Mention Nu'uanu Okazuya to those "in the know" and chances are, they'll mention fishcakes. They're certainly one of the more well-known of the genre on Oahu, thanks in part to being included in the Okazuya guidebook, Okazuya: "Oh 'Cause You Hungry" published back in 2000.

Nu'uanu fits the classic Okazuya business profile under several common denominators: 1) They're located in an inconspicuous, hole-in-the-wall location; here being on a lesser beaten path back street, just a few blocks mauka of bustling downtown Honolulu. 2) The trays of food are placed in a shop-front window so passersby can see what's available. 3) They're owned and operated by a local Okinawan family. Therefore, many of the dishes offered are heavily influenced by Okinawan and Japanese cuisine. And 4) They open very early in the morning, and close within 1 or 2 hours after the lunch hour rush, or whenever food runs out - whichever comes first. Therefore, it's a good idea to arrive as early as possible for best selection, especially if you want your claim of their most popular specialty items.

And I really agree with this statement in that Star bulletin article linked above: "In some ways I think it was the predecessor of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine," Dela Cruz says of okazuya food. This really is fusion cuisine at its core, blending ingredients and cooking techniques from both east and western cultures.

Enough rambling. Let's take a peek through the window to see what get!...

We arrived at 10:45am today (Friday), ahead of this 3-day Memorial Day weekend, therefore many folks (we assume) took off from work to extend the holiday, so most of the good stuff here was still available. Yay!

Still, inventory was already thinning, considering this to be a "slow" day. Look, all the shrimp tempura was wiped out, and only had this much vegetable tempura remaining...

Had Butterfish and Saba...

Hash patties, hamburger patties, Spam slices and Egg Omelets...

Nori Fishcakes, Gobo Fishcakes, Plain Fishcakes, Chive Fishcakes and Crab Fishcakes...

But shoots, they sold out of the Hot Dog Fishcake. Whaaahhhhh! Whaaaaahhh! That's my favorite! Oh well, next time!

Musubi, check...

Cone Sushi...

Kabocha slices...

Whew, just in time. Only had three left! Had plenty of the diced Kabocha with shrimp, though...

OK, I'm drooling already, time to head in the door to order before people beat me to whatevah get left!...

As I said earlier, this was a Friday preceeding a 3-day weekend, so as you see, the dining room, which is usually at maximum capacity around this time, on this day was empty...

Earlier I showed you the the room-temperature items in the window. Then inside, there's the hot station...

As you see on the bottom right, the tray of Nishime was all wiped out. But not to fret! As we were there, the cook just loaded up a fresh batch!

To the left of that is Squash (Togan) with Chicken and Tofu. Our nice server lady is shown putting together Diner E's plate, grabbing a serving of Chicken Long Rice, Okinawan style. There's also simmered Tofu, Chow Funn, and a few other items not clearly visible in the photo.

Well, we have our plates, so it's back to the office where it's time to grind!

Diner C ordered this...

Gobo (Kimpira), Simmered Tofu, Saba and Chow Funn. Total was about $6.

Here's Diner E's order....

Clockwise from top: Kobu Maki, Vegetable Tempura, Furikake Musubi, Cone Sushi, Garlic Chicken, Kabocha Pumpkin slice and Chicken Long Rice. Total for his was about $9.

Finally, here's my order...

Clockwise from top: Vegetable Tempura, Teriyaki burger, Chow Funn, Nori Fishcake, Gobo Fishcake, Kabocha slice, Nori Musubi and Kobu Maki. Total was $9.55.

Now I know what you're thinking. Kinda' pricey. Yeah, we all agree on that. But.. but, most of what's on these plates are worth it. Especially when you consider that many of these are specialty items that take long hours to prepare, or the ingredients involved simply cost more.

Let's take a close look at that absolutely FANTASTIC! Kobu Maki...

Kobu Maki

This is made by wrapping strips of pork and gobo (Burdock root) in Kobu (a.k.a. Kombu, or sea kelp) and tying it up with Kanpyo (dried gord), then simmered in a shoyu/sugar/sake/katsuoboshi liquid until it's flavorfully infused and tender. The Kobu Maki at Nu'uanu Okazuya should be a top priority on your must-have list when going here. Sugoi oishii desu yo!

Again I'll say, I was really bummed they ran out of the Hot Dog Fishcake. But they still had a nice selection of other types. Here's a closer look at the Gobo Fishcake...

Gobo Fishcake

And the Nori Fishcake..

Nori Fishcake

Good stuff!

Let's also inspect that Chow Funn closer...

Diner C really enjoyed Nu'uanu's take on this classic Okazuya dish, preferring its relative "complexity" in comparison to St. Louis Delicatessen's back-to-basics approach. I didn't care for it though. It had pieces of chicken in it, which to me didn't match, IMHO. And the seasonings also was a bit off. Texture-wise, they were also a bit mushy and overcooked.

