Return to Marujyu Market

Marujyu Market – Laulau, Squid Luau and Lomi Salmon plate #14, 6.25 plus $1.05 extra to substitute rice with Poi ($7.30 total)

Continuing my quest to find a Laulau that can dethrown the reigning champ at Highway Inn in Waipahu, this past week I decided to sample the Hawaiian grindz at Marujyu Market in Aiea.

Which here we have their #14 Laulau, Squid Luau and Lomi Salmon plate, which runs $6.25 with rice, but of course I ain’t having no freegin’ rice with my Hawaiian food! No, it’s gotta’ be POI my boy! Which costs just $1.05 extra. $7.30 for all that is truly a steal of a deal, especially considering everything except the poi is made in-house.

Whenever you order Hawaiian food and it includes Laulau, always ask if they make their own, or if not, where or what brand they’re using. Very important! I’m not going to name names, but all you “Laulau connoisseurs” (that sounds kinda’ weird) out there know what I’m talkin’ about.

So I was happy to hear Marujyu does in fact make their own Laulau, and as you see, unlike many places, they serve theirs still wrapped in the Ti Leaf. Yay! Ti Leaves impart a unique, well, “Hawaiian flavor” to Kalua Pig and Laulau that would certainly be amiss without it. Some places may skimp (due to lack of availability or whatever) and not use Ti Leaves when steaming their Laulau, resorting to lowly TIN FOIL. Ack! No, no, no! May as well not make it if you don’t have all the right ingrediments, right? Me thinks so.

I also was also happy to hear their Laulau includes Butterfish. Double Yay!

Well, let’s find out if Marujyu’s house-made Laulau tastes as good as it looks. Well, actually Laulau doesn’t have much visual appeal, if any at all, but you know what I’m sayin’. Here it is unwrapped, where you see it’s absolutely HUGE-MANGOUS…

See here how it occupies about two-thirds of the large entree section…

Put your two fists together, and that’s about how big it is, unwrapped!

Let’s open this monster up and and check out what’s “under the hood”…

A chunk of falling-apart pork meat, check. Even bigger pieces (plural) of melting pork fat, check. Pretty good size piece of tender Butterfish, check. A thick layer of tender Luau leaves wrapping it all together, check. So far, so good! Here’s a better look at the (tan-fleshed) Butterfish in it (with the lighter-colored melting pork fat to the left)…

How does it taste? Eh, not bad, but not great either. It just doesn’t have that “IT” factor like Highway Inn’s Laulau had. And I know exactly what was missing, was enough Hawaiian salt put in BEFORE they steamed it. So even though I could add my own Hawaiian salt as I ate it, the salt wasn’t in there from the beginning to melt into the pork, pork fat, butterish and luau leaves. Therefore none of their individual or homogenized flavors stood out. I won’t say it was bland, but not like “Pow! This is broke da’ mout’ winnahz!”. Ya’ know?

Of course with Hawaiian food, Poi makes everything taste right, so let’s try some Butterfish dipped in Poi…

Oh yeah. Sprinkle just a few grains of Hawaiian salt and whack ’em, poi and all… hoooooo da’ buggah’ is winnahz!

Wait, you said “dip” the butterfish in the poi? Well, yes, as Marujyu thins their poi down with water quite a bit…

Not that bad though. It still had some body. Not like where it was “Poi Soup”. It was very fresh as well, tasting like it came from the factory that day, or at the most just 1 day old.

Summing up Marujyu’s Laulau, I give it 3 SPAM Musubi. A better hand with the Hawaiian salt in the Laulau making process and this just may have been a 5.

Now let’s check out da’ Squid Luau…

Buggah’ look “tick” (thick) eh? It is. Check ’em out…

Notice how it stays put on my spoon, even as the spoon is tilted at a 45 degree angle. Impressive!

How does it taste? Excellent flavor without being overpowered with Coconut milk. The only problem? Like Kanak Attack, Marujyu’s Squid Luau is TOO SWEET. Not as bad as Kanak Attack’s was, but still, more so than I’d prefer. I dunno’, maybe some folks like it tasting that way, but not me. I think Squid Luau should taste more savory and earthy, not sweet like that.

Speaking of savory, there’s certainly a generous amount of chopped Tako (Octopus; not Squid!) in it..

