Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Pa’ina, meaning gathering, perfectly describes this cafe in the Ward Warehouse’s outdoor food court in Honolulu. Long line ups and group gatherings seem the norm for the popular cafe. We managed to grab a seat out in the beautiful weather while waiting for our meals.

(Above: Hawaiian Poke Bowl, Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon and Tuna Poke Bowl.)

Pa’ina Cafe has an extensive menu offering a variety of salads, Paina plates, poke bowls and sandwiches. Daily specials and colourful pictures of entrees are hung up on one side of the wall.

We managed to narrow down our orders. First, a small Hawaiian Poke bowl with brown rice, shredded nori and green onions. The bowl was mostly heavy brown rice topped with our fillings: shredded Kalua Pig which was disappointingly dry; large, fresh chunks of spicy tuna and a side of Lomi Salmon. The combination was refreshingly nice in the hot breezy weather, but the flavours lacked seasoning and were extremely tame.

(Above: A gigantic, grilled Ahi Gyro.)

Next was a grilled ahi gyro loaded with tomato, red onion, romaine, cucumber and yogurt sauce. The ahi gyro was gigantic and bursting with veggies and yogurt sauce — eating it was very messy. My bites hardly put a dent in the gyro and it took a doubled effort from Tre to help tackle the wrap. The gyro, however, also suffered from a lack of seasoning, and the pita — soaked by the sauces — fell apart before we could finish it off.

Our bill including taxes and tips came to just under $22, which is a bit pricey for a lacklustre food court meal. Pa’ina is a great place to people watch, however. We noticed a couple of hipsters wearing beanies with boots and skinny jeans with sweat dripping down their foreheads in the 30 degree weather. It was the highlight of our meal, which made for a good laugh.

Perfect for: emergency mid-shopping energy boost.

The Details

Ward Warehouse
1200 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu
808.356.2829
painacafe.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Xu’s Wonton House in Crystal Mall’s food court are the new owners of the stall previously occupied by Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine. With new owners come expectations, or doubt. Can they do well and keep up with the previous owners’ success or will they flop like a fish? The menu has remained relatively the same, but what about the taste?

(Above: Xiao Long Bao in a bamboo steamer.)

We ordered our usual: Shanghai mini wontons in soup, regular wontons in soup and Xiao Long Bao. I eat with my eyes first, and my eyes were telling me these were not the same dishes.

Tre’s Shanghai mini wonton wrappings were nice and light, but the meat was scarce. Some didn’t have any at all. The broth however was comfortably piping hot.

My empty wontons were swimming with large strands of seaweed and dried shrimp. The broth was a bit bitter and more concentrated than Wang’s. The large pieces of seaweed were clumped together in chunks. I wanted to enjoy my soup, but I couldn’t.

(Above: Shanghai style mini wontons in broth.)

The Xiao Long Bao was juicy, but missed — just missed the mark. The wrapping was thicker, making the soup dumplings heavier. It was good, but if you’ve tried Wang’s before, then you’d be bitten with a slight disappointment.

Our bill came to just under $13 which is about what you’d expect for Chinese food court meals. I’m not sure if we came on a off day or Xu is still ironing out their kinks, but the food doesn’t quite match Wang’s. The new owners, however, are much more friendlier than the previous. For now, we’ll just have to get our dumpling fix elsewhere.

Perfect for: Runner up for best food court xiao long bao.

The Details

Crystal Mall Food Court
4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.909.6688

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Chasing down a shrimp truck amidst the backdrop of paradise would seem nothing less than a fantastical food lover’s dream. Unfortunately for us, it will remain a dream a bit longer. We were unable to make a drive up the famed North Shores of Hawaii to visit those trucks. Instead we closed in on Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood Company, part of the open air food court at the International Market Place in Waikiki.

(Above: a plate of seafood bounty — shrimp scampi, veggies an Ahi Tuna, Furikake style.)

No need to stand on ceremony here. It’s a pretty casual affair: some garden furniture scattered amidst the cluster of restaurants for diners to work on their meal. Blue Water started out as a humble shrimp truck, so much of its menu reflects simplicity: fresh fish, oyster, steak, and of course shrimp — all humbly prepared in a backyard barbeque fashion.

Case and I shared a double combo: shrimp scampi lathered in a buttery, garlic sauce served with a scoop of rice, veggies, half a corn and grilled Ahi tuna — Furikake style (encrusted in a jacket of sesame seeds and fried crispy on one side). It felt like a summer family reunion on a plate.

(Above: Coke? Why not?)

Our meal with a coke, tax and tip was a mere $20, quite possibly the best meal served up on a plastic plate we’ve had. The portions are generous, the food honest, and the people friendly, everything that makes us fond of Hawaii.

Perfect for: the best meal you’ll likely have on a plastic plate.

The Details

2330 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu
808.923.2529
hawaiishrimptruck.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Shopping on Granville Island has its privileges, such as the abundance of eateries available to hungry shoppers in need of a little sustenance. Kaisereck is a food court stand in Granville Island’s Public market that serves freshly made deli sandwiches and sausages — taunting passerbys with the enticing smell emanating from their grill.

(Above: European Wiener with Grilled Onions and Sauerkraut.)

Case ordered the European weiner — a thin, smoky sausage with a crispy snap when you bite into it. Every order comes with complimentary grilled onions and sauerkraut, with an assortment of condiments and toppings of your choice on the side of the deli.

(Above: Dude at Kaisereck doing his thing thing.)

I had the Bratwurst, a beautifully seasoned sausage that was unfortunately handicapped from overgrilling. Parts of the sausage were paper dry and brittle, while the rest was nicely flavoured.

Two dogs and a bottled water came to $15 — which felt pricey, but we expected to pay a little more when we hit the Island. The sausages were decent, nothing outstanding, but any meal tastes better on the dock, basking in the sun while the wind gently brushes against your face.

Perfect for: Seaside snack on Granville Island.

The Details

Granville Island
1689 Johnston Street, Vancouver
604.685.8810
Kaisereck on Facebook

Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Ba Le French Sandwiches, in Lahaina Cannery Mall, Maui serves a variety of Vietnamese dishes like Pho and spring rolls. As their name suggests, they also serve the Vietnamese take on a French sandwich, the Banh Mi.

Hold on, didn’t we write this post already? Ba Le in Vancouver appears to have a doppelganger in Maui — Eiffel Tower logo and all. Case and I stumbled upon Ba Le completely by accident while on our quest for bottled water and Macadamia nut Hershey Kisses.

(Above: Banh Mi. In a food court. In Maui. Yeah.)

We were too curious to pass up this opportunity, so we ordered one “special” Banh Mi sandwich and a Thai Iced Coffee (strangely enough, hey didn’t have the Vietnamese version on their menu). Disappointment set in, though, as we sunk our teeth into one of the most dense, chewy, and dry on the inside French breads ever. The ingredients appeared fresh, but the flavours didn’t seem to register — lacking sourness in the pickled vegetables, lacking heat from the peppers — and for some reason, luncheon ham (a la Oscar Mayer) showed up unwelcome.

The Thai Iced Coffee, was not bad, except it was really Vietnamese Iced Coffee posing to be Thai Iced Coffee.

Overall, it was a disappointing find. And $11 for a sandwich and a Thai iced coffee  – which might be decent for resort town prices — was certainly not worth it for anywhere else.

Perfect for: if you ever get hungry stepping into a parallel universe.

The Details

Lahaina Cannery Mall
1221 Honoapiilani Highway, Lahaina
808.661.5566
latourbakehouse.com