Now that we’re in the midst of summer, we’ve gotsta find ways of cooling off from that hot Hawaiian sun. One way, of course, is to slurp down a local fave known as “shave ice” – or “ice shave” if you’re from the Big Island 😉 (See my article about other shave ice places here). The place I love to go to get my shave ice fix whenever I’m in town is Kaka`ako Kool on Queen Street, next to Fresh Cafe.
Outside Kaka`ako Kool
Opened in June 2010 by antique and collectible fan Keith Tanaka, Kaka`ako Kool is chock full of, well, antiques and collectibles. They sit right alongside the many other offerings Kaka`ako Kool serves like cold drinks, ice cream, chips, crack seed, and much more. It’s like a cool, urban mini mart that happens to sell ono shave ice.
Some of the snack offerings at Kaka`ako Kool
Tanaka goes to the swap meet at least once a week and displays his finds throughout the store. People actually come to the store regularly specifically to see what new toys Tanaka has brought in.
The Thing is quite excited to be here at Kaka`ako Kool
For their shave ice offerings, there are about 25 different flavors to choose from with strawberry being the most popular. Store Manager Jana Park says that the tropical flavors like Pineapple, Mango, and Lychee also do quite well.
Just a few of the many flavors Kaka`ako Kool offers
In addition, you can order locally made, premium haupia or vanilla ice cream, azuki beans, mochi balls, condensed milk, snowcap (condensed milk & evaporate milk), or lihing powder to go along with your shave ice.
So the next time you’re in need of a shave ice fix to beat that summer heat, stop by and say hi to Jana folks at Kaka`ako Kool. There’s lots of parking with 2 stalls right in front and about 15 or so in the garage to the left of the store.
For further info, here’s a profile video the Skinny Hawaiians did on Kaka`ako Kool.
After a 10 hour flight and a long night of heavy and indulgent eating and drinking, a serious siesta in the plush, cloud-like hotel bed was just what the doctor ordered. With the exception of that psychopath Catherine Toth (who decided to wake up early to work out!), the rest of us bloggers headed up to the 30th floor at a reasonable hour the next morning for the Special Club breakfast (served from 6:30am-10am) at Club Sofitel, Australia's largest executive club lounge.
My (2nd helping) breakfast plate with Melissa Chang & Kaleo Lancaster doing their thang
On my plate, you'll notice a little container of Vegemite, a popular spread in Australia made from yeast extract (yes, I got brave). On paper, as a beer lover, I was supposed to enjoy it, but it was definitely something one needed to get used to. Here's Melissa and Cat's take on the Australian specialty:
Refueled and ready, us four blogsketeers embarked on our journey to see Brisbane on the best mode of transportation on earth: foot. The stroll afforded us the opportunity to take in the scenery that Brisbane had to offer.
We made it to the Queen Elizabeth II Park/Parklands area on the banks of the Brisbane River
Nice look back at the metropolitan city we just walked from
Cat, me and Melissa posing along the Brisbane River
As we made our way along the river on Clem Jones Promenade, we noticed that there were a fair amount of joggers and bicyclists getting their exercise on. Here's a site you don't often see in America (at least one that's not destroyed or vandalized): a Community Bike Station, complete with tools, a place to mount your bike for repairs, and even a tire pump!
Community Bike Repair Station along the Clem Jones Promenade
Along Clem Jones Promenade
Panoramic shot of the Brisbane River (click to enlarge)
And then we got to the South Bank Parklands area where we found nice picnic areas, pools, and even a manmade beach called Streets Beach.
Pool at the South Bank Parkland
Manmade beach called Streets Beach
The sights were good enough to get Kaleo, Melissa and Cat a snappin'
On the way back, we headed to the Queen Street Mall main stage to attend the Hawaiian Airlines Consumer Event. The locals got a total kick out of our folks from Hawaii spreading their Aloha with song and dance.
Hawaiian Airlines Consumer Event at the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane Australia
Shortly after returning to our hotel, some of Hawaiian Airlines' execs invited us to join them for an informal lunch in Fortitude Valley's Chinatown district, which was a short 15 minute stroll from our hotel. Twelve hungry Americans pounding "Hawaiian style"? Ouuuuraaaaiiii!
King of Kings Seafood Restaurant in Brisbane Australia
It wasn't long before we found out why.
When in Chinatown…
King of Kings Roast Duck
Just getting started…
Custard Tarts off the Yum Cha menu
One of the highlights of the afternoon was watching Kaleo Lancaster go from blogger to "Dragon Slayer" as he took down the legendary "Dragon Drink", a series of three, increasingly potent drinks that King of Kings is known for. Here's a video I took of the momentous, yet painful looking event.
Kaleo Lancaster takes on the Dragon Drink from King of Kings Seafood Restaurant in Brisbane Australia
After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to unwind before getting ready for another walk through South Bank and meal in Fortitude Valley. Part of the unwinding process naturally included Happy Hour at another visit to Club Sofitel.