Why do they call it “Squid Luau” anyway, when it’s usually (at least if done right) made with Octopus (Tako)? From now I’m going to start calling it He’e Luau or Tako Luau. Actually, I think “Tako Luau” sounds better.

Remember this one?…

Anyhow, regardless of it being more sweet than I would have preferred, the thick consistency and overall flavor of Marujyu’s, ehem, TAKO LUAU was very good, which I’ll give it 3 SPAM Musubi.

Moving on with this “obsession”, let’s check out Marujyu’s Lomi Salmon…

Wow, you heard of “Lomi Tomato” right? Da’ kine where get mostly tomato with only scarce (if any) bits of salt salmon in it. Well this is the polar opposite of that, where it’s mostly salt salmon and only scarce bits of tomato in it! Ou-right!

Actually it was little too much salmon and not enough white and green onion it. Still, at least the very pink-colored and tender salt salmon was rinsed properly, so it wasn’t too salty. Was jusssssss’ right (like Rap’s “Aunty Marialani” would say).

Summing it up, I give Marujyu’s Lomi Salmon Salmon (yeah I said it twice, because that’s how much get “inside”) 4 SPAM Musubi. Winnahz!

And that wraps up this indepth look and tasting analysis of Marujyu’s Hawaiian plate #14.

Next we have Diner E’s choice, where he was very disappointed they didn’t they didn’t have Maki Kombu (they were supposed to according to their website) and Turkey Tails for the day, which are his favorite Marujyu items. So instead he went with their Pastele and Gandule Rice plate…

Marujyu Market – Pastele, Gandule Rice and Mac Salad plate, $5.95

Just as I admire Marujyu for serving their Laulau wrapped in Ti Leaf, I appreciate that they serve their Pastele wrapped up in Banana Leaf…

Unwrapping the banana leaf from the pastele, you see the masa is filled with big chunks of tender pork…

The pork doesn’t stop there, as there’s also a generous helping of sliced pork in the Gandule Rice as well…

Even though their Mac’ Sal’ has the dreaded green peas in it, Diner E still gave it a thumbs-up…

Summing up his entire Puerto Rican plate, Diner “Saimin Kaukau” E gives it a very solid 3 SPAM Musubi.

Finally, Diner C chose a Baked Mahimahi mini plate…

Marujyu Market – Baked Mahimahi mini plate with 1 scoop brown rice and tossed green salad with ranch dressing, $4.25

The Mahimahi was coated with mayonnaise that tasted like it was seasoned paprika, salt and pepper. She thought the flavor was OK, but not what she was expecting, which was more like a lemon caper butter sauce kinda’ deal. Summing it up, she gave it 2 SPAM Musubi.

I also picked a bag of their boiled peanuts to try out…

Marujyu Market – Boiled Peanuts, $2.50

While these can’t touch Alicia’s superior flavored larger sized Virginia boiled peanuts, their still pretty decent…

Nice and “juicy” inside, just how I like’ ’em. A hint of sweet and star anise in the flavor, yet I think it could have used just a little more salt. Otherwise, very good. 3 SPAM Musubi.

Marujyu Market is a lot like Alicia’s Market in Kalihi Kai and Masa & Joyce in Kaneohe: a place where you can get ANYKINE local grinds under one roof: Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, Puerto Rican, to classic American comfort foods such as meatloaf and fried  chicken. Plus a wide variety of fresh poke and other ethnic specialty foods. There’s no place to sit and eat, so this place is strictly takeout. They also do catering.

Certainly something for just about everyone at Marujyu Market.

Marujyu Market
98-820 Moanalua Road (in the Newtown Business Park)
Aiea, Hawaii, 96701
(808) 487-0057
website: MarujyuMarket.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

Related Links:
• Aiea Eats: Marujyu Market – The Tasty Island

Waimalu Eats: Jackie's Diner

Upon conversation with someone at work about ono ‘kine grindz (yeah, that’s all we talk about), the subject of Pasteles came up, where that person mentioned trying out Mario’s Cocina in Pauoa. Which had me once again getting da’ “onos” (craving) for some good Pasteles. Since I was in the Pearl City area yesterday, decided to stop by and try Jackie’s Diner, whom we hear also makes a darned great Pastele plate.

