Imagine my delight on my first trip to Hawaii and there's a Donki nearby. The immediate rush of…read moreexcitement filled my veins. The inside is as chaotic and busy as a donki in Japan, although this location (because this is the only location I've been to in Hawaii) seems to be merged with Safeway a bit with the items it held so it's almost double the overwhelming yet still fun to browse and walkthrough. It's bright, it's massive, and I'm sure you can play a mean game of tag inside, but don't. While there was a ton of items that almost swayed me, I only opted for a couple bags of cookies and a little hot wheel for my husband.

My sister took me to lunch and suggested the Wagyu Skewer lunch spot in Don Don Donki. It sounded…read morepretty good, so off we went. The layout of the store is pretty strange, with the entrance on one side, and the exit at the other end of the store by the food court. It forces you to either park near the entrance or exit (or in the middle), and either way, it's gonna be a long walk. We parked near the entrance and went in and found the food court at the other side of the store. The store is fairly large, and offers a huge selection of Japanese foods, snacks, and other specialty products. It was surprisingly empty for a Friday afternoon, but at least we didn't have to wait very long. They have a large counter for sit down dining, along with tables in the middle of the court. The skewers were a petty good size, but the meat wasn't as tender as I had expected. It was a bit stringy, and chewy, but the taste was good. They also provided a Teriyaki style dipping sauce, which had a good flavor. I like that it included both a green salad, and mac salad, and the bed of rice under the skewers were also topped with furikake. For some reason, although it was a take out order, they forgot to include any utensils for the eating salad and rice. The exit is located right by the dining area, so the walk back to the car is quite a distance. I understand that having only one exit reduces the chances of theft, but it's still pretty inconvenient for their "primary" customers, who are probably an older demographic. Maybe that's why they're not as busy as when they first opened?

Long Overdue: My First Time at Azuma's (And Why I'm Already Planning My Return)…read moreOkay, I have to be honest with you all -- I've been sleeping on Azuma's. For months, people have been telling me about their dried aku, and I kept saying "soon, soon." Well, soon finally happened, and I have nobody to blame but myself for waiting this long. Now, before I go any further -- yes, I forgot to take photos. I know. I know. But here's the thing: the moment that dried aku hit the table, all my food blogger instincts went completely out the window. It was just me and that fish, and nothing else mattered. The dried aku was everything the hype promised -- deeply savory, with that concentrated, almost smoky flavor you only get when something is made with real patience and skill. The kind of dish that makes you close your eyes after the first bite. Absolutely ono. No notes. Next time -- and there will be a next time, probably very soon -- I'm going in for the laulau. I have a feeling it's going to be just as worthy of the word-of-mouth buzz. Watch this space. Azuma's -- go. Just go.

Just found out about this place from someone we just met in Kapolei, and Azama's will be my go to…read moredried aku and laulau store. The aku may be a little pricey but so worth it...I bought the regular and seasoned flavored and both werethe laulau was very tasty, had just enough salt and love the butterfish & pork, nice portions stuffed in side, the luau leaves were ono as well as a generous amount... Spreading the word

Delicious! simple to serve different than cake, the kids and adults loved it…read more Tasted like a light soft cookie that isn't too sweet. This was my baby niece's birthday cake and everyone was intrigued. Interesting and eye catching. Her work is absolutely exquisite!

Jennifer is the best and so are her cakes! She is professional, delivers excellent customer…read moreservice and can bring your cake to your location for your party or event. I ordered a medium sized tall cake for my nephew's birthday, gave Jen the concept for the decorating and boy did she stun us with a beautiful cake! It's delicious and everything we were hoping for. I will be a long-time client and love supporting this amazing small business.

Ewa Seed Company is such a great local spot, and their shave ice is seriously amazing! It's super…read moresoft and fluffy, just how real Hawaiian shave ice should be, and they have a great variety of flavors to choose from. You can really taste the difference in quality compared to other places--it's refreshing, flavorful, and perfect on a hot day. I love that it's a local business. You can feel the pride and care they put into what they do, and it's always nice to support a place that gives back to the community in its own way. The service is friendly, fast, and welcoming. The staff is always helpful and makes the experience even better with their positive attitude. If you're in the area and craving some tasty shave ice, definitely stop by Ewa Seed Company. Great flavors, great people, and a true local gem!

Not bad at all. I got the shave ice with the rainbow flavors. It was perfectly sweet without…read morefeeling like you'll get diabetes. The shave ice is soft yet has a good crunch to it. I also ask for vanilla ice cream on mine but I feel they use low-quality ice cream as I barely tasted the vanilla on mine. The ice cream visually looked crystallized as well like it was thawed below temp and refreezed causing the separation of water and the ice cream ingredients. I'll try them once more later because I really like that this is close to home.

Hali'a by Side Street Inn is located at Wai Kai in Ewa Beach. It is the sister restaurant to the…read moreSide Street Inn restaurants in town. They serve the same fantastic, family-style food with great service for large groups. Order the prix fixe menu as it is more cost effective than ordering ala carte. Menu consists of Chef Colin's classics edamame, farmers salad, fried rice, pan fried pork chops, boneless kalbi, and garlic chicken. Everything was delicious so we couldn't pick any favorites. We were SO stuffed! BTW...If you like appetizers, order the poke trio as most of the poke is market price. The trio is a set price. They also have desserts if you still have room... Ample free parking in the large lot.

