Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Last weekend, Mom, Dad and I had our usual tradition of heading down to the Chinese Cultural Plaza for some good eats, browsing and overall Chinese fun! We stood in line for a couple hours waiting for our favorite Jai, browsed the little trinkets and gazillion colorful lai cee (red money envelopes) packets, enjoyed freshly-made jin doi, and went home with a beautifully-smelling Narcissus.

Happy Chinese New Year to you and your families! May the Year of the Wood Horse be prosperous, fulfilling, bountiful, and filled with much happiness.

Mini wontons. These were DELICIOUS.

Walked back to the car with some piping hot Coconut Jin Doi!

La Gelateria

Dragonfruit Pineapple- look at the color on that!

I got more ice cream for ya! It's "colder" in Hawaii now, but for us, that still means 70 degree weather. And that still means you can eat ice cream year round!

I picked up Pineapple, Spumoni, Coconut, Guava, and Green Tea/Kaffir Lime/Lemongrass during the summertime, and just ran out of time to write about it. So here we go! Some of my favorites so far have been Coconut, Pineapple and Guava. Check out my previous post HERE, and you can also find La Gelateria's flavors at many restaurants. This includes some of my very favorites HASR, Kona Kai, and Tokkuri Tei!

During the holidays, I recently stopped by for Mac Nut, which my Mom loved when we dined at Kona Kai. But, when you walk in to La Gelateria, there is no such thing as picking just ONE flavor! So, I walked out of there with Egg Nog, Pumpkin, and also Dragonfruit Pineapple, which has become another one of my favorites. The dragonfruit color makes this sorbet pop, not to mention the bursting, sweet, pineapple flavor. Make more of this, Tori!

Check out Tokkuri Tei for a scoop of La Gelateria's Ume Guava, which is just mind blowingly-good. Trust me when I say that you can't find that anywhere else. See Ryuji, and he will top that scoop of sorbet with bubu arare, shiso, and ume. AMAZING. Stay tuned for that post soon!

Spumoni

Coconut

Pineapple, Spumoni, Coconut, GT/KF/LG, and Guava

The Pillbox Pharmacy

Strawberry and Espresso Almond Fudge, Cotton Candy and Huckleberry

Yup, this place is more than a pharmacy.....they got ice cream too!

This small, unknowing place is filled with the usual pharmacy picks, but walk into the back, and they also have a selection of ice cream! Pillbox can be found in Kaimuki's parking lot where Big City Diner, Kona Kai, and Happy Days are all located. Pick from infamous flavors like Moose Tracks, Black Cherry, or Huckleberry.

What's unique about this place besides super inexpensive ice cream in a pharmacy? They get their ice cream flavors shipped in from Cascade Glacier in Oregon- a lot of flavors you can't find anywhere else in Hawaii!

The bad part? No samples!!! Really?! But on the upside, since there's no samples, they are extremely patient while you ask questions about the flavors and take your time deciding what to order.

The best part? Two "doubles" came out to less than $5. Where else can you get that good of a deal on ice cream (besides Mcd's $1 ice cream cone)??!

Dash2Go

Hamburger Steak/Pot Roast combo

I've wrote about my love for Dash HERE. Go there to catch up with friends over some good food and drink, challenge friends to a darts game if you've got that competitive streak (like I do), or watch your favorite sports game on TV with friends. But this year, they're expanding and trying something different. Dash is now open for lunch M-F 11am-2pm!!

What do I love most? Well, I'm Chinese, and I'll admit it, all Chinese love a good deal. To us, this may mean inexpensive and lots of tasty food. Delete that L&L phone number off your speed dial, folks, Dash has now got you covered. Talk about delicious plate lunch combos like my favorite, Wafu Hamburger Steak and Pot Roast. And then let's talk about major "Kanak Attack," while you drive home. Make sure a couch or bed is near because it's so good you're going to need a nap after. Trust me, plate lunch isn't the thing I crave too often, but I went here two days in a row!

Regular plate lunch is only $10. If you want to mix 2 options for a combo plate, it's just $12. Choose from everyday menu items like Shoyu Pork, Pot Roast, Dynamite Chicken, Furikake Chicken, Or Wafu Hamburger Steak, plus other Specials everyday as well. Have a sweet tooth? Get a big chunk of Butter Grilled Cake in your plate lunch for dessert! It's exactly what it sounds like- a buttery piece of cake/cornbread grilled to perfection. Outside is crisp and warm, while the inside is buttery and moist. You will want to order more and more of this goodness!

A suggestion of mine for Dash? Put that special Matsumura Cucumber Kimchee in the plate lunches, please!!!

If you post any of the plate lunch pics on Instagram or Facebook, don't forget to hashtag #dash2go!

Dynamite Chicken

Shepherd's Pie

Shoyu Pork/Beef Stew combo

Wafu Hamburger Steak- one of my faves!

Meat Loaf, Hamburger Steak, Furikake Chicken, Shoyu Pork, Pot Roast

Don't forget that Butter Grilled Cake!!

Pink Pantalones

Happy New Year, blog readers! Hope you all had a great Christmas holiday and best wishes for a great 2014!


I wanted to leave you with some pictures of my newest and most comfiest wide leg pants that I picked up from Bamboo Sky. They are light, stretchy and perfect for those dinner buffets! I wish they came in more colors??? (Tiff, hint hint!)