can you believe, i've lived here on Oahu all my life, and i've never been to the infamous KCC farmer's market..... until now! as i write this, i've now been to it TWICE! despite the fact it is now a huge tourist trap, i've grown to like it a lot. there is fresh local produce at every turn, really delicious food that uses said local produce, and other things that i'm sure will be interesting for anyone who visits - locals or tourists alike. from what i understand, the KCC farmers market began as a small one, where local people would come early every Saturday morning to pick up fresh produce. eventually, it began to expand, more and more, featuring food vendors, as well as farmers. now, it is HUGE, and brings visitors from all over. check out this crowd!! and they have much more than produce! there are also several plant, and flower vendors! here are some mini orchids...... each flower is about an inch in diameter! clearly.... someone is not amused that she is in my picture. i guess if you're that young, you probably want to do other things with your early Saturday morning :P they also provide beautiful hibiscus buds for people to put in their hair. so pretty! walking around, i stumbled on this SEA ASPARAGUS vendor! i was pretty excited because i've had their sea asparagus pesto before, and it was delicious! i had to stop and get some......... i scored some SEA ASPARAGUS! Their "Ocean Pesto", which i have eaten before, was just as delicious as the first time i tried it... and i also picked up some of their pickled sea asparagus. the vendor that sells it is a nice guy, but beware... he's a junk change counter. he almost short changed me $3! some of you might be asking.... "what is this sea asparagus you speak of?" well, taking a look at the website from the company i bought it from (Marine AgriFuture, LLC a.k.a. Olakai Hawaii), it says that sea asparagus is a delicate sea vegetable that they grow hydroponically.... said to "detoxify your liver and improve muscle function". i don't know about all of that... but i do know it is really delicious! try it! here's a serving suggestion.... i grabbed some bagel crisps, and put both the pesto and pickled sea asparagus on them. they were great! here are the fried green tomatoes and fried zucchini from "Two Hot Tomatoes". they were...... ok. i've had better during my visit to Georgia. hell, i've had better here in Hawaii as well. the ones seen here, were not cooked all the way through, so they were hard :( i was a little disappointed.... perhaps i'll try them again on another day, just to check - maybe it was a fluke? next stop - Kukui brand sausage! they also sell their sausages in Marukai market (membership only), and i think the southern restaurant SOUL sells them on their menu. here, they grill them for you! you can either get them on a stick, or on a bun..... i got the pastele sausage on a stick! while it looks weird, and when you bite into it, it looks.... questionable - do not worry! it was amazing. if you like pasteles, you'll love this sausage! try their kim chee sausage too - that one is killers :D more food? YES. here is the tomato, basil, mozzarella, pesto pizza. SO. FREAKING. GOOD. so fresh, so tasty, so.... expensive. this one slice was $7. it is not something i would buy every time i go, only because its pricey, but it IS worth the $7 you pay for it. i'm sure some of you are wondering.... what the hell is that? is it fudge? no. is it cake? no. its HALVA. what is halva? HALVA is a greek confection make of primarily flour, butter or oil, sugar and either nut paste, or sesame paste. this one uses sesame. it was really good! when its fresh, its a whole different flavor. they sell packaged halva in Whole Foods, but this fresh one from DA SPOT is way, way better. try it for yourself!!! what are those alien like creatures up there? they're delicious that's what. delicious, fresh, ABALONE! this vendor grills them when you order them, then, if you want, there is a guy on the side that will cut them out of the shell for you, AND slice them into smaller pieces. you can also dress them with the condiments they provide, including: ponzu, tabasco, and lemon juice! what a delicious bite! sure to please shellfish lovers. the shell is also very pretty, if you'd like to keep it. I've recently become addicted to the "Lava Mocha" found at Island Vintage Coffee in Ala Moana center. because i've been drinking so much of that stuff, i felt like grabbing some coffee. here i tried their iced mocha. this drink was good..... but not $4.50 good. maybe next time, i'll try their espresso, or just their plain iced coffee..... i didn't want to write them off just yet! the INFAMOUS Pig and the Lady!!!! i've always wanted to try their pop-up restaurant, but never got the chance. here they are serving up some great dishes! i was so excited! browsing their selections, my eyes fixed on their Banh Mi. i usually don't like sandwiches, but i have a special weakness for Banh Mi's....... this one was a breakfast type one, so of course i was sold!! it was about 6 inches long, filled with a ton of great fixins..... fried egg, pork pate, Vietnamese ham, veggies, garlic butter.... OMG...... what an amazing breakfast sandwich. yes, it was and $8.50 sandwich, but it was WORTH IT. hands down, one of the best breakfast sandwiches i've ever had. wow. here, my dining friend got their chicken curry. it looked good, and smelled good, and from what i was told - was delicious. they also give you pieces of really good french baguette. to sop up all the curry.
a couple more nice things about The Pig and the Lady...... #1. they have a seating area behind their cooking area, so if you'd like to sit and eat, you can do it here!! and #2. we were fortunate enough to sit next to "THE LADY" of "The Pig and The Lady"....... it is the owner/cook's mother! she explained to us, her older son is "the pig" because he's messy, and that she is "the lady"!!! i would have took a picture with her, but i thought that would be weird :( she was SO SUPER NICE!!! what a treat :) the KCC Farmer's Market is full of fun times, new experiences, great produce and delicious food. you will not be disappointed! ********************************************************************* KCC Farmer's Market Parking Lot C (Off of Diamond Head Road) Kapiolani Community College 4303 Diamond Head Road Honolulu, HI 96816-4421 Hours of Operation Every Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Website: http://kapiolani.hawaii.edu/object/farmersmarket.html UPDATE! - they are now "testing" having the market on Tuesdays, until August 14th, from 4pm to 7pm. see the news about it HERE.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |