Food in Oahu, Hawaii

From the airport, I drove to the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, a bit out of the thick of things in Ko Olina.

Many people head straight for the beaches of Waikiki, which are wonderful in their own way, but very busy – about as hectic as Hawaii can get. I like a quiet introduction to island time, and a large, sea facing room, with louvered blinds and curtains thrown open to the sound and smell of the surf seems just right.

A drawback to this property is that a late arriving guest faces limited food choices – and a touch of staff confusion about how late food is served at the Hokule’a Bar -- but I did manage to tuck into my first plate of raw ahi as the clock neared 11 p.m., which turned out to be not that long before I was ready for breakfast.

I tend to wake up early in the morning when I visit Hawaii – totally not my natural inclination, but a five hour time difference overrides my body clock. For me, breakfast is one of the Ihilani's great draws. The Naupaka Terrace restaurant, where breakfast is served, combines glimpses of the surf and sand with a breakfast menu that offers several island favorites, including the Kama’aina Breakfast, which is two eggs on fried rice with Portuguese sausage, bacon and traditional sausage. This is a good beginning to the culinary cultural mélange yet to come.

A terrific introduction to Hawaii’s melting pot can be had at Plantation Village, in nearby Waipahu. This is an open air museum and working farm, set on a former sugar plantation. With a tour guide, you can wander through the houses that a typical plantation worker would have lived in, divvied up by Hawaii’s main nationalities and ethnicities: Native Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Okinawan, Puerto Rican, Korean and Filipino. Most exciting to foodies is the special attention paid to reproducing the kitchens in these homes -- from the giant communal woks in the Chinese cookhouse (the only original building on the property) to the Portuguese bread oven, the roots of Hawaii’s cuisine become clear.

The last time I visited Oahu, I checked out the Kapiolani Farmer’s Market, one of the island’s best. At that time, I came across an organic produce stand operated by Ma’o Farm, heard a little of its story, and knew I wanted to see it for myself. This farm is a profit making social enterprise that employs, and is in fact run by, youth in its challenged community of Waianae. Profits from the farm, along with grant money, endow college funds for the young people who work at the farm. Plus, their produce is almost impossibly delicious and available at many of Oahu’s finest restaurants. The farm really isn’t set up for tourists to visit, but you can get to know their work and wares at the farm market, or at the restaurants it supplies.

One of these is Town, at 3435 Waialae Avenue in Honolulu. This sleek restaurant fits right in with the farm-to-table movement happening all around the country – fresh ingredients, simple yet sophisticated preparation, and no hesitation about enhancing all of it with a decadent touch. There was buttery gnocchi, creamy polenta cake, addictive french fries... even a salad skirts the virtuous category, with Ma'o Farm organic lettuce, dressed with pancetta, walnuts and manchego cheese. The menu changes often, and it did seem to trend towards the warm and comforting that day. Perhaps that was because it was a little chilly by Oahu standards – I think it was not quite 80 degrees, people were wearing sweaters.

The best meal I had in Oahu on this visit was at He’eia Kea General Store & Deli in Kaneohe. This is a venture of rock star chef Mark Noguchi, but there is nothing that says "glam" about this casual setting on a fishing pier, and in fact I wandered around a bit when I got there, unsure if I was in the right place.

But I was. There is a blackboard menu, and you can order from it -- but the best thing to do is to ask at the window what's cooking that day. That's how I got to try an astounding dish called pa'i'ai, which is taro before it's constituted into poi. Noguchi fried this into a rectangular pancake, and had a creamy, almost caramel like texture, and served it with smoked pork, yellow tomatoes and guava sauce. Don't ignore the menu, though, because there's plenty of deliciousness there too. For instance, the luscious guava chicken, or the lu’au stew, a comforting blend of sweet soft pork and taro leaves, served with "hot water", a chili pepper sauce.

After two nights of relaxing at the Ihilani, I was ready to experience the energy of Waikiki Beach. Read on to discover the food and fun I found in Honolulu's tourist capital...