Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery

Previously:

Pearl Harbor National Memorial and Historical Sites

Finally, we got to try the well-known malasadas from Leonard's Bakery.  Malasadas is a Portuguese originated fried doughnut coated with sugar and cinnamon.  Somehow this doughnut is very popular in Hawaii.  One late afternoon on the way back to hotel, it was maybe nearly 6pm, we stopped to buy this malasadas.  At first, I was doubting how good could that possibly be!  There were a few people on the line but the display looks empty.  I thought they were all sold out because it was nearly closing time.  They server said malasadas are all still available.  Oh!! I didn't know that.  They actually make them fresh inside, that is why nothing on the display shelf, they were only a few cakes and other sweets.  So, we gave it a go and ordered only half dozen of them.  We got 3 plain sugar and sugar cinnamon then another 3 with custard filling and chocolate filling.

We could not wait and tasted straight away at the carpark and OMG!!!!!  Yes, that was exactly what I felt.  Jaw dropped...  No kidding!!!  That was the best doughnut I had ever eaten in my life.  The dough was so light and airy, not oily at all.  You get a bit of crispy outer layer too.  Not so sweet, even the one with the filling, just perfect as what I like.  We're a little disappointed to order only 6 pieces.  But too lazy to queue again.  (Hint: the day after we bought another 2 dozens of these delicious goodies, keep scrolling down for more details)

The original shop is located on the main road heading to the highway.  So, if you are going to travel around the island like visiting Pearl Harbor or North Shore, you will definitely pass this shop.  However, they only do takeaway.  After you order through the register inside the shop, then when your doughnuts are ready, they will call up your number and you need to pick up your hot doughnuts from the window outside.

There are carparks outside the shop but when the peak hours, it could be hard sometimes to get a spot.  But they normally come and go fairly fast.  

Original USD2 (excl GST)

Custard filling USD 2.45 (excl. GST)

Second round here

The day after we bought another two dozens, yet we still crave for more

Clockwise from the top left: Li hing, cinnamon, and original

Anyone wondering what is li hing flavour, li hing is the dried salted plum powder that Hawaiian like to use on their fresh fruits, candies and sometimes on drinks too.  It has a distinctive taste of sweet, salty and sour.  However, to be on a doughnut, tasted a bit weird for me.  It wasn't my cup of tea.  

Clockwise from the left: chocolate, ube, guava, and haupia

Haupia filling

This one comes with haupia filling or kinda like coconut custard filling.  It reminds me of eating a Southeast Asian dessert.  Smells good and tastes great.  According to our verdict, this is the best one out of all.  The flavour is still lingering in my mouth while I'm writing this.  Oh, how I miss this so much!!

Flavour of the month: Ube/sweet purple potato

Guava

My favourite is for sure that haupia and second best is the original.  I wish they open a shop here in Sydney, so I can have them every week.  If Leonard's owner is reading this, I urge you to consider opening a shop here - you can count on me as a dedicated customer from day one and I'm confident many others will follow.

Leonard's Bakery

933 Kapahulu Ave, Kalanianaole

Open: 05:30am - 7pm

Pearl Harbor National Memorial and Historical Sites

Previously:

Helena's Hawaiian Food

Hawaii in summer is very lovely.  Although the sun is so strong but doesn't make my skin burn (but of course you still need to apply some sunscreen).  And the breeze is cool.  It is just so nice enjoying things outdoor.  

Today we went to visit the historic sites of Pearl Harbor.  I felt like everything in Hawaii is so pricey, especially for entry fees.  If we converted to AUD, to visit all of sites here at least it will cost us AUD $160 per person.  With a family of 2 adults and 2 kids, all together would be somewhere near AUD 500, and this is just for one place, imagine how many places that we can visit or do here.  It's gonna cost me a fortune.  We ended up do only 2 sites which were Submarine and Battleship.

There are 4 sites that you can visit. Here the list and prices as well:

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (USD 29.99 for adult and USD17.99 for child)

Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (USD 25.99 for adult and USD14.99 for child)

Battleship Missouri Memorial (USD 39.99 for adult and USD19.99 for child)

Arizona Multimedia Tour and Virtual Reality Center (USD 20.99 for adult and USD16.99 for child)

** For all 4 experiences, costs (USD 99.99 for adult and USD 49.99 for child) and valid for 2 consecutive days **

For USS Arizona Memorial Movie and boat tickets, you need to pay again on top.

