Break out your walking shoes and stretchy pants, Honolulu! The latest Dishcrawl is coming up this Wednesday 2/27 and – by popular demand – the neighborhood is Kapahulu! I’m excited for this for two reasons: 1) Kapahulu is a great eating destination! There are many high-caliber hidden gems tucked into the strip malls and storefronts…
People always wonder why we’d ever leave for vacation, when we live in paradise. Yet locals love to travel, whether its the Big Apple, Japan, or just Hawaii’s unofficial 9th island, Las Vegas. But rarely do people from Hawaii head to Mexico since the climate and water activities are pretty similar. It wasn’t at the…
Driving out along Kalanianaole Highway usually gives me a feeling of anxiety. It’s the route for the Honolulu Marathon between miles 12 to 22 or so and usually the memory most associated with this stretch of asphalt, for me, is one of pain. In fact, entire area of Hawaii Kai – from Maunalua Bay to…
Last night a few friends joined me to sample some off-the-menu cuisine by Grant Kawasaki of Hawaiian Grown Kitchen. I’ve been friends with Grant for years but beyond buying his sushi at Times and bumping into him out and about, I have never really had a chance to try his cooking. I’d been drooling over…
Here we are, seven days into the new year and I’ve scrapped my resolutions already. OK, well not completely. I had a salad for lunch, knowing I’d be indulging in a chocolate-making class this evening… Kokoa Bar by Ricard Chocolat is located on the street level of the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, right across the Honolulu…
If you’re looking for an excuse to break out the high heels and your flashy new shades for Friday pau hana, let me introduce you to what may become your new Friday night tradition… Fridays at the Modern. Last week, I was invited to check out the updated menus for both the Sunrise Pool bar…
I’m really behind on getting this post up, as in the month and a half since I was lucky enough to finally eat at a Miso & Ale pop up dinner, they’ve already taken the concept and expanded it! Sake pairings complemented a recent pop up at Downtown’s new Lucky Belly, and now a ramen…
While I wish that I could say that I had a gorgeous view of the Rockies while flying into Denver International Airport, the woman sitting next to me kept sticking her frizzy head of hair into my line of sight out the window. Alternately glancing fearfully out the window and leaning her head onto the…
**Update: As of 4/30/13, Sheldon Simeon is no longer Chef at Star Noodle, so it’s possible some of the menu items may change. No word yet on his next permanent spot, although he’s done collaborations at Vintage Cave and various other appearances in the months following his departure. I was born and raised on Maui,…
Every time I go home to visit family on Maui, there are a few places where I make a point to stop and Sam Sato’s is always at the top of my list. Tucked into a cozy booth, digging into my usual order “small dry, no sprouts” and looking up at my family hunched over…
For my birthday this year, my friends and I decided to do our own version of a “Circle Island Tour”. We started out driving around the east side of the island, taking in the views of Koko Head, passing the Halona Blowhole lookout, and driving through Waimanalo on the way to Kaneohe. We stopped for…
*Just a quick note: This page was most recently updated in August 2014. If you hear of any other offers, or find out that those listed here are no longer being honored, please leave me a comment or drop me a line at Malia@ShoyuSugar.com. Thanks for reading! A few weeks ago a little birdie informed…