I Didn't Eat One Pineapple at the Pineapple Room

Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with lots of fun extras

And that's a good thing.  Being from Hawaii, you'd think I love pineapple.  But I don't.  In college, my friends would order the "Hawaiian Pizza," thrilled that I'd be able to experience a taste from home.  Here's the thing: I hate pineapple on pizza.  And "Canadian Bacon" (which is just a fancy way of saying "ham", by the way), is kinda ewww.  So pineapple plus fake bacon?  Double ewww.


But I'm a fan of Alan Wong's and I've never been to his highly-rated Pineapple Room, so my family and I visited one night.  And I'm so glad we did, because we all agreed: this was one of the best meals we've ever had on Oahu.


The Pineapple Room is a casual yet beautiful restaurant located in Ala Moana, one of the largest outdoor malls in the world, and my favorite shopping mall on the island.  Simple yet cozy, the focus is the quality of the food--a wonderful mix of Asian cuisine with a Hawaiian twist. 

Chinese Style Pan Steamed Onaga, so pretty and so tasty

The real food was all delicious (the Onaga was perfectly steamed and bursting with flavor), but of course I was giddy about the desserts!  All of the choices looked incredible, and I wanted them all.  But that would just be silly.  So so silly.  (Note: I will be back. Oh yes, I will be back).

The vanilla ice cream slowly melting into a pool of creamy goodness

We were set on ordering 2, and then our lovely and very charming waitress twisted my arm and convinced me to go with 3 (what she said: "I also recommend the Japanese strawberry cheesecake...".  Me, interrupting: "OK!").  The Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with Peanut Butter Vanilla Anglaise, Vanilla Ice Cream and Carmelized Bananas were an obvious choice (Note: it contains peanut butter.  Enough said).  This decadent treat was a tasty combination of moist, light chocolate cake, doused in a creamy vanilla ice cream, topped with a light peanut butter glaze (I would have been happy with a bowl of that peanut butter sauce by itself), and topped with delicately carmelized bananas.  Such a wonderful mix of flavors, textures, and temperatures!


Then there was the Japanese-style strawberry cheesecake.  This delicate masterpiece was light and fluffy with a crunchy cookie-like crust, and topped with fresh strawberries.  A sweet strawberry salsa complemented this lovely little dish.

A yummy and healthy (remember, strawberries are a fruit) dessert.

The most fun dessert, and my favorite of the 3, was the Haupia Tapioca Halo Halo.  The fact that this dessert was on the menu was completely unexpected.  Since I'm a giant sucker for anything a bit different from the norm, I was intrigued.  Halo Halo is a Filipino dessert that usually involves shave ice, evaporated milk, and fruits or beans.  Alan Wong took this traditional dessert to a new level by making it gourmet, Hawaiian-style.

Halo Halo!

The Halo Halo begins with a base of coconut shave ice, haupia tapioca, and mango kanten.  Icy, creamy, and jelly-ish, it's an explosion of yummy differences. Sweet corn and azuki beans are infused throughout.  And sprinkled on top, a fruity mix of bananas, melon, strawberries and pineapple (I skipped the pineapple).  So many different flavors blended together for a refreshing, fruity treat.


And to top off this perfect meal?  A bit of shopping, of course! 


The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
808.945.6573
www.alanwongs.com/pineapple-room-welcome

Mochi + Peanut Butter = All My Dreams Come True

Can you believe I grew up here?
Simply gorgeous. 

Growing up in Hawaii, a delicious cultural melting pot, Asian food was and is a regular part of my life.  While there's a sushi place on every corner in LA, my favorite Japanese treats can be a tad more difficult to find.

Which is why I'm obsessed with Mitsuwa, my local Japanese food court/ bakery/ grocery/ magazine/ toy/ beauty store.  I head here pretty regularly to get my fix, always dragging a few colleagues with me.  No matter what kind of day I'm having, the minute I walk in the door, I break into a silly little grin.  Feels like home.

The Torrance location is phenomenal.  Not only is it the size of a small country, it houses everything a girl from Hawaii could want-- good kine rice, chicken katsu, spicy hot ramen, the best shrimp tempura ever, tofu curry, fresh sashimi, and of course, my reason for living--treats.  Ohhhh the treats.

While I like food, the treats are my main reason for visiting.  And without fail, before leaving this glorious place, I always pick up some type of mochi.

Row upon row of marvelous mochi 

I've been a Fan of Mochi my whole life.  It may have started because of the Japanese New Year tradition to make and eat lots of mochi.  And New Years happens to be one of Hawaii's most celebrated holidays.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Another theory: my mom makes a killer butter mochi and I make a pretty good coconut mochi; I'll cover both another divine desserts another time.

So imagine my surprise when a recent lunch visit (edamame and tofu salad) uncovered a genius new offering I had never seen before:  Peanut Butter Mochi.

Wait, what?

I came to a screeching halt and got up nice and close to re-read--and take pictures of--the sign.  This is when The Mochi Lady started laughing at me.     

The sign that stopped me in my tracks

Could it be?  The combination of two of my all-time favorite treats in one?

I adore these sweet rice treats plain with no bells and whistles, but I especially love daifuku--mochi with a little surprise in the middle.  Red bean was my favorite, until now.  Peanut butter???  Holy mother of pearl.

The Peanut Butter Mochi in all its glory

I politely (perhaps creepily) asked The Mochi Lady to please hurry and wrap up two (one for me, and one intended for my friend Lisa, another pb fan--more on that later).  The Mochi Lady painstakingly--and slowly, I might add--wrapped each delectable ball of goodness individually in several layers of tissue, and then gently placed them in an adorable treat bag, and perfectly sealed them with a Mitsuwa sticker.  It's not Japanese if it's not covered in 18 layers of gorgeous packaging. 

I literally couldn't think straight as we drove back to work.  (Burton, next time you drive).

As soon as I got back to my desk, I ripped through the layers of tissue paper to get to my treat (sorry, Mochi Lady).  Staring back at me were two beautifully and perfectly made mochi balls.  I dove in.

So much peanut buttery goodness packed
into a tiny little package.

The yummy yellow mochi covering, decorated with a happy little sunshine, was sensually soft and gorgeously gooey.  But the star of the show was simply breathtaking: the unique peanut butter filling was moist, sweet, and slightly crumbly.  It was generously packed with wall-to-wall peanut butter, so you're guaranteed a peanut butter chunk in every bite.  Heavenly.

You're probably wondering if the second Peanut Butter Mochi made it to Lisa.  I'm not gonna lie, it was a difficult decision.  In the end, I gave it away.  Here's why: Lisa is my Peanut Butter Enabler, ie the owner of the jar of peanut butter that I tend to snack from every day at 4pm.  (I cannot be trusted to have my own jar of peanut butter, I am required to eat it under supervision).  To continue regular access to my pb supply, and since she's such a crazy pb fan herself, I couldn't deny her my newly found treasure.  So I shared.  

(Of course I will also be back to Mitsuwa very shortly and plan to order the rest of the tray).

Mitsuwa

21515 Western Ave

Torrance, CA 90501

(310) 782-0335