Jackie’s Diner is located in Waimalu Shopping Center, a busy strip mall located just a few blocks Ewa of Pearlridge Shopping Center…

One thing’s for sure is that there’s no shortage of places to get your grind on at Waimalu Shoppping Center. There’s Shiro’s Saimin Haven, Kapiolani Coffee Shop, Zippy’s, Chun Wah Kam, an Okazuya, Korean Restaurant, Jackie’s Diner, plus quite a few more I can’t even remember the names of.

Jackie’s Diner’ set-up is your standard casual dine-in/take-out plate style establishment, with booths lining one side of the place and a service counter on the other…

That’s my uncle sitting down eating ovah there. Nah, juss’ kidding. lol

So what get fo’ grind? Check ’em out…

Click on photo above to enlarge

Easily making my mind up based on what was said earlier, I chose the first selection, the Pastele Plate…

Jackie’s Diner – Pastele Plate: Pastele, Spanish Rice, Bacalao Salad, Macaroni Salad, $8.65

Diner A chose the same thing…

Jackie’s Diner – Pastele Plate: Pastele, Spanish Rice, Bacalao Salad, Macaroni Salad, $8.65

Diner E went for his standard “gauge plate”, da’ Hamburger Steak…

Jackie’s Diner – Hamburger Steak, $7.75

First we’ll start with Diner E’s Hamburger Steak, which he said – CHECK THIS OUT – reminded him of that from Kewalo Lunch Wagon. Now that’s a bold statement right there! That’s like serious “props” coming from him. He noted the macaroni salad as being smooth and creamy (a good thing), and the house-made burger patty had a well-rounded, true-to-the-dish flavor, while the brown gravy was deep and hearty. Here’s a slice of the hamburger steak…

The Kim Chee got an “all good” compliment as well. Pretty cool how Jackie slides in her Korean heritage – if just a touch – with the Banchan sides. Nice.

That said, he gave his Hamburger Steak from Jackie’s Diner a solid 3-SPAM Musubi rating.

Now let’s deconstruct these Pastele plates for further analysis, first and foremost starting with the Pastele…

Notice it’s wrapped in a Ti Leaf instead of the traditional banana leaf. This is also how The Pastele Shop in Kalihi does it. Which I don’t have a problem with. It certainly imparts a great flavor, plus adds plenty of moisture to it.

I know that looks kinda’ gross, but don’t judge this book by its cover. Trust me, however that may come across visually, taste-wise, it’s fantastic! The banana “masa” is perfectly seasoned, and as you see inside, there’s an abundance of olives and chunks of tender pork. I really like the flavor the Ti leaf imparts on it. It’s difficult to describe in words exactly what an authentic Puerto Rican Pastele tastes like, but this one from Jackie’s Kitchen is right on the money, that’s all I’ve got to say.

Then we have the “Spanish Rice”, which I’m not really sure if it’s Gandule Rice, as Diner A and I had a debate on whether the black-colored “peas” in it were Gandule (pigeon peas)…

Whether they’re Pigeon Peas or Black Olives, it was spiced and seasoned just right, with the right balance of moisture and stick. The perfect complimentary side dish along with the Pastele.

Then we have the Bacalao Salad…

This Bacalao salad was comprised of iceberg lettuce, tomato, watercress and onion, tossed with a welcome helping of shredded and well-rinsed salted cod in what tasted like a very mild basic vinaigrette dressing. Very good. What tasted even better was taking some of the leftover dressing after finishing the salad and mixing it with the Spanish rice. That was winnahz!

Finally da’ mac sal’…

It was indeed smooth and creamy, while also tasting very fresh (you know how some mac salads can taste sour and old), sticking with the basics and getting it right.

Oh, speaking of fresh, the Bacalao Salad is also made to order, tossed with the dressing just before service. Thank goodness.

Said and done, Diner A and yours truly give Jackie’s Pastele Plate a solid 4-SPAM Musubi rating. Backing up that claim is both of our polished plates…

Diner A’s “polished” Pastele plate

Diner P’s “polished” Pastele plate

We’d have to concur with their slogan “Onolicious Kau Kau”. Indeed, it was!

Next time gotta’ sample da’ Hawaiian grindz here.

