Aloha Oahu Part II: What Locals Eat

POKEs by lbs at a local supermarket

What is truly Hawaiian native food, I still am trying to figure out.  Polynesian descendants have lived off the land, the sea and arrivals from boat.  I did visit several places where locals eat in and out of Honolulu to try to find out.

Helena's Hawaiian Food

On the way to Pearl Harbor, we hung a right to Helena's Hawaiian Food. Operated by Helena's son, the Pipikaula short ribs are well known.  The short ribs are soy sauce, Hawaiian salt marinated and hung dried before getting submerged in the deep fried oil.  They were crispy on the outside and tender within.  Luau squid has a gentle coconutty, sweetness to it with a hint of stewed squid.  I had expected the bitterness similar to spinach but there was none.  The  fried butterfish collar was another special item.  Crispy, salty skin with succulent fish meat,  it was satisfying.

Ono Hawaiian Food

I asked a taxi driver who makes the best Hawaiian food in Honolulu.  Our ex-chef taxi driver recommended Ono.  Looking around the tables at Ono Hawaiian Foods, one could guess that the best dish to try is the pork Lau Lau. Pork butt and salted Butterfish, wrapped with the Lau leaves, are steamed to perfect tenderness.

BTW, the poke here is as simple as it gets.  Sea salt and seaweed makes the Ahi tasted clean, fresh and sweet.

Young's Seafood Market

Young's Fish Market is a seafood market with an eatery on the side of the store.  The beef stew was creamy, spicy and hardy.  The place sells poi by the bag.  Poi is a cooked, mashed taro root. Growing from Hawaiian soil, taro has been the staple since Polynesians migrated to the island.  It does have a soup consistency, but a bit thicker than east coast potato soup. The poke octopus here was tender, spicy and briny good.  The eatery also makes Chinese style roasted meat.  We walked in as the crispy pork belly arrived at the counter. This seafood market sure crisps the pork belly well...who would have guessed.

Giovanni's Spicy Shrimp

Up and around the North Shore, surfers and sea turtles hang out at this time of the year.  If you drive a bit further beyond, you will discover the shrimp trucks, sprawling along the shrimp farms. There are Giovanni, Romy, Fumi, etc. We had the spicy shrimps at Giovanni's shrimp truck.  It was intense with chili, garlic and vinegar.

Ted's Bakery Haupia pie

The sweet ending to this trip was the Haupia coconut chocolate cream pie from Ted's Bakery. Just  imagine that one bite of layered coconut, chocolate and whipped cream dancing a tango in your mouth.  It was an island in one bite.  Ted's also serve Hawaiian lunch plate with Galbi, Mc&Cheese and Garlic Shrimp.  Across from the "Pipe Line", favorite surfers hang out at this time of strong wind and high waves.

Earthy comfort is how I like to describe Hawaiian food.  Riding with the waves has a parallel meaning of going with the flow.  If you have to deal with volcanoes, sharks, whales and strong currents during many days in your lifetime like Hawaiian, the basic instinct will shape your need to take  life one day at a time, alongside the powerful earth and sea.  Walking slowly, barefoot on the sandy water and wearing loose clothing have a whole new meaning.

Mahalo Hawaii!

Teera