You know it's authentic when the second you step in, you immediately feel you're in that country…read more Being authentic is being true to yourself, true to your food, and not let outside pressures change how you prepare and cook your food too much. If you cook good food, they will come! At Shiyu Hunan Restaurant, you will find just that! Good food! Located along Beretania St, right before McCully St. on the right hand side. This spot used to be Twenty12 Sports Bar and a couple of other places over the past several years. There's a good amount of parking out front. Inside is clean and spacious. All the furnishings and decor (and even the aroma) really felt like I was stepping into a restaurant in China. QR Code menu. Traditional Hunan cuisine. There are many items that you won't find anywhere else, such as Perilla-Fried Bullfrog, Wuling Duck, Changsha Stinky Tofu, and etc. The Shrimp Fried Rice was amazing!!! One of the best wok heat experiences I've had in a long time! What made it was the wok heat on the scramble egg that gives you this flavor and aroma that can only come from a steel wok. The rice was stirred fried very well with each piece seasoned and coated and the amount of shrimp was very generous with all large size pieces. Definitely recommend! The Eggplant in Garlic Sauce was very good. Tender and uniform pieces of eggplant with a deep purple skin. A nice balance of savory, spicy, and garlicky. Minced pork bits were very good. Meaty and tender. Goes very well with rice! Wuling Duck is one of their specialties. The braised duck was amazing. Tender, flavorful meat that soaked up the savory and spicy braising broth with nice hints of sweet and bitter from the star anise, cloves, and other spices very well. All pieces were uniform with no random bone shards sticking out or fragments coming off. The radish was cooked nicely. Not too soft or firm, and didn't have that bitterness. Overall, an excellent meal with everything very well prepared, spot on flavors, generous portions, on point spice level, and each dish came to the table piping hot. It's always better when the food is right off the stove. That wok heat from the fried rice might be gone if it sat too long. Service was good. Everyone was friendly and attentive. Prices are quite acceptable compared to other places having raised their prices this year. I will definitely be back to try more items!

After passing by this restaurant quite a few times, on one Thursday evening I with two close…read morefriends finally went inside to try out some Hunan food. I am often hesitant to have spicy food as I have advanced in age, and spicy food becomes more difficult for me to digest. However, I am close friends with two spice fiends, so we were predestined to try this restaurant. We had very friendly service, although not knowing Mandarin Chinese as a customer restricts who is able to interact with you here. There is, however, easy contactless ordering through scanning a QR code and accessing the bilingual English and Chinese menu online. (Perhaps, long gone are the days of secret Chinese menus separate from the English one.) A Chinese restaurant has an authentic atmosphere when I hear a Chinese dialect being spoken which I cannot understand. That was the case here, so I could trust the food here to be delicious. Nathan's rule of thumb: order an item you have not seen offered elsewhere before. My friend was wise in suggesting the Pearl Beads, which are rice-covered nuggets of meat-- very unique and very tasty. The same could be said for the bullfrog. I don't think I've ever had frog meat before, but I enjoy it. The perilla leaf flavoring the bullfrog was electric. I love perilla leaf. The spice definitely was spicing (as the kids might say), so I needed ice cream relief afterwards. No regrets.

I love this place! I happened to door dash this place to my work because I was craving some good…read morechinese food. They have some of the best cake noodle Ive had on island, the oyster sauce chicken skin was crispy and their dumplings were to die for! Will definetly order from them again. Everything tasted fresh and delicious!

Authentic Chinese restaurant run by Cantonese-speaking folks. Service was quick. Prices were not…read moreparticularly cheap though. I think the cheapest category cost $5.50 which given the dated and not-so-clean atmosphere I would rather go somewhere else. The quality was subpar compared to other also authentic dim sum places. Went there for dinner takeout long time ago, nothing memorable, and recently for dim sum. I got the tofu skin wrap roll, chicken feet and chives dumplings. Chicken feet was decent. Tofu skin wrap roll had a kinda weird aftertaste. The steamed dumplings skin was terrible. You could see in the picture that it wasn't translucent. I think I've had better dim sum from the frozen section at Hmart. It seems busy at times coz apparently some tour group come here. I hope every business stays in business and they continue to get business from tourists, but not from me unfortunately.

