Zippy's and Nisshodo Mochiya

On the way to Waikele the other week, Grandpa, Michel, Aunt Sylvia, Madeline, Victor and I stopped by the Kalihi Zippy's for an early lunch.

Zippy's has gone downhill in the last decade, it's a fact. But despite that, it's still good, especially if you've been gone from the islands for a long time. I think the peak of Zippy's wonder was the mid-late 90s. Man, those were the days. I distinctly recall that year when were doing construction on our home kitchen and were thus "required" to eat out every night, for a solid three months. In search of comfort, one table inside the dining room at Kahala Zippy's became the family dinner table as we were there a good four or five times a week. Zip Min, Pork Saimin, Chili Dog...all good, as long as you close the meal with cream cheese jello squares, hehe.

Nowadays, we patronize the takeout counter more often than the dining room. Lunch on the go seems to be the norm. The Zip Pac - Zippy's signature dish, is always the most tempting option. From top down, fried chicken, fried mahi mahi, Spam, and teriyaki beef. What not to love? Some of my friends here in the city have commented on the absurdity of this dish. But no, it's perfectly normal. Rice + meat + fish. Some deep frying. Furikake. One slice of daikon. Perfectly balanced to me ;) At the very least, it gives you a good idea of local food.

Above is a photo of the Mini Zip Pac which is essentially a Zip Pac minus the Spam and Mahi Mahi. Easier on the calories, however much less exciting.

This might not look like much, but Zippy's does awesome spaghetti. It's the sauce, or rather, the mayo they add in the sauce! Mayo is also added to the chili, which happens to be just as incredible. So incredible that all the kids on the mainland for college have frozen chili and apple napples shipped to their dorm. Downing local food in the freezing chill of the east coast is one of the best feelings in the world. The magic is in the mayo. Who would have thought, huh?

I was tempted to have either an Apple or Chili Napple, from the adjacent Napoleon Bakery counter (there's one attached to every Zippy's on the island), but decided to exercise caution/sensibility as we were off to Nisshodo - more mochi time ^_^

I wrote about Nisshodo a few posts ago. But it's the best mochi shop on the island, so it deserves another post (and perhaps many more to come :).

Our indecisiveness resulted in a lot of variety - taste everything! That's the way to go.

First, good luck sugar peaches for Grandpa's birthday.

Azuki bean jellies.
The two big greens ones are Uguisu Mochi. There's a mini version in the middle minus the kinako dusting, and stuffed with lima beans. At the bottom right is a quarter pound of chichi dango with kinako (I swear, kinako makes everything taste better). I personally prefer this version over the plain chichi dango, which is their bestseller.

These are also sold by weight. Above, a half pound box...

...in signature shades of pink and white.

Gorgeous little bites…

...exposed!

Zippy's
Various Locations

Nisshodo Mochiya
1095 Dillingham Blvd Ste I5
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96817
(808) 847-1244

Siam Garden

I've been back in NYC for a week and still have 99% more of the Honolulu visit to post. At this rate, it'll be April before I revert back to east coast mode. So we're going to rush Honolulu posts a bit. Catch up, catch up. For those curious, this past weekend back in the city involved a dumpling session at Don's, dinner at Shang, and a very exciting day out in Flushing. Click on the links for photos ^_^

On a non-food related note, I fell in love with the world's most beautiful hat on 9th Street yesterday, and made it mine this evening. Black draped fur felt, and sleek, ending in a point at the eyebrow. There goes that Per Se meal, and then some, that I was saving for. This was however, one very rare instance in which a material good totally trumped any desire for food.

A few weeks ago, we went out for family dinner at Siam Garden, one of the better Thai place in the city. Family dinner usually take place at Chinese restaurants by default - Fook Yuen, Legends, and similar numbers. But sometimes you need to change things up a bit, and there was no better reason to do so than on this occasion, when Aunt Sylvia, Michel and baby Madeline were in town.

With a steady stream of customers on a Tuesday evening, the restaurant was at 80% capacity throughout the night. Below, shots of various dishes from the meal. Hopefully I'll have time to backtrack, and write up more detail after future posts are up. Till then, enjoy!

