This is definitely PSU's version of Reed's Tom-Yum. In other words, Baan-Thai is cheap, tasty, generous with its portions, and close to campus. I had my typical pad thai and thai iced coffee - both were amazing. It's located on the second floor of a charming blue house with yellow walls and lots of artwork. Also, they play 80s love songs.
Baan-Thai Restaurant
Swirl is a fun, new frozen yogurt place on Hawthorne. Cheap, self-serve, with a variety of flavors, and open late with free wi-fi, I don't have any complaints with this place. My friend and I even did some homework here (what could be better than reading about capitalism while eating frozen yogurt??).
Swirl Frozen Yogurt (Hawthorne)
Another great Lebanese restaurant in Portland, and super cheap! I think I spent about $8 for two hot beef sausage mezzas and turkish coffee.
Unfortunately, you can't really eat here unless one of your party is a member of the Outrigger Canoe Club, but hey - the food was great, so I'm going to write about our dining experience anyway. I have so many memories of this place... sipping mint chip milkshakes while walking along Waikiki Beach with my friend.
On this day, we actually sat at the terrace and ordered a full lunch. It was a particularly chilly day (well, chilly to Hawaii standards - about 70 degrees), so we had to order coffees to keep our hands warm. And we weren't complaining at all - their coffee is amazing!! I ordered the clam pasta, which was delicious as well. The clams were out of their shells already, which I guess is good for lazy people, bad for those who want all the fresh flavors. I couldn't decide which one I was. Regardless, I was quite satisfied with it, and the service was laid-back but friendly. Can't wait to return!
Hau Terrace at the Outrigger Canoe Club (Waikiki)
In case you are not from Hawaii, malasadas are a Portuguese treat made of deep-fried balls of dough covered in sugar, and Leonard's Bakery is the iconic Hawaii chain that makes them.
My friend and I went to the big one in Kapahulu. Busy as usual, a no-fuss type of place. We stood in line, passing by other snacks they serve (but we were there for malasadas only). I ordered a regular and a chocolate-filled one. You can also order them with cinnamon instead of plain sugar. For about 79-cents each, you can't get a better deal!
We were lucky enough to find a bench available outside and watched the world go by while eating our malasadas. Delicious!
The outside is slightly crispy and very sugary, while the inside is warm and soft. This place is a must if ever in Hawaii.
Leonard's Bakery (Kapahulu)
A's is definitely my favorite Filipino restaurant - in the world. Whenever my family and I are on the west side of Oahu, we always find some excuse to have dinner here. A's is a casual restaurant with about five televisions playing Filipino soap operas (how adorable, right?). I'm not going to embarrass myself by attempting to spell the dishes, but the noodles, soups, and barbeque pork dishes we always order are wonderful.
This was my first time having brunch at the Beachhouse and, as usual, I had to compare it to my all-time favorite, Plumeria Beach House at the Kahala Hotel. The service was efficient, but not as warm as it could have been. Unlike at Plumeria, which is literally a few steps from Kahala Beach, the Beachhouse offers merely a stunning but distant view of the blue Pacific Ocean (you only see the ocean, not the beach as well). However, I am being much too picky, just because I can.
I ordered a latte and french toast. The french toast was perfect - perhaps the best I've ever had. Great texture, just enough crisp but softer in the middle, full of cinnamon flavor, and the syrup was delicious. My latte was another story. I don't have particularly high standards for coffee, so when I say that my coffee was not good, that really says something. Perhaps I should have just gotten a plain coffee instead of a latte because I had to add so much cream and sugar to it anyway.
Regardless, the Beachhouse is still a wonderful restaurant, perhaps on the same level as Orchids at Halekulani (both of which are one step below Plumeria, of course). I look forward to returning.
Beachhouse at the Moana (Waikiki)
Apparently Panya is a huge chain, with bakeries in Hong Kong, Honolulu, and now even in New York. Good for them. This particular one is new, located on the first floor of the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. After roaming around Waikiki, my friend and I stopped for a much-needed dessert. My tiramisu was amazing. It doesn't follow the traditional tiramisu; instead, it was Panya's spin on it. The texture was fluffy, and the ratio of coffee, cocoa, and cake (instead of lady fingers) was perfect. Unfortunately, my friend ordered the chocolate coffee brownie, which was much too heavy to be enjoyable. Lesson to be learned: order the tiramisu, not the brownie.
Panya Bakery (Waikiki)
Before gallery-hopping on First Friday, my friend and I decided to try Soul de Cuba, a fun Cuban restaurant right next to another favorite of mine, Brasserie du Vin. It was as lively as a Cuban restaurant should be. I ordered the lechon asado (marinated roast pork sauteed with onions), arroz moro, and platanos. The lechon asado was so juicy! Unfortunately, I don't like bananas, so I couldn't appreciate the platanos, but they did look good and probably would have perfectly complemented the meat. Prices were pretty reasonable for dinner.
