Hawaii: North Shore Eatz



As a guest of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Oahu Visitors Bureau, I was offered a few excursions during my visit.  One of the trips was a food tour of the North Shore.  It's been awhile since I've had time to visit the North Shore and one of my favorite places on Oahu.  Life is much different here than in Honolulu, but the food is just as good.

See What Jay Eats...


Our first stop
Kahuku Farms

4th Generation farmers
of the Matsuda/Fukuyama families.

Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau)
Our group ready to tour the fields.

Papaya trees

A Kahuku Farms beauty!

Kalo (taro)
A Hawaiian staple

The root is used to make dishes like poi,
the stalks and offshoots are replanted, 
and leaves are used to cook with too.
What a sustainable food source...

I want to bring some of the leaves home
to make luau stew...

Japanese eggplant


A lovely bunch of bananas

After our tour, it was time to
taste some goodies from the

Plantation Iced Tea
(iced tea and pineapple juice)
with a scoop of lilikoi sorbet

Nice on a warm day...

1/2 Veggie Panini and Side Salad

Eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, tomato,
lettuce, and mozzarella

Salad with a Lilikoi Balsamic Dressing

Both very good
and great use of eggplant!

Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau)
Kylie Matsuda
4th Generation Farmer

Besides farming and the cafe,
 they're famous for their jams and jellies...

A family run business
56-800 Kamehameha Hwy.
Kahuku, HI 96731
(808) 628-0639
Open Friday to Monday 11 am to 4 pm


We head across the highway
to our next stop...
Romy's Kahuku Prawns and Shrimp 

Just look for the red building on the makai (ocean)
side of the highway
 or 
the line of people waiting...


We met Romy Aguinaldo and his wife.
Their prawns and shrimp are harvested
daily from one of their many ponds.

So you know they're fresh and locally grown

Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau)
One of Romy's many ponds on the property

Besides prawns and shrimp, they also raise
sun fish and served fried on their menu.

We sampled their famous
Butter and Garlic Shrimp
with a side of spicy soy

Great butter and garlic flavor!

Another family run business
Romy's Kahuku Prawns and Shrimp
56-781 Kamehameha Highway
Kahuku, HI 96731
(808) 232-2202
Open everyday from 10 am to 6 pm


It was a beautiful sunny day...
We stopped at a North Shore beach,
but it wasn't to watch the surfers.

It was to see a local celebrity!

Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau)
A volunteer was standing guard to keep
the paparazzi from getting to close to
these celebrities.

The green sea turtles (honu) frequent the shoreline,
but please keep your distance from them.


Next Stop:  Haleiwa Town!
A historic surf town
Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau)
The World Famous
Matsumoto's Shave Ice

Not that hard to find, just look for the tour buses
and the long line out the door.

Matsumoto's has that old skool charm,
dating back to Mamoru and Helen Matsumoto
opening the grocery store in 1951.

It looks the same as my first visit, when I was 7.
I think I was in my late 20's before I noticed they
also sold grocery items, now it's mostly souvenirs.

Rainbow Shave Ice

So many flavors and combinations,
I opted for the most flavors...

Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau)
Enjoying our shave ice

Famous for their shave ice and T-shirts

Matsumoto Grocery Store
66-087 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712
(808) 637-4827


Had some time to walk around Haleiwa and
remembered there was a weekend huli huli chicken place
Found It!

Ray's Kiawe Broiled Chicken

huli in Hawaiian means "to turn"
as in a rotisserie or "turn over"
and usually broiled over a kiawe wood fire.

Ray's Kiawe Broiled Chicken
(Next to Malama Market)
66-160 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712
Open Weekends Only

Getting me really hungry,
but I have the 
tonight and lots of food to sample...

Before I leave Haleiwa,
just a stop off at Opal Thai Food
You might have seen it on


It was a nice Sunday morning tour of the North Shore, as I mentioned, something I haven't done in awhile.  If you noticed, all of the places we stopped at were family owned/run businesses.  That's the food story in many places in Hawaii, locally owned and run for many generations and hopefully future generations to come.  

Heading over to the fourth and final night of the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival in Ko 'Olina.

Next Stop:  Cuisines of the Stars:  A Magical Journey of Food and Culture and the "Aloha Cupcakes" special surprise from Cupcake Wars.




Mahalo!
Kira Chong Tim
Andrea Ota




NOTE:  I was guest of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau,
Oahu Visitors Bureau, and their partners.
I thank them for the invitation and hospitality.
All comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.





Photos by Jay Terauchi
unless otherwise noted

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