UYE Book Club Twisted Sisters @ Ambar Sports Bar and Grill

Good food, cheap drinks, and an awesome group of Unilocalers makes these get togethers really enjoyable! First things first… beer tower! This giant monstrosity of a beast contains 128 ounces of your favorite beer! It’s perfect for 3 or 4 people (or 1 or 2 if you’re heavy drinkers).
I was hungry and I settled on a burger after the server told me that they only had one left. Great marketing strategy! That made me really want to get the burger! It was unfortunate that they only had one left because my friend had mentioned interested in getting one for himself. Too bad! Like a lion I pounced on the opportunity and scored myself the last burger!
I’m kidding! I asked my friend before ordering if he wanted to order it and he said I could order it. Problem solved.
Besides the food, there were extracurricular activities with an epic planking competition in the octagon! Nick, Paul, and Victoria battled each other in the caged arena with Paul winning! He planked for a ridiculously long time of over 4 minutes!
On top of this, there was a giant chess board set up for a fun game. The bartender mentioned that it was «social» night. It was pretty cool that they allowed us to have so much fun.
Much thanks goes out to Cathy for hosting this event and covering the cost of the beer tower! Thanks so much to Kathy for supplying a round of shots and some food! Those duck buns were so delicious! Much thanks to everyone else that shared some of their food. Everything was so good!

Is it my imagination? Or are Book Club meetings REALLY REALLY Fun?
I left a pool party at my house — telling my family that I had a serious meeting to go to in Aiea. They felt bad for me and were going to save me some food, but I told them not to worry about me/don’t wait for me because I’ll have dinner with the BOOK CLUB!
But we really did discuss the Book at Arm Bar! Even though I didn’t read it, I could participate intelligently with Jeff O. and Lien V.‘s debate about Kindle vs. Tablet. The pros and cons are mind-​boggling, especially after the Beer Tower from Cathy with a «C» and the round of shots from Kathy with a «K». Mahalo!
The food was fabulous! We had the Steamed Fish special with lup cheong (Chinese sausage) — thanks to Paul for not wasting the head! Everyone shared their food, so we got a chance to try everything: chicken, fries, Hamachi, pork belly, etc. I like to sit by Lien because she can’t finish her food — I can help!!!
The entertainment was super!
First — the Beer Tower — I had never seen one before! Thanks to Unilocal for edumacating me! Very clever, efficient way to dispense a beverage!
Next: I’ve had a pretty sheltered life, so even the plank contest was a first! In the Octagon, Victoria, Nicholas, and Paul duked it out! There was heated debate in regards to form. While some contestants complained about their «bootie size», arguing that their muscle protrusion vs. «Flat butt» is not their fault, other contenders had perfect stance and grace, resulting in the champion: Paul C.
Lastly, the Huge Chess Set appealed to our nerdy group. Travis, Gary, Victoria, Wayne & Nicholas went to battle. When I checked on them, it looked pretty equal. I don’t know the outcome, but looked like they had a great game!
Thanks to Maka for being a patient and accurate accountant! Mahalo to Cathy T. for organizing this Event! Thank you, Travis D., my new Unilocal friend, for welcoming our fellow Unilocal brother, Glenn F. from California! Special thanks to John N. for leading our group to Bambu for the post Event dessert! Yum!

I was reluctant to attend a book club UYE simply because it’s hard for me to find the time to read anymore. Reading for pleasure seems to be a thing of the past for me after college. So with that caveat, I decided to take a chance and RSVPed after Cathy T. encouraged non-​readers to join in on the fun. So glad I came to the UYE and enjoyed the venue’s awesome food and prices. Service was great and our waitress and waiter-​chef-​owner were super nice and attentive.
The first thing that struck me upon walking into Ambar was their space size; the bar-​restaurant is spacious, ambiance is casual with high-​ceiling, large TV screens perfect for patrons to watch games, and they even have an interesting gazebo-​shaped seating area located right in the middle of the place.
Looking at the menu, it was difficult to make a decision but the pork belly kept calling my name. I was impressed with how thick the pork slices with the half-​moon bun bao were and they tasted wonderful dipped in the accompanying sweet sauce. So rich and thick and yummy so I requested they be cut in half so others can try if they so desired.
I had a good time eating and chatting with fellow Unilocalers and we even got to see free entertainment: the plank challenge contest. Great contest! Also, it was so cool when the chef-​owner brought out the gigantic chess game and a few Unilocalers played while we hung out chatting. What a pleasant surprise to eat here on a Sunday afternoon and it’s all thanks to Cathy T. that I now know a good place I can eat in Aiea. I’d have never known about this such a hidden gem and it’s just right by the Times Supermarket. Will definitely be back for some more ono grindz. Of course, we were still hungry after eating so we ended up going to Bambu Dessert across the street. What a nice way to end the day with food, fun and friends.