Soul de Cuba (Downtown)
This is an adorable Nepalese and Indian restaurant, almost completely hidden from the rest of Kaimuki's restaurant row. After going up some stairs, past an open courtyard with some tables and chairs, I entered a festive room filled with Himalayan art. For lunch, I ordered the lamb kachoura (curry), which came with rice, some vegetables, and my choice of the following: eggplant, matar paneer, aloo gobi, mix vegitable curry, or house special lentil of the day. I ordered the matar paneer, which is a savoury curry with a surprising mix of peas and cheese. The naan was as good as always, and service was friendly. This has become my new favorite Indian restaurant in Hawaii.
Joyful Garden is probably better than I think it is. I may just be too much of a Honolulu snob to give a restaurant on the Windward side its deserved praise. Regardless, I cannot bring myself to like this place as much as my parents do. Put simply, it is a casual Chinese restaurant with inconsistent but friendly service and pretty good food.
Kirin is on the same level as Mandalay, which is possibly the best compliment I can give to a Chinese restaurant. They are great for different reasons. I prefer the dishes and location of Mandalay, but the atmosphere and décor of Kirin is much nicer. Kirin gives free valet parking, which I consider a huge plus since I absolutely hate parking. You walk through a cheesy Chinese archway and enter a beautifully decorated interior, with deep wood tones separating smaller private rooms from the larger dining area, ornate chairs, and splashes of pale green.
For the most part, their dim sum is nonpareil. However, there are one or two dishes that are better at other dim sum restaurants, such as Hee Hing or Mandalay. For example, their seaweed roll is a bit too heavy. Other than that, I've been completely satisfied with Kirin.
Kirin Restaurant (Mo'ili'ili)
Tai Sei Ramen is conveniently located on the edge of downtown. The food is decent, but they give a lot of freebies: a free drink if you spend over $5; a $3 kids menu... The service is friendly but a bit slow.
My ramen came with an abundance of vegetables, but the noodles were somewhat bland. However, I did appreciate the large portions. Our gyoza was delicious, but I have never had bad gyoza.
Tai Sei Ramen (downtown)
I know, I know. It's a bit pointless to write about Zippy's; every Hawaii resident has eaten here and has formed their own opinions of this statewide chain. However, recently Zippy's has held a special place in my heart, and so I think it deserves to be on my blog.
Zippy's serves "local" food, whatever that is. From saimin to chili to teriyaki chicken, the menu reflects the diversity of our state. The quality of the food itself is nothing special. What I really appreciate about Zippy's is not its food but its convenience. In almost every neighborhood, you will find a Zippy's. At 2 am, when you are still out and about, you can always depend on Zippy's to satisfy your late night cravings. Unlike other late-night places in other cities, e.g., Montage, Hot Cake House, Zippy's is always dependable (not to mention not sketchy!). Clean, friendly, and cheap - what else could you want?
I love this place! Habibi is a casual, friendly Lebanese restaurant in downtown, right next to the Persian House (which is also right next to India House). My friends and I went on a Friday night. It was pretty full when we came, so I'm glad I had made reservations earlier. We were led up the stairs, which were lined with hookahs, to the upper level.
The service was quick and friendly. One of the guys (the owner, I think?) was quite flirtacious, which is always a nice touch on a Friday night with the girls. I need to go back very soon because I am craving that coffee!
Why is this place always so empty?? My friend and I have been here twice, both on Friday nights, and it's either completely empty or occupied with one or two other tables.
Persian House is a cozy, dimly-lit Persian restaurant in downtown. The service is warm, and the food is delicious, although a bit on the small side. We started with bread (is it called naan in Persia?) and Persian tea, which is very floral. I ordered the lemon chicken. it came with a large serving of rice with saffron and some vegetables. So much flavor! The chicken had just the right amount of lemon and spices.
For dessert I ordered baklava. It was the best baklava I've ever had! Light, crispy layers of phyllo dough filled with nuts and honey - now that is how baklava is supposed to taste. My friend ordered the Persian ice cream, which had cherry rice and pistachio ice cream in it. Also amazing.
This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. We'll have to try the lunch buffet sometime.
Persian House Restaurant (Downtown)
After driving past this bakery multiple times and hearing me complain that we should go there each time, my friend finally parked the car and told me that today is going to be the day we're going to try it.
The interior is the reason I've been wanting to try it. Whoever decorated did a nice job. It looks part Swedish, part Californian - if that makes any sense. Light woods, huge windows, concrete floors. I had a croissant, and my friend ordered some apple pastry. Neither of us were impressed. Everything looks better than it tastes. Oh well. My friend doesn't have to hear me complain anymore.
Little T American Baker (Clinton)
Amazing Indian restaurant in the West Village, and a nice place to conclude our trip to New York. My friends and I tried some interesting dishes, including murg tikka masala, which is Tandoori diced chicken in mild gravy and Indian spices. The food was flavorful and quite filling, while the restaurant was nicely decorated with adorable utensils and water cups. I'd love to come back next time.
Karahi Indian Cuisine (West Village)
After suffering through "Where the Wild Things Are," my friend and I definitely needed some chocolate. We both walked straight into Hot & Crusty, which seems to be a New York chain. There were two huge cases of pastries. We were in heaven. We both ordered some crunchy chocolate pastries that I forgot the names of. Pretty good, but nothing amazing. However, we did slightly recover from the movie. I'd have liked to try their bagels, which must be good since people kept coming in for them, even late at night.
Hot & Crusty (Upper East Side)
