Mixed Plate Special - 100 ono kine holes-in-the-wall

100 ono kine holes-in-the-wall

Wednesday, February 18 2009

The Puka Guide: 100 Hawaiian-Style Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants
By Donovan Dela Cruz & Jodi Endo Chai
Watermark Publishing; 256 pages; $9.95

A box of brownies from Kilani Bakery, furikake chips from Kona Chips, sweet bread from Ani’s Bake Shop—these omiyage (Japanese for “souvenir”) are some of the best gifts you can give, because they are specialties you can’t get anywhere else. In the revised The Puka Guide: 100 Hawaiian-Style Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants, Donovan Dela Cruz and Jodi Endo Chai point out some of Hawai‘i’s most notable omiyage stops. The comprehensive guide also features the eateries that locals love the most—among them off-the-beaten-path saimin stands, drive-ins and okazuya. It’s an indispensable reference for anyone who has an appetite for ono kine grindz.

In the foreword, Chef Alan Wong talks about a hole-in-the-wall (hence the “puka” guide) he frequented in Wahiawa as a teenager working at Dole Plantation. “This little eatery was like my second home: the waitresses all knew me and the food was as close to anyone could come to my mom’s delicious

home cooking," Wong recalls. "Even now, after a long day in my restaurant kitchens, I still hunger for the simple foods served at the charming mom-and-pop eateries that dot the Islands.” You never know what culinary treasures you’ll find at these places, the celebrated chef insists, but first, of course, you have to find them.

The Puka Guide leads the way with photographs and detailed information on hours, parking, seating, and house specialities. Combining the best of their previous guides (The Puka Guide, The Okazu Guide, and the Omiyage Guide), the authors highlight some of the most delicious food you can find in Hawai‘i. Use the book to discover new favorite food stops, and don’t forget to heed the authors’ advice: “Always buy extra omiyage, because you never know who you might forget.”