Why has it taken me this long to attend a book club UYE? For those who have been skipping this monthly book club hosted by Cathy T., you are sure missing out!
In my defense, I HATE to read. As 1^st generation immigrants my parents worked a lot and didn’t learn English so as a child I didn’t really have anyone read to me. I never got into the habit of reading with the exception of school where it was required to do assignments. But, for personal leisure, reading is not my choice.
About an intimate group of 16 Yeeps showed up tonight and I pretty much knew everyone in attendance, with the exception of Cali Unilocaler Glenn F. who by of pure chance is in town. It was also cool to once again see Travis D., Kathy A. and Wayne C.
For me personally, this book should have been titled «Twisted Minds» because when looking at the menu I swore I saw «HAMACHI GANG BANG» when it actually is «HAMACHI BANG BANG». John N. sat next to me so when I confided to him what I thought I saw, he belted out this huge laugh and many people overheard! Fortunately I brought my reading glasses from my car so I immediately put them on to prevent further embarrassing myself!
In all honesty, a select few actually read this book. But the discussion tonight went through so many tangents that we pretty much spent a good 5 hours together eating, drinking and laughing throughout the evening. Fellowship is KEY and attending UYE’s will give you the opportunity to get to know your fellow Unilocalers well.
I recall seeing several «beer towers» ordered tonight and we all drank responsibly. There was even a LARGE chess game for us to play! And the night got even better when fellow Elite Unilocaler Victoria M. wanted to challenge Yeeps to a plank contest. Mentioned she could do it for 3 minutes and we had Maka’s BF Nicholas H. compete too so including myself it was the 3 of us. The winner lasted over 5 minutes. Who won??? Answer to be revealed at the end of this review.
Good company, good drinks and good food. What a combination and you cannot ask for more.
So, the next time you see Cathy T.‘s next book club meeting, do yourself a favor by clicking «I’m In» and you’ll be in for a great time.
NOTES:
1) Post UYE celebration led us to Bambu Desserts and Drinks across the street. I was bold enough to order smoothie #62 (durian) which turned off MANY in attendance but it was sure yummy!!!
2) I made my personal trainer proud of me tonight. Thanks Jedd for pushing me during our weekly workouts.

Too much fun! Yes I was one of the nerds who actually read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it although it was not my normal genre of book choices. I have already started reading next month’s selection as I intend to make this a monthly event. Got to meet a mainland, albeit transplanted local Unilocaler, Glenn who sat across from me and was a hoot to talk to. Apparently gives a great foot rub. Don’t know who brought the giant bottle of hand cream but Nadine was smiling!
Beer towers at both ends of the tables that were pushed together to accommodate the attendees. Great good food choices that were shared up and down the tables along with glasses of beer so everyone could savor a bite or two. Cathy was a great hostess and made sure we all felt included and welcome.
Boys being boys and Victoria being Victoria did the plank challenge in the Octagon, won by Paul, but we were all winners because it was fun watching even though we all knew the ultimate winner.
The giant Chess game on another table drew a few of the attendees. I think they were using their phones for direction on moves but since they were having so much fun it was just cool to watch. The choice on venue was outstanding, not just because it’s close to home for me, but because the service was outstanding. The food was fabulous some being ordered several times, Fried Ahi belly over fried rice, steamed whole fish, Belly Buns, Hamachi Bang Bang, dubbed Hamachi Gang Bang by an attendee sans glasses who will remain nameless, furukaki fries, Korean Chicken, Wings and a couple of different burgers. Great food, great fun, great comraderie!
Come out next time even if you don’t read the book, you’ll be glad you did!