So lucky to spot this giant sea turtle

When we bought our picture with the submarine from them, we also got to choose a pearl for free.  They offered to make it as a jewelry too but it's also fine if you don't want to, you still can keep the pearl. 

 

At night, we planned to have some dinner from Saigon as they have a good review, however, there was no car park anywhere around the restaurant.  So, we went for the second choice that popped up on Google, this restaurant called Pho Old Saigon.  

When we arrived, there was literally no one else beside us, the place was so quiet.  At first, we kinda had a bad feeling about this.  But their menu looks good anyway.  We ordered a bowl of beef pho and nem neuong.  Their pho wasn't felt quite right.  It is just ordinary.  But their pork platter was really delicious.  Meats were full of flavour.  Pickles and vegetables were fresh.  It also came with some roasted peanuts and spring rolls as well.  The dish was so complete.  The portion is big too, enough for 2 peoples.

  

Special combination pho $18.95

Banh Trang (wrap & roll platter -BBQ pork, roasted ground pork, and spring rolls) $26.95

Pearl Harbour National Memorial and Historical Sites

1 Arizona Memorial Pl, Honolulu

Ph: +1 808 422 3399

Open: 7am - 5pm 

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Hawaii:

Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery

Helena's Hawaiian Foods

Previously:

Just Arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii - Stay Hotel and Around Waikiki

When you embark on a journey, immersing yourself in local cuisine is essential.  Embracing the unique way of life in the places your visit will elevate your experience, fostering a deeper connection with the community and culture.  Here in Hawaii, the distinction between Hawaiian food and local food offers a fascinating glimpse into the island's rich heritage.

Local cuisine in here is shaped by immigrants who arrived on the Hawaiian shores later on, diverse array of dishes they brought with them, blending the flavours from various ethnic groups to create a truly unique and beloved local food scene that embodies the aloha spirit.  

While Hawaiian cuisine is more like a traditional cuisine that native Hawaiians consume.  Hawaiian food is a vibrant reflection of the native Hawaiians', showcasing the indigenous people's traditional cuisine prior to Western contact. 

In this post, I'm going to show you the traditional Hawaiian cuisine from one of the famous restaurants, called Helena's Hawaiian Food in Honolulu.

The place was packed when we arrived there nearly midday.  I noticed that Hawaiian people are so chill and relax but service here was attended promptly.  We ordered the complete set menu that comes with kalua pig, lomi salmon, pipikaula short ribs and luau squid with a choice of rice or poi.  I just wanted to try everything when travelling so a set menu is perfect.  The set menu that we had cost around USD 43.  We first ordered only 2 sets for the eight of us.  But then the lady said that set menu was meant for only 1 person.  Oh wow!!!  I thought that was so expensive.  We then added a few other things from ala carte.  

When food came, actually the portion was not that small.  It could easily be for two persons.  For first timer, traditional Hawaiian food could taste interesting.  I'll go through every dish.  Start with my favourite, of course, easy to guess, it is the short ribs.  They are flavoursome and the meat was tender without losing their chewiness.  This is what ribs texture should be.  Not only they are delicious, but I would say that the short ribs here are the best one that we had from this island.  Eat them with some fresh onions, salt and a dash of chilli pepper water.  

My next favourite dish is the lomi salmon.  Lomi salmon is basically diced fresh salmon, mixed with some tomatoes, onions and shallot.  It was refreshing and made a perfect side dish.  Next on the set menu is kalua pig.  This dish is like a pulled pork dish and the meat was just falling apart.  A little bit salty and smoky.

Lets move onto the green dish in the middle which is luau squid.  This is made from luau (taro) leaves and squid and could be some coconut milk in it too.  I won't say I don't like it but I can't say I like it either.  Maybe if I have this a few more times, I will change my mind.  Finally, poi.  It is an interesting dish.  Most of Hawaiian eat poi instead of rice.  This starchy poi is made from cooked taro root that has been mashed and pounded until smooth.  It has a mild sweetness and a pronounced sourness.  For me, this is the least dish from all but I still have to try this otherwise my trip in Hawaii won't be completed.

At the end of dining, the waitress gave us a complimentary haupia or coconut pudding.  Very delicious and a great way to end the meal.

Menu D with small poi USD 43.30

Pipikaula short ribs

Kalua pig

Lomi salmon

Luau squid

Poi

Beef stew

This beef stew was pretty good too.  Beef was soft in tomato base broth with some big chunk of potatoes and carrots.