My favorites, at least on this particular day's order, was the Gobo (Kimpira), which Diner C shared with us, the Kabocha (pumpkin), and the Kobu Maki. Order just those 3 items, and guaranz' you got yourself a mighty tasty, and also quite healthy lunch.

Diner C gave her plate a solid 5 Spam Musubi rating based on taste alone, but scales back to 4, only because of the high price for "take-out food" such as this. $6 is a bit steep for that "mini plate" she had. Still, loved the Saba, saying how moist, tender and flavorful it was. That, along with that fantastic Gobo Kimpira gotta' be a winner right there.

Diner E, our resident Uchinanchu, was also mostly favorable of his plate, except was disappointed with the long rice, which he said paled in comparison to that from Toshi's and Masa & Joyce ; two of his favorite for that particular item. He also felt a little shortchanged on the Garlic Chicken, which as you can see, is a quite a scrawny small piece. Especially since the Okinawan lady knew he was Okinawan too. Wassup wit dat? lol

Like I was disappointed the Hot Dog fishcake ran out, he was also disappointed that they didn't have Okara available on this visit. That's his number one ichiban favorite item from Nu'uanu. Okara is a soy pulp byproduct which comes from the Tofu-making process.

With that, Diner E gave his plate on this day an overall 3 Spam Musubi rating. Not bad, all things considered.

Yours truly gives my plate a 4. But let me go beyond a simplified average and grade each item individually!

Kobu Maki:

Kabocha (Pumpkin slice):

Nori and Gobo Fishcakes:

Vegetable Tempura:

Nori Musubi:

It would have scored one more Spam if it had Ume inside, but nevah get

Teriyaki Burger:

Chow Funn:

Price/Value:

Service:

Convenience/parking:

So to average that breakdown,
the total score for my plate is:

and a half

I need to make a half-eaten SPAM Musubi icon to represent half points!

While techincally my plate is 3.5, I'm giving mines a solid

due to how delicous the Kimpira, Kabocha and Kobu Maki was. Winnahz.

And of course everyone has their favorites, no matter which Okazuya you go. Others might swear Nu'uanu's Nishime is da' best. Others might favor their shoyu pork. As always, to each their own.

Nuuanu Okazuya is located in a low-rise business building, with neighbors that include Hosoi Florist, another Okazuya (can't remember the name), a saimin shop and I think a barber shop. Something like that. It's on the Daimond Head side of Nuuanu Avenue, across Hosoi Mortuary, just behind Pali Long's and Safeway. There's usually a few metered parking stalls available on the street in front. Usually. Depending when you go and your timing. Funny enough, as soon as I drove up towards there, two cars moved in stalls I was gonna' take! Ack! Luckily I scored one just a bit further down.

Nuuanu Okazuya. Whether you go for the fishcake specialties, their most excellent Kobu Maki, Kimpira, the Kabocha pumpkin, or the many other classics offered there, DO check them out. Buggah is oishii!

Here's their info...

Click on the image above to view/download/print their take-out menu (PDF)

Nu'uanu Okazuya
1351 Nu'uanu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-533-6169

Open Monday - Saturday
6am to 2pm

The Tasty Island rating:

Related Links:
• Okazuya: Cause You So Hungry! - Star Bulletin

When it comes to the back-to-basics, simple-is-best approach to Okazuya-style grindz, St. Louis Delicatessen is where it's at.

This classic Okazuya shop, located at the corner of Waialae and 3rd avenue, across the St. Louis-Chaminade campus, has been here for decades and is still owned and operated by the same local Okinawan family.

Their signature Chowfun noodles are the foundation to their keep-it-simple approach, and above (or more often underneath) everything else, is THE item to order here.

Full serving Chowfun noodles, $2.00

The simplest execution of ever-so-slightly flavored Chowfun noodles (Hula brand we think), julienned carrots and string beans. That's it. The flavoring is difficult to detect what exactly they've got in there. It doesn't taste like oyster sauce, but perhaps a combination of chicken stock and/or dashi, and maybe perhaps just dash of shoyu. It's just on the verge of tasting outright plain, yet there's "something" in it that's their secret. That verge-of-being-plain flavor is what makes them the perfect compliment with all the savory items that go with it.

Continuing this simple-is-best approach are all the "goodies" to complete the meal...

Pomai's custom "oda", $6.75

Here above on this custom order of mine we have: (top to bottom) vegetable tempura, shrimp tempura, potato tempura, nori musubi, nishime, fried chicken, potato hash and luncheon meat, over a bed of their signature chowfun noodles.

Diner "E"'s order...

Diner "E"'s custom "oda", $6.70

Shown above on Diner "E"'s plate is: (top to bottom) vegetable tempura, nishime, long rice, cone sushi (aburage), potato hash and fried chicken, over a half serving of chowfun noodles.

Diner "A"'s order...

Diner "A"'s order: Plate B, $6.50

Diner "A"'s order shown above includes: (top to bottom) cone sushi (aburage), musubi (plain), potato tempura, fried chicken, luncheon meat, shrimp tempura, over a half serving of their signature chowfun noodles.

