Fluffy pancakes stack up at My Cafe
Can’t decide which flavors to get at My Cafe, 563 Farrington Highway? Then order the flight of pancakes ($10.95) comprising six minipancakes in three flavors. My favorite is chocolate taro haupia, which consists of chocolate pancakes smothered in a taro-haupia sauce and topped with coconut flakes and whipped cream. Delish! Other choices on the menu: a stack of sweet Cookie Butta Luva pancakes topped with cookie butter cream, cookie crumbles and whipped cream, and tart lilikoi pancakes covered in two kinds of lilikoi sauce and whipped cream. Call 200-5737.
—Michelle Ramos
Filipino favorite puts focus on crisp pork belly
Lechon kawali, a simple Filipino dish of crisp, fried pork belly mixed with tomato and onion, is my favorite dish at Julie’z Restaurant, 91-590 Farrington Highway. The tangy vinegar dip perfectly balances the heaviness of the lechon kawali. The chopped pork belly is piled high on a plate and served with rice on the side ($9.25) and can be ordered for breakfast or as part of a plate-lunch combo. It’s also on the buffet there. Call 693-8778.
—Joe Guinto
Keiki can get jump on fun at trampoline park
When it’s too hot or too rainy and the kids are bouncing off the walls, we head over to iTrampoline, where they can literally bounce off the walls. The indoor trampoline park boasts dodgeball courts, two basketball hoops for bounce-assisted dunking and a sea of individual-sized trampolines. There’s even a pit filled with blue foam to jump into. Parents can get in on the fun or relax on a cushy sofa. iTrampoline is at 91-029 Malakole St. Jump time is $19.50 per hour for kamaaina adults, $16.50 youths ($2 discount, if pre-purchased online). Visit itrampolinehawaii.com.
—Donica Kaneshiro
Self-serve sweets result in drinks made to taste
Find cool treats at Hula Boba’s self-serve bar, offering a variety of tapioca pearls, popping boba, jellies and custards. Choose a cup in either 25-ounce ($5.50) or 33-ounce ($6) sizes then pick a flavor and add toppings. If you fill your cup over the line markings, you’ll pay up to $2 more. Milk tea flavors include my two favorites, macadamia nut and lavender. I also like the li hing mui smoothie, but you might want to try honey plum, taro coconut or chocolate. Hula-Boba is at 885 Kamokila Blvd.; call 693-8818.
—Nancy Arcayna
The Barbershop offers full-service haircuts
I’ve been a haircut nomad for nearly a year — and it hasn’t been pretty. Between waiting longer than usual to tame the mane and dealing with barbers unfamiliar with my steadily receding hairline, I’m still trying to find a replacement for my longtime stylist, who retired in 2014.
Lucky for me, I think I’ve found a new favorite in The Barbershop, a national franchise with its first Hawaii location at 563 Farrington Highway. For $16.50 (or $16 cash) you get a haircut and shampoo plus a hot towel for your face, an eyebrow and mustache trim and a vibrating shoulder massage to finish things on a relaxing note.
But it’s more than a haircut at The Barbershop, which boasts individual booths that are “designed for privacy” and include their own washbasins so you’re not doing the walk of shame back to your seat with dripping-wet hair. You get your own TV to watch, too! Call 674-1200 or visit 808ne.ws/1E5f4Ud.
—Jason Genegabus