Post-Christmas Hawaiian Farmer's Market: Pesto Pizza Galore!

   

The Chew		The View
"Fried Green Tomato's" Pesto Pizza		Views from Diamond Head

Ironically, neither of the highlights from this post happened on Christmas Day. That day, instead, was spent surfing. The only personal foodie highlight came with Christmas dinner at Benihana's--yes, I know this is a chain that we've all probably been to, but this was my first time! And the onion volcano was amazing!

Ok, enough of that. The next day was certainly a gastro-journey. It began with a dilemma between my college student side and my foodie side: wake up early for good food or sleep in? In service to you, I rolled out of bed at 8am. And was rewarded with some of the best locally-sourced food I've ever had the pleasure of eating at near sunrise.

The Kapiolani City College Farmers Market is a weekly event that takes place every Sunday, right at the base of Diamond Head. We got there about 9 (it takes a girl a while to get ready, alright?), and the place was swamped, surprisingly, with an equal mixture of tourists and locals. For many, this would have been overwhelming. But I had a game plan that included pesto pizza, chocolate-marshmallow beignets, North Shore corn, and flavored lemonade. I came away with some successes :)

Corn on the cob with fresh shoyu butter + seaweed seasoning: Seriously heaven on a stick. The corn itself was fresh from Kamuku on the North Shore of Oahu. It had serious bite, as evidenced by the bright yellow kernels.

And that shoyu butter is insanely tasty! A mix of sweet and salty, this was like a slightly sweet dessert without any of the guilt. The pièce de résistance was the healthy peppering of seaweed flakes and sesame seeds--just to reinforce the Asian flavors.

 Peanut butter+chocolate-filled beignets: Dear God. Thank you for this meal. Amen.

• Beignet (pronounced "ben-yay"): The French word for fried dough, that's the short explanation. It's a French doughnut covered in powdered sugar, served pipin' hot.
  

There isn't much more to say. The beignet was freshly fried and oozing a literally halved sauce of peanut butter to the left, and rich chocolate to the right. The peanut butter, in my estimation, was a better bite--but you chocoholics probably would be happy to hear of their other option: chocolate-marshmallow. Even as a foodie, I quiver in fear of the richness of that beignet...


But the true glory of the market came in a slice of pizza.

The mozarella-pesto pizza was the heavy-hitter of the day. From the "Fried Green Tomato" stand, it wasn't cheap at a whopping $6.50 a slice. But it was pure perfection.

It begins with the workers spreading a thin pesto sauce on prepared pizza dough. After covering with

fresh, juicy red and yellow tomatoes, they top with slabs of mozzarella--very Italian minimalist. They grill it once, and then put the individual slices back again in a separate grill to maximize the meltiness of the cheese, effectively binding the slice into a perfect package of smooth pesto, tender veggies, and gooey mozarella. All topped with crisp basil.

Such is the meaning of life.

Stomach quite satisfied (and guilty after the beignets), we headed for a hike of Diamond Head Crater. Created by a titanic volcanic explosion 300,000 years ago, this jutting mountain is the backdrop for any photo of Waikiki.

I'm just warning you--it takes at least 172 stairs, and 761 feet of total elevation to reach the top. Thank god I took a weight training class this semester.

Oh yes, and you have to walk a rather claustrophobic tunnel through the mountain to reach these daunting flight of steps. You know Thunder Mountain at Disneyland, and all those fun tunnels with the fake bits of rock that are wiggling to break free? Feels sort of like that.

But the view is incredibly rewarding.

So I leave you with this, a shot of one of the most beautiful stretches of sand from the top of a volcano.









Aloha,
The Chew

Christmas Eve on the North Shore: Leonard's, Matsumoto's & Duke's!

To get a more authentic sense of Hawaii and its modern local culture, you have to drive far from the sunny south shore of Waikiki and head due north to Haleiwa and the North Shore.

   

The Chew		The View
A Famous Leonard's malasada		The North Shore

So the wonderful Leonard's Bakery is still southside, but it really marked the highlight of my food journey for the day--thus making it the day's Chew. This local Portugese bakery is famous for their fabulous malasadas.

