Big Island Grinds

Why oh why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I keep coming back here for a bland loco moco in hopes of it one day being better?

Well, I can get an “ok” loco moco and a small chili for well under 4 bucks… the chili was pretty good actually, not bland at all. It scored extra points to make up for the loco moco, which still has a thin strange tasting burger and bland gravy… let me just say, it’s amazing what a lot of shoyu can do to a bland loco moco.

To be fair, the gravy was actually thicker and tastier than the last time I’ve reviewed this place.

And isn’t it cute how they package everything so neatly into a small box? It’s just fun to do take out here.

Dear Cafe 100, I still have faith in you!

It was another weekend night, and we were hungry at 4:30am. Ken’s, Verna’s, 7-11, or…Kandi’s? Yup, Kandi’s opens at 4am! That was good news because I’ve come here many a time between 8-9am and their fried rice breakfasts were usually sold out. Not happening to me this morning. *grin*

Kandi’s serves all the traditional local comfort foods at great prices. There were about 5-7 other people hanging out in the drive inn’s small eating area.

Here’s their breakfast and daily specials menu:

I asked the lady taking our order, “You guys still get fried rice?” She laughed, and said yes, mentioning that it always gets sold out by 9am.

There are three different fried rice breakfasts: Fried Rice Special ($3.75 - fried rice topped with egg and hot dog), Fried Rice Omelet ($3.50 - fried rice wrapped in eggs w/2 slices of spam), and Fried Rice Hash & Eggs ($3.95 - fried rice, corned beef hash, and topped with an egg).

I ordered the Fried Rice Omelet w/spam.

This was so good and is such a great deal at $3.50. The fried rice in this egg omelet had a great texture, firm yet moist, which absorbed lots of the wonderful crunchy bacon and ham goodness. It was a bit oily, but it just made it taste better. I loved how some of the rice grains were burnt crisp just a little, adding to the great flavor. The two slices of spam were thick and cooked gently, which kept them moist and sweet. Serious homestyle comfort food.

My friend ordered a Teri Loco Moco and added a ton of ketchup.

A teri loco moco is the same as a regular loco moco, with added teri sauce to the burger. I had one bite and it tasted just ok. The teri sauce added a nice sweetness to it, but the burger was thin and didn’t taste that good… might’ve been premade. The gravy was basic, but it had a full flavor and wasn’t watery. Egg was cooked well. I didn’t get to try the mac salad, though. Overall, it was just an average loco moco.

Another friend ordered toast, eggs and hash browns, which I didn’t get to try. He seemed to enjoy it, though.

For a cheap and very tasty breakfast, I would highly recommend this place. They also offer lots of plate lunches and bentos. I’ve tried their beef stew and teri beef plate, which were both very good and tasty (sorry, no photos).

Kandi’s Drive Inn
56 W Kawailani Street
Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 959-8461

in Aiea, Oahu

I used to come here more often in the past, but have stopped going for a while… until I sampled a bite of their loco moco, I had to come back for further investigation!

Koa Pancake House has 3 locations I know of (Aiea, Waipahu and Kaneohe). They look like they are doing great since they are constantly busy, especially during breakfast. We went to the Aiea location which is right next to McDonalds.

It was about 11am and the place was packed with people eating mostly breakfast items. Lots of pancakes, waffles and eggs… I also saw lots of burgers too. The inside has a very warm koa theme with koa walls and decorations, giving the restaurant a nice mellow ambiance.

I had to order the Fried Rice Loco Moco ($5.95).

A generous portion of fried rice with ham and crisp green onions topped with a tender grilled burger, tasty thick brown gravy, and two eggs. This loco moco tasted great, but there was something different about it. The problem was that it didn’t really taste like an authentic loco moco. It might’ve been the gravy: thicker than usual, tasting more like a salisbury steak type of gravy. Good stuff, but I wish it were less thick so that it would mix better with the rice. On the plus side, they did everything else great: the fried rice was very delicious , the burger was very tasty - slightly charred, and the eggs were nicely cooked too.

Bev ordered a “Lite Bite” which included 2 pancakes, 2 link sausages, and 1 egg ($3.75). Really good deal!

