Papa's Burgers

Papa's Burgers recently opened in Market City Shopping Center and offers an array of differently-styled burgers. This isn't your usual burger joint- Papa's features burgers such as their BiBimBop Burger, Baja Burger, Miso Pork Burger, Pork and Shrimp Thai Burger. All very unique in name and taste.

Brian and I arrived around lunchtime on a Sunday, after we were told the wait for Sweet E's was going to be 45 minutes long. Sweet E's and Market City are only minutes away from each other, so we thought we'd try to see if we could get into Café Kaila, another popular American breakfast/brunch place. But, we couldn't even get in there! They were even more crowded. Thus, we settled on Papa's Burgers, which looked inviting with its brightly colored interior and no line. They also had illustrations and descriptions of each of their burgers on the outside window, which was helpful in deciding whether to eat there or not.

When we sat down, we were greeted by a Korean-accented young girl who kept coughing. I was immediately turned off. If you're working at a restaurant that serves food, PLEASE skip work that day! Or skip work until you're not contagious anymore. I surely don't want to enjoy a nice burger from your restaurant, but then come down with a cold after that! I not only give the girl a thumbs down for not taking responsibility, but the owner and cook should know better. This is an establishment that serves food! Come on!

Besides that, I asked her which burger was more popular and what she'd recommend. I usually do this when I'm on the fence between two items and want to get a little input from my waiter/waitress. She immediately mistook what I was saying and thought I was ordering both burgers. She could barely understand me, plus seemed a little flighty in taking care of all of the tables she was in charge of (mind you, she was the only waitress working that day). She brought our drinks late, forgot water...it just seemed a little too much for her to take care of everyone in a timely manner.

Not her fault. I know it's newly-opened, and restaurants like this need a little, what I call, "warming up." I just wish the owner gave a little more thought about this.

As for the burgers, Brian really enjoyed his Miso Pork Burger, while I left half of my BiBimBop burger. To me, the burger was creative, but poorly executed. Honestly, it left me craving a Stone Pot Bi Bim Bap from Angry Korean Lady!

On a good note, I really enjoyed their crispy fries that came in a bucket with a side of their special spicy mayo sauce. Not very spicy at all, but it had some bite. Really good.

All in all, it was great to try (Thank you, Kory, from My Kinda Grinds for the rec!), though I will sadly not be back.

Coke Float- they had no Root Beer!

Bucket of Fries and sauce

Miso Pork Burger

BiBimBop Burger

Insides of the BiBimBop Burger- egg was too cooked- I would have liked it to be gooey and oozing.

Ivy Girl

This is one of my favorite outfits for a number of reasons. One, Mink Pink (one of my favorite brands) designed this bustier, which just about goes with everything! Not to mention how much I love the studded portion that adds some dimension to it. It strays away from the more common black bustiers that are everywhere. And three, the flowy-ness of the sheer cover up keeps this outfit from being too revealing. Just the right amount of sexy and innocent girly!

Plus, don't you just love the ivy-ridden house in the background?!

Wahoo's EATS

One of my BFFs, Joe, and I have made it a weekly thing (it seems) to go and eat (and drink) at Wahoo's Kahala. Since our last time there, they've added a few new items to their menu, and boy, is it a deal!

Love their new $10 platter that comes with three appetizer choices: Baja Rolls, Quesadillas, Sweet Potato Fries, Nachos, or Taquitos. Besides that, I can't leave without ordering their "wet" Classic Burrito with shrimp and also an ice-cold House Margarita. So refreshing and calming after a hard day at work. Or after a nice 9 holes of golf ;)

Love the big plate of extra sauces!!!

Baja Rolls, Taquitos and Sweet Potato Fries

Wet Classic Shrimp Burrito

Imanas Tei Restaurant

After hearing some of my friends talk about Imanas and their delicious butterfish, I knew I had to make a stop in sometime soon. I used to frequent the place with my parents when I was much younger, but it's been about 10 years! So glad I went back though. The food is great- just wish the prices were less ridiculous!

