I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven past this place thinking it was one of the cutest little restaurant in Chinatown. I don’t know if you guys have ever been to Chinatown or not, but it seems as though any Chinatown you go to, doesn’t matter what city or state, but they’re always super crowded and filthy. So when there’s a cute restaurant that looks inviting it tends to stand out a bit and that’s exactly the place that Little Village is. I’m a bit annoyed that I forgot to take a photo of the outside but here’s the view from outside the restroom.

I came here after work and it was a pretty shitty day at the office so I decided to splurge on a couple of dishes to make up for it. I ordered with the Spicy Garlic Shrimp, $13.95. There definitely was a lot of garlic to this dish, but as a whole it really didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t bad by any means, and I think the ambiance made me think I enjoyed the dish more than I really did. The texture of the sauce tasted and reminded me of the Thai sweet spicy sauce. I have to say, it was just boring in flavor.

I also ordered half a Peking Duck, $17.00. It came with small white buns to wrap around. If your a chicken and biscuit type of gal, or guy, and you like duck then you love these.

The waiter came and proceeded to insert pieces of the duck, and duck skin into all the buns. This was entirely too much work for him and required too much patience on my end, no thanks I’ll do it myself, thank you.

The crispy duck skin was served on top of fresh, crispy shrimp chips. I like laying the chips on the tongue until I feel it sizzle. A thing I use to do as a child and I like to keep the tradition alive. As for the duck skin, uhh, not a fan. My parents think I’m crazy for never eating duck skin, or the skin of any animal for that matter. I guess it’s unheard of for a Chinese to not eat duck skin. I mine as well not eat chicken feet, uh wait, I don’t. Sorry mom. Eating duck skin is no different from eating crispy chicken skin, if you like that then I promise you you’ll be happy with duck skin. It really adds more flavor to the whole duck and bun experience.

My favorite was the lettuce wraps, $7.95. This was probably one of the better lettuce wraps I’ve had. Definitely better than PF Changs and Brew Moon. My friend was like, “what is this again because I would totally order just this next time.” It wasn’t too salty, like PF Changs and had way more flavor than Brew Moon. I loved loved the chopped up black mushrooms and crunch from the water chestnuts.

Alright guys, there you go. Overall, I would definitely say this place was worth coming to. Stay away from the garlic shrimp and don’t leave without the lettuce wraps.

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Little Village
1113 Smith St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Get Directions(808) 545-3008

Here are some photos I’ve found of my last trip to the Golden Palace.

I know this looks a bit slimy, but it was more silky than slimy, chicken wrapped in won ton skins with gravy

This was my least favorite. The inside was filled with way too much mochi and very doughy.

I still think it’s crazy when I tell my friends about dim sum and they’re like, “dim what?” I was brought up eating this stuff and I’ll never get tired of it. Where else are you able to sample little bits of everything without breaking your wallet? As a matter of fact, dim sum has been probably one of the cheapest, most fulling meals for me. When Ray and I go I don’t think we ever spend more than $15.00. What a steal.

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Golden Palace
111 N King St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Get Directions(808) 521-8268

Located in Chinatown, Zaffron is a decent place to get Indian food with mediocre service. Ray and I came here to get lunch. When we walked in there were two other tables already eating and no wait staff to be found. We decided it would be appropriate to go ahead and seat ourselves. I would of grabbed menus, but they were no where to be found. It took a while for the waiter to come out and when he did it took a while for him to notice us, as he was a one man team. Finally I got up to ask for some menus and to let our presence to known. He said there were no menus, just buffet for lunch. Well that fucking blows. I’m not a fan of buffets for many reasons. Buffets tend to keep food warm. That’s not good enough for me. Temperature is a huge issue for me. I prefer my food piping hot and made just for me because I love to share food, but with those I know. Anyway, needless to say, I wanted to leave but Ray, I know he wanted to stay.

Here’s a picture of the buffet. It’s small, yet very charming and does the job.

Here’s a closer picture from the opposite angle. There were two rice dishes and two meat dishes, other than that everything else was vegetable. I liked the trio of sauces that were offered. I love variety of sauces and condiments.

Naan was extra, which I hate paying extra for bread at a buffet. If anything it should be given for free, especially at a buffet, it’s bread for peaks sake, flour, water, and not a lot of money to make. But I do want to say that it was hot and delicious. If you haven’t had a chance to taste Indian bread your really missing out. This place does it right, there’s a few places that fuck it up, like Indian Bazaar Madras Curry and Indian Food Curry and BBQ. In my opinion, Indian bread should always be hot, that’s what I’m use to and that’s what I expect, especially if you have to pay for it. I think the bread cost around $4.00.

Here’s my trio of sauces. I could eat them as is, they were that good. Ray hated it.

Ray’s plate. He loves chicken and got plenty of it.

And here’s my plate. That little meat ball in the middle tasted just like an Italian meat ball. It was still really good, just not what I expected from an Indian place.

Overall, I was content with this place. I know I would of been happier if I had been able to order off the menu. I don’t think I would come back for lunch, but most definitely for dinner. Off the top of my head, I think the buffet cost $8.95, include the bread, Rays drink, tax and tip, this place isn’t so cheap anymore. If I’m paying $30.00 for just lunch I want to be fulfilled.

Ready for another quick story? Before we leave I get up to take pictures of the buffet. The Indian guy comes out of the kitchen wondering why the hell I’m taking a picture of his buffet. I tell him that it’s my first time to eat Indian food, which is a total lie, and seemed to be a good reason for taking pictures. He runs behind the counter comes back with this laminated paper, tells me they won a few awards, I don’t know if this was meant to be the award or not and shows me the laminated paper. I go, “wow, that’s great, may I take this.” He goes, “no.” “Then I will take a picture,” I say, held it up and snapped my camera. Before we left I asked him to hold up the paper and pose for me.

There you have it folks. Curry will keep your mind sharp.

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Zaffron
69 North King Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 533-6635