Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Normally, I do most of the restaurant selection. This trip however, The Boyfriend did. Milos was one of his top picks because of the octopus. We are both partial to octopus because it's one of those things that are hard to come by, and labor intensive (have you seen those videos of guys slamming it against rocks to tenderize it?!).  The location and timing worked fantastically as it is located in the Cosmopolitan - same as the Emil Chau concert we were headed to that same night. I wasn't sure how busy they would be at 5pm on a Saturday, but I figured it couldn't hurt. We arrived a little early for the reservation, and the place was mostly empty. Staff was welcoming and friendly. Upon being seated, the waitress/server explained the menu and how the seafood selections are made. Food is served family style, so be prepared to share. She was helpful too, in letting us know if we were ordering too much, or not enough. We selected the octopus right off the bat, along with a Gre...

I had heard about Ozumo before; from a coworker and from online blogs. When I had a chance to go while in the city for work, I jumped at the opportunity. Upon entry, the bar area is dimly lit with pretty sake bottles floating just above it. The area looked like a nice place to just hang out on a random night after work. Past the bar was the dining area. The dining area was well lit and spacious. Even though it was a Monday night around 6:30pm, the dining area was not completely empty.  Honestly, we didn't look at the menu. We just went with the omakase. Before I closed the menu though, I did notice that the o makase is only available before 8:30pm, so if you want to order omakase, don't forget to keep track of the time! While we waited for the rest of our party to arrive, we decided to start with a sake sampler. We figured all of the samplers would all taste fine and went with the suggestion of the server. The Kokuryu sampler came with sample of junmai ginjo, kuzuryu,...

Hanauma Bay Hanauma Bay Rd Honolulu, HI 96825 Fee: $7.50 but goes toward park maintenance. Parking is limited and fills up. It's the next day and we are up early to get to Hanauma Bay before it gets super crowded. I think we got there around 8 or 9am. Saw a Leonard's truck along the way, but it wasn't open yet. Figured might as well just get to the bay and snorkel a while before getting some food later. It's worth it! Feel free to bring your own snorkel and fins, or you can rent them here. I like bringing my own because... hygiene. You can also store your stuff in their paid lockers, so don't feel pressured to tie your car key around your neck and hope it doesn't get washed away! Normally I don't use fins, but I think I should have this day. The waves look small in the picture, but you can't see the current from outside of the water really. The current was very strong that day and I went past the buoy with no difficulty. What was a bit ...