Waimalu Shopping Center

Long before the islands were flooded with strip malls Waimalu Shopping Center stood...quietly, regally offering up every different culinary delight an islander could concieve of on one stretch of space. I first started going to Waimalu as a little girl, after school we would drop my mother off to go get her hair done upstairs at "Aunty Jo-anne's" This woman did my grandmothers hair forever, as well as my aunt and my mom...and all of our hair growing up till I got into modeling and had it cut by whoever my agent told me too...my dad and I would sample everything from the crackseed store to the Shiro's famous noodle haven...all the food was good AND affordable..but my absolute favorite was a simple brown bag of boiled peanuts from the crack seed shop. 

If you have never had chinese boiled peanuts you need to..it is so heavenly it defies explaination really...I think the secret is the allspice they boil it with, but when I have tried to make it myself..it never comes out the same...if you want to try an off the beaten place on your next trip to Hawaii try Waimalu Shopping Center...Kabuki Japanese still has one of the best Miso Butterfish I have ever had...and of course Shiro's is FAMOUS for their Saimin....but don't forget to grab a bag of boiled peanuts at the crack seed store as well!

Waimalu Shopping Center is located at: 98-020 Kamehameha Highway in Aiea