Just look at how much Okazuya grindz you get for under $7! Unless you're really, really hungry, I swear any one of these plates could easily feed two, possibly even three adults. My eyes were certainly bigger than my stomach on my particular order, as it kept me busy nibbling away at that over a four hour period just to rebuild my appetite and finish it.

I already explained their signature chowfun noodles, so now let's into detail on the rest of the items here.

First we must clarify on the tempura selections here. As you notice the, the batter isn't your traditional Japanese style that's delicate and flaky, but more "local style", having a more glutenous and chewy texture to it. This applies to the vegetable and shrimp tempura.

Going back to simple again, the vegetable tempura is just carrots and string beans; the same thing used in the chowfun. But the combination works beautifully. I love this tempura! The shrimp size in that tempura is kinda' small, but the flavor of it sure does permeate throughout the thick, glutenous batter its encapsulated in.

The potato "tempura" is the most interesting here, as it's essentially a traditional Okinawan Andagi, with a thin sliver of sweet potato (not the purple Okinawan type) in the middle of it...

Potato "Andagi" Tempura

What's interesting is how the flavor of this thin piece of sweet potato really punches through in that slightly sweet, chewy, nicely crusted Andagi "shell".

The fried chicken is pretty much just your basic recipe, very crisp and crunchy on the outside, tender and moist inside. Simple. This goes great with that nori musubi.

Speaking of musubi, this is also another basic that St. Louis Okazuya excels at. The musubi has great integrity, and doesn't fall apart like some other places' musubi have a tendency of doing. The nori version (compared to the plain) has a piece of seedless Ume inside. That alone is worth the extra 10 cents.

The Nishime is another winner here. The broth has a deeply simmered dashi flavor, and the daikon, kombu and carrots are all tender and just soaking in the "onoliciousness" of that broth (hey, new word!).

The luncheon meat is the "institutional type" (not SPAM) found in that white square can, simply fried up. This also goes great with the nori musubi.

The potato hash is more potato than corned beef, and a bit loose (falls apart), so there's better out there, but still, it works.

Diner "E" loves their long rice (a regular item for him), which is he says is also a simple recipe (he's guessing) of shoyu, sugar, with the noodles cooked in chicken stock. Sounds good to me.

That pretty much covers our favorites at St. Louis Deli. I'd say the ultimate way to enjoy this type of food is to go buy your plates, then head on over to a beach park, either Ala Moana or up Diamond Head-Kahala side. Go for a swim to build up your hunger, then head back on the sand and dig into your St. Louis Okazuya lunch plate. The filling starch and salty, savory meats just hits da' spot, along with the ambience of salty air and blue ocean just hits da' spot. Das' da' best'est'est'est!

Here's the menu*...

*Current as of this writing.

The front of the shop...

St. Louis Delicatessen shop front

Truly a hidden gem! The inside of the shop is very cramped, with only enough standing space for about 6 people max.. I arrived to pick up this order at around 10:30am, which when I walked in, there were only 2 people inside. Within minutes of me standing there, a line had already built leading out the door. Folks, as hidden as this place is, they are very popular, so don't underestimate anything! And with most Okazuya shops, when food items run out, it's out. That's it. No more. Arimasen. So I'd recommend going early for best selection. At least before noon.

Located next door (to the left) of St. Louis Drive In on the corner of Waialae and 3rd avenue...

Remember, don't get confused with St. Louis Drive In, or that sign. St. Louis Delicatessen is an unaffiliated business that's NEXT DOOR!

So if you want Okazuya style grindz that's fundamentally simple, yet absolutely delicious, at an unbeatable value, check out St. Louis Delicatessen.

St. Louis Delicatessen
3147 Waialae avenue
Tel. 732-0955
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 8am - 1:30pm (closed Sundays and Mondays)

The Tasty Island Rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Mention Chow Fun noodles to anyone who grew up in Hawaii, and chances are what immediately comes to mind is the "Manapua Man", or an Okazuya. For the latter, my pick for "best Chow Fun" goes to Matsumoto's on Gulick, and the "keep it simple" approach to perfection at St. Louis Delicatessen on Waialae.

Chow Fun is another of those seemingly simple dishes, yet it can also be ambiguously complex, with so many interpretations, and no "local standard". It's easy to mess up it up by overdoing it and adding too many ingredients, where it ends up "lost".

Recently a new member on a discussion board I frequent shared a recipe for her "Vegetarian Chow Fun", which had me intrigued to try, since she mentioned she used to operate an Okazuya shop herself.

I'm assuming it's called "vegetarian" due to the lack of chicken, charsiu or luncheon meat in it, which is most often what Chow Fun is prepared with here in the islands. But what had me most curious was the use of Hijiki, which I've never cooked with before.

So I went for it. Here's the recipe...