• Malasada: A Portugese dessert donut that is fried and rolled in sugar. The more elaborate types include fillings, and various subsitutes for sugar, like cinnamon and li hing.

We ordered a variety, for culinary tasting purposes of course. 2 original, 2 macadamia nut custard, and 1 li hing.

• Li Hing Mui: A Chinese preserved plum, the flavor is often shorted to li hing. It's a sweet-savory mix, as the sweetness of the plum is combined with salt to create a distinct flavor used in sugars and syrups. 

Hawaiians love li hing, another testament to the mixed food culture and strong Asian inspiration. There is great Chinese, Philipino, and Japanese influence on the food here, creating favorites like the li hing malasada. The red sugar was a little off-putting, but it tasted almost like a berry sugar coating--not quite the quintessential malasada experience, but certainly worth a try.

The macadamia nut custard malasada was heavenly. I feared the artificiality of most flavored custards, but this one proved to be more subtle and focused on the milk flavors.

But the heavy-hitter was, of course, original. Nothing beats biting into a piping hot malasada and reaching the lightly moist dough inside. The center has its own texture that stands between a dough and a custard, ensuring that you dont need to rush for a glass of milk like you do after biting into a dry brownie. And you better be covered in sugar after you eat this thing. No shame, no shame.

Nice and full, we made the scenic drive up north (me with dreams of shave ice dancing in my head).

Our first lunch stop was for my mom: Giovanni's Shrimp Truck.  Think the food truck scene is hot in L.A.? The North Shore has always been known for their shrimp trucks, which are outcrops of shrimp farms guaranteeing the freshest shrimp. The menu is nice and simple:

1. Shrimp Scampi
2. Hot & Spicy
3. Lemon & Butter

My mom sided with the ever-popular shrimp scampi with a healthy helping of rice, and was incredibly pleased with the buttery shrimp and heavy helping of garlic. All in foil. Just as a good lunch should be.

Meanwhile, I had to satiate my foodie curiosity at Haleiwa Cafe, a surfer/hippie basin for pre-surf sesh lunches. There was the option for the simple interior with boothes, or the outdoor seating two doors down behind Megan's Coffee Shop. Turns out Megan is the daughter of the owners of Haleiwa Cafe, pointing to how family-owned this side of the island has stayed.

My dad's eggwich sandwich was a fairly-filling sandwich of sprouts, egg, and ham. My burrito was on the healthier side, with veggie saute, cheese, eggs, and a side of beans. Of course, I make the mistake of ordering Mexican anywhere but L.A. or Mexico. They simply can't compete.

The real milestone was heading to Matsumoto's Grocery Store for their infamous shave ice.

• Shave (NO "d") Ice: With temperatures this balmy (70s/80s in the winter), it's no wonder this is a local favorite. A block of ice is literally shaved (shwarma meat style) into a cup, often on a bed of ice cream or azuki/red bean, then topped with a sweet, colorful syrup of choice.

Being on the li hui kick, we tried the li hing mui shave ice with red bean+condensed milk. The syrup tasted almost like strawberry (keep in mind the plum base), while the condensed milk and red bean combo is to die for. Literally would not be the same experience without the condensed milkiness to offset the thick sweetness of the flavored syrup.

Finally full, we looked for feasts of the eyes instead. We were rewarded with finding a new beach called Shark's Cove. Just as we parked, some guy was being tackled by the cops for stealing beach-goers phones (see, this stuff actually happens to tourists...even in paradise!). While the waves raged 15-20 feet outside, the cove was fairly protected from the surf. Dunno what the "shark" part of the name suggests, but I dove in anyhow.

And we ended our Christmas Eve at the ever-popular and consistent Duke's, a restaurant in honor of Hawaiian ambassador and Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku. Not necessarily a local favorite, but being that every location is beachfront, it makes for a great ambience and a guarantee of a great meal. I highly suggest trying the ones back home (Huntington & Malibu locations for your L.A. folks!).