Pre-gaming at Club Sofitel with some bubbly
And then, it was off – on foot again! – to South Bank, this time guided by Hawaiian Airlines staffers Jeremy Althof and Jesse Starmer. The sights and sounds of Brisbane at night give a totally different perspective to the scenic city. Highly recommended!
Remember the Treasury Casino & Hotel earlier today? Here's what it looked like at night.
Walking through Brisbane Square, we saw some filming going on, which appeared to be a TV news segment.
Getting reminiscent of Hawaii: here's a gecko sighting. I wonder if it has an Australian accent too? 8)
And here's us in front of it (l to r: Kaleo Lancaster, Melissa Chang, me, Catherine Toth)
Moonlit Brisbane skyline from South Bank
With our restaurant reservation coming up, we jetted off via taxi to our dinner destination: Alfred & Constance, an eclectic collection of random, mini restaurants (sorta), serving food, drinks and desserts. Here's a description of each of them:
The Vanguard Beer Garden & Restaurant: Booze, Beer and sharable feasts
White Lightning Tiki Bar: Tropical drinks and a party that never stops
Alfred's Café: Workday bites, salads, coffee and sweets
Late-Night Dessert Café: Featuring alcoholic juice & boozy smoothy stations
Since Jeremy and Jesse knew the owner there, we had a table waiting for us at the Vanguard Beer Garden. Perfs!
Here's one of two Cocktail Jugs we ordered: Watermelon & Ginger Swizzle, which consisted of Gin & watermelon liqueur shaken with homemade rhubarb syrup & topped with soda. The other one we got was the Pimms & Lemonade jug: Pimms No. 1 & Fresh house made lemon syrup, swizzled down with fresh mint & topped with soda.
Watermelon & Ginger Swizzle (Gin & watermelon liqueur shaken with homemade rhubarb syrup & topped with soda).
Salt & Pepper Squid with Lemon & Sweet Paprika Mayo ($14.90)
Here, they are known for their free-range meats which are cooked whole in wood and charcoal ovens. We went with their popular roast pork with crackling.
250g of Roast Pork carved from the whole pig w/crackling ($29)
Oysters Kirkpatrick (6 for $24). Raw oysters, barbeque sauce and bacon. 'Nuff said.
Cat and Melissa opted for dessert from Alfred's Café. Melissa got the Baklava Muffin, while Cat got the Classic Crème Brulee.
Cat's Crème Brulee ($12)
And there's day 2 in the books. We've got just half a day left in Brisbane, but lots to see & do. Come back next month to witness koala and kangaroo petting, majestic views of Mount Coot-tha and grindz at The Shelter Bar.
It was a whirlwind 3 day, 2-night tour, but we definitely got to experience Brisbane the only way Hawaiian Airlines knows how: with Aloha. Here are some of the sights and sounds that we were fortunate enough to experience.
Hula dancers giving us a nice sendoff
HA443 departs Honolulu at 10:20am every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrives in Brisbane (BNE) at 4pm the following day.
Blessing by Kahu Richard Kamanu
The awesome Hawaiian Airlines crew for our HA443 flight to Brisbane
After about 10 hours in the air, we finally get to the beautiful city of Brisbane
These two (Melissa Chang and Catherine Toth) are happy to be on the ground
Our hale for the next few days was the French based luxury hotel chain called Sofitel Brisbane Central Hotel. Conveniently located in the middle of the city, it was in walking distance to quite a few key points during our trip, including ANZAC Square, which was literally across the street. Here's the view from my hotel room window!
Looking down at ANZAC Square from the Sofitel Brisbane Central Hotel
It wasn't long before we had to get dolled up (I wore a tie!) and head down to the Ballroom Le Grand for the official Welcome Gala.
Hawaiian Airlines Welcome Gala
It was a packed house filled with members of the local (Brisbane) media, tour industry professionals, airline executives, and local entertainers Sean Na`auao and Lehua Kalima (formerly of Na Leo), among others.
Lehua Kalima Sings "Waikiki" at the Hawaiian Airlines Welcome Gala
Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley addresses the crowd
And of course, we can't forget about the food p0rn shots! 😉
Bomboocha wok of fried rice!
My serving of fried rice
Poke samplers
Chef Chai's popular Fried Kataifi Prawns
Following the gala, we decided to take a stroll around our neighborhood.
The Shrine of Remembrance at ANZAC Square
Possibly the best named street in all the land: Edward Street. 8)
Since we weren't that hungry, we just got a side of "chips" (fries in the U.S.) to share.
Chunky Chips with Garlic Aioli ($8.90)
After all that eating and drinking, combined with our jetlag, it was time to call it a night. From the expressions on the ladies' faces, I think they agreed.
Cat and Melissa are either extremely drunk or jetlagged. You decide.
And that's it for our first night in Brisbane. I'll be back again soon to post more about our adventures including South Bank, King of Kings Seafood Yum Cha Restaurant in Chinatown, Alfred & Constance, koala and kangaroo sightings at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, The Shelter Bar, and our departure.
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