For the most part, our order was good. However, this was the second time that a dish that we…read moreordered was overlooked and never delivered to our table. We were not charged for the missing dish, but the fact that it was overlooked was not good. I would like to suggest that the wait staff check the dim sum order sheet better to ensure that ALL items ordered are accounted for and delivered to the table. The restaurant is clean, the music is nice and enhances the dining experience. The employees are always nice. Thank you.

I really wanted to love this place because the food was genuinely delicious. Every dish we ordered…read morewas flavorful, and the restaurant itself was fairly clean and well-kept. Unfortunately, the service completely overshadowed what could have been a great dining experience. Our server, Winnie, was incredibly rude, grouchy, and seemed very selective about who she chose to be friendly toward. We watched her laugh and engage warmly with other tables while our party was met with cold, dismissive service from beginning to end. Our bill was over $250, and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect basic kindness, professionalism, and to be treated with the same respect as every other customer. Good service doesn't require going above and beyond--it simply requires treating people with courtesy. It's disappointing because the kitchen clearly knows what they're doing, but poor service can quickly ruin an otherwise excellent meal. I would gladly return for the food, but I'd seriously hesitate if it meant receiving the same level of service again. I hope management addresses this, because the restaurant has so much potential.

Went for lunch to try the $9.95 pork noodle soup special…read more The noodle soup was filling and the pork was moist and very tasty. Noodles were more like a rice noodle but with decent chew. The soup was a touch light on the salt, but I'd prefer that over something that's too salty. We also tried the Mongolian naan. It's very similar to a Chinese green onion pancake, except this was thicker and had some spicy seasoning salt. Tasty but not sure if order again for $8. Extra * for attentive service. I tend to drink excessive amounts of water, and the waitress kept my cup filled without me needing to get her attention.

Lunch in Kapahulu, Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. Always looking for a new restaurant, Irene and I met at Dahan Skewer, located on the corner of Kapahulu Avenue and Winam Avenue. It has a free shared parking lot - enter from Kapahulu Avenue. Inside, it's nicely air-conditioned and decorated. There's outside dining, too! Service was pleasant and efficient! We ordered a variety of skewers. Our favorites were the zucchini and mushrooms. The chicken thigh was a bit spicy. The pork belly wrapped in tofu skin had an odd flavor... I couldn't figure it out. The asparagus wrapped in pork belly was creative! Note: The warming dish was powered by three small candles under the metal tray, lined with parchment paper... very clever! We each got sauce dishes - half with chili powder and half with applesauce/lemon/onion. The applesauce concoction added a sweet sour kick to everything! We liked it! You should try it! Overall, it was a great foodie adventure! Thanks, Irene, for going with me... we could try more items by sharing a bunch of skewers! Maybe next time, I'll have a bowl of noodles!

I love Chinese-Korean food so was excited to come try their ~$15 Jajangmyeon, which was delicious…read moreand worth coming back for- good and saucy with perfectly chewy noodles! Their sweet and sour pork was good but but for the quantity, not worth the ~$25 to me. Loved their pickles and the ladies were so sweet and checked up on us often for more pickles and hot tea :)

Came here with a group of 9 persons and comfortably occupied Dowon's private room. This Northern…read moreChinese Restaurant is a gem hiding from plain view. Though they have been around quite a while I had forgotten they were here. Today our group ordered a nice variety of items: jajamyeon, jjampong (yes it was spicy!), orange chicken (Cantonese style), chicken chow mein, and few others. My favorites being the jajamyeon (tho i might order it with seafood next time) and the orange chicken. Looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu as well tho... recommend bringing a Chinese or Korean translator! ;-) Thank you Judi for reminding me of this hidden treasure. I learn so much from this phenomenal group of women! Sorry no photos. Too busy enjoying the good food and even better company. Parking lot accessed from Kona Street just BEFORE Piikoi. Restaurant accessed from parking lot. If you park in the lot, be sure to scan the QR code INSIDE the restaurant for 90 minutes free parking!

The interior of the restaurant is very nice and clean. I love the seating options on the cushions…read moreor regular chairs. The tom yum soup was well seasoned and flavorful. The yellow curry had the strong savory coconut flavor and paired well with fish fillet. The pad Thai was okay and a simple staple. The spring rolls and calamari were freshly made. The service was good. Everyone was so friendly. Parking is in the back or on the street.