Here's to a Christmas of good food and tremendous cheer with family and friends. As they say on the islands:

Mele Kalikimaka to you and yours,
The Chew

Honolulu's Chinatown: Street Food & Reminders of China

The Chew		The View
Quintessential Dim Sum		Chinatown, Honolulu

I'm still reeling over how consistent the idea of "Chinatown" is to every major city outside of China. The essentials of dim sum hole-in-the-wall restaurants, fresh fruit and meat markets, jade and trinket vendors--all the mark of a complete Chinatown. Honolulu is no exception.

Our choice of dim sum was Mei Sum restaurant, a truly street-corner restaurant that could be lost amidst boba shops and herb pharmacies. The unassuming interior only got me more excited about the food-focused kitchen.

My mom instantly jumped on the chicken feet, and luo mi fan (a sticky rice steamed and wrapped in bamboo leaf). As the veggie onlooker, I requested my spinach garlic stir-fry and low bok gow.

• Low bok gow (steamed radish cake): A savory slab of sliced radish or turnip bound in a chewy, rice cake or meal, this is an essential for veggie dim sum-goers. All three of us. It's best fried on both sides until you get the  golden brown tints on the edges.

And, of course, we finished with dan ta, a dessert that is a sweet creation of warm egg custard filling and flaky outer pastry crust. I could eat 10 of these without thinking. Thank god dessert follows the main courses.

To think that we waddled out of there for only $21 for 3 people! Granted, the cart service was slow compared to bigger dim sum establishments; but, if you know what you want, this is a great place for traditional dim sum.

The other fun came in exploring the food markets that weave themselves through the side streets. As I mentioned before, my mom is something of a food court foodie, and she took great pleasure in simply feasting with her eyes on all the booths and vendors.

Ok, she may have gotten a little something something:

• Sweet Rice Cake ($0.60)
• Fried Fish Ball (free sample, chattin' up the Taiwanese chef)
• Red Bean Shave Ice ($3 from Hula-Boba)--The condensed milk was a perfect way to balance the blandness of the bean with its rich, milky sweetness. I will certainly be in search of these around the island: call it my "red bean hunt" if you will. In addition to the "malasada hunt," "creme brulee hunt," and "mochi hunt."
  
  Better get my guns ready, I've got lots of huntin' to do. Good thing I'm finally surfing tomorrow!

Here's to an 81-degree Christmas,
The Chew

Day #1 in Hawaii: Food Court & Fish (Not Together)

Waikiki, HI~

The Chew		The View
Passian-Orange-Guava Rum Mixers		Brilliant Hawaiian Sunsets

There is something completely mystifying and stupefying about flying into Honolulu International Airport. The way the varying shades of blue and green tease you just beyond the airplane wingtips, or how the never-ending lines of waves seem to crash in slow motion from that far up.

After setting up in our beautiful Park Shore Hotel, the parents and I headed out--for them, to scope the Waikiki Strip, for me, to scope the food. I find some promising, albeit touristy (since we are without our rental until tomorrow!), bites to catalogue for the next 9 days of heaven.

Curiously, we stumbled upon a food court in the International Marketplace. This is an odd confession, but my mother loves food courts, as they often signal the presence of somewhat genuine Asian food (or at least real Asian people). And my Jewish dad, well, just likes food.

I've been to this "marketplace" (really a tourist trap for visitors looking for authentic goodies like oysters with pearls still inside, Chinese jade, and a stiff mai tai), but I never found the food court.

While my falafel gyro ($8) was on a menu alongside Chinese eggrolls, the actual falafel was surprisingly moist. And I've had far too many dry, powdery falafels in my search for a good one. My dad's Vietnamese shrimp springroll was good, but nothing new. So my food adventure in Hawaii begins with a  eclectic start in a affordable way--hopefully this holds through the rest of my trip in Hawaii.

