Monsoon India

One definition of a monsoon is strong winds from the sea often bringing heavy rains. How does this weather phenomenon translate to a restaurant? The following passage is from the restaurant’s website:

Monsoon is a much anticipated and welcomed event each year in India bringing relief from the intense heat of summer and water to nourish the crops and the people…

http://www.monsoonindiamaui.com/site/

The Cat was in the mood for Indian food on Sunday. In looking through the dinning out section of our newspaper, we came across an ad for the grand opening of this restaurant.

Grand Opening

The location used to be another Indian restaurant. They have a buffet brunch on Sundays. I think Indian curries and stews hold up on buffet lines rather well. Buffets are also a good way for us to try different dishes without committing to a whole order. Since we are not too familiar with Indian food, a buffet is a good idea.

The Cat was impressed that real flowers were used for each table (she is not fond of artificial flowers). She would rather not see any decoration on the table if artificial flowers are used.

A Nice Touch

I was too distracted by the smell of food to notice the flowers, sorry.

This is a view of the buffet line and part of the dining room.

Monsoon India Buffet Line

The Cat loved the vessels the food were in, she thought they looked much better than the regular stainless steel warmer trays.

Along with vegetables curries and stews such as chickpea curry and veggi korma, the restaurant also prepared tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala.

Tandoori Chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala

Oftentimes when we eat Indian food, there is a spinach dish I equate to creamed spinach. This is one of my favorite dishes.

Palak Paneer

When I did a search on the internet, palak paneer is a spinach, cheese, and curry dish. No wonder it’s one of my favorites.

All of the dishes were good. I could tell that a lot of care went into each dish. My favorite were the tandoori chicken, the chicken tikka masala, and the veggi korma. The Cat’s favorites were the chickpea curry (sorry, didn’t get the Indian name), the veggi korma, the naan bread, and the rice.

Naan Bread

One of the main reasons The Cat was in the mood for Indian food was to drink masala chai, the spiced tea with milk.

Masala Chai

The Cat liked this version. The host said he made the masala chai strong, The Cat was bouncing off the walls in the afternoon. ^-^

While we were eating, I noticed the chef preparing more chicken to cook in the tandoori oven. Roasted meats, a beautiful sight. I asked if I could take a picture of a master at work.

A Master of Tandoori Chicken

Notice that there are tandoori chickens, already cooked in the background.

For dessert, the buffet line had gulab jamun, imagine taking an andagi donut and soaking it in spiced sugar syrup. The gulab jamun added a nice sweet end to a good meal.

I could taste the spices in the dishes without having my tongue and throat on fire. Just right. I think the restaurant intentionally toned down the spices to make the food more readily acceptable.

Finally, The Cat wanted to have a picture of the colorful palate the dishes made. Some people paint in watercolors, some people paint in ink, some people paint in oil, The Mouse paints with food. 😉

The Colors of a Rainbow

Curries (mild), roasted chicken, vegetables, rice, bread, fried dough, and spicy tea, nice. We will be back to try more.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

Here are the Wikipedia articles for:

Korma: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korma

Tandoori Chicken: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandoori_chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tikka_masala

Palak Paneer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palak_paneer

Masala Chai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai

Naan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naan

Andagi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sata_andagi

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Hanagasa Inn

Last night, we went to Hanagasa Inn. We’ve been frequenting this place for a while. For a time, we were going back at least twice a month. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we stopped going for several months. Last night I was in the mood for Okinawan food.

Hanagasa Inn

http://www.google.com/places/us/hi/honolulu/river-st/1343/-new-hanagasa-inn-corporation?hl=en.

It looks like the sign was re-done over the previous restaurant’s name.

The kitchen mama there cooks fantastic Okinawan, Japanese, and local food. We usually order the goya (Okinawan: bitter melon) with pork and the moyashi (Okinawan: bean sprouts) with … (dramatic pause) SPAM! The kitchen mama also makes killer shoyu pork, nasubi (Okinawan: eggplant), and poke.

Prices have gone up a bit since we first started coming here. It used to be very cheap eats. The two of us could eat for less than twenty dollars. Now instead of very cheap eats, it’s just cheap eats.

Ala Carte Menu

Pupu Menu

On this night, we ordered goya with pork

Goya with Pork

and beef tomato.

Beef Tomato

We were very happy with both dishes. We would rate the kitchen mama’s cooking up there with any well-known chef. There’s always so much food that we end up taking home (its gotten to the point where we bring our own containers). The Cat wanted to make sure we got every last bit of gravy from the beef tomato (she even put the gravy on her rice, a rare occurrence). The Cat is not usually a beef eater but she enjoyed the beef tomato, especially all the vegetables. The kitchen mama told us sometimes when she goes out to eat at other places, there isn’t enough vegetables, so she makes sure there’s enough vegetables when she cooks. Yay!

I also like the tsukemono (Japanese pickles) here. It’s nothing fancy but there’s a almost perfect balance of the crunchy vegetables and the salty/sour pickling.

Tsukemono

A light dusting of shichimi togarashi (Japanese: “seven flavor chili pepper”), and perfection.

After scolding us for not coming for so long, the kitchen mama told us to come back more often. We promised we would.

