Photo: Andrea Lee

When I worked on Cooke Street, I brought home lunch to save money but treated myself to one meal out a week. More often than not, that treat came from Cooke Street Market. The spicy mayo poke bowl was the highlight of my week.

That was several years ago. “We used to be a poke store, but now, we’re more of a matcha store,” says owner Andrew Ishikawa. With fewer office workers in the area after the pandemic, he says, they had to shift gears. Now, Cooke Street Market is best known for its strawberry matcha latte, an Instagram winner with its brightly hued layers.

SEE ALSO: Sweet Treats: Where to Find Hawai‘i’s Only Snowthies

I happen to be a fan of Japanese tea drinks. And while I may not work in Kaka‘ako anymore, I now live there. Here’s what I recommend at Cooke Street Market:

Photos: Andrea Lee

Spicy Mayo Poke Bowl

$17.50, may change depending on fish market price

The poke bowl is more expensive than it used to be (what isn’t these days?), but it’s still worth it with close to half a pound of fish. You can choose from ‘ahi, salmon or any other fish, or a mix of all of the above. I usually get salmon or ‘ahi.

The poke chunks are so big, they’re almost sashimi-sized. Normally, big chunks might be too fishy, but these just melt in the mouth. Though the spicy mayo could be spicier—I have a high spice tolerance—it’s a decent amount of heat and tasty. Crunchy pickles of shichimi cabbage and cucumber brighten the bowl and refresh my palate between bites of velvety poke. And the balanced rice ratio means there’s just enough to eat with all of the poke, not too much.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Aburi Salmon Plate

$21

My new favorite. A sizable hunk of Atlantic salmon is seared, sliced, placed on a bed of salad and topped with wasabi relish, green onions and sesame seeds. Yuzu ponzu sauce comes on the side, and rice and pickled vegetables complete the plate.

Trust me and drench the salmon in the yuzu ponzu sauce—its zest complements the fatty fish along with the wasabi relish. This salmon likewise melts in my mouth, the charred exterior adding a smoky dimension. The plate is surprisingly filling, giving me leftover salmon to enjoy later.

Photos: Andrea Lee

Strawberry Matcha Latte

$8

Lots of places offer strawberry matcha lattes, so what makes this one stand out? Cooke Street Market gets its matcha from Nagata Chaen, a tea maker in Kyoto, Japan (you can buy the tea at the shop, $5 for six 5-gram powder packets); and it makes the strawberry syrup from scratch.

Mix those beautiful layers and sip, and you’ll get why people come here just for the strawberry matcha latte. It’s creamy and smooth, tangy-sweet from the strawberry, and retains the signature matcha taste without bitterness.

There’s also a strawberry hojicha latte. You can swap out the dairy for oat milk for 50 cents more.

Hojicha Frappé

$7

Super smooth and refreshing, this drink is made with Nagata Chaen’s hoji roasted matcha. A drizzle of caramel sauce on the sides of the cup sweetens it considerably (non-sweet tooths can ask for no caramel). The hojicha frappé is huge and lasts me all day.

SEE ALSO: Sweet Treats: Don’t Sleep on the Hojicha Frappé at Matcha Café Maiko

If I can drag myself away from my favorites, I’ll try the hoedeopbap (a bibimbap with raw fish) and the miso dynamite salmon plate.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Cooke Street Market is in the Imperial Plaza building (parking entrance on Kawaiaha‘o Street) and will validate for two hours of free parking with any purchase. There is also plenty of metered and free parking on nearby streets. Keep in mind that the kitchen is only open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., but drinks are served all day.

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., kitchen open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 725 Kapi‘olani Blvd. C122, csmhawaii.com, @cookestreetmarket

Aloha Beer Co. & Waikiki Brewing Co.

Two popular Queen Street breweries are undergoing major changes, and we’re here to break it down for you. In a nutshell, Waikīkī Brewing Co. has vacated its Kaka‘ako facility and returned to brewing only at its OG pub at the corner of Kalākaua Avenue and Ala Moana Boulevard. Farther down Kalākaua Avenue, the spot that was formerly Aloha Beer Co.’s al fresco pub is now Waikīkī Brewing’s new beer garden. Aloha Beer, meanwhile, has acquired Waikīkī Brewing’s old production brewery at 831 Queen St.

