As most of you know I love love love acai bowls. I’ve never heard of them until my arrival to Hawaii and then my life has never been the same. Even though I have been exposed to these precious bowls for only a year I can say with absolute certainty that I am an expert at the art of making acai bowls. I’ve attempted to make them a few times and every-time they come out crap, but nonetheless I stand by my claim as an expert in the art of acai bowls. Here let me explain. Being the cheap ass that I am I bought a cheap ass blender and now all my smoothies, shakes, etc come out looking like clumps of mushy shit. However, I’ve watched the process of making the bowl enough times to know exactly how it should be made. The key is frozen fruit. If you add fresh, soft fruit the stuff will come out runny and mushy. Frozen fruit acts as ice, giving it a thick blended consistency and also adds the obvious vitamins and nutrition. Blend two packet of acai, frozen fruit, and I prefer soy milk but juice works just as nicely. Granola should be added to the bottom of the bowl, as well as on top. Top it off with slices of fruit and them drizzle it with honey. There you have it, the recipe to a spectacular bowl. Now if you don’t want to go through all the trouble buy one. In my opinion there’s a few places that put out top notch bowls on the island.

As you can see, a not a lot of commotion going on here. It doesn’t give off the same island vibe as the Health Bar, but it’s still really cute.

What is it about smoothie places that also sell jewelery. At first I thought it was called Jewel or Juice because I thought that they have the tapioca drinks and a lot of times the tapioca is called pearl so I just assumed that jewel was referring to the tapioca pearls. No, I was wrong, they sell jewelery, there’s no tapioca pearls to be found here.

This is the Warrior Bowl, $7.50. It’s 24oz of acai, acerola, banana and soymilk and topped with bananas, berries, kiwi, bee pollen, honey and organic granola. As you can see, presentation is there. Just looking at this photo makes me want to stop what I’m doing, hop in my car and go get one now. The fruit was cut super thin, however, I think this is smart on their part because it gives off the illusion of more fruit and besides all you need is a nice balance of a little fruit with each bite. The only way they could of made this better is to add granola at the bottom of the bowl, like the Health Bar does. After I was done indulging in the first half I was left with just acai smoothie, not that acai smoothie is so bad alone, it just looks so lonely by itself.

I think one bowl is perfect for two. Which is what Ray an I do. This is the Deluxe Acai Bowl, 24oz. for $7.25. It’s acai, strawberry, banana and apple juice and then topped with banana, fresh berries, goji berries, honey and organic granola. Since I have found this place I can’t stop myself. Every morning I’m like, “ooh baby, you want to go get a bowl?”

Anyhow, I’ve been here enough to learn some new trips to make the bowl even better. First buy an extra bag of granola, $1.00. I took a picture to show you that a small bag for a dollar is not so small. Also I like getting the extra bag because I can add the granola when I’m ready for more. At the Health Bar extra granola also cost one dollar but it’s only a scoop which comes out to about 1/4 of what you see here. Also, I ask for more honey and this is only when I’m out of the free honey packets that I stole from Star Bucks. They charge .30 cents and put it on the side. Health Bar charges .50 and add it in. I keep comparing this place to the Health Bar, not to bash it. I like the Health Bar. I keep comparing the two because I think they put out top notch bowls as well, but going there can be a bit of a pain in my ass. Jewel or Juice has cheaper bowls, cheaper granola, cheaper honey and faster service. Health Bar has more expensive everything but cuter girls working as slow as their brain cells will allow, which doesn’t sound so bad depending on what mood your in.

I almost forgot to mention, another great thing about this place is that they have acai bowl cards. So if you buy 10 bowls the 11th one is free. I love places that reward loyal customs.

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Jewel or Juice
3619 Waialae Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96816

Get Directions(808) 734-1700

O.k this is for all you skinny cows, I found a place that is definitely worth mentioning. It’s healthy, scrumptious and they have cute little employees – females, to serve you. The first time Ray and went to the health bar was a few weeks back after hiking Diamond Head. We had originally intended on going to Bogarts, a cute little cafe right next door, but they were way too busy. We were famished and decided on going next door to the Health Bar.