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Vegetarian Chow Fun Noodles
by kani-lehua
Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 1 package dried chow fun noodles (Hula brand)
• Shiitake mushrooms (don't forget to soak them first, julienned)
• Carrots and onions, julienned
• Green onions, chopped (for garnish)
• Broccoli and zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 can water chestnuts (the ones already sliced)
• Hijiki (dried black looking seaweed, soak in water to rehydrate)
• Oil for stir frying
• Sesame oil for drizzling when everthing is pau cooked.
• Grated ginger and garlic (according to taste)
• 2T shoyu (i guess you could sub bragg's amino acids, but i don't know)
• 1T vegetarian style oyster sauce (if no more, use regular)

Boil noodles until al dente. You have to keep checking on them. app. 9 minutes. rinse in cold water and drain. Cut noodles in half and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, saute the garlic and ginger (do not burn) for app. 1-2 minutes in the oil. add the shoyu or bragg's and oyster sauce. mix until well blended.

Stir fry all the veggies until al dente. Add the cooled noodles and heat through. Drizzle with sesame oil (don't over do it) and then toss in the hijiki at the end.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

What's obviously the most important factor in this recipe is the type of Chow Fun noodles, as in this case is called for HULA BRAND...

Hula Brand Chow Funn, purchased recently at Tropic Fish & Vegetable Center on GOB clearance for just 50 cents a bag!

Interestingly, when uncooked and dry, these noodles appear "pasty" and delicate, but once they begin to cook in the water, they really tighten-up and become resilient. I think that has something to do with the Potassium Carbonate in it. I'd go as far saying you could make a darned tasty Fetuccini Alfredo out of this.

What's nice about this package is that it includes 4 individual servings bundled up separately, which should come in handy for restaurant service.

Here's the cooked Chow Fun (Funn), perfectly al dente...

So while that's set aside, you saute all the veggies...

When these are all cooked, throw the cooked Chow Fun into the pan with it, combine and finish the dish according to the instructions in the recipe above.

I actually rushed this job, not paying particular attention to how I cut the veggies, as you can tell. As far as the quantity of veggies, it's really up to you. For that one package of Chow Funn, I used half a Zucchini, 1 large carrot, and about 8 medium-sized Shiitake mushrooms. I also only used only about 1/3 of the can of sliced water chestnuts, as any more than that looked like it would have been too much.

I must note, sometimes the noodles may be sticky or dry from sitting, so when I added them in, I also sprinkled some water and a drizzle of extra cooking oil to "loosen" it up. That worked. I also had to readjust by adding a little more Oyster Sauce.

Speaking of Oyster sauce, that's another key ingredient here, as that's the main "flavorizer". In this preparation, I used Shirakiku brand Premium Oyster Sauce, which was fantastic. Others swear by the Lee Kum Kee brand. Up to you.

I added very very little Sesame oil at the end, as the stuff can be overpowering. But what little was added gave it that "nuttyness" that helped punch out the flavor of the Shiitake mushrooms.

That first photo shows the finished dish in the pan, all done and ready to serve.

Note that I also added Beni Shoga on the right side (red stuff), which goes well with anything savory.

What does bring savoriness to the table here is of course the Shiitake mushrooms, but also the Oyster sauce, along with the way the garlic, ginger and onions are sauteed in the oil before everything goes in.

The Hijiki added a "seafood" like element to it, along with it's crunchy texture, yet I added just enough, but not too much where it may have been overpowering. You have to be careful how much you add in.

As for the "vegetarian" part, most carnivores would be hard-pressed to find anything "not meaty" about this dish. It doesn't miss the chicken, char siu or luncheon meat at all.

Now the devil on my right shoulder knocks on my brain and says, "Wait a minute? No meat you say? Well, let's add some on top of it, Okazuya style!"
So I added a cooked Teriyaki Winner on top. This kine..

I swear, these are one of the BEST hot dogs on the market. I'm not really a huge Teriyaki fan, and I try not to eat too many hot dogs for health reasons, but for what it's worth, this one has that perfect balance of savory-sweet going on, with hint of shoyu-laced depth that's unlike any other hot dog I've ever had. Knowing how popular Teriyaki is in Hawaii, If Costco sold these at their concession, they'd probably move containers full of the stuff.

The devil made me do it...

I think I'll name this one "Da' Hana-koko-lele" Okazuya plate

Hey, this was somethin' yum! There's almost this "surf 'n turf" thing going on with the combination of the Hijiki and the savory-sweet hot dog. I'd take out the Shiitake mushrooms next time though, if I'm gonna' "carnivorize" this Chow Fun, as that, combined with the porky wiener was a little too "meaty". Still ono though.

Back to the original recipe, this Vegetarian Chow Fun recipe, as is, turned out to be a winner. It's relatively cheap and easy to make, and best of all, it can be served as a delicious, satisfying, nutritionally balanced, guilt-free (if you resist the hotdog!), all-in-one meal.

Mahalo kani-lehua for sharing it!