So what just happened, and what does it mean? For Waikīkī Brewing, the loss of its small brewing facility and taproom in the Lahaina fire last summer was a major hit to production, not to mention all the staff who lost their jobs. The brewery’s OG pub in Waikīkī is now its main production facility, both for core selections and limited batch beers that will be coming more regularly. New head brewer Patrick Feltz says he’s focused on helping the company “transition from a larger production-focused brewery back to its creative brewpub roots. Through the tweaks we’re making in both recipes and processes, I see our beer quality improving batch by batch and the staff and general public are responding exceedingly well.”

Now that all its beer is made in Waikīkī, the company has shifted to a draft-only model. You will not see Waikīkī Brewing’s cans on shelves anymore. You can find its draft selections at its OG pub at 1945 Kalākaua Ave., at Cheeseburger Waikīkī, 808 Craft House in Ko Olina, and its South Side Maui pub. Draft beers are also available at Waikīkī Brewing Co. Kalākaua, the all-outdoor beer garden it just took over from Aloha Beer. Waikīkī Brewing has closed its bar inside Royal Hawaiian Center’s Waikīkī Food Hall.

More news: Waikīkī Brewing and Hana Koa Brewing are co-hosting a beer pairing dinner at 808 Craft House on Nov. 12. The five-course meal will feature beers from both breweries for $90 a person. The menu and tickets are available here.

SEE ALSO: Hawai‘i’s Beer Scene: Who’s Opening, Who’s Closing

So Waikīkī Brewing is now doing business at two addresses on Kalākaua Avenue, while Aloha Beer has two spots on Queen Street. “We’re excited about this transition,” says Candice Ishikawa, Aloha Beer’s head of marketing. “Not only does this increase our brewing capacity, but it also gives us room to grow our beer garden into a true destination for both locals and visitors.” The new facility will house production of Aloha Beer’s high-volume styles, while the current 700 Queen St. location will continue to brew seasonal, experimental and small-batch beers.

“This expansion opens the door for Aloha Beer to pursue additional opportunities,” Ishikawa says, “including contract brewing for smaller breweries and offering support to fellow brewers in the community.” The company has not set an opening date for its new production facility, but Ishikawa says there will be “a small taproom and tasting room, production tours, a streamlined beer-to-go experience and occasional tap parties to recreate the nostalgia of Kakaʻako’s vibrant past, reminiscent of Art & Flea days.”

Waikīkī Brewing Co., 2155 Kalākaua Ave., 1945 Kalākaua Ave., waikikibrewing.com, @waikikibrewco

Aloha Beer Co., 700 Queen St., 831 Queen St. (latter not yet open), alohabeer.com, @alohabeerco

Honolulu Beerworks

Photo: Courtesy of Honolulu Beerworks

In early November, this Kakaʻako staple for over decade will close its brewpub on Cooke Street. But don’t fear: Beerworks is opening a much larger facility in the Kapālama area of Kalihi in early 2025 to expand its can and keg distribution success. The new Beerworks will have a taproom with snacks and allow BYOF, and a rotation of food trucks will follow. Join the closing celebration on Saturday, Nov. 2, with signature Italian hoagies, throwback beers on tap, and a limited smoked blonde porter with whiskey pairing. In these last days in Kaka‘ako, look for specials including 50% off draft beers and 50% off merchandise.

328 Cooke St., honolulubeerworks.com, @honolulubeer

Hammerhead Bay Brewing

This all-new microbrewery is coming soon to the T. Yogi Building in Kāne‘ohe. Follow its social media for updates.

@hammerheadbaybrewing

Lēʻahi Brewing Co.

Focused on sustainability, local ingredients and its local Hawai‘i history, this brewery is coming soon to the old Hooters site at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Follow its social media for updates.

@leahibrewingco

Kalihi Beer Co.

Beers from this Kalihi success story formerly known as Broken Boundary Brewery are now in stores, including ABC Stores. The taproom on Mo‘owa‘a Street is changing hours to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only, but it’s available weekdays for private event rentals.

740 Mo‘owa‘a St., @kalihibeer

Wherever you like to drink, cheers to supporting local beer in Hawai‘i!

Image: Courtesy of Hana Koa Brewing Co.

In a first for the local beer industry, Hana Koa Brewing Co. just released a new beer to benefit the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i. Fangs for Donating, a hazy IPA with an ABV of 6.5%, came out in cans and on draft last Friday—just ahead of an onsite blood drive at the Kaka‘ako brewery this Saturday, Oct. 26.

Photo: Courtesy of Hana Koa Brewing Co.

