Hawaii 2015: Day 4

Today was a pretty lazy day for Nick, Mom and I.  My Dad and Christopher took off early to go for another scuba adventure.  While they were out, we went to the McDonald's that is pretty much 10 steps away from out hotel and got breakfast.  I've been wanting an Egg McMuffing since we arrived and we didn't really feel like adventuring for food today.  Most of our day was spent on the balcony watching surfers and beach goers.  Although we've spent a lot of time sitting around the room, the view from our balcony makes the whole trip worth it.  My Mom said that she hasn't had such a relaxing vacation since I was a little girl and we used to go camping.

Nick got a Local deluxe platter that comes with rice, spam, sausage, eggs, and pancakes.

By the time I finished blogging all of the good eats that we had yesterday, Christopher and my Dad were on their way back from their tour.  They were starving since they were actually doing physical activity and Christopher wanted to go back to Murakame Udon.  Today was super hot and yet we still got hot soup.  Everyone got the same soups as the first day, but today I tried their curry udon.  I think I like that the best so far.

Curry udon and a spam musubi.

It was only 84 degrees out, but with 61% humidity, it was pretty killer.  After lunch we just did some souvenir shopping and booked it back to the hotel.

Sympathy belly!

Since none of my pictures have been that entertaining today, here are some of pictures and footage from Christopher and my Dad's dive.

Christopher

Dad

For dinner we decided that we had enough snacks and fruit in the hotel room to live off of.  We were all still pretty full from our late lunch.  Christopher managed to eat half a Costco bag of fresh lychee and I polished off the rest of the strawberries while playing a few rounds of Bananagrams.  I then dominated at the card game, Speed.  Muahahah. Victory will be mine!

#thankfulandfat

Hawaii 2015: Day 3

Jet lag has really been a problem this trip even though it's only a 3 hour time difference.  I got up at 6am this morning hoping to catch the sunrise, but when I went out to the balcony it was already up!  I've also been waking up at 4am so maybe I should try to get out there and see if the sun is coming up then.  ...Or just check Weather.com to see when the sun actually comes up instead of guessing.  

For brunch we took my family to Helena's Hawaiian Food, which we had first discovered because of Man vs. Food.  It was so good that it's one of the places we've been talking about since the start of our vacation planning.  My Dad put us in charge of all the food decisions for the trip since they don't care what they eat as long as it's good.  Dad is in charge of the planning, we're in charge of the eating.  I can tell that my Dad is making a conscious effort to let us have our "down days".   With all the eating we do, we need naps.  Lots of naps.  If it were up to him, we would have a scheduled tour or activity for each day.  

I would suggest that if you ever go to Helena's, to go early.  Both times that we've gone there has been very limited parking and the wait has been 30+ minutes.  It is well worth the wait so don't get discouraged, but if you're with someone else, have them jump out of the car to put your name in while you go park.  That was our strategy this time and we still had to wait a while.  They had signs up that they will be remodeling next week.  My Dad says that when places remodel they are never the same.  I think this is partly true because you don't get that same authentic feel.  Right now Helena's is a pretty small hole-in-the, but who knows what it will look like the next time we come back.  Ultimately, Nick and I would like to make O'ahu our family vacation destination when the kids are a little bit older.  We will raise a couple of foodies.  They're already well on their way with the way I can pack food in. 

The menu had four different combination options.  We ordered the largest that came with Kalua pork, their famous Pipikaula spear ribs, Lomi salmon, Luau squid and two scoups of rice.  The salmon was a type of ceviche in tomatoes and the squid was in a green mush that was flavored strongly with coconut milk.  I have to say, it looked like baby poop, but was really good.  They also gave us a dessert coconut jello that was really tasty.  I never used to be a big fan of coconut, but once I discovered that you can get it unsweetened my opinion has changed.  The jello was not very sweet and tasted like the actual coconut fruit. 

Off the regular menu we ordered quite a few things since we knew that the combination order wouldn't be enough for the five of us. Their dishes are served in small portions like tapas.  From the top left: Small poi, tripe stew, sweet onions and dipping salt, more spear ribs, butterfish collar in stew gravy, macaroni salad, three scoops of rice, Kaluah pork and cabbage, and Luau chicken.  We ended up ordering a second serving of macaroni salad and third serving of their ribs.  My Dad really liked their ribs and I think he even contemplated taking an order to go.  I surprisingly really enjoyed the Luau chicken even if it looked unappetizing.  It was really good over the rice.  

The whole shebang.

To make their ribs, they hang the spear ribs over the stove to let them cure before frying them up. 