Complimentary haupia

Something very interesting in USA is their tipping system.  While tipping is technically voluntary, it is kinda expected in here.  If you come in a large group, a group of 6 or more, most of restaurants will automatically be added on your bill which is called large group charge.  Or another way of saying this is forced tips (but you don't need to tip again though, that is kinda you paid tips already, a fixed tips).  Apparently, waitresses or waiters need to carry more dishes to the table.  Weird excuse!!!

Helena's Hawaiian Food

1240 N School St, Honolulu

Ph: +1 808 845 8044

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Hawaii:

Pearl Harbor National Memorial and Historical Sites

Just Arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii - Stay Hotel and Around Waikiki

Let's ditch this icy cold city for a tropical paradise. Around early June we went for a two-weeks getaway and treat ourselves with some sun-kissed oasis and found serenity in a lush tropical haven.  The place that we visited was none other than, Hawaii, babieh...  

We flew with Jetstar that took around nine and half hours direct from Sydney to Honolulu (I heard that Jetstar will no longer operate flights for this route by October this year). Anyway, Qantas is still running as normal.  On the flight, we pre-booked the meal and entertainment which cost us cheaper than buy it up there.  We got the beef lasagna and it was delicious.  So cheesy and creamy.  It was better than I expected to be honest.

 

Our flight was leaving Sydney in the late afternoon and arrived like 5 am in Honolulu.  It could be good and bad.  Good that we have the full day but bad because Sydney time was kinda still midnight.  So, we were extremely exhausted and sleepy.  We bet our luck and headed straight to our hotel hoping that our room is ready.  There were so many taxis on the taxi stand.  It is very convenient if you don't mind paying a little bit more expensive.  Otherwise, you can call Uber.  For taxi ride to Waikiki, we paid $56 USD including tips and other fees.  Not bad actually.

Taxi stands @ the airport

Stay Hotel Waikiki

It was nearly 8 am when we checked-in.  We were soooo lucky, there was room available and we can get in straight away (without paying any early check-in fee too).  We dropped our stuff in the room and grabbed a quick breakfast (I planned to get something from the famous Musubi store near the hotel, but the queue was unbelievable so we changed direction to an ABC store instead).  And free coffee is available in our hotel lounge.  That was enough for morning snacks.  

Complimentary coffee at Stay Hotel

We chose this hotel because of their location and reasonable price.  It is not a 5-star hotel.  It has parking space underneath the hotel; however, it is limited and on the first come first serve basis.  You need to pay USD 45/per night for a car park.  There is coin laundry facility, beside there isn't much from the hotel.  Oh!!!  Filtered water machine is also available near reception.  You can also borrow some beach towels, beach seats and umbrella, but again these stuffs tend to run out very quick.  So, do come early and get them from the reception.    

The room itself is pretty spacious.  There is queen bed and sofa bed, so very comfortable for the four of us.

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Statue

Right after breakfast, we had a snooze and when woke up again, it was sometime in the afternoon.  Feeling fresh and power up, we went for a city stroll and a hunt for some delicious dinner.  

Waikiki beach

We didn't go too far and stopped in International Market Place for dinner.  Nothing really planned for tonight's dinner.  Just go with the flow.  We spotted this poke restaurant on the second floor.  Bought two bowls of poke for a start.  Then we got more food from Kuhio Ave Food Hall on the ground floor.

Shrimp and salmon poke bowl USD 18.75

Spicy tuna poke bowl USD 18.75

Baby back ribs with 3 sides USD 19 (mac & cheese, potato salad, and garlic rice)

Hawaiian Pizza from Aloha Pizzeria

Let's toast for a wonderful trip

Shave ice USD 8

As we walked back to our hotel, we saw this shave ice from a Korean food truck.  Not from one of my list of places to try though (like Waiola or Matsumoto) but why not!!!  We did not know how shave ice taste, but this first one that we got was totally below standard.  It was kinda plain grated ice with some flavoured syrup.  No wow factor at all!!!  But it didn't stop us to try more shave ice from another store (Shave ice from Waiola blew my mind and made me understand why they are so popular, will be in my later post - so stay tuned all).  

Stay Hotel Waikiki

2424 Koa Ave, Honolulu

Ph: +1 808 923 7829

Uncle Sharkii Poke Bar

International Market Place, Shop 208, 2330 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu

Ph: +1 808 256 3676

Cheehoo BBQ

In Kuhio Ave Food Hall

Open: Daily 11:00 - 19:00

Aloha Pizzeria

In Kuhio Ave Food Hall

Ph: +1 808 470 3463

Open: Daily 11:00 - 19:00

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Hawaii:

Helena's Hawaiian Food