Hana Koa head brewer and owner Josh Kopp was the first victi—that is, participant to donate blood. The Blood Bank is open daily because people in Hawai‘i need 200 pints of blood a day, especially type O and platelets. And while all the slots at Saturday’s 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. blood drive filled up, the drive has been extended to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up at bbh.org/#blooddrive. What’s more, Hana Koa is giving every donor a $10 gift card and free plate of fries!

SEE ALSO: Beer Lab Opens a Fun Bar and Lounge with Food at Puck’s Alley

If you can’t make it this Saturday, the Blood Bank’s donation centers are open daily and conveniently located around the Islands. You can find a blood drive or donation site any day of the week at the Blood Bank website.

And if you are unable to donate blood, stop by the brewery for a pint of Fangs for Donating. Ten percent of all sales from this beer will go directly to the Blood Bank, while supplies last. Fangs for donating!

Blood Drive at Hana Koa Brewing Co.

Where: 962 Kawaiaha‘o St.
When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Info: bbh.org, hanakoabrewing.com

If I pointed at an auto body garage and said you could try more than 100 wines by the glass there, would you believe me? I promise it’s for real. Silver Lining Wine Bar hides inside Unibody Autotech on Waimanu Street in industrial Kaka‘ako. And there’s no way you would know from the street, not even a sign.

Head toward Unibody and enter the tinted glass door. Act like you know where you’re going. Don’t go up the stairs—that’s the cigar lounge Brix and Stones—and instead, walk past them to the unmarked diamond-plated door. Do this only after you’ve made reservations. Then prepare to dive into the world of natural wine with Silver Lining’s owner, Rick Lilley.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Lilley brings a jovial educational approach to low-intervention wines. Previously 12^th Avenue Grill’s wine and beverage director and currently wine curator at Nature Waikīkī, he opened Brix and Stones with his wife, Elaine Lilley, during the pandemic. Lilley’s affinity for natural wine began when he was a buyer at Kermit Lynch, the country’s most important wine importer and merchant. In Europe, Lilley learned about biodynamic wines from producers who have continued the tradition of making wine without intervention for generations.

SEE ALSO: O‘ahu’s New Self-Serve Wine Bar Takes You From Brunch to Dinner

On the counter at Silver Lining are two books. One has the food menu and an abbreviated list of wines by the glass or bottle, along with spirits and cocktails from Brix and Stones’ barrel program. Book two is an exhaustive bottle list divided by wine type. It also lists wines available by the glass when you order a minimum of four glasses. Smaller pours of 2.5 ounces mean you can try a lot more than if you committed to a full 4- or 5-ounce glass.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

We split two small plates: Chef Nae’s chicken liver mousse with Breadshop toast ($16) and the 12-slice charcuterie board ($27) with speck, mortadella and spicy soppressata. Other food options include a spinach, chicken and mushroom salad ($18), a brisket patty burger by Goodfellas ($22) and a selection of popular panini and pinsa (pizza) from Bocconcino next door. The charcuterie also comes from Bocconcino and is sliced fresh to order at Silver Lining.

SEE ALSO: Donato’s Fresh Cheese-Centric Bocconcino Café Opens in Kaka‘ako

Chef Nae is Nature Waikīkī’s Nae Ogawa, who gives her chicken liver mousse to Lilley as thanks for curating the wine pairings for her menus. A glass of Chavost Blanc d’Assemblage Brut Nature ($15), an organic Champagne made with a blend of chardonnay and pinot meunier grapes, is dry with high acid, making it ideal with the rich liver mousse. A more interesting pairing is the off-dry Champalou Les Fondraux Vouvray, one of the best examples of chenin blanc from the Loire Valley in France. Its mild sweetness acts like a berry compote that lifts the delicious liver mousse to new heights.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

As we nibble on the charcuterie, we ask for more recommendations from Lilley. Although it’s too early for this year’s Beaujolais nouveau, he has a bottle from last year’s crop that he’s been liking lately. I ask to try a glass. It might have been a little past its prime, but I still taste the fruitiness and youth that make Beaujolais so easy to gulp. We also try an orange wine from Meinklang, an iconic biodynamic Austrian farm, and a red wine blend by a micro producer called 4 Mono Viticultores from Madrid, Spain.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Conversations about how each of the wines lift or accentuate the different flavors of our bites are the beginnings of lessons about similar grapes and other wines that could work. Now the fun part: trying new pairings that buck the trend, especially when it comes to natural wines.