This might as well be named "The Tasty Noodle Island" blog, as here I present yet another store-bought fresh oriental noodle product in the form of Okinawa Soba by Sun Noodle. You may know by my previous posts how fond I am of Sun Noodle's Ramen products. With that in mind, I just had to pick up this Okinawa Soba item up and give it a spin.

This 14.7 oz 2-person serving package was purchased at Ward Marukai for $2.79 (regular price). It includes a sealed inner bag of soba noodles (single batch) and two packets of soup base...

Notice how these Okinawan Soba noodles are light in color and have a wide and flat profile vs. Japanese Soba noodles which are more brown and have a thinner, round profile.

Well, like Saimin and Ramen (or any noodle dish for that matter), they require further garnishment to make it a complete dish. With that I added julienned carrots, celery and sliced green onions. There's also a small amount of minced fresh ginger and garlic for extra "kick"...

As well as two types of Kamaboko (fish cake)...

Hilo's Amano brand Vegetable Tenpura Deep Fried Fish Cake - 6 oz., $1.27 (on sale) from Marukai.

Here it is unpackaged...

Notice all the bits and pieces of green onion, peas and carrots. This stuff is awesome just eaten alone, so imagine how good they are in the Yakisoba noodles!

Also...

Hilo's Amano brand Uzumaki Steamed Fish Cake - 6 oz., $1.27 (on sale) from Marukai.

Notice the attractive swirled profile...

This stuff is mandatory in saimin.

So I also made Julienned strips out of these two fish cakes. You could also add (or substitute) with Spam or Charsiu (local style), but I opted to stick with these. Especially since the deep-fried Vegetable Tenpura Fish Cake already has a "meaty" flavor profile.

Now that we're prepped, on with the cooking, which is VERY easy (like making Saimin)...

In a large sauté pan or wok on medium-high heat, first sauté the vegetables...

Once the vegetables begin soften and cook through, add the Kamaboko (or other meat)...

In that photo, you can see how I cut the Kamaboko, so that everything is uniform and combines easier with the soba noodles.

The Kamaboko is already cooked out of the package, so all you're doing here is heating it up. Then you add the broth. First combine the broth packet with 1-1/2 cups of boiling water in a cup. There are two packets in here, so make that 3 cups for the 2 packets. Then pour the broth into the pan with the vegetables and fish cake...

Unlike ramen or saimin, this is a "dry" noodle dish, not a soup; where the broth is only for flavor and moisture, and the noodles will mostly absorb all of it.

Then add the Soba noodles...

The broth will begin to boil and steam and cook the noodles, which the noodles will also absorb most of its moisture and flavor. With chopsticks (or tongs), combine the noodles, vegetables and kamaboko (or meat) evenly...

If you want, you can adjust the final flavor with Shoyu...

As you can see, the soba noodles absorbed that broth, making them tender and moist. These Yakisoba noodles really are "sponges", also taking on the Kamaboko flavors.

From the time the noodles are added, it only takes about 5 minutes to reach the ideal tender, and moist finish. Finally, garnish it with the green onions and that's it!

Itadakimasu!

As you can see, this is a popular item with local Okazuya shops, as many of them are owned Okinwans, such as shown in this plate from Masa & Joyce in Kaneohe...

And the dish really is flexible as to what you garnish with. Here's a Yakisoba plate from this year's Okinawan Festival...

I'm willing to bet Sun Noodle makes the noodles sold at the festival. Next year I'll ask. But they do look like the same one I have here from the store. As you can see, they put SPAM in theirs. Mines mo' bettah with da' Kamaboko!

Next time I'll try added that pickled ginger garnish on top. That looks good!

Anyway, next time you're in the mood for noodles, give this Okinawa Yakisoba by Sun Noodle a try. It's really easy to make.. and to make it your own. It's also a fantastic one-dish meal, great for pot lucks or to pack for the beach. Oishii desu!

Continuing the Uchinanchu spirit from last week's Okinawan Festival, today we decided to make a stop over in Kaneohe at Masa & Joyce Okazuya. A first for me, yet a frequent stop for my Uchinanchu friend, who's order is shown above.

On the right side of the establishment as you enter is a glass refrigerator case with various poke, seafood and other pupu items. Head straight towards the front counter where the menu board is hanging and there under the glass case you'll find the various trays of daily Okazuya items to pick from. This is "the gold"! All the other stuff on the menu looks ono, but we're here today for Okazuya!

As is typical of many Okazuya shops, there aren't any signs with descriptions or prices on each item, making it a little challenging to make your choices if you're not a regular here. I arrived around 10:30am, thinking I'd beat the lunch hour rush. Which I thought I had done, as it was rather empty when I walked in, but before I knew it, there was a line building behind me that was already practically out the door! So I had to hurry and select items for two plates to go, which totaled $15 for both of them.

There's also (limited) tables and seating if you prefer to dine in.

So the plate shown above was my friend's order, and here's my order...

