Ahi wholesaler Sam Seo founded Ahi & Vegetable and sold the business to Raymond Kim. He still goes straight to the source, buying direct from local fishing vessels. Fun specials included Aburi Otoro and Otoro + Hotate. I enjoyed a Sashimi Special Bento with thick-sliced hamachi, ahi, and salmon at the Kalihi location. Ahi & Vegetable also operate in The Lanai, an Ala Moana Center Food Court.

Erika Luna and Josh Schade have run a new school poke bar on the second floor of a strip mall since 2014. Fish is “slay’d, weighed and filleted in Hawaii Nei.” During my visit, Ahi Assassins staffers were butchering ahi to fuel some of Honolulu’s best poké. Start with wonderfully savory Secret Shoyu Poké with luscious ahi tossed with raw onions, Hawaiian salt and soy sauce. Lunatic Poké wasn’t nearly as insane as it sounded, but this version with spicy sauce and garlic did pack more punch. Prepared dishes yield mixed results. I enjoyed pan-seared kijiki (marlin) cooked medium rare and dressed with furikake and garlic. Conversely, my smoked marlin dip was overwhelmingly salty and they fried their “bag of bones” (aku ribs) into submission.

In late 2014, high school friends Matt Hong, Zak Barry, Galen McCleary and Luke Untermann parked their planter-framed food truck near the base of Diamond Head. Banán specializes in dairy-free frozen fruit soft serve crafted with either banana, seasonal pitaya, strawberry or greens, all available with a variety of toppings. I’d recommend banana in a papaya boat topped with puffed quinoa and lilikoi jam. Greens are also righteous, in a good way, with a frozen blend of kale, spirulina, ginger and mint.

Honolulu native Chris Sy worked in worshiped restaurants like Alinea and The French Laundry before returning home. His popular Kaimuki bakery, Breadshop, sells breads and pastries through Tock preorders. Prized loaves include sesame semolina, furikake focaccia, and pineapple brioche. Pastries extend beyond classic croissants to incorporate seasonal and island flavors. For instance, Mango honey cake Danish flaunts fresh mango and burnt honey buttercream. Kulolo Danish is a playful riff on a fudge-like taro and coconut pudding fused with flaky laminated pastry and topped with toasted coconut shavings.

Ethel’s Grill dates to 1978 in an industrial area near the airport. Ethel is long gone. Now Okinawa native Riyoko Ishii, daughter Minaka Urquidi and son-in-law/chef Robert Urquidi helm the tiny establishment that touts some of Honolulu’s best comfort food. Ethel’s has a menu, but most people order from a sea of taped, handwritten papers that advertise dishes like deep fried turkey tails, goyachampuru, or unagi avocado donburi. Ethel’s Grill will “Sumo size” any dish for a small fee, though standard portions are huge.

Stella Tsang, son Ernest Tsang and their family specialize in Taiwanese style shaved snow, which contains cream and flavors, versus shave ice, which features toppings. Frostcity’s fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth shaved snow is available in tropical flavors like mango and coconut. Coconut-pineapple-Thai basil is my favorite, topped with toasted coconut shavings, served with supple mochi and fruit.

Golden Pork Tonkotsu Ramen Bar serves some of Honolulu’s best ramen in an ocean-themed space behind Ala Moana Center. Spicy red miso ramen stars a savory, thick, but not grotesquely rich tonkotsu broth, thin noodles, char siu, spicy minced pork, red pepper, peanuts, crunchy scallions, wood ear mushrooms, sesame seeds, a nori sail, and if you’re smart, a soft seasoned egg. Top small plates consist of crispy pan-fried pork gyoza and scallops sautéed with asparagus, soy sauce, and garlic butter.

Goma Tei means “sesame seed” in English. That ingredient fuels exemplary bowls of Tan Tan Ramen on the ground floor at Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center. This bold ramen style showcases a pork, chicken and vegetable broth with “spicy sesame flavor.”