Otherwise known as low-intervention wines, natural wines have been around forever, but they’ve become mainstream in the last decade. They differ from most commercially available wines in that they start with organic grapes and use no artificial additives. The process is close to the way wine was traditionally made. Most winemakers use additives, sulfates or stabilizers to alter the taste, color, clarity or shelf life. These additives are usually imperceptible on the palate and are widely accepted and legal in many producing regions.

Natural wines may sound great on paper, but they also have shortcomings. Since they do not contain sulfites, they are unstable and have a lifespan of about a year. They are often described as funky or yeasty and contain impurities or have a cloudy appearance. Natural wines typically go against conventional standards for what makes a good wine, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be outstanding.

Whether you’re deep into wine or just scratching the surface, Silver Lining Wine Bar is an ideal springboard to a sea of wines you might not see in grocery stores or wine shops on the island.

Reservations only, Wednesday to Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m., 999 Waimanu St., brixandstones.com, Resy, @silverlininghawaii

Sweet Treats is a new Frolic series featuring our favorite pick-me-ups.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Smoothies are widespread, snow ice a little harder to find in the Islands. But there is a place where you can get both: Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice combines Taiwanese snow ice with fruit juices in a sweet, thirst-quenching mashup known as the Snowthie.

The idea is the brainchild of Andy Gao, who wanted a dessert reminiscent of his native Taiwan. He launched Milky Way as a Snowthie truck five years ago with an eye-catching paint job of vibrant, smiley blobs by World Wide Walls co-founder Jasper Wong. Parked at Mother Waldron Park, the truck fit right in with the surrounding Kaka‘ako murals. Customers liked the fresh fruit juices and home-cooked azuki beans and taro enough that Gao went on to open a storefront in Kalihi.

Photo: Andrea Lee

That was three years ago. Having only been to the truck, I headed to Kalihi on a recent hot day to check out the Milky Way Café. The menu has more teas, Snowthie flavors and snow ice, plus air conditioning and a seating area. I order the two most popular Snowthies.

SEE ALSO: Honolulu’s Most Over-the-Top, Caffeinated Korean Shaved Ice Is Back

Gao fills the cups partway with papery layers of snow ice. To the Strawberry Man Snowthie ($6.50 for a medium), he adds juice. To the Snow Milk Snowthie ($6 for M), he adds milk. Both are finished off with a mound of snow, and the Snow Milk gets an additional base of grass jelly, a topping of boba and a drizzle of brown sugar syrup.

Strawberry Man is short for strawberry mango, and with its brilliant pinks and yellows, it’s a winner for Instagram. It’s also good for your tastebuds since the tartness of the fresh fruit juice shines through the creamy snow ice. The Snow Milk Snowthie is like a jacked-up brown sugar boba tea, though not overpoweringly sweet. Even amid the velvety milk taste, the house-made grass jelly stands out with a hint of herbal bitterness that almost tricks me into thinking this could be a bit healthy.

Gao’s favorite is the Taro Snowthie, which he says often takes people by surprise. It’s white, not purple, since it’s made with fresh taro and no artificial coloring.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice shares a parking lot with other businesses. According to Gao, stalls marked for certain businesses are free for all patrons to use.

Tips:

• Stir your Snowthie to soften it up for slurping.
• If a drink or snow ice at the store has a topping on the menu, you can swap out for two toppings of your choice for free.
• If you’re lactose-intolerant, bring Lactaid: There are no milk substitutes. Or get a non-dairy tea.
• You can order from the Kalihi shop by phone or online via Uber Eats or Clover.
• You can get free delivery within 2 miles of the Kalihi store for orders of 10 drinks or more.
• You can book the Milky Way truck for private events like weddings, birthday parties and corporate gatherings.

What: Snowthie
Cost: $6 to $6.50 for M, $7 to $7.50 for L
Where:

• Milky Way Hawai‘i Ice, 2130 N. King St. #9
• Check Instagram for the truck’s locations. When in Kaka‘ako, it parks on the Pohukaina Street side of Mother Waldron Park.

