HiBlend cafe’s juices, smoothies, dishes hit the spot

Joey Sugahara always enjoyed cooking as a child, and younger brother Miles was happy to savor the results. Now they’ve created their own space, HiBlend Health Bar & Cafe, with partner Jason Chang, to share their recipes for a healthy lifestyle.

Joey said he’d always been body conscious and worked out regularly, but opening the cafe in the Samsung Plaza in October 2013 increased his motivation to walk the talk and "get more serious about the eating part."

"Living an active, healthy lifestyle and eating this way, I lost 40 pounds in six months," he said.

That gives hope to all who intend to hit the beach this summer, where skimpy clothes don’t lie.

Even if you’re not aiming to shed pounds, HiBlend’s refreshing juices and smoothies hit the spot when the mercury rises. They include apple lemonade ($7.95); O.P.A. (orange, pear and apple, $7.50); and a Power House Cleanse of apple, cucumber, celery, grapes, spinach, kale, lemon, lime and ginger ($7.95).

And, there’s no need to fear the color green when ordering Candy Greens ($7.50), formulated to give the veggie-averse a dose of greens without really tasting the spinach and kale, thanks to pear and apple juices.

I love access to great juice but cannot survive on juice alone. I want something savory and more substantial. A lot of juice bars tend to offer grab-and-go pastries, refrigerated sandwiches and lackluster salads.

HiBlend makes its sandwiches and salads fresh to order, and Joey doesn’t forget to pack in flavor via homemade dressings, to lure in those who would usually choose anything but a salad.

"Normally, health food tastes green and grassy, but I thought about what I would want to eat," he said.

An availability of ingredients such as lox, bacon, ahi and smoked turkey make salads and sandwiches more palatable for those who dream of a greener diet without sacrifice. The converted, meanwhile, may opt for the vegan Veganese salad ($11.95) or watermelon pizza salad ($11.95). There’s no crust with the latter. Slices of watermelon simply form a base for a mix of spinach, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, pear, chia seeds, bee pollen, goat cheese, mint and honey. All the cafe’s honey is sourced from rescued hives.

The Veganese is a salad I could eat over and over again, with its kale, carrots, celery, cucumber, apples and onions drizzled with a savory mint and Thai peanut dressing. And caprese goes ornate, the requisite tomatoes, mozzarella and basil topped with mixed greens, feta, red onions, capers and a trio of dressings: garlic citrus aioli, pesto and balsamic vinaigrette. It may sound like overkill, but it works because you taste a different dressing with every bite.

The cafe serves certified organic and non-GMO produce, and local produce is sourced from Wally’s Farm in Hawaii Kai.

HiBlend’s refreshing Health Bowls can serve as a light meal or quick dessert. An Acai Bowl ($9.95) is topped with strawberries, blueberries, granola, banana slices and honey. The Dragon Bowl ($9.95) starts with pitaya, or dragon fruit, with all of the acai bowl’s fruit toppings plus toasted coconut. A new Aloha Bowl ($12.50) combines acai and pitaya with poi, with the taro flavor shining through, along with mango, pineapple and papaya. It’s finished with honey, mint, granola, chia seeds and bee pollen. All can be shared by two.

The cafe is also known for its fresh ahi dishes. My favorite is an ahi tartare salad (market price), the ahi tossed with Caesar dressing, capers and red onions, and served in an avocado half over spinach drizzled with more Caesar plus pesto. You can get poke tartare (market price) served the same way, though the poke is dressed with a sweet sesame, ginger and soy sauce.

I also ordered the baked ahi (market price), which conjured up images of a fish fillet. But it is really a tuna melt, served with tomato, avocado and pepper Jack on croissant. It was disappointing only because I was expecting a fish sandwich.

A smoked salmon and bacon sandwich is served on toasted sourdough with spinach, avocado and a choice of eight house dressings: pesto, pesto aioli, garlic citrus aioli, roasted garlic aioli, kale pesto, smoked pepper aioli, avocado aioli or kale pesto aioli. It’s my favorite sandwich.

The BALT ($10.95) adds avocado to a classic BLT, also with a choice of house dressing.

The Steamer ($10.95) is a great day starter of steamed eggs, bacon, tomato, avocado, spinach and pepper Jack served on a bagel, croissant or commute-ready spinach wrap. It’s billed as a breakfast item but available all day.

There’s always something new, and if you go now you may be able to get the last sips of Pirie Mango Dream ($7.95), a smoothie of mango, pineapple, banana, coconut, milk and honey; or Liquid Dragon Juice ($7.50) of pitaya, pear, pineapple, lime, lemon and mint.

I could stop here every day, eat my fill and never feel a bit of guilt.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.

BITE SIZE

Tsurumen introduces mazesoba

Tsurumen may be the first Honolulu ramen restaurant to introduce mazesoba, a nonsoup version of ramen that is currently the most popular dish on the menu.

A cross between regular ramen and dry dip-style tsukemen, mazesoba began trending in Japan a couple of years ago.

The dish starts with the restaurant’s whole-wheat flour noodles, coated with a thick soy-based sauce, pork, bean sprouts, kamaboko (which undergoes a name change to "naruto" in a ramen shop), green onion, menma and cilantro.

It’s great on it’s own, but perks up even more by adding a splash of rice wine vinegar.

Definitely one to add to your must-try list, at $10 a bowl.

Tsurumen is at 1006 Kapahulu Ave., across from Crane Park. Call 737-3047. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Wednesdays through Mondays.

Bite Size documents the new, the small, the unsung.