Came here to try those famous chops and fried rice on a Saturday. Made a lunch reservation thru…read moreyelp and was seated promptly by friendly hostess. Yes, those chops are delish and plentiful- tender, moist, well seasoned. Fried rice is a solid choice- local style and plentiful. Half order of Chinese chx salad was enough for 3. Lots of parking, fast friendly service- but those annoying flies...ask for one of those fly spinning things for your table. Otherwise, its a great location.

We saw the sign for halo halo and just kind of lost it. Had to get some, and glad we did. It goes…read morewithout saying that halo halo is a super-popular Filipino treat, but it's also a nice departure from the standard shave ice that is ubiquitous in the Islands (not that I mind having more shave ice). The Magnolia ube ice cream made this halo halo perfect.

I am so happy that there is a Filipino store in my neighborhood! Little Manila Market really does…read morehave everything! They even have ready-made hot foods including dishes and desserts for you to purchase to-go! You can even eat your ready-made foods outside in the nice shady sit-down table with chairs eating area! When I come, I tend to start craving my comfort breakfast foods my mom used to cook me when I lived at home such as: Longanisa: like a Filipino sausage typically eaten for breakfast with rice and eggs Tucino: some have coined this the Filipino bacon but I think it's more like a charsiu The meat is pork belly & you usually fry this until it's carmelized and it's a breakfast meat you eat with garlic rice and eggies Salted egg: we eat this more so for breakfast and we open it, it's boiled and salted so we cut it half with the shell still on and scoop it out with a spoon while it's still cold from the fridge, cut it into pieces and toss it with onions and tomatoes and cilantro if you have it and you eat it with rice and your favorite breakfast protein I love that LMM has all the Filipino condiments and seasonings and ready-prepared flavor packages for your convenience and pleasures! I was practically doing my grocery shopping here because they also have laundry and dish washing soaps as well as various Filipino toiletries and beauty products! I haven't even mentioned the desserts and all the many snack options they have!

Past Little Manila Market many times... My daughter shared with me that they serve Filipino hot…read moredishes and desserts. This is one of my favorite foods, SO of course I had to go check it out for myself. Unfortunately, at the time I went there it wasn't available, and was told it wouldn't be available until about 10:30 am. So, I browsed around Little Manila Market... It's a small market and the name says what exactly you'll find here. I seen there was Puto; A steamed rice cake slightly sweet & topped with cheese for $7 for a pack of 6. I purchased a container, Let me say it was very delicious! I opened it up in my car on my way to work and couldn't stop eating it. If I could have I would have eaten all of it before reaching Waikele. I wanted to share some with my husband so I shared 2 with him. I'll be back for more! Hot foods are available: Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays. Location: Ho'opili next to Haus Of Puas. Parking: Street Parking. Seating: Outdoor, tables with umbrellas. Looking forward to trying their Filipino hot dishes & picking up a container or two of Puto. One for me and one for the husband.

Was super happy to visit them during my time at Ono Grindz and Makeke! I'm planning on stopping by…read morefor their choco covered banan next time, but I ended up getting the cheesecake version instead! It's super soft on the inside, crunchy chocolate on the outside! Hoping to revisit their cute truck soon on my visit to OGaM again! - Miguel Morales Photography

They no longer have the brick and mortar location in Ewa Beach. They're strictly operating out of a…read morefood truck at this point. I saw them at the Pearlridge Night Market this past Saturday night. The bestie was visiting from Alabama. She wanted to check out the vendors at the night market and grab dinner. I met her there around 7pm and the place was crowded. It's located in the Pearlridge parking lot by TJ Maxx. I got the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churro Sundae and it was delicious. It contained two crispy cinnamon churros, along with the cereal, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel and cherry. Our other friend got the Fruity Pebbles one and that was great as well. I guess you can't go wrong with ice cream, churros and cereal.

It was KISMET we ended up here! This was hands down one of the best Taiwanese restaurants I have…read moreever been to! My family was in the area to shop over at Crafts Way and I found Fooki on Yelp as a nearby food option. It had something for everyone in our group of seven: 2 vegetarians, 1 vegan and 4 meat eaters. The restaurant had a divy vibe, cozy and welcoming. The service was very friendly and the server was incredibly knowledgable about their menu and how what made some of their dishes stand out from what's expected. The Li Hing Mui Sweet Potato Fries are a must! They totally reminded me of my childhood and the kind of fries I'd get at the amusement park back in Taiwan. Here's everything we ordered. Every single item was a hit! -stewed egg -stewed tofu -Majiang noodles -Lu Rou Fan -Grandpa Rolling Beef -Scallion Pancake -Fooki Bao -Tofu Bao -Li Hing Mui Sweet Potato Fries -Veggie Scallion Noodles -Fooki Bowl -BoomBoom Chicken If we ever find ourselves back in Aiea again, we will be stopping in!

I've always wanted to try this place because I love Taiwanese food. But maybe because I had such…read morehigh expectations, I was pretty disappointed with everything. First, the price was pretty high compared to the amount of food they served and the flavor of their menu. The pork rice bowl had way too much rice compared to the pork, and I think I only had half of the rice to eat with the pork on top. All the foods we ordered wasn't very flavorful either and they charged 3% for credit cards. The economy is tough right now so that may explain the card charge and the portion size but I don't think I'll be going to this place again. It was good to try but wasn't impressionable!