My very first plane trip was back in 1984 when we went on a family trip to Hawaii with my aunt, uncle, mother, and grandmother. I have to admit, I can’t remember much as I was only a few years old except for the fact that I refused to swim in the ocean and my grandma bought me a coconut purse!
Robert and I started coming to Hawaii in 2010 and fell in love. Our holidays here are pretty low-key and most of our time is divided between lounging, swimming, and eating shave ice. Seriously, this could be a new food group – YUM! We always start our trip in Oahu and normally island hop between the Big Island and Maui with the latter being my favourite (more on that later). Here’s some favourite places to eat in Oahu, HI that you won’t want to miss out:
Ted’s Bakery || Serving everything from breakfast to desserts, it is a popular spot for local surfers. Make a stop here for the Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie which you can purchase by the slice in the ‘help yourself’ section of the refrigerator.
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck || The garlic shrimp scampi was my favourite compared to the lemon butter and you can smell the garlic as soon as you get out of the car. Shrimp was clean and flavourful and if you head to the location in the North Shore, you may even spot a black and white cat waiting hanging out underneath the truck.
Matsumoto Shave Ice || I can’t believe we waited this long to try shave ice! I heart this place so much that we almost made the drive from Waikiki (1 hour) to Haleiwa each day for shave ice. For $2.50 (small size – cheapest that we found) you can pick up to 3 flavours. An additional $0.50 will get you condensed cream, azuki beans, and ice cream each. My favourites included the rainbow (lemon, strawberry, pineapple) and cherry / lycee with condensed milk on top. Take a peek for feral cats that the owners feed behind the shop (see the two above).
Kua’aina || A fast food restaurant serving sandwiches and 1/3lb burgers (medium rare and huge). The original location in Haleiwa is normally pretty busy, so you can also check out their new place at Ward Center. Skip the french fries unless you like them shoestring style.
Marukame Udon || Another new-to-me favourite thanks to Alexis from Wave the Stick. With 400+ locations in Japan, Marukame Udon is a cafeteria style restaurant serving hot / cold udon noodles for $3.75-$5.75. Once you order your noodles, you can help yourself to add-ons such as tempura, inari, and musibi ($1.25-$1.75 each). This place is delicious and can get pretty crowded in the evenings (30minute queue), but it moves pretty quickly.
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Happy travels and don’t forget the elastic trousers!
