FORKED UP

LOLLIPOP ROLL
IZAKAYA TORAE TORAE
1111 McCully St., honolulu
Phone number (808) 949-5959

A sushi roll without rice is … really damn good, actually. Izakaya Torae Torae offers this creative roll that utilizes avocado, ahi, salmon, tobiko and more, all tucked in a nifty cucumber sheath and topped with a little dab of Kewpie mayo. Pick up the toothpick and eat it whole, if you can. So good! If only each order came with more than six “lollipops.” Well, at least it means more room to order more food (like the Snow Crab and Corn Cream Croquette … so decadent and delicious!).

FRIED GARLIC
KOHNOTORI
2626 S. King St. #1, Honolulu
Phone number ((808) 941-7255

Yes, this is just straight-up fried garlic, sprinkled with a little salt. No frills, no embellishments — just cloves and cloves of garlic. Hot and crispy and cooked just right (so you won’t smell like a vampire ward after you’re done), they’re the perfect way to start a yakitori feast. Kohnotori’s very traditional namesake offerings include pretty much every part of the chicken (heart, cartilage and skin included) and a lot of bacon-wrapped everything (quail eggs are the best!). In case you don’t feel like heading to Manoa, Kohnotori opened a second location in the former Izakaya Tairyo space by Ala Moana.