ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Twice before, we had gone to Monsoon East and enjoyed happy hour. Tonight, we got more serious and ordered from the menu. We started out with two superb cocktails. French Pearls Martini - Elderflower liqueur, lillet blanc, champagne, lemon twist and basil seeds that moved up and down with the champagne bubbles Moondance - blueberry... Continue Reading →
Noodle Boat is without doubt our favorite Thai restaurant in the greater Seattle area. Luckily for us, it's only a fast drive down I-90 away. Many regard it as one of the truly authentic Thai restaurants in the area. The menu is quite extensive, with many items you won't find anywhere else. We've been customers... Continue Reading →
Samurai Noodle is regarded as one of the best ramen houses in Seattle. Rather than the tonkotsu ramen, we thought we'd try the so-called "Shouyu" instead, which is a combination of pork/chicken. Our initial tasting of the broth was good, but we both noticed that it seemed to somehow become more bland as we continued... Continue Reading →
It was good fortune that we were able to compare not only shrimp trucks but shave ice as well. Earlier on our trip, we sampled shave ice at Waiola store in Honolulu. Matsumoto’s is a destination stop for many fans, including busloads of Japanese tourists. Waiola draws mostly locals. The lines at both can get quite... Continue Reading →
The usual money on the North Shore shrimp trucks is on Giovanni’s, which started the phenomenon back in the 1960s by offering fresh shrimp (from their own farm) cooked in olive oil, butter and garlic and served with two scoops of rice (what else!). Since then, there have been many imitators, some who have their... Continue Reading →
On our way to southeast Oahu and the North Shore, we stopped at Kona Brewing Company, a restaurant that serves food and the beers made on the Big Island, which the staff affectionately calls the “Mother Ship.” One of their distinctive brews is the Pipeline Porter (available on the mainland), a smooth and dark beer... Continue Reading →
Among the island’s favorite pastries are Portuguese malasadas. Leonard’s is generally regarded as Oahu’s best, and for good reason. Our visit here last year hooked us. My favorite malasadas are those filled with custard. Why are they so good? First of all, they are served warm out of the oven. Their yeasty shell is slightly crispy on... Continue Reading →
Sweet Home Cafe is another restaurant that specializes in one thing, and one thing only–Taiwanese hot pot. There is no shortage of patrons. By the time we arrived at the restaurant at 5:30pm, there was already a waiting list. We didn’t get seated until after 6:30, and I’ll say it right now, the wait was... Continue Reading →
The subject of the best shave ice is a hot topic in Hawaii. For years on Oahu, the faithful have been heading to the North Shore to Matsumoto’s (and Aoki’s next door). Even busloads of Japanese tourists stop by there to pay homage. We went there last year and made it a point to stop... Continue Reading →
Honolulu has several excellent Japanese noodle shops. Ramen and saimin garner the lion’s share of devotion. But udon deserves as much attention, especially those served at Jimbo. Made in the Hokkaido style (according to the waiter), the broth is rich, luscious, slightly smoky from specially imported katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). We were told that one... Continue Reading →
zoomeboshi 