Leonard's Bakery

If you are in the 96815, you may want to pay a visit to the legendary Leonard's Bakery at the end of Kapahulu Avenue for their famous Portuguese malasadas. We pass Leonard's on a daily basis, desperately trying to resist their sweet temptation. At last, we fall victim and it's more delicious than the time before. The malasada is pure, sweet, deep-fried, doughy pleasure rolled in sugar. So, how did the Portuguese malasada become a must-eat for people living in and visiting Hawaii? In the late 1800s, the DoRego family made the long sea voyage from Portugal to Maui to work the sugar cane fields. A few generations later, their grandson, Leonard, moved to Oahu to open Leonard's Bakery on Kapahulu. On the suggestion of his mother, Leonard began offering the traditional Portuguese malasada. Now, in 2014, people from all over the world line up from 5:30am to 11pm to partake in this delicious treat. Two morals to Leonard's story: listen to your mother and anything is possible. 

The 96815 tip: Try the flavor of the month! On our visit, we had the macadamia nut filled malasada as well as the traditional non-filled version covered with sugar.

Leonard's Bakery, 933 Kapahulu Ave, Sunday to Thursday 5:30am - 10pm, Friday & Saturday 5:30am - 11pm

KCC Farmers' Market

Every Saturday morning, on the backside of Diamond Head crater, you will find the KCC Farmers' Market. Local Oahu farmers, chefs, bakers, and artisans gather here to showcase the fruits of their labor. At the market, your senses will get quite the treat. Vibrant, colorful, locally grown produce and plants, fresh baked breads, Hawaiian honey, pressed tropical juices, and more will send you into sensory overload. While shopping and browsing, you may work up an appetite, which can easily be satisfied here. Eat and drink your way through the many flavors of Oahu, offered by the variety of food vendors that line the upper path. From spicy Thai and authentic Vietnamese, to island style Poke, you may nearly forget the delicious meal you had planned to prepare with your farmer's market finds. The 96815 favorite is the fresh roasted corn from Na 'Ono, slathered with lilikoi herb butter. Capped off with a crisp pineapple guava juice from Hawaiian Crown Coolers: pure bliss.

The 96815 tip: check out the Tuesday night KCC Farmers' Market from 4pm to 7pm, where you will find a smaller, but equally delightful, version of the Saturday market.

KCC Farmers' Market, Kapiolani Community College Campus in parking lot C, open every Saturday from 7:30am-11:00am. A weekly tip sheet and list of vendors is available at http://hfbf.org/markets/markets/kcc/.

Waikiki Wandering

Over the long holiday weekend, we found some extra time to play tourist in the 96815. The best days can be spent Waikiki wandering with no plans and no agenda; simply consuming, basking and indulging in the best of Waikiki. After some sun baking, swimming, and shopping, we popped into one of our favorite spots, the beach bar at Bill's, for a quick bite and a coffee. Regardless of whether it is breakfast time or not, we can't fight the urge to order the banana ricotta pancakes. Those fluffy pieces of heaven are just too hard to resist! To our disappointment, we found they are only offered upstairs in the dining room, so we opted for the fruit and yogurt version, which turned out to be equally delicious. Final sips of Stumptown Coffee down the hatch and we're ready to get back to the beach for the last bits of summertime. That's a day spent Waikiki Wandering.

XOX,

The 96815

Bill's Waikiki, 280 Beachwalk Ave, The 96815.