Jackie’s Diner
98-020 Kamehameha Highway
Waimalu Shopping Center
Tel. 484 0999

download take-out menu – 109k PDF document (2 pages), current as of 4/09

Featuring:
Lau Lau
Pastele
Bar-B-Q Rib

The Tasty Island Rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Kaukau Hawaiian Style at Young's Fish Market

Ask those in-the-know where to get the best Hawaiian food on Oahu, and chances are the names that pop-up will be Helena’s (Kalihi), Haili’s (Kaka’ako), Ono’s (Kapahulu), Highway Inn (Waipahu) and what we have here at Young’s Fish Market.

Young’s Fish Market is located in City Square Center on Dillingham boulevard in the Kapalama area of Kalihi.

Sidetracking just a bit, also in City Square Center is this hotel furniture liquidator warehouse…

Arcade Shoppes – former home of Grocery Outlet and future home of Chuck E Cheese

This business will soon be replaced by Chuck E Cheese, who will be relocating from their original location in Aina Haina Shopping Center to this larger, high-ceiling space. The Honolulu City & County’s main DMV office is located on the side of this front portion of the center, hence the name “City Square”.

Adjacent to here in the main parking lot are a stretch of non-restaurant type businesses in this section…

There’s Kalihi Pet Center on this end, and to my surprise, a Koolau Farmers garden shop on the opposite end. They’ve been a fixture in Kaneohe (across Windward City Shopping Center) ever since I was a kid! Is this a second location for them? They have a rather spacious live plant area on the side of the store, in an area between their building and the back building (where the restaurants are).

That building on the far end with the CITY FINANCIAL blue sign on the side is where all the restaurants – including Young’s – are located. Those restaurants include Sugoi Bento, Chong’s (Korean) Bar-B-Q, Utage (Okinawan), Young’s Fish Market, and where Kapiolani Coffee Shop (famous Oxtail Soup) moved out, this new Vietnamese restaurant named HA LONG NOODLE HOUSE…

I took a peak inside and also got a take-out menu, which the owner was so friendly and welcoming, I almost changed my mind and ate there! Check out this super cool art deco wall prop of a bowl of Pho…

The restaurant was decorated beautifully as well, carrying that contemporary art deco theme throughout. The menu is very similar to Bac Nam. That being the case (as well as the friendly owner), I am DEFINITELY coming here ASAP!

OK, enough sidetracking, we stay hungry ar’ready. Time fo’ hit Young’s!…

I was going to ask Alan Young (da’ ownah) if I could take pictures inside the place, but he was really busy and the timing didn’t seem right. Next time (and there will be, believe me!).

So what you wen’ o’dah?

First of all, Diner A went “rebel” on us (see, he likes to be “different” lol) and ordered Korean from Chong’s (which is a whole nother story), so his dish isn’t going to be included in this write-up.

Diner E went for his regular Young’s favorites, getting a Charsiu Pork and Roasted Turkey Tails plate…

Young’s Fish Market – Turkey Tails, Charsiu, Mac’ Salad & Rice plate, $9.75

Diner E gave his plate a solid 3-SPAM musubi rating, also noting his seal of approval for the Mac’ Salad. AwW-RIGHT! I tried a piece of the Charsiu… winnahz. Nice, sweet glaze on it. Perfect fo’ throw in one bowl saimin!

Diner C just wanted to try one of their Pasteles…

Young’s Fish Market – Pork Pasteles (Puerto Rican), $3.25 each

When you order it ala carte, it comes steam-heated, still wrapped in foil, with a Ti leaf under it…

Here you can see the pork filling inside of the grated banana “masa” casing…

Diner C LOVED it, giving it a solid 5-SPAM Musubi rating with no hesitation! I tried a bite and concur. Up there with the best. I didn’t get a chance to ask if theirs are house-made or supplied from elsewhere, so I’ll guess it’s the former. Only thing, Young’s doesn’t have Gandules Rice and Bacalau Salad to go along with it for that “complete Puerto Rican experience”, with just white rice and mac if you want a complete meal. But ‘das minahz, just buy two of these… ‘nuff!

As you see, Young’s serves up fantastic Chinese (the name ‘Young’ is Chinese after all!) and Puerto Rican dishes, but really, the heart of Young’s Fish Market is Hawaiian.

That said, Diner P (yours truly) went with the Laulau Plate. Unfortunately, for some darned reason the photos I took of the whole plate somehow vanished off my camera’s memory card. I took like 3 shots of it, yet POOF. Gone. Zero. Zip. Nodda. Nottin’. I couldn’t believe it. Ack!