When: Shop open Sunday to Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check Instagram for the truck’s schedule.
Payment: Cash or card
Contact: (808) 200-1448 for the Kalihi shop, (808) 463-8110 for the truck
Follow: @milky_way_hawaii on Instagram

Photo: Sarah Burchard

It was love at first sight. The chess players, the antique cameras, the jazz blasting out of an old-time radio. The barista could have poured me sugar-free soda and I would have returned. But she didn’t. Instead, she ground and brewed two shots of North Shore Coffee Roasters’ ‘Alalā espresso blend and combined it with frothy steamed milk in a cereal-bowl-sized mug with “No Coffee No Workee” printed on the side. I looked down at the cup. She had drawn Snoopy in milk foam.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Sam Han opened Glazer’s Coffee in 2007. He immigrated from Seoul, South Korea with his family and lived on O‘ahu for a year before leaving for college in the Pacific Northwest. “Before I moved to Seattle, I never drank coffee. In Seattle, everybody drinking coffee, so I start following and got addicted,” he says. When he moved back 10 years later, it was with a mission to open a college coffee shop. “I didn’t want to create something new. I wanted to bring the Northwest coffee culture to Hawai‘i.”

As Han renovated 2700 South King Street, he noticed two men watching from the sidewalk every afternoon. They were local baristas, one a competing barista champion who had wanted to open a coffee shop in the same spot. They soon became friends and taught Han how to do cupping and brew great coffee.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

The name he chose was grazie, or thank you in Italian. But it was hard for people to pronounce, so he changed it. “I thought Glazer’s was perfect because it was easy to remember,” Han says. “It didn’t have any meaning.”

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Once open, Han threw up some Audrey Hepburn posters, and the rest sort of came together. He left empty space for local art installations and let students scribble all over the bathroom walls. When customers saw that he was into cameras, they began donating their old ones to add to the vintage decor. One day, someone typed something on the typewriter by the pickup counter. Someone else typed a line under that, and it continued, with different people contributing to the growing poem like an exquisite surrealist corpse.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Six years ago, Han brought on Anna Takatori, the barista who drew me that Snoopy. Takatori was a regular for four years before getting hired. She is as much of a fixture in Glazer’s Coffee as the camera collection, so much so that customers often think she is the owner. The jazz is her contribution. “A few years ago, [Han] started letting me play whatever music I wanted,” Takatori says.” I really was lucky to be able to start every morning with my favorite jazz albums.”

Han invited Mō‘ili‘ili in with open arms: college kids with no money, guys who wanted to play chess, writers, professors, remote workers. For the price of a cup of coffee, he didn’t mind if you stayed all day. He’d even store your chess board for you.

Joe Mcclung, a regular for 12 years, established the chess club with other regulars about five years ago. “It’s been really successful,” he says. “Especially to see people start from not really knowing too much about chess but then progressing to becoming very good players.”

SEE ALSO: 6 Favorite Places to Try Vietnamese Iced Coffee on O‘ahu

Some of the players are UH Mānoa students, others are just people who love the game. One is Iqbal Ashraf, a management consultant who lives in Mānoa and an OG member of the chess club. Ashraf has been coming to Glazer’s since 2013. “I have made great friends, done work, had deep discussions and arguments, played a lot of chess, made useful connections, hired interns and met celebrities here,” he says. “In some ways, I have grown up in this place.”

Over the years, business ebbed and flowed. Summers, when students were on break, were slow; in the fall when they returned, it got busy again. When Starbucks opened across the street in 2017, business dropped 30 percent. During the pandemic, Glazer’s opened only for takeout at first, then socially distanced tables began reappearing, one or two at a time. I’d time my arrival for right when they opened to grab one of those coveted tables.

As Mō‘ili‘ili changed, Han’s worries grew. How would he handle rising rents? Would the increasing number of houseless people scare away customers? Would Kamehameha Schools redevelop the block? Rent is now double what it was in 2007, he says, and expenses like cups, straws and credit card transaction fees have tripled. When he found out that Honolulu Coffee Co. was taking over the old Kōkua Market space across the street, Han decided not to renew his lease. Not wanting to see his coffee shop change character under a new owner, he declined offers to purchase the business.

Anna Takatori, Sarah Burchard, Sam Han. Photo: Sarah Burchard

So after 17 years, Glazer’s Coffee will close forever after Aug. 23. Han is excited to go on vacation. He hasn’t traveled in years, and Alaska is his first choice. “I want to go somewhere totally different,” he says.

He’s more than earned it. The vision he achieved—a great coffee shop with a family-like atmosphere, where all the regulars know each other—was bigger than himself. “Sam seriously did a great job making this place feel like a home for all the employees and customers,” Takatori said.  “I am so pleased to have the best regulars. Many of them I see every day, working on their laptops, having meetings, playing chess … I feel like I’ve seen most of them growing up, like this little girl customer who is now a UH student … Regulars are not just customers, but close to family.”

