As soon as TM and I landed in Hawaii, we had to rush home to catch the end of the Niners game. We managed to see most of the second half of the incredible game they played against the Saints (truly a bummer they lost to the Giants in OT this past weekend) while eating a bunch of goodies my in-laws had picked up for us. TM had put in a request for a bunch of our favorites so we could eat them as an afternoon snack as soon as we got into town!
TM loves Genki Sushi. It is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain that started in Japan. They now have locations in Hawaii, Seattle, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuwait as well. Ryan (my brother-in-law) picked up some salmon nigiri for us. TM had forgotten that they serve it with thinly sliced onions and mayo on top. It was perfect.
I am not crazy about salmon skin roll but TM loves ordering it whenever we’re at a sushi place. He bases how good a Japanese place is by comparing their salmon skin and spicy tuna to those at Genki Sushi. The salmon skin has just the right amount of crunch to it according to TM.
I think TM’s favorite thing to order from Genki Sushi is the spicy tuna roll. We usually order this at sushi places but are often disappointed because a lot of restaurants serve tuna drenched in Sriracha sauce. I love the red rooster as much of the next person but that is not what spicy tuna should be. Genki has a great blend of tuna, mayo, chili powder, tobiko, sesame oil and green onions to make up their spicy tuna.
When we visited Seattle last year, we were driving around after we had eaten lunch when we saw a Genki Sushi sign. TM’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, he was so shocked! We had no idea Genki Sushi had locations outside of Japan and Hawaii. Even though we were full from lunch, TM insisted we pick up a few rolls of spicy tuna to go. That is how much he loves his spicy tuna!
Ryan also picked up spicy poke from Masa & Joyce Fish Market for us. There are so many different kinds of poke with different flavors. They actually have ahi poke, shoyu (soy sauce) poke, limu (seaweed) poke, tako (octopus) poke, etc. to name a few. Every restaurant seems to have their own variation and every person seems to have their favorite. Personally, I like shoyu poke the best. It doesn’t mask the flavor of the fish, just enhances it in my opinion. TM likes limu poke the best because of the crunch and flavor of the seaweed. The spicy poke was good although I felt like the spicy flavors covered up a little too much of the fish.
TM’s parents picked up cake noodle with minute chicken from Kin Wah Chop Suey for us. The first time I had cake noodle at a friend’s house in Hawaii, I was in heaven! It seemed genius to pan fry a bunch of noodles together and serve it with oyster sauce and chicken. As a little kid, I used to search for chunks of noodles in chow mein plates so I wouldn’t have to subject myself to any vegetables. Even though I’ve grown up some, I still love noodles and only noodles at times. These were a bit on the oily side but since I rarely get to eat this dish, I figured it was okay. Plus, we were on vacation!
TM’s parents also picked up kau yuk with buns from Kin Wah as well. I actually didn’t get to try these because I was so busy eating everything else. These are char siu pork that you wrap in the buns yourself to eat.
We were so excited to eat and watch the game that we didn’t even sit down! We stood around the kitchen counter with our chopsticks and took bites of all the amazing food as we walked back and forth between the kitchen and family room. Our crazy nine-day food tour in the 808 had begun!!
Genki Sushi (various locations) 45-480 Kaneohe Bay Drive Kaneohe, Hawaii
Masa & Joyce Fish Market 45-582 Kamehameha Highway Kaneohe, HI
Kin Wah Chop Suey 45-588 Kamehameha Highway Kaneohe, HI
For the Love of Food 