new restaurant, new herb

New Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Ca Dao, on the corner of Sheridan and Rycroft by the HMSA building.
It's in the 808 Center with Urban Bistro, Kurukuru Shabushabu, among other restaurants.

R had the chicken Pho.  The sprouts were clean and fresh and the soup was tasty.

I asked the server what these leaves were.  Sawtooth Coriander, she said, which are pricier and were used in place of basil.
I love the taste and scent of them and must find more.  (She said they're available in China Town).  Also known as Culantro, according to Wikipedia.

I had the Beef Bun and Vietnamese coffee.
The sauce could've used more vinegar and the lettuce, radish, carrots and cucumbers could've been more finely chopped, I thought, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Urban Bistro, in the same 808 Center, looked good with its "N o Tip"sign...must come back to try the other places too.

The parking structure in the back is like the ones in Tokyo, with the revolving carrier bringing the cars upward.
Always fun to explore new places.
Walmart is just a short drive down Sheridan St.

Harbin Minion. Side Street Inn overeating.

Knowing that I like Minions, Liz and CL stopped to take this ice version when they were in Harbin this month to see the Ice Festival.  Even the guide knew of the Minion2 movie.
Thank you!  Love it!

Yes, Side Street Inn in Kakaako.

Their servings are so big R and I ate half and brought home the rest.  Same with the famous Side Street Fried Rice.
This is their famous pan fried pork chops, crisply deep fried, I think, and so good.  Hopefully the shredded cabbage underneath will counteract the fat!

Picking Penny up from Aloha Dog.  Her playmates on the couch.
Apparently Penny likes the back of the room with other dachshunds---shy guys.

Is that where your pupil is...

Passing McKinley High School.  Been there forever , it seems.  Even my father went there.

Tempura, sun rainbow, oxtail soup

We were curious about Tempura Ichidai,  part of the Gokoku, Cafe Lani sister restaurants.
We used to go to a tempura bar in Ginza and loved it so we  were excited because this looked like it might be one from outside.

But, aside from watching the food being cooked, it was a bit different.  We were expecting something like a sushi counter where you can order your ingredients as you eat and the cook will place it on the counter as he fries it.

I asked what kind of oil they used and the cook said Canola.
I think tempura cooks can also blend other types of oils-like rice oil-to make a lighter batter too.
There were not a great variety of ingredients.  Missing were things like konyaku, mushrooms, shiso, ginnan, yuba...
There was a chicken tempura course, and kisu, eel, and snapper were also included.

The kuzukiri dessert was too chewy and hard.

                                                                        **********

On a tastier note, the soba at Inaba ( had the gomadare or sesame soup) was good.  They have started a breakfast service from 6:30, so someday we'll go for a Japanese style breakfast.

Today at around 11:30 a.m. there was a pretty rainbow around the sun.  The clouds were wispy and pretty too.

I walked to the Mall from our gym to meet R.  It was a very short (8 minutes) and pleasant walk along Piikoi by the new soon to be opened Nordstroms (March 11).

I like how they have started a living wall to add greenery to the area.

R and I shared a ham and cheese sandwich at Blue Hawaii.
Their Acai Bowl is popular among Japanese tourists.

Tonight, I made Oxtail Soup from the very clean oxtails I found at Wholefood Market.  My first attempt and it turned out well.
I remember when my mother tried this recipe when I was in school and I didn't want to eat it because of the name.
It calls for mustard cabbage but I used Collard Greens.
Also I didn't have the Seagrams whiskey it called for so had to use Sapphire gin instead.

Coffee and Hula

Today at the Mall, we were lucky to get a nice table at the outdoor Honolulu  Coffee Kiosk overlooking Center Stage.
Just in time for the noon Hula Show too!

Here come the shell blowers announcing the start of the show.

The first dance was a Hula 'Auana, or ancient style,
with just the chanting and beating of gourds as accompaniment.
It is more rigorous than the Hula Kahiko (modern) style, which is very graceful and accompanied by modern instruments.

There were "Hapa Haole" dances too, very westernized and made for entertainment.
Since I started learning Hula, a new world of vocabulary and music has opened for me and I can appreciate these islands more.
Thanks, Denise, for guiding me to this  art.

,

Happy Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day.
Michel's Valentine tree greets the guests.

The five o'clock sun was still up so we probably will have a tan showing up tomorrow.
The restaurant was decorated with hearts and red flowers.

Amuse Bouche.
Salmon tartare and caviar.

It was a set menu.
Glad to see their Beef Wellington is back.

Åbalone Soup

Beef Carpaccio Salad for R.

Or Oysters Rockefeller, which I had.
By now I was quite full.

The sunset wasn't too gloriously colorful (due to lack of the VOG today?)

As the sun went down, it became cooler and more  beautiful.
And here came the two long haired dachshund's that we had seen last year.  The brown one loves to chase his toy into the ocean, but the black one loves to sit - like Penny.

The couple sitting on the sand right outside were having a nice plate lunch.
With the same beautiful ocean view out there on the sand, I'm sure they enjoyed their dinner as much as we did ours.

We both opted for the Beef Wellington as  main course.

Dessert - Chocolate Gelato Coupe

White Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate dipped strawberries and a rose for the ladies were our Valentines from Michels.

As always, we enjoyed the ambience, and the friendly service.
The food is usually too rich for us, but we always
leave satisfied anyway.

Superbowl Sunday.

Leaving the guys at home watching the Broncos and Panthers battle it out,  I went to the Ala Moana SC for a walk, thinking that it wouldn't be crowded.

The parking building was very empty.

The mall, however, was pretty busy, mostly with tourists.

There was a Chinese dance troupe performing on Center Stage as part of the Chinese New Years celebrations.

The newly remodeled carp stream is lovely. Water in public places is soothing like the fountains in Vienna and canals in Holland.
Here from the Mall, we just have to look makai (towards the ocean) to see the blue Pacific Ocean, and mauka (towards the mountains) to see the Mountain range above Manoa Valley. 

I look forward to Chinese New Years because it's narcissus time.
This beautiful Chinese narcissus bulb is from Janie.
I once took a class in narcissus bulb crab claw carving, but I also love  the natural upright blooms.
Happy Chinese New Years and Year of the Monkey.

Finally an all day restaurant in the Mall.

Cafe Lani, the new Japanese owned restaurant at Ala Moana's new Ewa Wing, is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day-- yay, breakfast!

The beverage bar, where they make the fresh juices .

Very high ceiling and an open kitchen.
Service is still a bit inefficient-mixed orders, forgetting utensils-since they just opened, but friendly.
It got pretty crowded around 9 a.m.

Nice menu selection.
No hotcakes or waffles, though.

Siphoned coffee was nice  and refills kept coming.

So did the freshly baked danishes.  The croissants were delicious.
Japan did make tasty breads, I remember.

My souffle was light, but I think I'll have another type of egg dish next time.  Breakfast is served all day.

Soup, broccoli, bacon and rice also came with the set, as well as fresh juice.

Later in the day....
hmm, it must be Thursday because it's Clam Chowder and wine for supper at the Reef Lounge and a fun hula lesson after.

Aloha.