Photo: Sarah Burchard

That’s how I’ll remember it. For me, Glazer’s Coffee was a second home. It was a refuge after a painful divorce left me lost in a new side of town, and one of two coffee shops where I write every day. Han even hung publications with my articles in them on the magazine rack, like a proud parent. I’ll miss walking into a place full of familiar faces. I’ll miss chatting with Anna and Joe, then sitting down to work with my giant latté. There are dozens of good coffee shops in Honolulu. But none of them is Glazer’s.

Open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., 2700 S. King St.

You already know ‘ono and you’ve probably heard oishii, but what about shiok? I just added the Malay slang for delightful or tasty, pronounced “shi-ōk,” to my vocabulary this weekend. It just might become part of my daily vernacular if I can eat the beef rendang at Shioketh, a new Indonesian-Singaporean street food pop-up at Hapa Market in Pālolo, on the regular.

Indonesian, Malay and Singaporean cultures converge in an ethnic group known as Peranakan or Nyonya who are descendants of the first waves of Chinese immigrants who settled in areas around the Strait of Malacca. Peranakan cuisine is unique for its hybridization of Chinese techniques with local flavors as a result of the cross-cultural and multi-ethnic marriages common in the region.

Even before work took me to Kuala Lumpur in 2018, I’ve been a fan of Peranakan cuisine’s myriad flavors. Malay and Indonesian friends in college, and later in Los Angeles, would invite me to seek out nasi lemak rice bundles, rendang curries, kaya toasts and laksa noodle soups wherever they made surprise appearances. Although none quite came close to what I had in KL, they kept me satisfied. Enter Shioketh, which soft-launched Saturday with the flavors I’ve been missing in six dishes and drinks. A grand opening is set for Sep. 7, after which they will regularly open on Mondays and Saturdays.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Start with the beef rendang ($18.95), an Indonesian dry curry made with chunks of beef rendered soft after braising for four hours in spices and coconut milk. The liquid is reduced until it caramelizes around the beef, imparting a unique sweetness. The spiced aroma when you open the plate is intoxicating. Served with jasmine rice garnished with crispy onions, sliced cucumber batons and grape tomatoes, it is a comforting taste of the region.

SEE ALSO: New SingMaTei’s Curry Laksa is a Malaysian Delight

Between the hot, spicy food and the non-air-conditioned space at Hapa Market, you’re going to want a cold drink to sip on as you sweat from every pore. It wouldn’t be a proper Singaporean experience otherwise. The pandan coffee ($5.75) is the way to go. Cold-brew coffee flavored with pandan-infused coconut milk cream supplemented with whole or oat milk and sweetened with gula melaka palm sugar: It’s rich, creamy and everything you want in a pandan drink.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

The ayam penyet ($16.95), twice-cooked smashed chicken, is an entrée worth waiting for. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are boiled in a broth with a paste of garlic, galangal, ginger and shallots. The thighs are deep-fried until the skin is golden-crispy and, before serving, get a proper whack to crack the skin and meat. Shioketh serves the chicken with perfumed jasmine rice and a spicy chile sambal-infused kecap manis, a thick sweet soy sauce, that is both painful and addictive.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

The pandan waffle ($8.95) is the sweet savior amid all the spice. Flavored with the subtly floral vanilla cream-like extract, this waffle also gets a side of gula melaka palm sugar whipped cream and peanut butter or Nutella. Although the texture is softer than I like, the flavors more than make up for it. You can order it with a scoop of ice cream (add $4) if the plain waffle isn’t sweet enough for you.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Side dishes also skew Peranakan like the sambal goreng ($3.95), a vegetarian dish of tofu, tempeh and long beans stir-fried in a paste made with garlic, chiles, shallots, galangal, lemongrass and kecap manis. I’ll be the first to warn you about the spicy kick hidden a few bites in. Blooming eggs ($5.95) are interesting, in a good way. In a hot wok, the omelet blooms into a fluffy, eggy cloud garnished with pork floss, crispy shallots and sweet soy sauce. I’d order this with rice and be happy.

SEE ALSO: New Windward Café Has Singaporean Flair and Weekend Laksa

Emily Terukina is the Singaporean expat who brings these fiery recipes to life, while her husband Gavin runs the behind-the-scenes, including the shop’s graphics and web design. Emily arrived in Hawai‘i in 2014 and spent the last decade working in Waikīkī and more recently as a host and kitchen helper at The Pig and the Lady. She left those jobs in February to open Shioketh after missing the food from her native Singapore. My hope is that this leads to something more permanent for food that’s both exciting and shiok for a lot of us in Hawai‘i.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Shioketh pops up at the Hapa Market Grill space in Pālolo on Mondays and Saturdays. There are a few tables for dine-in, though plating is all for takeout. Follow Shioketh on Instagram for schedule updates and events they’re participating in.

