Blog: Eating Out

I used to be quite the reclusive homebody.

However, I began venturing out more as I got older, and with that, trying new eateries. I love trying different foods and experiencing the different flavors around us. I hope to share experiences and recommendations, as well as keep an open mind and palette to the treasures I stumble upon.

 POST #3: CURRY HOUSE

Everybody knows the Curry House. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a casual, affordable restaurant for all your Japanese curry cravings. I’d never been there before and my first trip wasn’t exactly stellar. The menu reveals their large selection of, you guessed it, curry! There’s everything from chicken katsu curry to cheese curry. I spent a little extra time hovering over the latter, simply out of pure curiosity. It was literally curry sauce, rice and shredded cheese. But since I wasn’t in so much of a curry-and-rice mood, I flipped over to their noodle dishes and picked out a simple curry udon. I figured that a nice noodle soup would be on the lighter side in terms of flavor and consistency— something I needed after having a sweet milk tea. Well, I was wrong.

[one_third]…but heavy curry sauce plus thick noodles doesn’t exactly suit the feng shui of my taste buds. [/one_third]

The curry udon was a large bowl of curry sauce with udon noodles. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Well, what did you expect? But the thing is, I was expecting curry-flavored soup. Instead, it looked as if they had simply taken the same curry sauce that you would get with your rice dishes and mixed in some noodles. I guess it was innovative, to give the menu some variety, but heavy curry sauce plus thick noodles doesn’t exactly suit the feng shui of my taste buds. The consistency of both just overwhelmed me, and after a couple of mouthfuls, I was done. The dish simply lacked balance. The appeal of eating udon or ramen is that the thickness of noodles is balanced out by the lightness of soup. This curry udon dish just simply had too much richness going on. I suppose if you were really starving it might be a satisfactory meal, but there’s no doubt you’d be absolutely stuffed in no time. I ended up just sitting in my booth, swirling my noodles into a gelatinous shapes instead of actually eating them.

POST #2: VALENTINE’S DAY DRINK

Over Valentine’s Weekend, I was informed of a new promo going on at Starbucks. It offered ‘pairs’, where you could order a drink and get a snack along with it, supposedly free of charge, in light of the upcoming romantic holiday. It was a Friday afternoon, and after being drained from school, I decided to go with their Raspberry Mocha. It came with a chocolate cookie, which was gone as soon as it landed in my hands. Anyway, as someone who doesn’t frequent Starbucks, anything other than plain coffee is a culinary adventure for me.

I was ambivalent about the hot drink considering it was pretty sunny outside, and I didn’t want to get even close to sweating, but I sucked it up and continued the most exciting part of my day anyway. My first delicate sip was a flood of warm chocolate raspberry. It had the subtle tang of fruit, that was balanced out by a perfectly lightly sweetened cocoa. The overall taste wasn’t too strong, but not too mild to bore me out of finishing it. The first thought that popped into my head was that this beverage would make a perfect morning wake-up boost, as there wasn’t anything startling about its flavor, and it’s gentle enough to nudge you into consciousness gradually.

I would definitely order it again. I’m not entirely sure whether or not its a regular menu item, but I know they have the ingredients to make it upon request. If you’re a secret menu expert, then you probably know what I’m talking about. Or, if you’re like me, who’s too afraid to approach the cashier for a special request, let alone order an off-menu drink, you can wait until next Valentine’s Day. There’s no doubt in my mind that this drink was a hit, and will continue to be on holidays surrounded by hearts and chocolate.

POST #1: GRYLT

Healthy and delicious are not easily found together in food. Often times, it feels like delicious food always comes with a detrimental price to your body, and healthy food gets about as flavorful as a handful of grass. Luckily, in 2013, Grylt made its debut to our island and is expanding its locations as we speak.

It was a rather lackluster Sunday afternoon, and I figured it was time to get out of the house for some lunch. Near the entrance of Ala Moana’s food court is where Grylt is located, and luckily there were no lines that day. It did, however, take a few minutes for someone to notice my existence at the register. But I wasn’t in any hurry.

Grylt offers customers a choice of meats ranging from fish, chicken, steak, and even tofu, and allows you the option of ordering a plate meal or sandwich. Plates come with a plethora of choices for rice, vegetables, and sauces, but I was in the mood for something simple and easy to order. Even though I had tried the sandwich before, around the time they first opened, my memory was hazy so I ordered a sandwich anyway.

[one_third]I spent the next day spending a majority of my time thinking about that very sandwich.[/one_third]

A warm and toasted bun held my sandwich fixings together. I had grilled chicken, which was tender and in perfect proportion to the rest of the contents: lettuce, tomatoes, and one of their special sauces that tasted creamy and balsamic. I savored each bite, never running into any fat pieces or wilted vegetables. The chicken was moist and juicy, and mixed with the ripe vegetables and sauce, it was almost a sloppy mess of delicious flavor. However, the cushion of the bread absorbed all the juices and I avoided a sloppy catastrophe on my hands. The flavors tasted fresh and hot off the grill, yet without a smoky ash residue. I spent the next day spending a majority of my time thinking about that very sandwich.

If you’re in the mood for something simple, fast, yet full of flavor and nutrition, this Grylt sandwich is a great option. They have a variety of other delectable choices to suit your cravings and appetite size. For just under ten dollars, a Grylt sandwich is big in hand and big in flavor.