Dining Out Oahu: Poké Bar, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

 

Now when you're in Hawaii, what better place than to dine on  Poké.  If you're unfamiliar with the term, think of poke as sushi in a bowl! 🍣🥢 

Fresh ahi tuna, rice, crunchy toppings, and flavorful sauces all piled together for one delicious Hawaiian meal. This was one of our tasty discoveries in Waikiki!

Here's one of their menus.

I'll stop here and let you know what each of us selected as our "starting point."  I had the Firecracker and Sweet Harold had the O.G.

We were very hungry so we decided that we would order a regular instead of a small.  We should have ordered a small. The regular was a very generous serving.

Now look at how fun it is when you get to your place in line to order!

It's like a Sushi or Poké Jersey Mike's or Subway!  We both selected white rice as the base.

For my Firecracker Bowl it automatically includes Ahi Tuna, white and green onion, cucumber, masago (masago is the tiny, vibrant orange roe (eggs) of the capelin fish, commonly used as a finishing garnish, texture booster, or mixed into sauces for poke bowls), spicy mayo, and sweet chili and house sauces.  I opted to add seaweed, dried garlic, dried onions, and extra sesame seeds.

This was one of my most favorite meals of the entire trip!  Everything was extremely fresh, flavorful, and spicy!  

Now, let's see what Sweet Harold enjoyed!

The O.G. has Ahi Tuna, edaname, white/green onion, masago, Ponzu (citrus based sauce), and House sauce. He added crab to his along with the dried onion and dried garlic.  He adores sesame seeds so he requested extra of those. Yum!

Doesn't he look happy?

I really wish we had these types of restaurants nearby.  I'd love to splurge on them occasionally.

Dining Out Oahu: Teddy's Bigger Burgers, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

 

Teddy's Bigger Burgers was located a half block from Park Shore Waikiki, our hotel while we were visiting. After spending the morning at the Honolulu Zoo which was located across the street from Park Shore, we decided we'd give them a try for lunch.

When we walked in, the decor caught my eye immediately.  Bright, bold, and definitely In Your Face sort of decor.

And then I spied the menu board.

Seriously, what could possibly go wrong with two citizens of Alabama looking at this and then realizing that we were expected to use a kiosk to order?

LATER, we realized that we could have ordered at the counter, but really, where would the fun be in that decision?

So we attempted to select our burgers, our toppings, our bun, our condiments, our fries, our drinks.  I thought we had done a great job!  I really did.  Until our food arrived and all the things I had happily checked in the way of condiments were actually DELETING THEM FROM THE BURGERS.  Sigh.

However, because we are "go with the flow" kind of people, we decided all those extras like lettuce, tomatoes, etc. would have taken away from the flavor of the actual burger, right?

Now the ONE thing that Sweet Harold did want was grilled pineapple, so we went back and requested some for him to add ....yes, I know the employees were probably shaking their heads, but oh well.

Now, I always like to get buffalo sauce to dunk my fries.  Well, of course, I thought since it was listed under "sides" it would be served, well, on the side.  Nope, it was on the burger.  But honestly?  It was delicious on the burger.  😊

The buns were soft and toasted.  The double ground chuck was delicious and well-seasoned and cooked on a grill.  The fries were served HOT and were seasoned deliciously.

Did we receive what we (mistakenly) thought we ordered? Nope.  Was it a delicious lunch?  Most definitely!

And as with most all restaurant in Oahu, it's open air and we did have a few visitors who wished to dine alongside us!

Dining Out Oahu, Goofy Cafe & Dine, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii

We had a big breakfast on Friday morning, so lunch was late, which meant by eating later for lunch we saved money on dinner.  Whew.

Anyway, mid-afternoon we decided we'd venture out and try a place that would be near the hotel, but we'd be able to dine outdoors.

Goofy Cafe and Dine checked both of those boxes.  It was located about a block from our hotel adjacent to the Twin Fin Hotel and facing the beachfront.  We were given the option of dining indoors or on the covered patio and, of course, we chose to eat outside.

Here's a picture of the menu...it was happy hour, so small plates for the win.

Sweet Harold wanted to try the Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp and was excited to discover that he had 10 shrimp instead of the 8 listed on the menu!