Because it’s primarily a bar, the sound level can get a little loud. We usually try to go early, before it gets too crowded.

The restaurant is not in the best of locations, so we always park in the parking lot in the back.

It was good to reconnect.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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Bi Luo Chun Cha

Yet another tea variety from China. This one is Bi Luo Chun. Our friend D introduced us to this tea, it’s one of her favorites.

Package of Bi Luo Chun Tea Leaves

The tea leaves are rolled in a spiral to make it look like snail meat, eww. Here’s the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi_Luo_Chun_tea.

Bi Luo Chun Leaves

Some of the leaves have a whitish, fuzzy appearance, this is a good thing, it’s not mold.

The taste of Bi Luo Chun tea is stronger than Long Jing tea. Long Jing is fresher tasting, like grass. Bi Luo Chun taste like tea (duh), at least what I imagine tea to taste like. Plus, Bi Luo Chun feels more acidic than Long Jing. Just my opinions.  Okay, I’m failing to describe the taste properly. When it comes to tea, I’m a definite neophyte.

Bi Luo Chun Cha

The Cat prefers Bi Luo Chun tea to Long Jing tea. Me, given the choice, the other way around. I think Bi Luo Chun tea would pair well with heavier foods like meats (hmm, shoyu pork or beef tongue). Still, the adventure continues.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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Braised Beef Tongue

Beef tongue was one of my father’s favorite cuts of meat. Whenever he cooked one, we would eat about a third for dinner and the rest we would make into sandwiches for the week. Cooking involved simmering the whole tongue for hours in garlic infused water, then peeling the tough skin off of the tongue. Once I got pass eating something that could taste me back, tongue also became one of my favorite cuts of meat. The peeling of the skin could also be quite gross (I was still in elementary school). If done correctly, tongue can be melt in your mouth tender, like buttah. I’m not sure if our knives were too dull or my father’s carving skills were wanting, but I seemed to oftentimes get chunks of tongue instead of slices.

Actually, the chunks were quite useful. In school, classmates would compare lunches. They didn’t believe I had a tongue sandwich (they thought I had roast beef), until they saw the taste buds.

The Cat has not tried beef tongue before. I haven’t seen tongue in the markets for quite a while. The other day, I saw that the Korean market was selling beef tongue, but it was sliced paper thin.

Sliced Beef Tongue

The tongue was sliced paper thin. I think it’s for tabletop grilling (Korean barbecue). If that was the case, the slices should have been a quick cook. I tested one slice by dipping it for about 30 seconds in boiling water. I dipped it in shoyu, and chewed and chewed, and chewed.

I decided to simmer the slices in water for about an hour.

Beef Tongue Slices After Simmering

I was going to try this recipe for tongue in mushroom sauce that I found on the internet http://oggi-icandothat.blogspot.com/2009/08/beef-tongue-in-mushroom-sauce.html. But decided to braise them with shiitake mushrooms and black fungus in sugar and shoyu (think shoyu pork). Maybe next time.

Braised Beef Tongue

The texture of the tongue was very tender. The slices were so thin that the tongue taste really didn’t come through, the texture of the shiitake mushrooms and black fungus kind of overshadowed the tongue. This maybe a good thing to introduce tongue to The Cat. She is open to trying tongue again.

Still on the hunt for a whole tongue.

Have a good weekend.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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An Enlightened Lunch

I had to run some errands today in town. For whatever reason, I wanted to eat vegetables (go figure). I heard about this place for a while.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

It’s located in the Nuuanu residential area (the map can be found if you search on Google for Govinda’s Vegetarian Buffet). The restaurant in located, with the temple, in a converted house.

Temple and Restaurant Entrance

As I approached the entrance, I noticed shoes. I was pondering if I should take off my shoes. A devotee came by and asked if I could leave my shoes at the entrance before entering. Problem solved.

Restaurant to the Left

I accidentally walked into the kitchen. I was directed through the gift shop to the dining area. The regular price for the buffet was just under ten dollars. I think there were discounts if you were a member of the temple or the vegetarian society.

Today’s buffet choices:

The Daily Choices

I think the entries with the circled V are vegan.

Eggless Quiche

Baroat with Mixed Veggies

Chili

Yellow Split Pea (Soup)

Halava, Banana Flavored

Bread Rolls

Brown Rice

On the counter was this piece of advice.

For a Sublime Life

A picture of one of my plates.

A Vegetarian Lunch

Included with the food was a beverage. I think it was a lemon and mint infusion.

Lemon and Mint Infusion

My favorite was the eggless quiche and the baroat with mixed veggies (both non-vegan selections). I tried to search for what baroat was and was unsuccessful. The beverage was also very good. There was a curry presence in the dishes, but not too spicy.

In the back yard, there was a large banyan tree and some chairs if one was inclined to sit outside.

Banyan Tree and Seating

The front of the yard had a little stone statue. I’m not sure what its relationship is to the temple. Maybe a garden guardian.

In the Garden

All in all an interesting experience. Was I enlightened after lunch? Hmm, I think it would take more than one lunch to attain enlightenment. I’m not ready to give up pork belly, chicken feet, and beef tongue yet. As I was leaving, I heard people chanting in one of the rooms.

The adventure continues.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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