Good thing I took additional shots of each individual items on the plate, so I’ll start with the star of the show, the Laulau!…

Young’s Fish Market – Butterfish Laulau

Young’s Laulau is certainly a competitor for best Laulau on Oahu. It’s up there with Ono Hawaiian Food, going neck-and-neck for first place, IMO.

Here’s a cross-cut view inside…

Wow, that’s a lotta’ butterfish! You can see it just tender, moist and falling off the bones. OMG, just awesome! The luau leaves were also steamed just right, being fork tender, yet not down to mush. It still had some bite to it, which I like. Otherwise, might as well just eat squid luau. lol Oh man, this butterfish laulau is da’ bestestest! Throw little Hawaiian salt on top, whack ‘em, den whack some poi fo’ chase ‘em.. hooo, broke da’ mout’!

Da’ Lomi Salmon…

Young’s Fish Market – Lomi Salmon

I dig how all all the “wet stuff” are packed in separate covered containers. Maikai.

How is it? Ever heard the term “Lomi Tomato”? That’s a joke used when you go to a luau where the caterer skimps and doesn’t give much salted salmon, making the dish mostly diced tomato in a salty brine. This was kinda’ the case here, and the only reason I didn’t give my plate overall a solid 5-SPAM Musubi rating. While it was still ono, and there were evident small bits of shredded salt salmon in it, it was predominantly tomato, along with chopped white and green onions.

Here, try look..

Where’s the beef!? …err… salmon?!

If I didn’t tell what that was, you might just guess it’s Salsa from New York City. lol

Nah but, da’ salty lomi salmon flavah was there, so still, she go. Especially along with everything else.

Da’ Sweet Potato…

Young’s Fish Market – Sweet Potato

The starchy, sweet flavor of the sweet potato compliments beautifully with the savory laulau, pipikaula and salty lomi salmon. The perfect accompaniment with the plate.

Speaking of Pipikaula, here it is…

Young’s Fish Market – Pipikaula

This added the “turf” to go along with the “surf” in the butterfish laulau. Pipikaula is a Hawaiian style cured beef, similar to beef jerky, but not quite as dehydrated and tough as that. In Young’s version, it’s marinated heavily with a Teriyaki (shoyu/sugar) sauce. Another winnah!

Of course the Hawaiian in me opted for Poi (instead of rice)…

Young’s Fish Market – Poi

I’m pretty sure this was Taro Brand, as that’s the brand they also had bags for sale of on the counter. It tasted like Taro brand as well. Fresh too. Also quite generous container size. Enough to accompany that massive laulau and other items on the plate. To me, if you don’t eat Hawaiian food with Poi, poho (waste). Gotta’ be with Poi, or nothing else!

So that Laulau combo plate I just showed you included one (massive) Butterfish Laulau (you can also order Pork and Chicken or Beef for a bit less $), Lomi Salmon, Pipikaula, Sweet Potato and Poi, coming out to $12.62 with tax. That’s actually not bad considering the portions and quality in preparation, also taking into consideration the high cost of the ingredients; the poi being especially market-sensitive in that regard.

That was so much food, I only could eat half, saving the rest for a snack later. Winnah-winnah-laulau-dinnah (actually lunch)!

Finally, for dessert Diner AC bought us some Kauai Kulolo…

Young’s Fish Market – Kauai Kulolo, $6.80 ($8.50/pound)

Kulolo is like a “Hawaiian Mochi”. with a similar profile to it, being glutenous, but not with that much “pull” like mochi. More starchy. Here’s how it looks unwrapped…

Here’s a cross-cut view..

Id say it tastes like sweetened poi with coconut milk mixed in it, except instead of being paste-like, it’s in a more hardened form, with a lightly grainy texture to it.

This Kauai Kulolo is AWESOME! Broke ‘da mout’! Ono! Solid 5-SPAM Musubi from me. The only way it could be better is if you got it fresh out of the oven.

Well, that wraps up our grinds from Young’s on this particular visit today.

For your convenience, here’s a PDF download of Young’s Fish Market current menu (current as of 9/25/08)…

Young’s Fish Market menu (2-page PDF document)

The cover says “Prices current as of March 1997”, but don’t mind that. I took the cover from the old menu (that’s how long we’ve been going here!) and scanned it along with the current take-out menu given to us today. If you print it, just cross that out and put “September 2008” in there manually. Hawaiian ohana (family) style.

