A korean favorite returns

• By Nadine Kam
• Feb. 14, 2023
• 1

Dozens of mom-and-pop restaurants were swept away by the razing of the block of low-rise commercial buildings to make way for The Park on Keeaumoku going up between Rycroft and Liona streets. Read more

Waikiki izakaya has an auspicious start

• By Nadine Kam
• Feb. 7, 2023

An izakaya opening in Honolulu is always a happy occasion, but generally not a big deal because we’re accustomed to the presence of Japanese bars. Read more

Sonoran-style seafood specialties

• By Nadine Kam
• Jan. 31, 2023

Da Seafood Cartel was busy building its following at farmers markets for two years before moving into the gas station venue of the former Wally Ho’s Garage & Grill Read more

Vivid dishes from Vietnam

• By Nadine Kam
• Jan. 24, 2023
• 2

I was on route to a red light beauty session at Samsung Plaza when I was stopped in my tracks by something new, Paté Vietnamese Cuisine. Read more

Korean shop makes a comeback

• By Nadine Kam
• Jan. 17, 2023

In need of a lunch break during holiday shopping last fall, I suggested to my friend that we go for my favorite pork ribs that she’d never tried before. Read more

A “hot,” new, all-you-can-eat option

• By Nadine Kam
• Jan. 10, 2023
• 1

I really missed Little Sheep Hot Pot when it closed, so I was elated to see the vacant spot at Ward Centre stir to life again with a new hot pot restaurant, Chong Qing Hot Pot. Read more

This sushi spot has a huge selection

• By Nadine Kam
• Jan. 3, 2023
• 3

We bond with our friends on the basis of many shared interests, but if food isn’t one of them, there’s bound to be irritation when it comes to mealtimes. Read more

A look at 2022

• By Nadine Kam
• Dec. 27, 2022

Spring 2022 saw pandemic restrictions lift and along with it, a return to restaurants en masse Read more

Dim sum delights

• By Nadine Kam
• Dec. 20, 2022

Not every restaurant is so fortunate as to hit its stride from day one, and when Kapiolani Seafood Restaurant opened in late September, I did not enjoy the experience. Read more

Spicing things up

• By Nadine Kam
• Dec. 13, 2022

Sometimes when I go in search of a restaurant, I don’t know what I’ll find. In the case of Midnight Dining Hall, the address put it in the vicinity of 808 Center Read more

A taste of caribbean cuisine

• By Nadine Kam
• Dec. 6, 2022

I’ve been a big fan of jerk-marinated chicken since 1992, when I discovered a recipe from New York’s “King of Jerk,” Allan Vernon Read more

This brunch spot is a hidden gem

• By Nadine Kam
• Nov. 29, 2022

For me, brunch is one of the great pleasures of life, a symbol of leisure, camaraderie and friendly comfort food. Read more

Winner, winner chicken dinner

• By Nadine Kam
• Nov. 22, 2022

Just as quickly as trends emerge in K-pop, so do culinary linguistics. Read more

The best of both worlds

• By Nadine Kam
• Nov. 15, 2022

Call it what you will, but the prix fixe/ omakase/tasting menu restaurant format that took hold during the middle of the pandemic continues. Read more

Plant-based pizza options

• By Nadine Kam
• Nov. 9, 2022
• 2

Vegan restaurants signal assurance that none of their ingredients can be called into question, so each new entry to the scene gives reason to cheer. Among them is Floralia, a pizza spot that has set down roots in a parking lot in the industrial area behind Kapiolani Drive-Thru Car Wash after years of being known as the mobile operation What it Dough. Read more

A secret yakiniku izakaya

• By Nadine Kam
• Nov. 1, 2022
• 1

By day, Uproll Café Honolulu is humbly known for its light fare of healthful sushi rolls and bowls, and sandwiches. Read more

Turning culinary dreams into reality

• By Nadine Kam
• Oct. 25, 2022

Once you start sprinting on the treadmill called making a living, it’s easy to get so caught up in daily survival that there’s no time to reflect on past dreams and set future goals. Read more

A new hot pot hale

• By Nadine Kam
• Oct. 18, 2022

With one successful restaurant concept to his credit, I was surprised to learn that instead of sticking with the tried-and-true, Jialiang Wei, owner of Honolulu Skewer House, was entering hot pot territory. Read more

This burger shop expands

• By Nadine Kam
• Oct. 11, 2022
• 1

When Honolulu Burger Co. opened its doors on Beretania Street in the summer of 2010, it was a ground-breaking moment. Read more

A legacy lives on

• By Nadine Kam
• Oct. 5, 2022

I feel old. It’s starting to hit home as I watch my contemporaries — chefs who were present at the dawn of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement and subsequent explosion of restaurant growth that put Hawaii on the culinary map — hang up their toques to explore other paths. Read more

This lunch omakase has a new home

• By Nadine Kam
• Sept. 27, 2022

Consider this a second chance. For two-and-a-half years, I’ve lived with a little nagging feeling of regret. Read more