Beware, this is one of those restaurants that has a waiting list if you go at peak hours on peak days. Brian and I went around 830pm on a Saturday, and had to wait about 10-15 minutes. Not too bad! It will be less wait if you're okay with sitting on the communal table located in the middle of the restaurant.

As for food, their Miso Butterfish and Seafood Dynamite are highly-rated, though I really enjoyed their Steamed Clams and Simple Salad. We also dined on their Unagi-Avocado Roll, which is ordinary, but just as delicious as everything else.

Communal Table

Simple Salad- the dressing was so good!!

Had to get an order of Ume-Shiso!

Steamed Clams

Butterfish and Clams

Unagi-Avocado Roll

Seafood Dynamite! Comes with big chunks of scallops, clams, shiitake mushrooms and Tobiko.

Green Tea ice cream for dessert!

Ash Try??

North Shore Eats

Strawberry-Pineapple-Coconut Smoothie

Since I had work on the North Shore one day, BF took off of work early and headed down with me. He had never eaten Giovanni's garlic shrimp, so even though I'm against their shipped-in, frozen shrimp (not farm-grown like Romy's and Fumi's!!), I still decided it would be a nice way to introduce him. Plus, there are many other great food trucks and souvenir tents in that area now. So much to see!

As for my bias opinion about Romy's and Fumi's being better than Giovanni's, I do have to state one thing. I did really appreciate the fact that even though Gio's was rather busy and had a line, once Brian ordered our garlic shrimp plate, it came out in a mere matter of minutes. So efficient! We had planned to go to Romy's after that and share another plate there for Brian to compare, but once we showed up, they announced that the wait would be 45 minutes! We got in the car, turned around, and headed back to Giovanni's!

SO, since that NS trip, I have changed my opinion towards Giovanni's. The shrimp was extra garlicky (just how I like it), came out hot, and extra fast.

All this for $4.50! Pretty good deal.

Li-Hing Pineapple and Garlic Shrimp

Baja on the left and Island Style on the right. The Island Style was def better. Much simpler.

Done-zo!

Posted below are old photos of Giovanni's some time ago. They've made some big improvements since then!!

Back when there was only minimum seating and a tent.

New seating area

Can't leave North Shore without stopping at Dole Plantation for some Dole Whip!

Sweet E's Stuffed French Toast

My sweet BF first took me to Sweet E's, and from then on, I have fallen in love with this cute, little café. Then, my fashionista blogger friend, Tiff, told me that I just had to try their stuffed French Toast. I made it happen. Took Mom to brunch here the other day here, and she absolutely loved it!

Sweet E's is perfect for Mom and I who are natural late-risers. If I wake up late and am craving breakfast food, I know I can get it until 330pm at Sweet E's! Plus, I've come to like Sweet E's much more than the ever popular and crowded Café Kaila. Better parking and tastier food. And even though this place is getting much more crowded and well-known, there's no wait on weekdays. On weekends, though, you will definitely have to wait if you go at peak hours. Tiff and I both agreed that we wish it was still a hidden gem. We don't want people to know about it and get extra crowded. Very selfish of us! But seems like that has already happened......boooooo!

Mom and I both had Eggs Benedict (I had the Kalua Pig and Mom had the Corned Beef Hash), and we shared a plate of the stuffed French Toast. Don't know if I'd order the french toast again, it was just so much food! But the french toast itself was deliciously-rich and creamy. You get a choice of blueberries or bananas stuffed inside with cream cheese. It's definitely something you can't find anywhere else. My favorite is still the Kalua Pig Eggs Benedict!

Anyway, check out the stuffed French Toast pics. Amazing!

One side of the shop was empty, but the other half was crowded, trust me!

Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict

Stuffed French Toast

Kalua Pigs Eggs Benedict

Stuffed with Blueberries and Cream Cheese!!