Open Monday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1720 Pālolo Ave, shioketh.com, @shioketh

Photo: Alexander Gates

It’s been eight years since Beer Lab Hawai‘i debuted on University Avenue, eight years that have seen the local brand open more locations than it’s closed. The latest: The original brewery and taproom recently shuttered to make way for redevelopment, the Waipio brewing facility closed and brewing has moved to the Beretania brewpub—and on Monday, across the street from where it was born, Beer Lab opened a bar, lounge and restaurant at Puck’s Alley.

Co-owner Nick Wong. Photo: Alexander Gates

I got an early look at the new Bamboo Tiger Shop by Beer Lab HI with owners Nicolas and Kailey Wong. “We looked at this spot and thought about all the weird and interesting things we’ve already done. We want to make this a fun spot to drink and don’t want to take it seriously,” Nick says. Adds Kailey, “We saw things we liked over the years that didn’t fit the other locations and wanted to do them all!”

Photo: Alexander Gates

That explains a space that marks a departure for Beer Lab. Unlike the spare, craft-beer-geeky vibe of its Pearlridge and Beretania locations, Bamboo Tiger is eclectic and fun. Where dividing walls once stood is an open space with different seating areas: Half-booths and tables in the main area, a lounge of fluffy furniture and high top tables, and bar seating at the back. Some of the bar tops were salvaged from the original University space; the Wongs say fans of the Waipio bar will also find homages in the décor.

Photo: Courtesy of Kaelyn Okuhata

Dark walls showcase brightly colored lanterns hung from the ceiling and murals and paintings by local artist Kaelyn Okuhata (@artbysachiko). “This mural incorporates the daruma figure, but in the form of tigers to represent the Bamboo Tiger Shop name,” Okuhata says. “Darumas signify good fortune for those who make a wish on them by filling in one eye when the wish is made, and the other when it comes true. ‘Drink beer, my friend’ is a play on Bruce Lee’s ‘Be water, my friend.’”

Photo: Alexander Gates

As the name implies, Bamboo Tiger by Beer Lab is mostly about beer, but there are more options. Soju selections, simple cocktails and wine complement the food menu, plus there’s soda. There are plans to brew kombucha on site. Beer Lab’s full selection of rotating and new beers will be on tap, including hazy IPAs and sours.

SEE ALSO: Beer Lab Just Opened a Beer Garden and Poke Counter on Beretania

The Wongs’ idea of casual fun shows in the menu, with offerings such as Garlic Korean Rexy with Magic ($12, it’s a chicken dish), Thaiger Power Thai Curry with Fire ($12), truffle parmesan wings ($14), Chinese Salt Pep Wings ($14), Beer Lab’s famous smoked ‘ahi dip with chips ($15), salads ($14) and plenty to munch on while drinking with daikon or cucumber pickles ($5), seasoned fries ($8) or a rice bowl ($3). Chicken also comes in sando form ($14) with options of spicy, taco, plain or omakase (rotating). Another playful touch: All the dishware is mismatched, giving a feel of decades past. Here, you order and pay through QR codes on the tables or order at the bar.

Photo: Alexander Gates

Merchandise, including growlers, glassware, T-shirts, stickers and dog toys, is sold here. A private room at the back can be rented out when it’s completed, and Beer Lab validates for parking at Puck’s Alley.

Open Monday to Thursday 2 to 10 p.m., Friday 2 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 2600 S. King St., beerlabhi.com, @beerlabhi

Photo: Hailey Akau

During my sophomore year of college, my Vietnamese roommate’s family regularly sent care packages filled with spices and coffee. Every morning, she filled a glass with ice and condensed milk, poured hot water over coffee grounds in a small metal filter set on top and let the coffee drip onto the ice and milk below. That was my introduction to Vietnamese iced coffee.

I hadn’t yet understood the nuanced flavors—why the brew tastes almost like chocolate or how the condensed milk enhances the boldness of the coffee. Cà phê sữa đá, as it is traditionally called, translates to coffee milk ice, but the drink is more than that.

The nutty, chocolatey flavor comes from its use of 100% robusta coffee beans, but you can really use any coffee with a bolder flavor and a higher caffeine content. Some recipes even recommend using the blend of dark-roasted beans and chicory from Café du Monde in New Orleans—with its similarly deep and earthy notes, this has become integrated into Vietnamese coffee culture in the U.S.

