I never got around to writing about the trip to Oahu that The Astronomer and I took last April because “morning” sickness hit hard soon after we came home, putting me out of blogging commission for quite a while. But now that Baby June’s out and about (yay!), and all is right with my appetite (double yay!), it’s finally time to revisit the ono grindz that made our stay a fabulous one.
The eatery with the honor of being visited the most was Musubi Cafe Iyasume, a shoe-box sized spot serving musubi and onigiri that is adored by locals and visitors alike. The J Gold peeped this place in Food & Wine, and as luck would have it, it was located a stone’s throw from our Waikiki abode. Win!
The Astronomer and I visited Iyasume on our first morning in town for a relatively light breakfast of two musubi and two onigiri.
The bacon, egg, and Spam musubi ($2.48) was as tasty as hoped, with the bacon and Spam providing a double savory punch while the egg and rice balanced out the whoosh of saltiness.
The plum Spam musubi ($2.28) hit an intriguing salty and sour note. While not necessarily an improvement over an O.G. musubi, this one was lovely in its own way.
On the onigiri front, we selected the “Small Fish Jako” ($1.98) and the “salmon seaweed” ($1.98). Both were filling and tasty rice bombs.
We stopped by Iyasume a second time to pick up provisions for our ride to the North Shore. A traditional Spam musubi…
…and a “spicy cod roe bonito” onigiri ($2.28) kept our aloha spirits high until we reached our destination.
We visited Iyasume one final time on our last morning in Honolulu. This time, we explored offerings beyond rice and Spam. The Astronomer dug into a warm and hearty Japanese curry ($3) with carrots, potatoes, onions, and chicken…
…while I selected the “Salmon Roe & Salmon Bowl” ($8.95)…
…and we shared an order of sweetly battered fried chicken. Iyasume’s simple, straightforward, and homey fare was just what our bellies desired before hopping our flight back to Los Angeles.
And just to make sure that we didn’t go hungry on the trip home, I insisted on two onigiri and four musubi to take on board. Ah, Aloha…
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Musubi Cafe Iyasume
2427 Kuhio Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: 808-921-0168
Previously, I traveled to “The Big Island” in 2009:
I absolutely love this place! Everything is reasonably priced and each item is delicious.
And this article is great!
Just went a few days ago after you and many others recommended. I have to say I was pretty disappointed! The taste was spot on but everything we ordered (5 total) came out like warm at best and frankly just tasted old. Did we just hit them on a bad day?