Walrus Food (in Hawaii)

Every walrus needs to eat. When Steve the Walrus is on vacation in Hawaii, these are all the epic places he frequents with his friends.

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Photo courtesy of Riho. In my opinion, the best Hawaiian food on the island is served at Helena's Hawaiian Food in Kalihi. Parking is tight though, so carpooling is a wise choice. Even though we went at peak lunch hour (noon-ish), we didn't have to wait long to be seated and service was quick. Most importantly, the food was excellent. Although they have a set menu with kalua pork and lomi, I ordered ala carte the best pipikaula eva', squid luau, rice, and poi. Despite its (in some peoples' opinions) vomit-inducing aesthetics, Helena's squid luau had the perfect texture and sweetness, and was as delicious as my unyielding bromance with Rei. The highlight, though, was the pipikaula. What can I say, except that it was salty heaven, fresh, right off the bone, broke da mouth good. I didn't order them today, but the kalua pork and fresh fried ahi both looked delicious. The food served on those mismatched green/tan/plain white/blue asian print dishes will always hold a special place in my heart-- right next to the one I keep for Rei. 

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And this here is the banana pancake, in all it's Jack Johnson-esque glory. Although I did not partake in them this round, I have in the past. They are very wholesome and fluffy, and can be ordered either as short stack or full stack (I would recommend full stack, as it's only a dollar more than the short stack). 

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Today, a stop was made at a Koa Pancake House in Moanalua Shopping Center. There, did we entreat ourselves to a banana bonanza of delectable, enticing proportions--their banana pancakes and banana crepe suzettes (no, I do not know what that means). 

This is a picture of their banana crepe suzette. The crepe can be stuffed with other fruits such as strawberries and blueberries--and even the very peculiar choice of sour cream. It comes with syrup if one takes it to go. It is very sweet, but also quite filling at the same time, so make sure not to eat anything beforehand. 

Another thing to consider is that this place is very popular, so the closer it gets to noon, the harder it is to find seats here. 

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Fried rice and miso ramen combo at dairyu in Kalihi. So apparently my friend is working there this summer, but I had no idea. Unfortunately she wasn't there to give me free food...oh well. Anyway, the fried rice was delicious, as was the ramen (the broth was flavorful, though the noodles were nothing special), but in the combo set the ramen portion is quite small. They also offered a wide selection of other food on their menu, and the curry and tempura my friends ordered also looked great for a reasonable price. On a side note, being in Kalihi for the first time in months made me think about my family origins again. He's proud of it, but apparently my uncle had the lamest nickname in the whole 442nd infantry regiment--he was called, "Biggy" because he was big...and he was from Kalihi.

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Mo butta, mo betta.

Sam Choy

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Still at Ice Garden, this is the milk shave ice with pudding, mochi balls, and azuki beans. For the inaugural post of Walrus Food, I decided to stray slightly from my normal order and experiment with the azuki bean topping. To my delight, the substantial flavor of the azuki blended well with the subtleness of the condensed milk, which in turn further complimented the always delicious pudding and mochi balls. However, my only qualm with the dish was that once the sugar soaked surface of the dish was breached, there remained a bed of unflavored ice that left me with an anticlimactic feeling of "needing," rather than "wanting" to finish off the rest of my shaved ice. Perhaps when we come back for part II with Riho, a pudding-substitute that can blend more easily with the ice below the surface might be suitable, such as ice cream, tapioca, oatmeal, or even just a simple syrup.

On a side note, this is the other half of the pudding/shave ice that hadn't been eaten yet. The other side was already devastated.  

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An adventure to the exquisite Ice Garden of Aiea: witness the glorious sheen of this shave ice, as you gape upon it in mind-numbing awe. 

This here is the milk shave ice with pudding, mochi balls, and tapioca.