So forget Santa's list. Here's my growing checklist of Oahu restaurants to visit...and you can bet I'll be checking some of these twice (that means you Leonard's!):

1. Tiki's Grill & Bar: I simply remember coming here 4 years ago and loving it. Sometimes nostalgia means more than an average Yelp rating.
2. Leonard's: For those of you who have never heard of the Portugese donut (aka the malasada), wait until tomorrow's post. I'm salivating just picturing those doughy balls of sugar.
3. Waiola Shave Ice: The Shanghai girl in me remembers red bean and condensed milk as a profoundly sumptuous marriage. I'm ready for some shave ice heaped with this and mochi balls.
4. Liliha Bakery: While known for their cream puffs, I'm sworn to secrecy about their lesser well-known dessert cousin. Perhaps I'll break that vow if I can just get my hands on them...
5. Boot's and Kimo's Homestyle Kitchen: You've heard of macadamia nut pancakes. What about panacakes smothered in macadamia nut sauce? Think hollandaise sauce (can you stomach this?) though I sincerely hope it tastes nothing like it.

Locals, feel free to chime in here with the list!

After our food journey and sitting in a plane for 5 hours, I had to jump in the ocean. I ended up grabbing my snorkel gear and randomly choosing the beach outside our hotel for a gander. Only in Hawaii could you take such a chance and reap such a reward. While the rest of the tourist world flopped onshore like a pack of walruses, I was privy to a world of angelfish, parrotfish, humuhumunukunukuapua'a (Hawaii state fish, I swear), and a barracuda (less riveting, more terrifying).

All on the first day. "So it begins," I thought as the wheels touched down on the runway, "the rest of my life." I can truly say that life will never be the same. An astounding week in Hawaii. A life-changing semester in Spain. A completely new and invigorating business venture in my senior year. Then graduation from Academia and being propelled into a completely new, and perhaps indifferent, world everyone likes to call "reality."

Open your eyes to the present, everyone. Life is good.

Nomnom,
The Chew

Chewish Log #1: Test Drive at Indochine (LA)

You've heard me gab endlessly about it. I've nommed, chopped, and savoured it. And now I'm on the brink of going abroad and documenting my travels. As such, I'll be sharing my stories through the lense of FOOD.

For those of you new to the food blog scene, expect food porn photos, outlandish descriptions of taste, flavor, and texture, and some booze shots in between (literally for me and graphically for you).

• Food Porn: The idealization of food that appeals heavily to senses, heightening the eating experience to level of, well, pure ecstasy.

Every new beginning starts where it all starts--at home. If you miss LA and it's ethnic eatings, here's a bone being thrown to you.

The Chew		The View
Vegetarian Pho		Indochine Vien - Atwater

My high school love, Lindsey, and I initially attempted to find the Vietnamese Soy Cafe. After a tough round of parking, and discovering it to be closed on Fridays & Saturdays, we headed to an old favorite.

Indochine Vien is a bright, alleyway of a restaurant--literally stretching down one hall from back entrance to front entrance. You could categorize it as "fusion" Vietnamese, insofar as they actually have veggie options (rare in authentic Viet cuisine) and a pointedly trendy interior.

Mind you, carnivores, Linds is not a vegetarian (merely dragged by yours truly to veggie-friendly places). Her Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong ($8) was a heaping boatload of rice noodles with grilled chicken on a bed of shredded lettuce, crushed peanuts, and a tangy citrus sauce. She was pretty damn satisfied at our meal's end.

• Bun (pronounced "bune"):  A hearty cold noodle dish with a mix of egg rolls, radish, lettuce and the citrus sweet and sour sauce. With a warm meat topping, this is a favorite local meal.

My Vegetarian Pho ($8.50) was another heaping stomach-load of food.  It's really overwhelming in color, with bursts of green amid bright orange, topped with swirls of yummy soup oils. The crispy tofu was a nice touch of texture. I ended up snarfing up half the dish, and taking the rest home. Enjoying that now, actually.

• Pho (prounounced "fuh"--which is why places like Pho King are so damn clever): A Vietnamese noodle soup, typically with beef broth, served with a plate of lime, basil and raw bean sprouts. The quintessential Vietnamese dish.

Overall, a solid meal where you can plan to savor it with leftovers. This place is definitely a Silverlake favorite, though I plan on making a return to Gingergrass quite soon...

~A small taste of what's to come, as I start really touring the globe. Keep your eyes peeled for updates from Hawaii (I leave tomorrow) and, eventually, BARCELONA!

lovelove,
The Chew