The place had an artsy island atmosphere. The menu was written on chalk board above where young, inviting employees worked. Now I didn’t say the place was cheap. Actually, I thought, as most health places are, a little overpriced. Throw organic, or health on something only means more money. I was going to order a smoothie for 5.25 but Ray notice this bowl that two girls at a near by table was munching on. It looked like a smoothie in a bowl, with stuff in it. I went over and asked them what they were eating and if it was any good. The girl’s eyes popped out of her skull as she said, “it’s the acai bowl and it’s sooo good.” Alright, I’ll have one of those. If it had the power to do that to her round little eyes just think of what it could do to my slanty wide screen vision eyes. I had to know. Da Cove Bowl is like a fruit smoothie, with acai fruit, mixed berries, banana, strawberry and granola and topped with honey for $6.50. The Mana Bowl is two dollars more, $8.50 because it has more acai fruit and includes bee pollen. Now, if your like most people your probably thinking, “what the fuck is an acai fruit? And bee pollen? No thanks, I have allergies”

I’ll start with the acai fruit. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is from Brazil’s Amazon rain forests and is the fruit of a palm tree. Here are some benefits of acai berries.

• Greater Energy and Stamina
• Improved Digestion
• Better Quality Sleep
• High Protein Value
• High level of Fiber
• Rich Omega Content for Your Heart
• Boosts Your Immune System
• Essential Amino Acid Complex
• Helps Regulate Cholesterol Levels
• 33x the Antioxidant Power of Red Grapes and Red Wine

Acai is also loaded with Vitamins B1, B2, B3, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Fiber, and Proteins, all essential to your daily well being and health.

As for bee pollen, the nutrients found in Bee Pollen include polyphenols, enzymes, beneficial fatty acids, free amino acids, vitamin complexes, chelated minerals and trace elements, as well as a large array of phytonutrients. Since the nutrients in Bee Pollen are extremely concentrated even a small amount will complement any diet. Perhaps it’s worth the extra two dollars for the extra acai fruit and bee pollen.

Uhh, not when you cheap. Ray got the Da Cove Bowl, and I splurged and got the Mana Bowl. We sat outside and waited and waited and waited. I went inside to see what was taking so long. Did they forget about us? I mean, the only other people in there were the bug eyed girls. I stood in front of the counter making sure my presence would go unnoticedd. The two girls behind the counter chatted away, taking their sweet time, even stopping every so often to make hand gestures or stop in awe of what the other had to say. Hello, Blondie, and Miss Asian Persuasion, are you dense?. You throw all the ingredients into the blender and press the button. After 30 minutes of waiting we finally got our order. One word, orgasmic. I forgot to add that you get an option of chewy or crunchy granola. We both chose crunchy. Not only do they put granola atop but also there is granola at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about trying to make it last. The bee pollen has a subtle sweet taste that you probably wouldn’t even notice if you didn’t see it. This is the ideal treat for a hot day. It’s light, refreshing and healthy. The Health Bar is close to Diamond Head so after your vigorous hike you can reward yourself to a healthy treat and still feel good about it. Now if smoothies aren’t your thing they also offer other items such as, fish wrap – $9.25, veggie omelet- $8.00, fish salad – sm $10.25, lg $13.50, hummus – $8.75 and fresh squeezed juice for $6.50. $6.50? I could buy at least two cartons of juice for that much. I never said this place was cheap and they definitely don’t have supersonic service. Here’s my advice, order one Mana Bowl over the phone ahead of time and share it. One is large enough for two if your not hungry. The number is 808 732-8744, Drink water, it’s free, healthy and, thank God, self serve. If you want more information, here’s a link to their web site

Diamond Head Cove Health Bar Directions