Fish Taco

One evening in Hawaii, I ran out of idea where to have my dinner, so I was just wandering around the shopping centres along Kalakaua Avenue. When I was at the food court of the Royal Hawaiian Center, I started to look for food.

The menu at the Maui Tacos looked good, so I started to look for the item I would like to order. I was into fish that evening, so I finally placed an order of the Grilled Fish Taco.

After getting the receipt for the order, I was given a buzzer which I could walk away from the stall to look for a seat while waiting for my food to be ready.

Unexpectedly, the Grilled Fish Taco was top notch! It was so delicious that I visited this place for a second time to have the same food. The fish cubes were grilled to perfection and the nachos added some crunchiness to the palate. It was one of the best food I had on my gastronomic journey, not to mention the free flow of salsas at the help-yourself salsa bar.

Only after the trip that I found out that Maui Tacos are a series of Mexican chain restaurants around the United States of America, and the fish tacos are highly recommended by the patrons of the restaurants.

Honolulu Coffee

Honolulu Coffee is a café in Hawaii serving 100% Hawaiian coffee. I visited the branch at the Westin Moana Surfrider Hotel along Kalakaua Avenue wanting to have a taste of the local coffee.

However, I was attracted to the display of merchandise even before I ordered my coffee, particularly the CDs of the famous local singer Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole. Therefore, I picked two CDs and proceeded to the counter.

The coffee menu at Honolulu Coffee was very simple, therefore it wasn't hard for me to make my choice. I like café latte, so the choice was obvious.

Seriously, this was one of the best café latte I have ever had. The coffee had the right bitterness and fruity taste. It is a must try item in Hawaii.

My Second Breakfast at Kalapawai Market

Kalapawai Market is a shop with character that is based on the theme of surfing. There are surfboards everywhere in the store. During my Sunrise Tour with the Oahu Photography Tours, we stopped by this place for breakfast. In fact I have already taken a light breakfast at the hotel before departing, so this became my second breakfast.

Coffee is one of the main produce in Hawaii, so a store with character should never be lack of it. I was spoilt for choice and I have forgotten which one I had.

Kalapawai Market serves light meals to their customers as well as the store is located midway of tourist attractions.

The small seating area is also full of character with surfboards as tables. Wooden barrels are also utilised as tables.

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Since I wasn't that hungry, I ordered just a waffle with egg and cheese as my morning snacks, and of course there shouldn't be lacking in coffee.

Dinner at the Red Lobster

When I was attending the conference in Honolulu, I was informed by a fellow Malaysian that the Red Lobster restaurants serve very good seafood. There was one Red Lobster restaurant not too far away from the hotel that I was staying, so I decided to give it a try. I ordered an Ultimate Feast with Petite Green Beans and the plate of Caesar salad came as a complimentary dish. All the seafood was fresh except the Alaskan crab that had lost the sweetness in the meat due to being frozen for too long. The total damage was USD31.65 inclusive of tax, which was reasonable by the U.S. standard of living.

The Macadamia and the Lunch

Macadamia nuts have been on of my favourite types of nuts. In fact I like most types of nuts. Before I went to Hawaii, I had never seen a macadamia fruit, not to mention the tree. I was so excited when I was shown the macadamia tree and the fruits outside a local produce outlet. Now I know what a macadamia tree looks like as well as the fruits.

After shopping for the macadamia nuts, our tour group was brought to a clubhouse for lunch. There weren't many choices on the menu, so I opted for the Japanese ramen with ebi tempura and katsu. It wasn't too bad, but nothing compares to having the Japanese ramen in Japan.

The Kingdom of Pineapple

Dole Plantation in Honolulu is a classic example of a plantation turning into a tourist destination. Part of the original pineapple field was turned into a tourist centre cum leisure farm.

Behind the tourist centre building is a pineapple field with different species of pineapple. I hadn't seen so many types of pineapple in my entire life before I made this visit to the Dole Plantation. It was so amazing that one can learn all about pineapples here.

The Dole Whip or Dole Soft Serve is the one of the most prominent products of Dole. It is a soft-serve ice-cream with fruit, chocolate or vanilla flavour. The first choice flavour for a first timer like myself was non other then the pineapple flavour. This was also my first time having soft-serve ice-cream with the taste of pineapple. It was really a very refreshing dessert.

Eating in Hawaii: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is one of the most popular places in Honolulu for dining and hanging out. As the name suggests, its specialty is definitely the cheesecakes. I went on one evening at around 7 pm and the place was packed with people without any table available. Therefore, I went on another day at around 5 pm just to beat the crowd.

After going through the main course menu, I decided to settle for the 'Macadamia Crusted Ono' which was USD27.95 back in 2013. It was not that cheap for me but bearable. However, the fish was overcooked with very bland taste, really not worth the price I was paying for.

Well, since the main course was a disappointment, I was really hoping that the cheesecake may save the day. So I ordered one 'Italian Tiramisu Cheesecake' at USD7.95. The cheesecake was quite rich and creamy but definitely not the best that I have tasted. It was just on par with good cheesecake but not the gourmet grade.

I was not satisfied with this meal but at least I have learned that top ranked places are not necessary always the best places.

Honolulu Chinatown: Kekaulike Market

Kekaulike Market is just across the street from Oahu Market. Being the newest market in Honolulu Chinatown, it is housed in a solid concrete building.

I skipped the fruit and vegetable sections and went straight to the meat and seafood sections as I had seen many fruit and vegetables in other markets. The meat and seafood being sold here were very much the same as those in the tropics.

I didn't buy anything raw from the market as I wasn't cooking. When I came across cooked food, I stopped by to see whether I like the food. When I came across this cinnamon roll stall, I was attracted to the big size of the rolls and I bought some. They really didn't just looked good but taste wise was as good as they look!