You know an establishment is doing something right when it's been around for almost 40 years. And…read moreChiang Mai has been doing it right since 1988. This family owned and operated neighborhood restaurant serves authentic Thai food made with traditional recipes passed down through the generations, cooked with skill and love, and served with joy and Aloha. The restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated. It features an open kitchen and you can watch the chefs, who hail from Thailand and Laos, cook up crave-worthy culinary creations. The sounds of sizzling woks and the fragrance of fresh herbs and spices exude like exotic temptations from the kitchen heightening the dining experience. But, the food is just as appetizing if you enjoy it to-go, which is what we typically do. Either way, service is exceptionally efficient and exceedingly courteous. You really feel like they are passionate about serving high-quality food and are appreciative of their clientele. The warmth of their food and their service make you feel like family. Chiang Mai is more than just serving Thai food, they are about sharing their culture with the community. Now about the food...top-notch in every way. I especially enjoy that they offer many vegetarian and pescatarian dishes. Their vegetarian spring rolls are crunchy and savory, served with fresh veggies it's a brilliant start to a meal or a perfect light meal by themselves. The Pad Thai with tofu is delicate yet flavorsome. And the curry veggie noodles is an aromatic and truly comforting dish. I get this if I can't decide between noodles and curry. But, my favorite is the Pad Ki Mao with shrimp (you can choose your protein because it's made to order). The wide, chewy noodles, stir-fried fresh veggies, and robust but bright sauce always leaves me satisfied yet wishing for more. That's a memorable meal! While we've dined in a few times, we generally tend towards take-out. We don't use the online order and just call in. They pick up quickly and the order process is complete in seconds. Super convenient! They have a small parking lot in the back of the restaurant but there is also parking on King Street and on Makahiki Way. It's great for a lunch or dinner date or for groups. The restaurant is spacious but seating is intimate. At the writing of this review, they were featuring live music on Friday. Many great reasons to check them out! Hope you give them a try.

The classic but down so well!…read more Lemon chicken 8/10 Sweet and sour pork 9.8/10 Pork hash 8/19 Honey walnut shrimp 10/10 Crispy gou 8/10

We decided it was a no cook night. Garry got to select the restaurant! Yay! It's been a while since…read moreI've had Noodles so I chose Crispy Gau Gee min with cake noodles. Boy have prices gone up. We ordered the the lunch special so we would have a combination of different foods to eat. The Crispy Gau Gee were great but the noodles and vegetables were a little bland. The service is fast and the food comes out quickly too. It's definitely not a fancy place but hás the chop suey atmosphere.

It is a bit interesting that I am picking a Chinese restaurant to do my review on, but because I…read morewas hungry at the time, I had to find a place to quickly eat lunch at. I guess it led me to Golden Duck. I haven't heard all too much about this place, but the look of the inside of the restaurant made it feel inviting upon first glance. I ordered their Lemon Chicken plate, and it's not bad. The chicken was nice and crispy, and the sauce really made it tasty. I only ate some of it, but did have a good amount of it leftover for tomorrow. Overall though, it wasn't too bad for a first-time visit. Maybe next time, I should consider getting the lunch special or one of the beef/pork dishes. There's a lot to choose from...and they most certainly give you a decent amount of food if you're going there for lunch. 9/10 experience for me. Not bad. Totally would love to try coming back there again if given the opportunity.

Dinner tonight:…read more Mommy and son son: Dinner Plate, sub ginger chicken with Kau Yuk........except they slipped up and did double sweet sour spare ribs. Beef broccoli on the side and no eggs in the fried rice (son son is allergic). Daddy: Mapo Tofu So you must be wondering, how 4/5 stars with a slip up??????? Because we love the food here. Although we missed the Kau Yuk....we love the sweet sour spare ribs. Their fried rice I. The dinner plate's always awesome and packed with flavor. The mapo tofu, an umami bomb with HEAT. I like spice so it isn't what spicy, but it comes in waves if you get the peppers in your bite. I just wish there was more ground like. I did like there is some mushrooms in there. If really just want slightly spicy umami tofu, then you are going to be happy ;-)