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Chinese, page 2
Little Village Noodle House. 1113 Smith St. in Downtown Honolulu. 545-3008. Lunch and dinner daily, late-night till 12am Friday and Saturday. Parking in lot behind store. Prices: $$. Map. This downtown eatery has been receiving a lot of attention, as owners Kenneth and Jennifer Chan have a long history of fine Chinese cuisine in the islands. Their latest endeavor is their most upscale restaurant yet, with a menu that's actually a bit on the small side (for a Chinese restaurant, that is!) and a bit tailored to local tastes, which seems to work very well, as it gets very crowded here. You'll find such popular items as orange chicken, black-bean clams, fried Capital pork chops in sweet/sour tomato sauce, sizzling black cod, spicy garlic shrimp, sizzling oysters, and much more.
Maple Garden. 909 Isenburg st. in McCully/Moilili. 941-6641. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking outside store. Prices: $$. Map. Maple Garden leans torwards, but not exclusively to, Szechuan dishes, with its spicy pork or garlic eggplant and "Chinaman's Hat" mu shu pork, wrapped in a rice flour sheet, kinda like a Chinese burrito. There are also many other types of Chinese foods, with an elegant tea-smoked duck, a braised salmon w/black bean sauce, and a minute chicken cake noodle.
| The originators of cake noodle, On On has long been a staple in the island Chinese restaurant scene. |  |
On on. A Closer Look. 1110 McCully st. in McCully/Moilili. 943-8833. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking outside store. Prices: $$. Map. This neighborhood restaurant, big on tastes, flavors, and portions, brings some decent dishes for the price. They are famous for their cake noodle, which is rumoured to have been invented by the family at this McCully Street location. Besides their signature noodle dish, there are deep-fried oysters, cuttlefish w/shrimp sauce, Peking duck, Mongolian beef, salt and pepper pork chop, and a huge list of other tasty items.
Kin Wah Chop Suey. 45-588 Kamehameha Hwy. in Kaneohe. 247-5024. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. If you are out on the windward side, Kin Wah restaurant, along with Pah-Ke's are your better choices out there. Kin Wah serves good, moderately-priced dishes in a casual atmosphere. There are all your classic favorites like shrimp egg fu yung, roast duck noodle, kun pao chicken, kau yuk (a red-colored sweet/sour pork), and good 双l chop suey. It gets really busy at times, filling the entire large dining room and then some.
| Plum Tree Beef is a must-try at Chin's in Kahala, that is, if you're not enjoying their super-cheap buffet, which includes steamy-hot crab legs! |
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Chin's in Kahala. 4230 Waialae Ave. in Kahala. 737-7188. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking outside store. Prices:$$. Map. The Chin's family of Chinese restaurants in California has expanded to Hawaii with both this Kahala location and also Ho Ho's (found in the buffet section) in Kapolei. Both Hawaii locations offer very economical buffet meals, with dinners featuring snow and dungeness crab legs as well as all your favorite Chinese dishes. The Kahala spot, however, is a little more upscale than out west, with a larger menu and more attention to quality and authenticity. Having won their share of awards in California, I see no reason why they won't continue building on their successes here.
Café Oriente. A Closer Look. 1157 Maunakea st. in Downtown Honolulu. 599-5262. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in left-side lot on one-way Maunakea st. after crossing Beretania st. or any other open lot in area. Prices: $. Map. Although I suspect there are others, this is only place on the island I know of that serves Hainan chicken rice (not Singapore or Malay-style), the simple but delicious chicken meal with the luxuriously-flavored, slightly oily rice so popular in Asia. This Chinese eatery is a lesson in cultural cuisine, and a bit of a secret spot that I highly recommend. Meals arrive quickly and the dishes are reasonable, coming with strong flavors loaded with fresh-cut garlic and various spices. Despite the location in a run-down area of Downtown, the dining room is surprisingly well-kept and modern. For appetizers, try the salt and pepper quail, and for main dishes (besides the Hainan chicken rice) try the mabo tofu, roast duck, the daily specials on the wall, and any of the noodle dishes available.
Café Oriente. A Closer Look. 1157 Maunakea st. in Downtown Honolulu. 599-5262. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in left-side lot on one-way Maunakea st. after crossing Beretania st. or any other open lot in area. Prices: $. Map. Although I suspect there are others, this is only place on the island I know of that serves Hainan chicken rice (not Singapore or Malay-style), the simple but delicious chicken meal with the luxuriously-flavored, slightly oily rice so popular in Asia. This Chinese eatery is a lesson in cultural cuisine, and a bit of a secret spot that I highly recommend. Meals arrive quickly and the dishes are reasonable, coming with strong flavors loaded with fresh-cut garlic and various spices. Despite the location in a run-down area of Downtown, the dining room is surprisingly well-kept and modern. For appetizers, try the salt and pepper quail, and for main dishes (besides the Hainan chicken rice) try the mabo tofu, roast duck, the daily specials on the wall, and any of the noodle dishes available.
| Salt and pepper quail from a hidden jewel in Downtown, one of the few places that serve genuine, authentic Hainan Chicken rice - check out the Closer Look for more on this dish and restaurant. |
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Royal Palace. 487-6662. 4510 Salt Lake Blvd. at the Stadium Mall S.C. in Salt Lake. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. After doing a few loops, lutz’s, and triple axels at the only Ice Skating ring in the State, waltz on over a few doors to this spacious Chinese restaurant for lunch or dinner. Their all-you-can-eat buffets are inexpensive and done pretty well, but I’d recommend going for the made to order dishes, instead.
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A great minute chicken cake noodle from Duck Yun at the Aina Haina Shopping Center. |
Duck Yun. 820 W. Hind Dr. at the Aina Haina S.C. in Aina Haina. 373-1303. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Duck Yun is a long-time favorite for East Honolulu, with a relatively clean, nice dining room that was renovated and expanded for the better. For casual dinners or lunches, the huge menu comes with highly-flavored dishes well-suited to local tastes, with a great minute chicken cake noodle and all manner of Chinese dishes like honey-walnut shrimp, pork bittermelon, shrimp egg fu yung, sea bass casserole, and hong to mein, or house noodle, to name just a few.
| Looks pretty tame, ey? Frog legs from Golden Eagle. |  |
Golden Eagle. A Closer Look. 2334 S. King St. 955-5080. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Located right across the street from Stadium park in the same building as Kozo Sushi, only on the Young St. corner, this casual spot has all your Chinese food favorites, as well as a few more exotic items, such as frog legs in house sauce and tripe in black bean sauce. Good degree of quality for the price, with a good deal of regular’s returning for their great food, comfortable atmosphere, and friendly, down to earth service.
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Finger lickin good! Orange chicken from Yen Yen in Kailua. |
Yen Yen. A Closer Look. 1058 Keolu Dr. at the Enchanted Lakes S.C. in Kailua. 262-2218. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in Center lot. Prices: $. Map. This little-known spot in Kailua has long been carrying-on in the same fashion for many years, serving its neighborhood well with its economical, tasty, well-flavored Chinese foods. There are surprisingly affordable $5.50 complete plates of rice or noodle, two won ton (skimpy on meat!), and an entrée choice, which can include kung pao chicken, spicy eggplant, minute chicken, ma po tofu, and more. As with most Chinese restaurants, you can order set courses for any number of people, as well as small or large take-out trays for parties or get-together’s. The menu is as large and varied as it gets, and if it’s not listed, you can always put-in a request, as they are very flexible in accommodating off-menu items. The atmosphere is casual, cozy, and comfortable, with a no-frills, laid-back scene that attracts lots of construction workers on weekday lunch-breaks.
