Category: Dining

If you’re specifically drooling for roast pork, char siu, and other Hong Kong entrée classics, Kevin’s Kitchen is the new place to go.

On a recent Sunday at high noon, the place was jammed and crammed and busy as heck. With no reservations, we (my wife Vi and our grandnephew John), opted to do takeout.

The noisy and casual crowd filled the Makiki restaurant, with folks in beach shorts looking like they might head to the beach after lunch; one table was dressier (women with jade bracelets and necklaces), perhaps eating out after Sunday church services.

For me, this was a genuine alternative to Chinatown, ZIP code 96817. Kevin’s is the solution and destination if you’re ono for  roast pork, char siu, roast duck and chicken, chow fun, and other stables of Hong Kong/Chinatown fare. The restaurant’s non-descript entry, in ZIP code 96814, is a stone’s throw opposite the main entryway of Times Super Market

So, there’s no longer the need to venture to Maunakea Street and the markets in the environs of Hotel and Beretania Streets. No need to scope for street parking to feed the meters, seek parking in the municipal lots, or deal with the few charge-card boxes stationed within the Chinatown zone.

Best of all, there’s plenty of the coveted roast pork and char siu, hanging on hooks along with roast duck and chicken, in the glass-sectional like a Chinatown vendor. I would prefer the roast park chopped in larger pieces, but Kevin’s needs to work on a crispier pork skin and perhaps  larger chunks of the pork that would elevate the pork to a two-pound serving, instead of a pound. But attention must be to beef up the pork with a crispier skin first.

Kevin’s is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., serving full lunches and dinners till 8:30 p.m.,  and the buzz is that the restaurant is eager to launch an earlier Chinese breakfast, too.

At lunchtime, you can order a mixed plate take-out with two or three items, or order a pound of roast park, char siu, and an order of beef broccoli.  A week after our first visit, John called in a take-out order of roast pork, roast duck and chow fun, and picked up the goodies at 4 p.m. Flexible and casual, though it might take 30 minutes to drive off with the order.

The restaurant boasts a glassed-in sector where the customary roast pork, char siu, and roast duck and chicken await to be plucked and packed for take-out orders. This elevates Kevin’s a lot, with the luxury of ordering extras to go.

This is not a dim sum haven, so you need to go elsewhere if that’s your option.

This is a tale of two Kevins, playing outside the mainstay Chinatown ZIP code of 96817.  Two Kevins can be confusing and waitstaff can’t even shout “Mr. Lee” or “Mr. Li,” to add to the confusion.

Kevin Li, is  the owner. His friend, Kevin Lee, is his partner, formerly a chef at Harbor Village at the Koko Marian Center in Hawaii Kai. Ping Li, Kevin’s father, is roast maste

The restaurant is located at 1296 S. Beretania, ZIP code 96814,  opposite the front doors of the Times Super Market, which anchors this small mall. You’ll smell it before you see it, because of the lilting aroma of chow fun, roast duck, and char siu in the air.

Word of mouth has been positive about Kevin’s, and they do the customary fare of Chinese cuisine, with soups, seafood, fowl, pork and beef. The upgrades include sizzling platters of seafood, hot pots with pork, beef, seafood and lamb, vegetarian options, and party favorites like Peking duck and  Dungeness crab. The Pecking duck is listed, in Kevin’s take-out menu, as $63.90 for a whole duck and $39.95 for half a duck; no listing of the bao that commonly accompanies the duck.

When the joint is jumping, it’s a tad chaotic. On the busy Sunday, there were isolated seats at tables of four or 10, and waitresses directed the seat-seekers to the available chairs. You probably need yelling skills to order in this environment.

Consequently, this not the climate for business meetings or office gatherings,  because you pretty much have to shout above the din to be heard.

Information: (808) 888-3680…

The Zippy’s at Kahala will be shutting down, likely by year’s end or early next year, for renovations.

The Kahala waitstaff will be diverted to other branches,  surely an inconvenience.

The closure, said one waitress, will last for about three months, which means us East Siders now may have to drive to the Makiki branch of Zippy’s for a sit-down meal and chat-chat. This one’s brighter and larger than the branch in-between Zippy’s offices on King Street and Washington Middle School.

Meanwhile, the rumors persist that Zippy’s Koko Marina take-out could be shuttered like the already closed dining room…

Red velvet ice cream

It may take me quite a spell, but I’m trying to order a different ice cream flavor at each visit to Hammond’s at the Koko Marina Center.

Latest joy: Red velvet cake, mixed with vanilla ice cream.

Always loved the red velvet dessert cake (not widely available these days), so naturally, found this choice perfect for a warm afternoon treat…

Bedbugs found at Ala Moana Center food court

Why is the Ala Moana Center food court closed, you ask?

A very good reason:  It’s shut down due to bed bug infiltration.

No reopening date yet, but they’d better thoroughly spray those antiquated seats and backboards…

Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream is anticipating a summer opening at the Koko Marina Shopping Center.

Hammond’s is targeting a June 7 debut – date subject to change – and will occupy the site vacated by Moena Sweets.

Hammond’s is noted for 32 ice cream flavors, alternating 20 daily, and boasts some enchanting flavors and names, like Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, a cheesecake flavor. The brand has some dairy-free, egg-free and nut-free options, too.

It also is known for the Hammond Flights, where patrons can take flight to try six flavors in mini cones. A yummy idea to get familiar with Hammond’s…

Maple Garden is shutting down

Maple Garden, the Chinese restaurant in Moiliili, is closing – likely at the end of the month—after decades of serving fans of Chinese cuisine.

Like numerous restaurants with decades of residency, Maple Gardens has been faced with a multitude of challenges – dwindling business, high prices, a fickle economy, and a shortage of staff. Two chefs are in the kitchen and struggling to keep the doors open and  serving food, too. Owning a restaurant  is a constant task; you welcome the guests, take orders, prepare and serve the food, and after meal service there are dishes to wash.

In earlier times, there were throngs celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, retirement parties, and more. Owner Richard Lam now is thinking of closure, though he’s not yet set a firm date…

A tasty snack

My latest fave snack is something sweet but healthy.

It’s called Yoggies, and it’s a shred of strawberry, coated with creamy yogurt. It’s somewhat like Raisinets, the raisin  candy cloaked with chocolate.

Got it in a large bag, from Costco, and it’s perfect for a quick snack, since  Yoggies comes in 7-oz packets and that’s enough for a single serving.