The Cat Dish

Tag Archives: restaurant

FUUD: Prima Kailua in Kailua

by Catherine Toth on February 3, 2012 in Food

It’s been a long time coming.

Prima Kailua opened in September — yes, five months ago — and I finally made my way out to the Windward side to try this latest in a series of indie eateries.

This restaurant, located right next to Foodland on Hekili Street — by the way, there’s no sign, so you have to just trust me — is a collaborative effort by Nobu Waikiki alums (and Melt food truck owners) Alejandro Briceño and Lindsey Ozawa and co-partner Kevin Lee, most recently sous chef at Dovetail in New York City.

The concept is like this: good — meaning, tasty and healthy — food on small plates. Food to share. Simple.

Here’s what a recent meal at Prima looked like, once we found it:

Hard to find

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There are no signs on the doors or on the building, so you'll have to just trust me — and the four-color logo. This is Prima Kailua, right between Foodland and Baskin-Robbins. It's not a huge space — it sits about 40 inside and a few more outside — and it seems to be always jumping with hungry patrons.

Prima Kailua, 108 Hekili St., Suite 107 in Kailua. Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday. Phone: (808) 888-8933.

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FUUD: Asia Manoa in Manoa

by Catherine Toth on December 23, 2011 in Food

I’ve driven past Asia Manoa for years but never ate there.

For whatever reason — and it’s probably because of its name and location — I always thought it was a trendy noodle shop. Maybe serving pho and ramen and the local favorite oxtail soup.

I didn’t think it was a typical Chinese restaurant!

So when the Old Guys wanted to eat there — it turned into our annual Christmas dinner — I was curious to see what the food was like. After asking around, some friends said this was their favorite Chinese restaurant. (It helps that there’s parking.) They loved the stuffed eggplant, the salt-and-pepper pork chops and the honey walnut shrimp (shown above).

So I recharged my camera battery and brought my appetite to Manoa. Here’s what dinner was like:

Asia Manoa

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Believe it or not, Asia Manoa (just down the street from Manoa Marketplace) has been around for about 10 years. And only now I've eaten here! This clean, friendly neighborhood restaurant serves good Cantonese food at very affordable prices. (The owner, Edmund Pang, is the son of the owners of Duck Yun Chinese Restaurant in Aina Haina.)

Asia Manoa, 2801 E. Manoa Rd. Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Phone: (808) 988-2828

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#TodaysGift

Dog Kimono from Inu Inu Hawaii

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Days left: 3

Dog kimono or yukata from Inu Inu Hawaii (www.inuinuhawaii.com)

Price: $30 online or at pet boutiques such as Calvin & Susie in Kilohana Square

The gist: Bored of the usual dog outfits? Or your pooch is quite the fashion diva? Get a kimono (or yukata) from Honolulu-based Inu Inu Hawaii, which specializes in unique Asian-inspired apparel for dogs. They come in all sizes — in fact, you can custom order ones for larger breeds — and patterns. Imagine your Rottweiler in one of these!

Best for: Dog owners, of course!

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FUUD: Papa’s Burgers in Market City

by Catherine Toth on December 9, 2011 in Food

You can’t have too many burger joints.

Especially of these eateries feature 100 percent grass-fed Big Island beef, local produce and milkshakes so thick you’ll hyperventilate trying to drink them.

That’s on the menu at Papa’s Burgers, a new family-owned burger spot in Market City Shopping Center, about a mile from the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus. It opened about four weeks ago to mostly rave reviews, and I wanted to check it out myself.

The menu is small but eclectic. It features eight signature burgers — bibimbap burger, pork and shrimp burger, black bean veggie burger — and a few sides. Some standouts include the freshly cut fries (made from whole potatoes) and the real ice cream shakes.

Here’s what my recent visit looked like:

Papa's Burgers

$Papa\'s Burgers$

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This new burger joint opened about four weeks ago in a space vacated by a fro-yo place. (It's located next to Gina's B-B-Q.)

Papa’s Burgers, Market City Shopping Center, 2919 Kapiolani Blvd. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Phone: (808) 732-5100

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#TodaysGift

Dog Kimono from Inu Inu Hawaii

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Days left: 3

Dog kimono or yukata from Inu Inu Hawaii (www.inuinuhawaii.com)

Price: $30 online or at pet boutiques such as Calvin & Susie in Kilohana Square

Best for: Dog owners, of course!

Comments { 5 }

FUUD: Mama Pho in Aina Haina

by Catherine Toth on October 28, 2011 in Food

Finally.

We have pho.

A few of us living in East Honolulu have been waiting waiting waiting for Mama Pho to open in the Aina Haina Shopping Center. To the point where we’d pass by the shopping center just to see if the new eatery was open.

It’s our first Vietnamese restaurant (that I can remember) in our ‘hood — and we didn’t wait to try it.

I had been craving phở — pronounced “fah,” people! — mostly because I was sick and this traditional Vietnamese noodle soup dish is what I like to eat when I’m sniffing and sneezing.

But this eatery, right across from Encore! Espresso (which will be neighbors soon with a Dave’s Ice Cream), has more than just pho. Its menu features rice plates, grilled meats, cold noodles and desserts that aren’t served every day. (We know.)

Here’s what we ate this week:

Outside Mama Pho

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We have been waiting for this eatery to open in Aina Haina. The nearest restaurant serving pho in East Honolulu is Kaimuki — and on some weeknights, even that's too far to drive.

Mama Pho, Aina Haina Shopping Center, 820 West Hind Dr. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Phone: (808) 373-8887

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FUUD: The hot pot craze

by Catherine Toth on October 14, 2011 in Food

It seems like every new restaurant popping up lately has something to do with boiling water.

Shabu Shabu King recently opened near Puck’s Alley. Hot Pot Heaven recently earned an Ilima Award. And Hanaki Japanese Restaurant in Manoa ditched the typical sit-down format and teishoku menu for hot pots only.

Let’s face, hot pots are hot.

The question is, why?

How did a thousand-year-old dish — usually served during cold months in climates hardly similar to Hawaii — get so popular so fast?

The thing is, hot pots and shabu shabu have been around for awhile. But lately — and I mean, since Sweet Home Cafe opened a few years ago — the concept has become all the rage.

Don’t believe me?

Try to get into Sweet Home Cafe for dinner without waiting longer than an hour.

So what is it? The healthy style of cooking meats and veggies? Is it the variety of dipping sauces? Is it the ambiance, the long lines, the feeling that you’re part of the cool kids who swish their beef tongues and chicken testicles in lightly flavored broths?

I know why I’ve loved hot pots — shabu shabu, huō guō, lāu, whatever — for a long time.

It’s simple. It’s fast. And it’s good.

You grab whatever ingredients you want, be it thinly sliced beef or baby bak choi or pork blood. And you cook them in the broth of your choice. In less than a minute, you’re dipping fully cooked beef slices into a rich ponzu sauce and eating it with a bowl a hot white rice.

What could be better than that?

Well, one thing: dessert. And this shave ice concoction at Sweet Home Cafe — with fruit jellies, mochi balls and coffee-flavored flan — is worth the 90-minute wait, sometimes in the rain.