When I was a kid my mother use to take me to San Jose on her days off. San Jose has a huge Vietnamese community that made my mom feel right at home. We would drive an hour just for some pho, then before we drove back home we would make a stop at a deli to stock up on some Vietnamese sandwiches.

If your not familiar with a Vietnamese sandwich it might look a little odd at first. A basic one, like the one you see above will consist of pork sausage, pickled sweet and sour carrots and radishes, cilantro, meat paste, mayonnaise, and sometimes a few fresh slices of jalapenos on a French roll. These have to be one of my all time favorite sandwiches.

This one was really good. However, I didn’t really care for the fish sauce they put on it because it made the sandwich a little too salty for my liking.

Summer Rolls, $4.29. These were large and nicely rolled. I liked that it came in a combo pack of one shrimp and one shredded pork roll.

As for my dessert I couldn’t decide between almond jello or tapioca so I got them both. At the low rate of $1.50 I could afford to treat myself. The almond jello was good but the tapioca one was really mushy and soft. I don’t think it was overdone, just probably sitting there too long.

Bale Sandwich Shop is one of the largest local chains in the state. With two locations in Maui, one on the big island, one on Kauai, and about twenty here on Oahu this place has really prospered and grown.

Overall I’m pretty satisfied with this place. The prices were fair, food was good. Just don’t order the tapioca unless it looks fresh and remember to ask for the sandwich without fish sauce.

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Ba Le Sandwich & Vietnamese Shop
333 Ward Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 591-0935

Every time we have plans to try this place another restaurant intercepts us in on the way. Well today we were determine with a one track mind and tunnel vision we finally made it for lunch.

The restaurant is quite large once inside.

This was our first pick. I have to say I’m not a huge fan of fried dim sum, only because by the time it rolls out to our table from the kitchen it’s not as hot and fresh. I’m sure we all can agree fried food taste best right out of the deep fryer when it’s hot and crispy. These fried shrimp won tons were crispy but they were room temperature, like they had been sitting out for hours.

I was quite certain that my taste buds would be a huge fan of these seafood balls rolled in sticky rice, but I was wrong. Wow, it just had a huge seafood taste that was so overpowering I could only eat the outer layer of rice on one of them. I don’t know what seafood is used but just think of seafood bologna rolled in sticky mochi rice. But maybe that was just me, cause Ray really liked these.

Pork hash is a must at dim sum. It’s just a safe plate as it is always delightfully fresh and appetizing.

Here’s another dish that’s new to me. Mochi balls stuffed with meat n’ stuff. Just so you all know, I’m not really a mochi fan. I do enjoy it but in small amounts. Biting into one of these was a little overwhelming for me because there was so much chewy mochi that it made it hard to swallow and when I finally did, it seemed like it wanted to come back up. However, once I made my way to the center I found the stuff inside to be surprising delectable.

Steamed pork buns, yet another classic dim sum pick. These were hot and tasted fresh not to mention very filling even after just one.

This time I saved the best for last. If you have not had these pineapple buns you must stop what your doing right now and get some. The sweet flaky top, and hot creamy egg custard filling puts you in a state of shear bliss. Do not get these things at a bakery, it’s never the same, only at a restaurant. Better yet, get them here they were amazing.

The whole bill came out to around $15.00. That’s why I love dim sum so much, it’s fun, delicious (most of the time), filling and always so cheap.

Here are some other reviews on Good Luck Chinese Restaurant that I found. Enjoy!

‘Ono Kine Grindz

Yelp

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100 N Beretania St #101
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 524-9988

This post is long overdue and I apologize for that. I try to keep my post as current and fresh as possible. As most of you already know, I’m still somewhat new to this island. Ray and I made a bold move back in March and dropped everything just to move out here. We didn’t have internet at first, but luckily the hotel next to us did, Ray’s computer was strong enough to grab it but it was slow and he needed to get work done. He searched for places that offer free wifi and are within walking distance online at wififreespot.com. Coconut Cafe was on the list and really close so we decided to pack up our laptops and have lunch there.
The place is extremely small, not really an ideal place to work. I think there were 3 tables and all two seaters. We scan the menu and this is what we got.

Ray ordered the Seafood Mixed Sandwich, $4.99. All sandwiches are served with your choice of lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, cheese, cucumbers, carrots, mayo, and mustard. He said this sandwich didn’t taste right. The seafood tasted bad like it had been sitting there in a tuperware container for a while. I took a bite and it tasted a bit mushy. I’m not a fan of seafood sandwiches unless it’s grilled.

I couldn’t decide so of course I resorted to dessert. I got the Azukibean Shaved Ice with condensed milk, $3.99 but the condensed milk cost an extra .75. This was rather large and a little messy. It looks more exciting than it tasted.

I also forgot to mention that online it states that internet was free, which was the reason why we went there in the first place. When we got there it cost $8.00 a day. Of course we didn’t pay, that’s just ridiculous and false advertising.

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Coconut Cafe
2441 Kuhio Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-8700