures w/ my DSLR & iPhone.. oh yeah and my gf took some pictures as well w/ her camera.  If I started eating right away, these pictures wouldn't be possible but I did!! so thank me =)  

Damn it was so good! Not good because I was hungry but good because it freak'n was!  The teriyaki chicken complimented the Loco Moco very well and the salad was aiiiiight.  I'm glad we shared because I think it would've been too much food and that was something we didn't want to bring a long w/ us because we still had all our luggage!

Nicos Pier 38
• Monday - Friday •
6:30am - 5:00pm

• Saturday •
6:30am - 2:30pm

1133 N. Nimitz HWY
Honolulu, HI 96817
(Across the Nimitz Business Center, 1st floor of POP Fishing & Marine)
http://www.nicospier38.com/

We finally got to our resort and GM 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals was on! The Los Angeles LAKERS vs the Phoenix Suns.  We stayed at the resort for awhile to watch the game, unpack, and get some rest from the traveling. 

It was about 5pm when we decided to shake the resort, but first I wanted to stop at a place I've been wanting to go ever since I saw it on a Bodyboarding video back in the early 1990s.

(taken w/ an SD900)
SANDY BEACH aka SANDYS

Known for it's hard waves that break right on the shore known as "Shore breaks", this beach is the #1 break in Hawaii for causing neck injuries or death.  A sandbar break w/ large rocks and small lava rocks in a few spots.  I was a hauli at this spot right off the bat but thanks to a local pro Bodyboarder that I met named Aka Lyman, thanks to him for giving me advice on where to paddle out at.  I was stoked to meet him because this was somebody I grew up watching and for him to be the first person to meet on Oahu was sweeet!

So my bodyboarding session was finally over around 8:15pm I think and I was hungry! my gf was hungry and you know what that means, it's time to grub!!

DINNER

From SANDYS to Honolulu.. it was time to get get some dinner here:

 KOBE Japanse Steak House

Yeah I know.. why visit a KOBE Japanese Steak House in Oahu when you can eat at the one in Seal Beach?? You know this place is good and if you have a Buy 1 get 1 free coupon.. what the heck right?!!!


We watched as our entire dinner is skillfully being prepared by their highly trained master chefs!

Shrimp, onions & stuff..

to this!

some good dipping sauce that I can't recall what..

coooook it uuuuuuup!

hooooo ohhhh hoooo!!!

Kobe Beef & Chicken w/ been sprouts

guess what??!! the finale to the plate!

furrrrr-iiiiide  riiiiiiice!

Anyone that's ever been to a KOBE Japanese steak house knows that their fried rice is off the heezy fo sheezy! so of course we had to get this!  To be honest, it was a little bit salty but mixing it up with some of our steamed rice balanced it out.  Even the saucy soup from the KOBE steak and chicken applied on top of the rice was EXTRA YUMMY!! The KOBE beef was tender and juicy like always and the chicken was very flavorful! What made this dinner even better was our Buy 1 Get 1 coupon! haha..

KOBE Japanese Steak House
1841 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, HI 96815-1693
(808) 941-4444

I must say that despite our Air plane croissant, starting off the day w/ a home cook breakfast of eggs, spam & rice and ending it with tasty dinner from KOBE Japanese Steak house... Day #1 was a food success!! what a way to start off our vacation in OAHU!

21 June 2010

21 JUNE 2010.. LAKERS!!!

CONGRATS to the Los Angeles LAKERS for beating the Celtics in a decisive GM 7 in the 2010 NBA Finals. 
Today is the victory Parade which officially puts the NBA 2009-2010 Season to a KLOSE!


Back 2 Back
5 rings KOBE! Keep moving forward! Get more up on Shaq!
Let LeBron win his regular season MVPs while you collect Rings & Finals MVPs!

stone face FISH still can't believe it!