Okazuya plate from Masa & Joyce: Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles, Vegetable Tempura, Ahi Tempura, Ahi Belly, Hot Dog Maki Sushi

So how is it?

The stir-fried Okinawan Yakisoba Noodles are a meal in itself, el dente, with generous slices of SPAM, carrots, white and green onions in it; the sum of its parts seasoned nicely in a shoyu-base that we can't pinpoint, but works perfect. This the OTHER chow funn!

The Ahi Belly... OMG, this is like "buttah". Being the fatty party of the tuna, this piece was super moist, very very flavorful, and gladly hardly had any bones in it. It had a light shoyu and sugar glaze on the seared exterior which gave it that signature "Okazuya style". Highly recommended!

The Ahi Tempura has a rather thick and chewy, somewhat salty batter, which contrasted, yet complimented the tender ahi meat inside nicely. Here's how that looks on the inside...

The Vegetable Tempura seemed to share the same thick, chewy and slightly salted batter as the Ahi version, except in this case being made up of carrots, onions, green onions and string beans.

Because of the batter, both these had character on their own, and didn't need any kind of dipping sauce, as is usually the case with Japanese-style Tempura. Both good choices.

The Hot Dog Maki Sushi is such a no-brainer idea as far as "local food" is concerned, yet I don't see this too often. This is a great alternative to the more familiar "Spam Musubi". Here's a cross section showing how it's constructed...

Each bite: rice and hot dog, rice and hot dog, rice and hot dog. Life is complete!

That sums up my plate. My friend ordered the Teriyaki fish patty, which he gave me a sample of. OMG! That ROCKS! Order that on your next stop at Masa & Joyce. Trust me. I know I am. It's not "fishy" at all. It taste nothing like the fish patty at Tanioka's, which is excellent in its own right. It's almost like hamburger-like, yet has something "Japanese" about it, and not fatty like a burger. I'd love the recipe for this.

He approved of the Nishime, which was the first time he's ordered that from here since they didn't have Kinpira (Gobo) today. While he says it doesn't beat Ige's, it was ono.

Other items included Okinawan Sweet Potato patties, various other fish items, Okinawan Long Rice, Teriyaki Fish Meatballs (same like the fishcake patty, but in different form), Aburage, Spam Sushi, Fried Tofu, and many other dishes just I can't remember or identify.

Besides Okazuya, they also have a regular menu to order from, including a basic breakfast and soups such as Ox Tail, Ju Shi Me (Okinawan Rice Soup) and Okinawan Soba (like Saimin). There's also plate lunches, bento lunches and Hawaiian Food, including all the favorites.

The Okazuya offerings are located in that glass case under this counter. "Da' Gold"!

Now that I've sampled their Okazuya, which is on par with the best the island has to offer, next time around, I'm gonna' go for one of the Hawaiian plates and see how M&J stacks up with Young's Fish Market and Ono Hawaiian Food.

If you're ever in the Kaneohe area and looking for Japanese, Okinawan, Hawaiian and overall local 'kine grindz all in one stop, check Masa & Joyce out. Buggah stay winnahz, ono and oishii all at da' same time! Go check 'em now go!

Masa & Joyce Okazuya
Hawaiian & Japanese Foods
Sashimi - Poke - Bento - Etc.
45-582 Kamehameha Hwy.
Tel: (808) 235-6129
Fax: (808) 235-0992

Tasty Island rating:

Winnahz!

*Masa & Joyce Okazuya is located across Windward City Shopping Center (Foodland and First Hawaiian Bank). They're in a small business plaza complex on the corner of Kamehameha Hwy. and Luluku Rd. (mauka side), and are also neighbors with Kin Wah Chop Suey, another popular place!...

The corners each hold 3 pieces of maki: 1 cucumber, 1 ume, and 1 avocado. Tucked inside the three pieces is a piece of okra. I have no idea what it tastes like, but it looks cute. heh. The ocean water in the middle is made of white rice dyed blue and green to give it a more aqua look. Click this close-up picture to enlarge.

At the bottom I have some furikake "sand" with a crab hotdog on it with cheese/nori eyes. I learned tonight that Redondo Hawaiian Winners, though nice and bright red, do not make for good bento hot dogs. They're very difficult to cut due to the little balls of fat. Plus, finding little balls of fat is gross in itself. I'll stick with turkey hot dogs!

The coral is cut with an exacto knife out of bell peppers. The fishies are carved out of carrots and bell peppers. The starfish is made out of kamaboko (fishcake) and has sesame seed eyes and a nori mouth. The squid in the middle is made from a Redondo hot dog and the head is a thin slice of turkey hot dog.

Since this is an obscene amount of rice, I doubt I will be eating the ocean. The 12 pieces of maki and the two hot dog pieces are more than enough to fill me up for lunch. It sure doesn't feel like I've done 100 bentos!

Many of you know that I'm giving away some bento items in celebration of today's lunch. I wrote everyone's name on a piece of paper and folded them all up and put them into a little lacquer bento box. Baby Girl picked one out and the winner is...

