If you like your meals simple yet satisfying, I have a few suggestions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Of course, you have to explore multi-destinations, to partake of these fun edibles. And no, these meals were spaced over several days, so the truth is, you need to pace the fun, or you’d burst.
For breakfast, I discovered a generous treat only because I ventured into Tanaka Saimin on Nimitz Highway after the noon cut-off for its breakfast specials. This was a Saturday, but also a menu item I never encountered, because of the day and time: A modified waffle with chicken special, available till 2 p.m., was a nice surprise.
The platter came with four individual Belgium waffles (a circular version) and oodles of popcorn chicken on a tray. Eaten fresh, the waffles were delish; ditto, the chicken. I ate two waffles and perhaps a half-dozen of the crispy chicken bites, including skin, so I had a bundle to brown-bag. Only problem: the waffles don’t get crispy in the microwave but were too bulky to fit into the toaster. But it was another breakfast meal, so no complaints.
For lunch, try the cobb salad at Kona Brewing Company. I had it at the Hawaii Kai branch, and it was a visual feast – the bed of lettuce boasted sliced avocado, boiled eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese – begging for a photo op, so I got out my iPhone and started shooting. I would have had to be rolled out if I consumed the entire serving, so I ate half, with the remainder rescued as a side-salad for dinner.
For dinner, this is a repeat – it had been quite a while since I had Panya’s Shanghai Fried Udon, a wok-seared medley of udon noodles, cabbage, and chicken tidbits, in a love sauce. If it looks like a whole lot, it is, and I have yet to gulp down every bit of this noodle dish since it became of my regular choices at Panya. Besides, a nuke in the micro refreshes the dish without overcooking, for a dinner hana hou, and who doesn’t an encore?
Dessert, you wonder? On a recent sunset visit to Roy’s in Hawaii Kai, for an all pupu dinner (instead of entrees) for the four of us, the fare ranged from multi orders of assorted sushi, edamame, grilled Brussel sprouts, a double order of escargot, beef ribs and an item or two I can’t remember, there’s hardly room for dessert. Well, not this crowd. Scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and Kona coffee ice cream were chilled delights, but in my corner, I opted for Roy’s gourmet bread pudding, a confection not like most others, surrounded with fresh fruit and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Amid all the nibbles and drinks, half my bread pudding came home with me, maintaining my customary tradition to have something in the fridge for tomorrow…