Thai Iced Tea
Fried Fish Patties (Tod Man Pla) - "fish with Thai spices, kaffir lime leaves, and long beans. Deep-fried, sweet-sour sauce."
Fried Chicken (Gai Tod) - "Thai-style fried marinated chicken."
Spicy Sour Soup (Tom Yum) - "spicy-tangy broth with tomatoes, mushrooms, lemongrass, and traditional spices."
Papaya Salad (Som Tum) - "green papaya, long beans, tomatoes, chilies, and limes."
Minced Pork Salad (Laab) - "minced pork with roasted mint, lime juice and chilies."
Green Curry (Gaeng Kiew Wan) - "classic Thai curry made from traditional spices, coconut milk, eggplant, and basil."
Siam Jungle Curry
Pad Thai
Pad See Iew

Siam Garden Cafe
1130 N Nimitz Highway # A130
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96817
(808) 523-9338

Andy's Sandwiches & Smoothies

There's a sandwich shop in Manoa called Andy's. It's tiny, it's good, and just walking into the shop makes you happy. While Andy's closes before dinner time, it's a dandy breakfast/lunch go-to spot, and always the ideal place to pick up a meal before hiking up the nearby Manoa Falls. During weekday lunch hours you're bound to run into Punahou students and teachers alike, along with residents in the neighborhood. Andy's has that feel of utter and complete comfort. For previous posts on Andy's click here and here.

The menu is covers much ground in the territory of sandwiches and smoothies, with the occasional odd number like the burrito and green chili melt.

The best sandwich here is doubtlessly the Mushroom Medley, which is more of a mushroom melt than anything else. House-baked bread (whole wheat), mushrooms, melted American cheese, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and alfalfa. Papaya seed dressing on the side. And a sprinkle of the ever elusive mix. The mix. No one knows exactly what goes into the mix - a powdery blend of this, that, and many more, all stored in a big plastic Costco container. The kind with a shaky top. There's definitely paprika, pepper, and steak seasoning. But that's all I can pick out. Better we never know. To know the secret would take out all the fun.

On another occasion, Marie and I split an acai bowl and the turkey-avocado sandwich. Smashed avocados slathered over the slices of turkey, then piled with carrots, tomatoes, cheese, and a sprinkle of the mix. Like most great sandwiches, it's a very simple creation that owes it's deliciousness to the quality of individual components. Daily baked bread, the turkey, local avocados, and of course, that mix.

Acai bowls are quite the trend in Hawai'i, though I'm not sure where I stand on the hate-to-love scale of this local obsession. My only complaint about Andy's version is that the overly sweetened granola is bit overkill. I'd personally prefer a big bowl of shave ice with azuki beans and condensed milk, but that strikes lower on the health factor scale - a solid component in fueling Hawai'i love for acai. Darien swears after the one at Lanikai Juice, while Justin is a fan of Jewel or Juice.

On that same occasion, Kelly had the avocado veggie sandwich with a guava smoothie. I'll never understand why people patronize Jamba Juice here when there's Andy's - better smoothies at a lower price. And the flavours! Guava! Mango! Papaya! (Nothing however, tops Thang's Avocado Smoothie in my books ;)

Come in the mornings for a pancake and french toast fix. Or omelets and home fries if you prefer. I tend to eat a lot of breakfast in Hawai'i. Mornings on the island are absolutely beautiful, especially in Manoa where one often wakes to slight drizzles of rain. Or maybe it's the fact that when I visit home, it's vacation time, and all those unnecessary worries of work and life are put on hold back in NYC. Whatever the case, island mornings start with proper meal and not the coffee and run affair I've taken to habit.

Pancakes come plain or whole wheat, with blueberries or bananas...

...and having tried all four combinations, I can assure you that plain-banana is the way to go :)

Are you a french toast or pancake person? Mom and dad are of the pancake breed while dear sister always opts for french toast. I'm a 70/30, french toast/pancake person, though would gladly eat both in one sitting. Andy's heavily cinnamon dusted version comes three to an order, made with local sweetbread. The search for the best french toast on the island is a perpetual one, though the version from Cafe Kaila in Market City rank highest at the moment.

Hope you had a great new years! I have a window seat in the office today and it is snowing all flurry-kine stuff. Apartment-mates are doing well: one at the gym, another doing laundry, and the third seeing a visitor off. Okee dokes, am leaving to dessert-for-lunch with Robyn now, dinner with friends tonight, and dim sum tomorrow. Back into the city swing of things :)

Andy's Sandwiches & Smoothies
2904 East Manoa Road
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822
(808) 988-6161