True to their name, they were loaded with lemon, butter, AND garlic.  Shrimp is his most favorite food of all, so he was in heaven.

He also decided he wanted to try some Truffle Fries.  They were nicely seasoned with black pepper, salt, parmesan, AND truffle oil.

And for me?  I had to try the Spicy Ahi Nachos.  I was quick to inquire as to the avocado listed on the menu and our server assured me that they would not have any avocado anywhere near my serving.  Yes, it is a sad thing to be allergic to avocado in any shape or form.

This was a generous serving of fresh ahi tuna tossed with a spicy mayo along with onion slivers and pickled jalapenos.

YUM!  The little green onion garnish added a nice little freshness.

Now we were dining outdoors, but one thing we've learned since we've been here is that birds, pigeons, chickens.....they all have free reign and are all more than happy to dine with you.

Dining Out Oahu: Cheeseburger in Paradise, Waikiki, Oahu Hawaii

 

We ventured out yesterday morning in search of breakfast.  There are coffee shops galore, but we were hungry and ready to eat!

We came across this menu board and everything sounded delicious!

Before we get to the food, I have to show you the interior of this fun restaurant!

Now if these photos didn't get you into island vibe, nothing will!

Check out the breakfast options including the mimosa flight!

Before we get into our breakfast selections let me tell you this....Sweet Harold adores pineapple.  I like the "flavor" of pineapple (think drinks, punches, candy, etc.), but don't care for eating actual pineapple.  Yes, I know.  But it is what it is.  

When he spied a Hawaiian Omelet on the menu, he didn't look at the menu a minute more.  

So here is his three-egg Hawaiian Omelet complete with cheddar, Portuguese sausage, and pineapple.  His verdict? He LOVED it.  So much in fact that he has mentioned numerous times since yesterday how good that omelet was!  Who would have thought?

Look at the paper umbrella in the toast.  That has to make you smile at breakfast, right?

There wasn't just a random piece of pineapple here or there....this omelet was full of diced pineapple.  He loved it.  I suppose we'll be trying this once we return home.

I chose two scrambled eggs with hashbrowns, toast, and Portuguese sausage. This type of sausage is a major staple in Hawaii.  Even McDonald's has it on their breakfast menu!  It's a little like our smoked sausage, but it milder and a little sweet.  I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast!

The eggs were so light and fluffy.  The hashbrowns were crispy and lightly browned...so good.

I fell in love with the Portuguese Sausage.  In fact, I'd go so far to say it's right there with my adoration of my beloved Conecuh sausage.

We enjoyed our time with the crew at Cheeseburger in Paradise.  The food was served hot and fresh and Lauren, our server, was the BEST.

Dining Out Oahu: Lulu's, Waikiki Beach

Our first meal in Oahu was at Lulu's - Waikiki.  It's located adjacent to our hotel, Park Shore.  

Now you must admit that view is incredible.  The restaurant has indoor/outdoor seating and when the host learned we had just arrived, he cleared off a table so we could relax and take in the reality of actually being in Hawaii. 

Here's a view from ground level.

The menu cover certainly gives an island vibe, doesn't it?

We began our meal with Mai-Tais.  These were delicious!

Now those of you who followed us around Ireland, know that Sweet Harold made it a goal to try as many fish and chip meals as possible.  I'm afraid he's going to do the same thing here!

Here's his Hawaiian Fish and Chips!  The fish was tender and flaky and well seasoned, but the batter wasn't as crunchy as he would have liked.

I knew I was going to start trying the local favorites immediately and I certainly did!  Lulu's version of Moco Loco caught my eye immediately.

If you're unfamiliar with this dish, the original version will have white rice as the base, topped with a beef patty, then that covered in brown gravy and grilled onions, then THAT topped with sunny side up eggs.  Lulu's dish add Kaluha pork!  Trust me....this was the PERFECT first meal in Hawaii.  

The pork was fork tender, the gravy tasted like someone's grandmother had made it, the wagyu beef was so flavorful, and the eggs?  Cooked to perfection.  This was an amazing dish.

Service was good, atmosphere was 5-star, and the food was excellent.  

We couldn't have chosen a better spot for our first meal in Oahu!