Ono Delights in Oahu

My first time to Hawaii called for relaxing on beaches with crystal-clear cerulean waters, making a dent in my wallet on one too many shopping excursions, and attempting to properly learn the hula. At the top of my list? FOOD (of course). While I didn’t have the pleasure of spooning into a snowy cup of shave ice, there were plenty of other ono (“delicious” in Hawaiian) bites that I dug into.

You can begin your day with one of the best treats I sunk my teeth into on my trip: malasadas. Leonard’s, Hawaii’s original malasada bakery, may explain it best:

“A malasada is a Portugese doughnut without a hole. We fry generously-sized balls of dough until it’s golden brown on the outside and light & fluffy on the inside. Once they are out of the fryer, they are immediately coated with sugar giving you a sweet toasted flavor, both crunchy and chewy. Because our malasadas our [sic] made to order and always served hot and fresh, you won’t find them in the bakery cases like other bakeries. You can always count on Leonard’s Malasadas being a hot tasty sugary bite of happiness.”

They come in a variety of options that switch up coatings (plain sugar, cinnamon sugar, or li hing [tongue-tingling dried plum]) and fillings (custard, dobash [chocolate], and haupia [coconut]). A “Flavor of the Month” offers another limited-edition variation: we gobbled up a macadamia nut cream-filled malasada during our visit. See the full review here.

Or, you can start your morning off right with pancakes. These aren’t just any old flapjacks, however: these griddlecakes are blanketed by copious amounts of sweet shredded coconut and crunchy macadamia nuts. A wedge of juicy pineapple, a mound of butter, and pitchers of maple and coconut syrups make this a true “breakfast of champions.”

Alan Wong is one of the founding members of Hawaii Regional Cuisine (HRC), a culinary movement that borrows from all the ethnic influences on the islands. It aims to take old local favorites and reinterpret them in ways that respect tradition, celebrate creativity, and share the bounty of Hawaii’s land and sea. His eponymous restaurant Alan Wong’s is no exception, inviting guests to experience HRC at its finest. See the full dinner review here.

For no-frills dining that’s no less delicious, seek out a neighborhood joint that dishes out local specialities like pork lau lau, kalua pork, pilikaupia (spicy beef jerky), lomi salmon (tomato and salmon salad), and poi (mashed taro of paste-like consistency).

The aloha spirit runs through all the residents and is communicated through a variety of friendly gestures. For example, upon visiting a store during one of our shopping trips, the shopkeepers invited us to join their family potluck happening right outside: true ohana.

The islands have no shortage of fresh fish; in fact, over 20% of Hawaii’s fish population are endemic. While cooked fish is certainly popular, raw fish has its following too. Pokē is the Hawaiian verb for “section” or “to slice or cut”; poke in food form is a raw salad often served as an appetizer.

There are countless ways to prepare poke, as evident by a counter full of poke options at one of Hawaii’s most prolific supermarkets.

Or, enjoy your fish the Japanese way with vinegared rice, a touch of wasabi, and a bit of soy sauce.

In fact, with Japan so nearby, the Asian cuisine strongly influences Hawaiian eats. For instance, the udon at Marukame Udon is perfectly slurpy in every way and the tempura crisp and crunchy– the line two rows deep outside the door of the cafeteria-style eatery attests to the authentic fare.

Hawaiians also know their way around dough. While I love me some King’s Hawaiian sweet bread from the mainland’s markets, there’s nothing better than fresh-baked bread like the butter dinner rolls and raisin loaves at Liliha Bakery.

We were pleased to find that the seafood, burgers, and the like were just as fresh at national chains as they were at local counterparts.

Instead of shave ice, I opted for tried-and-true ice cream to cool off in the warm weather during my stay. This scoop–creamy chocolate ice cream with delicate swirls of marshmallow ribboned throughout with our handmade chunks of white chocolate covered macadamia nuts, dark chocolate almond chunks, chocolate bits, and roasted almonds–particularly hit the spot.

Of course, if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s always chocolate-dipped squid… (Too squeamish? Their buttery chocolate-dipped shortbread is a personal favorite.)

— Nicole Woon