SEE ALSO: On Kapahulu, the Zen of Tea and Gelato

Cà phê sữa đá’s phin filter was introduced by the French when Vietnam was a colony. Its slow drip makes for a strong, concentrated brew. The filter is placed over a glass filled with ice and condensed milk. You fill the chamber with ground coffee and place the gravity press over it, then top it off with hot water and let it filter through the grounds.

Sweetened condensed milk is perhaps my favorite part of the drink. Its sweetness combines with the robusta beans to produce a perfect balance of bittersweetness. There’s more to its use than just taste though. The French introduced it among many items that are now staples in Vietnamese households, including baguettes, flan and coffee. Fresh milk was scarce, so canned milk offered a safe alternative.

Cà phê sữa đá is more than just iced coffee with condensed milk—there is a rich history behind each element. If you’re looking for a drink to switch up your coffee routine, here are my six favorite places to check out Vietnamese iced coffee.

SEE ALSO: All the Reasons Why Anh Chị Em Is My New Favorite Bakery

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 6: Morning Glass Coffee

The neighborhood coffee shop I grew up with makes the first cà phê sữa đá I tried on island; it remains a favorite today. The Vietnamese-style iced coffee ($7) combines the house medium roast cold brew concentrate with condensed milk—it’s not traditional, but it’s still delicious. Stop by for your morning coffee and pair it with a sprinkle cookie or a breakfast sandwich.

Open Tuesday to Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2955 E. Mānoa Road, (808) 673-0065, morningglasscoffee.com, @morningglasscoffee

SEE ALSO: Best of HONOLULU 2024: Food and Drinks on O‘ahu

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 5: La Tour Café

This iced coffee ($5) is much milkier than others and lacks a super strong coffee taste. It’s premade and dispensed from a chilled machine, cutting down the wait time. If you don’t like bitterness in your coffee, this is a safer choice—plus you can pick up a buttery kouign amann to go with it.

Open daily, hours vary by location, multiple locations, latourcafe.com, @latourcafe

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 4: The Pig and The Lady

If you’re stopping by for lunch, you might as well order the Saigon Style Iced Coffee ($7) to prevent an afternoon kanak attack. The famed Chinatown restaurant’s version of cà phê sữa đá uses a mix of Café du Monde and Lion Coffee vanilla macadamia nut beans. It has a robust flavor, with a richness that pairs well with the vegan pho, pho French dip, bò lúc lắc or really anything on the menu.

Open Tuesday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., 83 N. King St., (808) 585-8255, thepigandthelady.com, @pigandthelady

SEE ALSO: The Pig & The Lady’s Staff Petitioned to Keep This Dish on the Menu

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 3: Insomnia

This Vietnamese family-owned and -operated restaurant in Salt at Our Kaka‘ako serves the strongest cà phê sữa đá ($5.25) that I’ve tried. Their version is much darker in color, and the owners use a larger drip coffee filter to make it, increasing the ratio of espresso to milk. They offer two levels of sweetness—the higher sweetness is reminiscent of European drinking chocolate, while the medium sweetness maintains that strong espresso kick.

Open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 669 Auahi St., (808) 545-4160

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 2: Le’s Banh Mi

If you haven’t gone to Le’s Banh Mi for its freshly baked baguette sandwiches, you are missing out. Known for its top-quality banh mi, the shop also serves a very smooth Vietnamese iced coffee ($6) with a nice nutty quality and no bitter aftertaste. It’s also not super dense, making it the perfect drink to pair with a banh mi.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 808 Sheridan St. Suite 306, (808) 227-3066, @les_banhmi

SEE ALSO: Legit Banh Mi Lands on Top Floor of 808 Center in Honolulu

Photo: Hailey Akau

No. 1: Patê Vietnamese Cuisine

This small, family-run restaurant not only has delicious bún bò huế spicy beef noodle soup, it also serves my favorite cà phê sữa đá ($6.50). The espresso has very chocolatey notes and a richness like a bold dark chocolate bar. The espresso and condensed milk are premade and chilled, so the concentration is stronger before ice gets added. The sweet milk complements the bitterness without overpowering, and overall, it pairs great with a steaming bowl of noodles.

Open Monday, Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 11:30 p.m., 655 Ke‘eaumoku St. #104, (808) 940-5432, patehi.com, @patehiofficial