Happy Hearts Mochi + Roy's Restaurant | Honolulu, Hawaii

This past Friday was wifey's birthday and I wanted to do something really nice for her. I started by ordering a sampler from Happy Hearts Mochi. Then it was off to an early dinner at Roy's in Hawaii Kai.

Happy Hearts
748 Hoawa Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 382-5714
Website

Roy's
6600 Kalanianaole Highway
Honolulu, HI 96825
(808) 396-7697
Website

I'm pretty sure this is the best mochi you will find anywhere on this island. It's made fresh and with lots of TLC. Renee (@surfchik4jesus), the owner, was nice enough to wrap it up with a "Happy Birthday" sticker and delivered the package right to my door! You just can't beat that kind of service. I ordered a Sampler with 1 peanut butter, 2 pumpkin and 1 hazelnut chocolate. The pumpkin is a seasonal flavor available around the holidays.


I made dinner reservations at Roy's based on a recommendation from Lesli Ashburn (@macrohawaii).


Even before you order, they bring you a nice little dish of edamame. It was tossed in a sauce that had just the right amount of sweet and spicy.


Wifey ordered herself a Key Lime Pie Martini to drink.


A couple of friends of mine happened to be working that evening so they hooked us up with this complimentary appetizer. There was pork in it so guess who got to eat both ;)


Lesli specifically mentioned a vegetarian sushi that the Roy's in Waikiki had prepared for her, so we had to ask about it. It was packed with bok choy, asparagus, and other veggies and topped with a garlic aioli.


We also shared the Tomato salad. Heirloom tomatoes atop a bed of watercress, onion and goat cheese.


We asked our server for vegetarian entrée options and she said they could do tofu in place of the poached fish. It was topped with a cilantro pesto and drizzled with hot oil. I took a bite and actually preferred this to the fried tofu she had at Alan Wong's.


I ordered their Surf N Turf special and it was just massive. Two "bomboucha" beef ribs, four shrimp skewers, a piece of grilled salmon (hiding in the back), rice, and kim chee. I enjoyed the different flavors of the dish and despite it's size, didn't feel overly full afterwards.


For dessert, we ordered the Caramel Crème Brûlée. The custard tasted very much like dulce de leche.


They also brought out a special birthday cake on a personalized plate, which I thought was a nice touch. This dessert is called their Chocolate Decadence Cake. It was more like a block of rich fudge than a "cake," but it did live up to its name - it was both chocolaty and decadent.

Alan Wong's Restaurant + Surf Lanai | Honolulu, Hawaii

Last week Friday we had the most epic date night. Thanks to a generous gift certificate for Alan Wong's Restaurant and our Waikiki Gold Card, we were able to indulge in a little bit of awesomeness, without over-spending.

Alan Wong's Restaurant
1857 S King St
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 949-2526
Website

The Royal Hawaiian - Surf Lanai Restaurant
2259 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI
(808) 931-7194 ‎
Website

Dinner was at the prestigious Alan Wong's Restaurant.


Wifey started with the Lychee Colada cocktail. It's a spin on the traditional piña colada with lychee in place of pineapple juice.


As the designated driver, I opted for the Plantation Iced Tea.


We started with the Hamakua Springs Tomato, Beet and Avocado Salad. The Li Hing Mui Ume Vinaigrette is amazing. Neither flavor was overly stated and it brought a whole new level of complexity to the dish.


Appetizer number 2 was the warm asparagus. It was good, but not extraordinary.
 

They were more than helpful in accommodating wifey's vegetarian diet. Here is a special Ginger Crusted Tofu (basically, it's the Ginger Crusted Onaga off the menu, with tofu instead of fish). Thanks to @ryankanno for suggesting we ask about this specific dish.
 

Along with wifey's dish came this side of potato.


My entrée was one of their specials that evening: the Surf and Turf. It was a petite tenderloin (cooked medium-rare, of course) with seafood risotto, topped with a poached egg. You can tell from the flavor that the beef was grass-fed and the seafood was fresh. Everything was cooked perfectly; nothing was overdone.


Dessert was Five Spoons of Brulees. An interesting concept, but not quite as satisfying as a other crème brûlée dishes we've had.


We spend the night at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel - a mini stay-cation, if you will. So for breakfast the next day, we decided to check out the Surf Lanai restaurant. The started us off with a nice sized basket of various breads.


Wifey ordered the vegetarian pizza. The crust was very thin and she said it tasted like everything came straight from the farmer's market.


Here are the fries that came with my sandwich.


I ordered the Kalua Pork Sliders. There was a bonus slice of Portuguese Sausage in each one. I love the "gourmet" take on local favorites.

Apartm3nt | Honolulu, Hawaii

After reading an article about Apartm3nt, my interest was piqued. So we decided to check it out for tonight's date night. The first thing we noticed when we stepped off the elevator was the absent receptionist. We felt just a little awkward because we weren't sure if it was open seating or not. I went up to the bar to ask and was told to wait by the door (it wasn't like the place was crowded or anything when we got there). Eventually, Flash, one of the owners, came up to talk to us and got us a table. After the initial weirdness, we had a really good time. The food and service were great and being happy hour, everything was very inexpensive.

Apartm3nt
1750 Kalakaua Ave., 3rd Floor
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 955-0399
Website
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As you can see it's pretty dark on the inside. Although I was armed with a slightly better camera than my iPhone (I was carrying my trusty Canon SD400), it really didn't make too much of a difference.


Here's a shot of their menu.


The eggplant appetizer was good. It was very light, not overly oily like some spreads tend to be. The flat bread made of wheat was a nice touch.


We also gave the hummus a go. It came served with the same grilled wheat flat bread. I thought it was tastier than the eggplant.


They call this dish the after school special. I call it a grilled cheese on steroids. A bit too much bread for my liking, but wifey said the soup was about the best tomato soup she's ever had.


We also ordered the veggie pizza. Lots of veggies and a crust that was more like a cracker. I'd definitely order this again.'

Last one with flat bread - the spinach artichoke dip. I thought it was good, but by the time it came out, we were way too full to enjoy it (in addition to the food above, we had a bowl of spicy edamame).