All I have to say is Mtn Dew Flamin’ Hot and now you understand the title of this post. Can you imagine the sweeteness of Dew combined with the heat of Flamin’ Hot? I can’t and that’s why I need to try this new drink for myself.
Really, this drink combination sounds like a drinkable disaster in the making. But I need my mind blown with this drink before blowing out my stomach and butt.
How I underestimated the power of the Army. I mean really it’s Chicken McNuggets, fries, a drink, and two new dipping sauces. But it’s not. It is the BTS meal at McDonalds… and this meal features a special paper bag… and possibly a $1 price tag… and the Army of BTS.
The meal appeared on the lunch menu within the app but when I actually went to order, I got this instead.
Yes, unavailable… on launch day. Must be an app glitch right? I drove down to the nearest McD and saw these promising signs.
So I went to place my order on the kiosk but what’s this?! Out of stock.
I tried asking the workers about the meal but didn’t get far. They said I had to use the app to order the “BTL” meal and that they could not ring up the order to get the (promotional) pricing (whatever that is). Not gonna lie, I was somewhat upset about the overall experience and confusion over McNuggets, fries, and a drink.
As a consolation, I asked for the new sauce and got Cajun.
And while the Cajun sauce looks like nacho cheese, it does pack some heat.
Did you have any success finding the BTS x McD meal? How much did it cost?
With Hawaii’s Stay at Home, Work from Home emergency order in place, only businesses categorized as Essential Activies remain open. So when visiting Ala Moana, it’s eerily empty with only food vendors and restaurants allowed to operate. Even then, many chose to stay closed.
The escalators were also shut down, assumedly to save on operations, maintenance, and cleaning.
Hoping these closures of the small businesses are only temporary. But the real prize of this dreary visit is the patbingsu from Jejubing Dessert Cafe. Recently opened during the height of COVID breakouts on Oahu, the cafe is still open for takeout and is well worth the drive and eat in the car.
This is the green tea regular size, but I think I’ll stick with the tiramisu. Mango is good albeit a little sweet, and you can’t go wrong with the kinako bingsu.
So aparently there’s a global shortage of Madagascar Bourbon aka Vanilla Extract. Because of this scarity, price is exceptionally high at the stores. But… next time you’re shopping, check out the clearance, price-reduced section. You may score yourself some cheap but still good Madagascar Bourbon.
A banana-flavored Kit Kat? Tokyo, that’s why.
Unfortunately, this pairing isn’t one of my favorites. Bananas aren’t my thing, and the banana flavor is too artificial tasting. The crunch is good though.
First off, who knew Target stores in Hawaii sold lychee? Must be quite a few people knew since Target is now monitoring lychee sales upon checkout. Yes, Target cashiers watch how much lychee you’re buying.
And don’t think you can outsmart the system by going to self check-out. The POS systems are programmed to halt your checkout until the on-duty clerk checks and approves your lychee purchase. Simply put, don’t hoard the lychee.
Not sure when this happened but Ba-Le, a mainstay in Kailua for decades, is now closed. The storefront now looks like this.
From its days in Don Quijote then moving down to Hekili Street, this franchise provided affordable and tasty Vietnamese sandwiches and other dishes. I loved their iced coffee ratcheted up caffeine levels. Sadly, the owners decided to move on and out of Hawaii (so I hear), but hopefully, this gap is quickly filled. The Pig and the Lady (or Piggy Smalls) would fit nicely in this lineup of boutique shops…
It’s been awhile, but I just got denied entrance to yet another store while walking in with a drink. For this instance, the store was Ross at Ala Moana, and I was enjoying my half done Starbucks iced caramel macchiato.
The greeter pointed out the no food or beverage sign on the door.
I asked if there was a holding area for drinks, and she said the trash. Of course, I wasn’t about to trash a $7 drink full of body-infusing caffeine. I faux-ly and incredulously asked if she was serious about no drinks since pretty much every store has that no food or beverage sign but does not enforce it. She replied no drinks… for safety.
Now mind you we’re in the front of the store next to the cash registers which are next to all food and drink items at Ross. But I knew it was a losing battle, so I did leave. But I took a pic of my drink in the store.
Who else out there is all in with the Seaweed Crunch snack available at Hawaii Costco locations? Who knew almonds and nori pairs nicely? And 36 pieces in one serving size! That’ll definitely fill you up.
Since you never know if Costco will continue to carry this (or any) product, you might as well stock up while you can!
The next hotspot for viral Instagram pics has to be Mauna Kea Mist inside of the Shirokiya Village Walk, Ala Moana. What’s all the fuss about? It starts with the frozen colorful balls that’s like cereal, not ice.
Then you pop one in your mouth and watch the mists of Mauna Kea arise.
In the Shirokiya Village Walk, head towards the back wall and look for space #32. You’ll probably find customers waiting in line or in front of the location, exhausting frozen mist for all of social media to see.
Mauna Kea Mist serves other cold goodies like mochi ice cream, F’real shakes, and my favorite, the Hawaiian Honey Cane. Like the Jipangyi that I missed out in Korea, this corn pop tasting tube is filled with vanilla soft serve for a crunchy yet soft experience.
One last word of warning – do not drink the liquid nitrogen.
$7 for parking in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza. I don’t care. Cash only. I don’t care. All the other eateries in Waikiki Yokocho. I don’t care (well not yet anyways). Our server mixed up one of our dishes. I don’t care. Kinda pricey. I don’t care.
All I care about is that ramen broth, specifically that of the tsukemen ramen from Ramen Bario. OH MY GOODNESS. I initially sampled the broth to check its spiciness, and a few spoonfuls later, I had almost forgotten about the noodles themselves. That broth is so rich and so different that I thought it was perfect. But then I added a spoonful of fresh garlic, and the flavor went up another level. Then I added a spoonful of the chili pepper, and the flavor of the broth just exploded. My, oh my.
Go check out the interesting decor and all the eateries at Waikiki Yokocho, but be sure to visit Ramen Bario first.