The pancakes tasted good and were very light and soft… but the inside was a bit too soft to me and Bev (probably a little undercooked?). Still, it tasted good. I also wished that the outside of the pancakes were a bit crispier too, but they weren’t. The link sausages were good and crisp (tasted like Farmer John’s). Good deal for $3.75.

Koa Pancake House has good food for a great price, although not the best you can get. Service was very friendly and everybody had smiles on their faces, including the customers, who seemed all very friendly. I would probably come back again for some breakfast or try some of their lunch items.

99-115 Aiea Heights Drive #256
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
488-8805, 488-8816

So it’s 4am in rainy Hilo, you’re partied out, and you got major munchies. Where to go? “Ken’s!”, you may say. Others say, “Verna’s!”

I lived in Hilo all this time and only recently, with the guidance of some friends (I’m a sheltered boy), did I realize that Verna’s is open 24 hours on weekend nights. This experience really opened my eyes… finally some variety after midnight on the weekends!

Verna’s is located right across Ken’s on the other side of the street corner.

Another picture during the day:

At this hour there were a bunch of rowdy people hanging out in the parking lot, possibly eating some Verna’s food, and a few people ordering and waiting for their food.

Here are the menus posted on the front window (click to zoom). They get some real local kine grindz!

I was advised that the teri burgers are good here, which made me overjoyed since I love teri burgers. Teri burger ($1.70) it is!

I’m not sure if it was the beer, but this burger tasted simply amazing! The burger patty was nice and thick, cooked just right, very moist and tender, and the teriyaki flavor went throughout all of the meat like they marinated it. Just the right amount of mayo and one piece of lettuce was applied to the burger, which worked really well. The bun was nice and soft, soaking up all the teri-goodness. Only thing that would make this burger better was if it was flame-broiled.

I also managed to steal some fries. Hey, it’s some fries and a shaka.

Fries are to a teri burger like rice is to pork adobo. They are essential to have together! Although these fries were good, they could’ve been more crisp on the outside. I wasn’t complaining though.

After a great teri burger experience, I had to come back to Verna’s to try some of their other food…

Verna’s Loco Moco ($2.95)

I had high hopes on this one, especially since the guy in front of me ordered two loco mocos. Unfortunately, this loco moco was very bad. The burger was overcooked, and somewhat dry, with not much flavor. The gravy was very basic, too salty, and uninspiring. The egg was overcooked (the yolk was partially hardened). The rice was slightly overcooked too. Bummers.

Chicken Katsu ($5.70)

This was a different style of chicken katsu, which uses a different kind of breading, more similar to fried chicken. It tasted good, but it felt like I was eating cut up chicken patties instead. On the plus side, the chicken was moist and flavorful. The sauce was also ok - not too sweet. I don’t think I would order this again, just because I prefer panko breading.

Kamuela Special ($5.95)

The Kamuela Special consists of fried noodles with teri beef and mac salad. Nice concept, but the noodles tasted a bit bland and the teri beef was too sweet and over-flavored. The mac salad was not bad, though.

So, what’s the verdict? Ken’s or Verna’s? That’s a tough one since I have more eating experiences at Ken’s. It also depends on what you want to eat. Burgers? Verna’s. Loco Moco? Ken’s. Low on cash? Verna’s! Want real local style drive inn food? Verna’s.

I’m sure Verna’s has a lot more to offer than the dishes I’ve tried, and I will definitely go back for the teri burger and other offerings.

Verna’s Drive In
1765 Kamehameha Ave
Hilo HI 96720
Phone: 808-935-2776

I’m sorry I havn’t posted for a while. I’ve just been side-tracked with a lot of things, but I will get back into the groove, no worries!

This past September I visited Oahu, and instead of posting multiple posts (like last time — I still need to finish that series), I’ll just post a more condensed photo-heavy post of my food adventures.

Okay, so I land on Oahu. What’s the first thing to do?

(more…)

When I’m bored, I often search for loco mocos on the net. It’s amazing how far this simple dish can travel!

For example, check out this loco moco from Japan! The restaurant is called “LocoMoco Hana-Dining”. They also serve beer from the Big Island too.

They even have a “loco cup” in the takeout menu. Too much fun!