Jennie from the US!

Why Jennie loves bento:

Because I need and want my children to eat healthy well balanced meals. Plus sometimes it is just cool!

Congratulations Jennie! Funnily enough, I shook those little papers around like crazy and yet the person who won was the last person to enter. ^_^ I'll be in touch for address info and what not!

My regular readers may remember that I mentioned a certain okazuya shop a couple weeks ago in Hilo called Y's Lunch Shop. My Aunty K did in fact deliver me some of their awesome fried fish and musubi and it tasted exactly as I remembered it. Having just relived the old taste memories of high school so recently, I was very sad to receive an e-mail informing me that the "Pop" of this little "Mom and Pop" okazuya store had passed away. Frustratingly, I don't remember his first name; I only knew him as "Mr. Miyamoto".

He was a very kind old man, I remember going next door to buy something to eat and sometimes he'd give me a couple extra potatoes. (probably cause he'd seen me scrounging in the car for any little coins to use) I remember sitting on the back steps watching him bring back bags of food from the downtown KTA, wondering how it was possible for him to buy ingredients at the same market we shop at and yet produce such amazing fried chicken, egg, fish, and spam musubi. They'd be there at I swear, 3 or 4 am to start cooking their addictive food. Sometimes at the end of the day when they hadn't sold everything, he'd pack it all up and give it to me or my brother. I had this massive crush on his oldest grandson who I never did get the courage to talk to during the summers he was in Hilo.

I dedicate my 100th bento to Mr. Miyamoto, who smiled a lot and gave to us whenever he could. May Y's Lunch Shop always be there on Keawe Street. Hilo just wouldn't be the same without it.

Fairly new on Oahu's Okazuya scene is Matsumoto's Okazuya & Restaurant, which opened for business in August 2005.

My friend visited here a week ago and ordered the take-out pictured above from their Okazuya counter. Overall "Spam Musubi" rating from him? FOUR! He gave me a sample of some Chow Funn.. oh boy.. look out St. Louis Delicatessen! This is EXCELLENT Chow Funn! Kept simple, cooked al dente with just sliced carrots, bean sprouts, green onion and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper, and some "secret" other seasoning we can't pinpoint. He really enjoyed the fried chicken and tempura as well.

Patrons also have the option of a broader dine-in menu. First on that list are Combination box lunches such as Sashimi/Beef or Chicken Teri, which also includes Tsukemono (pickled vegetables), salad, miso soup & rice for just $6.75. What a deal! There's also various Teishoku, Donburi, Soba, Udo, Ramen and "specials" such as Ginger Pork and Salmon Butteryaki. Again, all items include the same sides included with the comination boxes, with most prices in the family-friendly $6-8 range.

There's also take-out bento's such as Chicken Teri Donburi for just $4.50, up to their "Large Bento" for $5.75 which includes (start counting!): Teri Beef, Chicken Katsu, 1 pc. Shrimp Tempura, 1 pc. Sweet Potato Tempura, 1 pc. Carrot Tempura, Salad, Rice, Tsukemono, Takuan, Konbu & Grilled Salmon. Did you count? Common.. that's ELEVEN items for just $5.75. Unbelievable. Folks I WILL get you a sample photo and review of this super bento deal some time very soon.

Matsumoto's also does take-out/pot-luck party pans, including favorites such as their fantastic Chow Funn, to Mochiko Chicken, to Shrimp Tempura, to Spring Rolls to Nishime, ranging in price from approx. $25 to $40/pan.

Owner Todd Matsumoto also offers catering, private parties and a live Sushi Bar.

Hanahou addition (May 7, 2007)...

we paid a visit to Matsumoto's Okazuya and Restaurant on Gulick Ave. for lunch this past Friday. This was my first time to order an entire plate for myself.

There's lots of glare, but in that front window are the classic open display of Okazuya items to choose. More selections are also located just as you walk in the door, where you're greeted by a very attractive local gal (bonus!). On the right of the front counter is an opening that leads to a rather small restaurant seating area. Here you can order from the full menu as mentioned above.

We got there around noon, which is much later than the 10am finish for Okazuya, but there were still a few items available to choose.

So we walked out with this...

"Bluesman's" plate: Fried Rice, BBQ Teriyaki Steak, Mixed Vegetable Tempura, Kimpira Gobo, Corned Beef Hash patty and Chow Funn (they spell it with two N's). $5.50

My plate: Corned Beef Hash Patty, Shoyu Hot Dog, Mochi? Spring Roll, BBQ Teriyaki Chicken, Ume Musubi and Chow Funn. $6.09

I'm willing to bet either of these plates would have costed at least $2 more at Nuuanu, Fukuya or Gulick. All great places, but can prices can really add up.

Matsumoto's value is hard to beat, but more importantly, the Okazuya items are all AWESOME. No complaints at all.