After lunch we decided to go to see Diamond Head since it was on our way back to the hotel.  We were originally going to go to the Waikiki aquarium so none of us were really prepared to be outdoors for an extended period of time.  I got a little burned, but it's not that bad.  I'm glad that we went though since the last time we were here Nick and I didn't go.  The hike to the summit was only about 0.8 miles, but it was pretty darn hot and some parts rather steep.  Nowadays, I get easily over heated and the babies don't like it.  I can feel them now and when I get too hot from exercise they move around a lot.  Luckily, at the top of the summit there is a little structure that provides shade and had a really nice breeze.  We stayed up there for around 15 minutes just so that I could cool down enough for the babies to stop kicking.  I imagine them arguing like, "You tell her to stop", "No, you tell her to stop, you're bigger".  I am very thankful for the movement now so that I know that they are doing alright.  It felt like a victory for me to get up there even if it's a pretty big step down from Spartan and Tough Mudder runs.  It's hard work carrying two kids.  According to my pregnancy app, they are the size of turnips this week so two of them in my 4'10 frame is a lot of extra work.

Squatting in some shade on the hike up.  (I made him do it since I can't Asian squat anymore.)

First look out. 

Toward the top there is a pretty clausterphobic tunnel, but it was welcomed because it was very cool and had a nice breeze going through. 

We made it to the top!  It was worth the climb to see the view.

I tried to take a panoramic, but there were just so many people up there that it was hard to not get randoms in the picture. 

At the top of the summit you could "donate' $5.00 to the park to get a certificate for climbing Diamond Head.  I thought that my Dad was just getting our brochure stamped, but he came back around with a certificate that I made him hold on the hike down.  My excuse was that if I slip I would crush it.  

Later on in the day after some sun bathing, naps, and afternoon drinks, we got ready for one of the two nice dinners that I had planned.  We went a few blocks away to Orchids at Halekulani for a beach-side dinner.  The view was really nice and the appetizers good, but I wasn't very impressed by the main entrees.  There have been many times on this trip where I say, "Oh, we should go back there" but this wasn't one of the places.  My family thought the food was good, which I'm happy about.  I guess I'm just spoiled now from all the nice places in the Bay Area that touristy restaurants in hotels just aren't that great to me anymore.  Pre-Nick Era I would have thought that this place was amazing.  Nick has definitely spoiled me.

Nick's watermelon mojito.

Orchid's signature Mai Tai.

Sweet pea amuse bouche was pretty tasty.  I could have eaten a whole bowl of this cold soup. 

Since the place was called Orchids they have to have real orchids on the table, right?  

Butters for the bread, but I was mostly intrigued by the pomegranate balsamic vinegar and oil. 

The rolls and flat breads were really good. 

Smoked duck carppacio with baby watercress salad and truffle vinaigrette.

Seared scallops with cauliflower mousseline, caviar, and Gribiche cream. 

Ahi crudo with horseradish, diakon, and sake-lemon dressing.

My Mom got a grilled romaine salad with feta, tomato chutney, cucumber, onion, and lemon-oregano dressing. 

My dad got a lobster bisque.

And the Orchid's Salad which consisted of Hirabara greens, season fruit, and pomegranate vinaigrette. 

Mom got a beef tenderloin. 

I was torn between a veal chop and the ribeye.  I went with the ribeye, but wasn't very impressed.  It tasted fine, but it was very ordinary.  There was nothing for me to say, 'Oh wow, that's good" about it. 

Nick and Christopher got Orchid's signature dish.  The waiter said that of all the things on the menu, this is the one that will always remain the same.  They got the Steamed Onaga, which is a long tailed snapper.  It came with shitake mushrooms and green onions all cooked with a sesame oil and soy sauce. 

My Dad got pan seared sea bass with fennel soubise, olive tapenade and sea asparagus. 

Wasabi mashed potatoes.

Nick got a coconut cake.

My parents shared three scoops of Kona coffee and coconut ice cream. 

I had two scoops of pineapple sorbet

We're feeling like we're getting fatter by the day.  This morning before writing this post, I've been writing these posts retroactively, I thought about my Mom, Nick and I coming off the plane like bowling balls and Christopher and my Dad looking like the pins.  

