On every trip to Oahu, I make a mandatory pilgrimage to the North Shore to partake of fresh shrimp and shave ice. Not much has changed since last year's sojourn, but I have a few updates:
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
They now have hot dogs! The dogs are dipped in the garlic scampi sauce, and no, I didn't try one. I just couldn't resist the shrimp, but they looked good.
Shave Ice
A new shave ice vendor, Haleiwa Shave Ice, joins Matsumoto's and Aoki's, but doesn't bring much to the table. Haleiwa's flavors were weak and watery and they skimped on the azuki beans. I'm always looking for a North Shore alternative to the lines at Matsumoto's, but this wasn't it.
Pickled Mangos
This was the hit of the North Shore visit. I'd long seen the small sign advertising pickled mangos at the corner of Haleiwa Road and Kamehameha Highway but had never before acted on it. Just up the road on Haleiwa, across from the boat entrance to Ali'i Beach Park, there is another sign identifying the house where the mangos are. This isn't a fruit stand; it's just a house with a mango tree. The folks who live there make amazing pickles from their home grown mangos, pickling them in sugar and vinegar, with a li hing mui plum in the traditional style for home cured pickled mango. The mango slices are firm and crunchy with a perfect sweet/sour balance and a very slight mango inflection. They are sold in one pound bags for $9 and are highly addictive. Check it out!
Next Week: Farmers Markets, Hilo and More.
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5 comments:
if you are looking for an alternative to Matsumoto's that's on Oahu a must is Waiola Shave Ice!! it's so good and they have 3 locations near Honolulu! it won't disappoint i promise. You'll never go back to Matusmoto's again!
Thanks for the post Emi. I am, indeed, a big Waiola fan. Here is a write up from last year.
For this post, I was thinking of an alternative to the Matsumoto's lines when you are on the North Shore and want a good shave ice. There's Aoki, but it's not quite as good. There used to be another, H. Mura I think was the name, which was just as good as Matsu's but with no line, but it disappeared a few years ago.
I am a Kailua Boy, so I may be biased, but I've tried them all, and my favorite is Island Snow.
klum, is the Island Snow you are referring to the same one that used to have shops all over the place? Say, mid-1980s or so and especially concentrated on Waikiki. If so, that was my very first shave ice and I have fond memories of it, though haven't had it in years.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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