One noticeable quality they have is a grill that really sears and puts the BARBECUE in the BBQ meats. That Teriyaki Chicken with the sear marks and rich glaze was EXCEPTIONAL.

The most interesting item on my plate was that Spring Roll. The wrapper was made out of a sort of glutenous, stringy thing that had an interesting, chewy texture. It was filled with shrimp, and what looked like daikon and green onion. Sugoi oshii desu.

The corned beef hash was tasty. Not as good as Tanioka's, but still oishii. The shoyu hot dog was your typical basic Okazuya affair. Take a nibble and chase it with the musubi. Oh yeah.

Just like the last time I tried, it, the Chow Funn. Oh the Chow Funn. This is what Okazuya is all about. Winner all the way. I'm going back here many times again just for that.

It's certainly refreshing and a relief to know that the new generation is keeping the Okazuya tradition alive and well, thanks to up and coming greats such as Matsumoto's!

Matsumoto's
Local Okazuya & Japanese Restaurant
1323 Gulick Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96817
tel: 808-848-7464

Hours of operation:
Monday-Saturday (Sunday closed)
Okazuya: 6am-10am
Lunch: 11am-2pm
Dinnner: 5pm-9pm

Ward Farmers Market has transformed over the years from being mostly made up of small vendors offering a variety of local foods and produce to what it stands today with just several larger tenants. On the east end you have Tropic Fish & Vegetable Market. In the center there's Haili's Hawaiian Foods, and across them, still in the center there's Lyn's Foods, a store that offers an assortment of mostly cracked seeds and local snacks. Finally, on the west end, occupying the most amount of square footage is Marukai Market Place. They recently expanded right up to Haili's, where as before they were approximately 30' or more farther down.

This added floor space had them moving the produce section from the far left, to the far right, adjacent to the main entrance, which is only accessible through Farmers Market' main corridor. This also allowed for a full service Okazuya, which you can see just behind that cashier checkout counter.

While it can be a toss-up on selection between them, Don Quijote and Shirokiya, Marukai often ends up having that special imported Japanese ingredient that the other two doesn't stock. One such item that comes to mind is the Menma (marinated bamboo shoots) that are a must-have for great ramen. I found that once in Don Quijote, but never again. Marukai always has several brands in stock. Nice.
Keep in mind that we're talking about their smaller Ward location. I haven't been to the main Dillingham warehouse location in quite a while, but know that there is much, much more selection there.

They also have some American basics such as eggs, milk, and select canned and frozen foods.

As you've seen in the first set of photos, besides groceries, they also have an excellent selection of hot and cold meals to go. Items such as fresh-made salads, sushi, oden, okonomiyaki, fried chicken and a huge assortment of bento lunches.

Marukai also owns and operates the 99 Cent Store, which is located to the left of the Market Place in another building.

The current Marukai annual membership fee is just $10, which you must have in order to enter and shop there, and a must-have if you love Japanese food such as myself.

It takes up just the right-hand portion of Makino's floor space, where the kitchen was/is, and is just a small take-out deli, not having anywhere to sit. The left side looks like they're renovating to lease to someone else.

Here's a few plates from Gulick's King St. location...

Gulick Deli's Shrimp Tempura, Hash Patty and Vegetable Tempura

Gulick Deli's Chow Fun, Nishime, Ume Musubi and Teriyaki Burger.

All that came out to $10.

Makino Chaya is now bigger and better in Aloha Tower Market Place.

Yesterday I was treated to an Okazuya plate from Fukuya Delicatessen on King st. I didn't personally go there, so all I have to report on is the food (the most important part!). Being an Okazuya, the procedure as a customer is to pick and choose from a variety of prepared items... sort of a "buffet to go" if you will. The Japanese term "Okazu" refers to "food served with rice" and "Ya" means "store". "Okazuya" is said to be a localized Hawaii-based combination of the two.

So this plate included (clockwise from top left):

• Cone sushi (aburage) - fried soy bean curd (from Tofu) stuffed with a heavily marinated (pickled) sushi rice and grated carrots
• Furikake Musubi (simple with plain rice)
• Japanese style Corned Beef Hash
• Misoyaki Butterfish
• Shrimp Tempura (2)
• Vegetable Tempura
• Grilled Saba (fish)
• Namasu (pickled cucumbers)
• Nishime

In a word, it was all EXCELLENT. The only gripe was price. This plate costed about $10, which is WAY above the average $5 to $6 Okazuya price in Honolulu.

I especially liked the Saba and the Nishime. The Saba had a nicely grilled, mildly sweet marinated flavor and very moist. The Nishime had a good balance of ingredients, including Konnyaku, which I really love. All simmered in a flavorful broth.

A $10 Okazuya plate might be steep for the average work week take-out lunch, but the execution and quality is there, so that's up to you. It certainly was oishii!

Fukuya Delicatessen - Catering - Mochi
Moili'ili
2710 S. King St.
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 946-2073

Tasty Island Rating:

Note: Excellent food, but higher-than-average price.