#sofullandthankful

Hawaii 2015: Day 2

This morning my Dad and Christopher took off early to do a morning scuba dive over in the North Shore area.  While they did their scuba diving adventure, Nick, my Mom and I hunted for a place to eat before meeting up with the rest of the family.  Nick found a great hole-in-the-wall called Ray's Cafe.  It's a really local place with only six tables and a screen door.  My Mom noted that their "We're Open" sign said "If the door is open, we're open.  If it is closed, we're closed."  She got a good kick out of that one.  Let me tell you, this place had some GOOD fried chicken.  I'm not big on fried chicken, but the way they fried the skin made it taste like cracklins' and the meat was really moist.  The area of the restaurant was a little sketchy and run down, but it was well worth the risk, plus it was broad daylight. 

Nick got the Ray's Special, which was a tender burger patty slathered in gravy and crispy fried chicken.  It was really, really tasty and now I wish that I had order that.

I got french toast because the menu said "French toast sand with ham or bacon."  I think the "sand" was a typo that was supposed to be an "and".  I thought it was an abbreviation for "sandwich".  Oh well.  The french toast was really good.  That is a giant slab of butter on top.  

My Mom got corned beef has and eggs, which I finished off for her because it was too much food.  The corned beef has was nice and fried on the outside and soft on the inside.  

After breakfast, we headed up to North Shore to pick up my Dad and Christopher as they got out of the water.  The plan was to get them, eat at Giovanni's shrimp truck and then get shave ice at Matsumoto's.  The plan was well executed.  It didn't take us long to find Christopher and Dad.  Once they were all cleaned up we headed out to the shrimp truck, which was about 10 minutes away.  The line for the truck was long, but well worth the wait.  My Mom didn't eat any because she was still pretty full from our brunch, but Christopher, Dad, Nick and I mowed down on some shrimp. I wish that I had weighed myself before the trip. According to my grandma, I'm not supposed to be eating shellfish because it will give the babies eczema, but when in Rome, you do as the Romans do.  When in Hawaii, you eat what the tourists eat.  I'm pretty sure there aren't a lot of local Hawaiians getting in that line, but you never know!

Mom and I waiting for Christopher.

Shark Cove at North Shore where Christopher and Dad dove. 

This is when I say, "My Dad is cooler than your dad" and mean it. 

During brunch we noted that when we go back Mom, Nick, and I will be very fat, but Christopher and Baba will be skinny from all of their activities.  

Three orders of shrimp scampi and one order of lemon and butter shrimp.  The last time Nick and I were here we ordered one of the hot and spicy and garlic shrimp scampi.  The hot and spicy tasted a lot like vinegar and made it hard to eat in mass.  The shrimp scampi was much better and we could have eaten a whole bucket. 

I also got a strawberry, mango, peach, and pineapple dairy-free smoothie that was delightful, but sadly forgot to take a picture of because we were walking.  What was I thinking?!  I'm so out of the blogging mode. I'm going to go home and try to recreate the smoothie to change up my daily smoothie experience.

Industrial shave ice machines.  Snow in Hawaii!

Nick was a little bit disappointed that Matsumoto's remodeled.  Gone was their iconic grocery store front.  The entrance is currently on the side of the building and completely new inside.  The grocery store is under construction.  The new location, though only a few steps away, is much nicer.  It looks like they're remodeling the whole of North Shore tourist scene.  The buildings have all been refaced and the public bathrooms well kept.  (I really appreciated the clean bathrooms.)  Matsumoto's was completely different inside and had almost a Chipotle feel where you tell someone what you want and they have an assembly line putting together your shave ice.  It was definitely not a bad experience, but it was different from what we had seen before. 

Full of food and sweets, we headed back to Waikiki.  I tried going out to sun bathe for a while, but by the time I got down to the pool the sun was setting behind the other buildings.  So much for that idea! When I got back upstairs we were getting hungry again.  Surprise, surprise.  On our last trip, Nick and I went to Iyasume Musubi Cafe and really enjoyed their variety of musubi.  Little did we know that there are several locations.  We thought that there was just one.  Knowing that this time around, we searched for the closest one to our hotel and found that it was only 0.1 miles away.  It was pretty much around the corner from us.  We decided to eat in so that we didn't have to do more walking or driving.  My feet and ankles haven't been fairing so well in the heat and humidity.

Everyone does the pic of themselves by the pool, right?  But do they do it at 17 weeks while looking 26 weeks?  Probably not, but Nick tells me to "rock it" and so I shall. 

We got Christopher a kimchi beef bowl, avocado and bacon spam musubi, and bacon and egg spam musubi.

My Mom got a traditional spam musubi and an egg spam musubi with fried chicken and vienna sausages. 

Avocado and bacon musubi. 

After dinner we decided to play a few rounds of Bananagrams.  On the first round I pulled ALL consonants!    

#stillfeelingthankful