Young’s Fish Market
1210 Dillingham Blvd.
Tel. 841-4885

Business hours:
8am-5:30pm Mon-Fri
8am-4pm Sat
Closed on Sun

Related links:
• Kapalama City Square Grindz – The Tasty Island
• Young’s Fish Market Adapts to Stay Afloat – The Honolulu Advertiser
• Young’s Fish Market – Yelp user reviews

8/25/09 post edit: My girlfriend picked up a Laulau Plate from Young’s yesterday…

Young’s Fish Market – Laulau Plate, $12.05

The Laulau plate includes their famous Laulau, Lomi Salmon, Pipikaula, Sweet Potato and Poi or Rice

Here’s a closer look inside the Laulau…

This laulau was steam-cooked to perfection, not leaving any unwelcome itching in the throat, while also not being too soggy either. It was also seasoned with Hawaiian Salt just right, while the pork and butterfish inside was so tender and ONO! The Lomi Salmon was also perfect. Their Pipikaula is pretty good, although a little too sweet for my liking.

All in all a solid 4-SPAM Musubi Laulau plate.

Kalihi Eats: The Pastele Shop

Plate #2: 1 Pastele, Gandule Rice & Bacalao Salad, $8.50

With all the talk this morning about diner E’s visit to the Taste of Puerto Rico in Ewa Beach this past weekend, we got da’ “ono’s” for Pastele and Gandule Rice, so we decided to head on over to The Pastele Shop on School Street for lunch.

The Pastele Shop is located in Kalihi at the makai-ewa corner of N. School street and Gulick Avenue, just across the street from Tasty Chop Suey…

Click to look across the street at Tasty Chop Suey

Click to see Diner A making “A” lol

This hole-in-the-wall establishment is made up of a service in front with a few items on display in a warmer case on the counter.

Like fried chicken…

Fried Chicken, $1.90 each

Patele Lumpia…

Patele Lumpia, $1.35 each

and Panadesa (pastele meat turnover)….

Panadesa, $2.75 each

Of course, the menu board on the wall…

The Pastele Shop complete menu (click to enlarge)

Everything else is made in the kitchen.

There’s also a small dining area at the rear of the establishment…

IIRC, there were 16 total seats. When we arrived around noon’ish, 2 women were seated and enjoying their meal, and a young lady was at the front ordering Bacalao Salad to go.

As is usually the case, we ordered to-go.

Diner A went with plate #5…

Plate #5: 1 Pastele (mild) & Gandule Rice, $5.75

He also ordered a Pastele Lumpia…

Pastele Lumpia, $1.35

The Pastele Lumpia has the same seasoned pork filling in the pastele, sans the grated green banana casing a regular lumpia has…

This was very good. The golden crispy lumpia wrapper complimented the spicy, chunky, tender pork filling nicely.

Diner E went with plate #1…

Plate #1: 1 Pastele (hot), Gandule Rice, Chorizo Sausage & Bacalao Salad, $9.75

This is the Bacalao Salad included with the plate above, which, as a nice touch, comes in a separate container…

Bacalao (Salted Cod) salad

He also picked up a Panadesa…

Panadesa – Pastele Meat Turnover, $2.75

Here’s how that Panadesa looks inside..

This also has the same spicy pork filling as the Pastele, sans the banana. Only thing is, it that meaty filling didn’t quite match well with the flaky layered Filo dough “shell”. Not nearly as well as the Lumpia wrapper. While it’s still tasty, we all unanimously thought the lumpia version was better.

As for the Chorizo on his plate, Diner E cut me a slice to try, and we both thought it tasted more like a slightly smokey standard all-American hot dog. Or perhaps a Polish Dog. But it pretty much lacked the spices and characteristic flavor of what we’re familiar with, like that good one in the green can. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but just a bit “different”.

And yours truly ordered plate #2…

Plate #2: 1 Pastele (mild), Gandule Rice & Bacalao Salad, $8.50

And here’s the Bacalao Salad that came with my plate…

Bacalao (salted Cod) Salad

Notice how much more cod they put on mine. Ha ha, Diner E, wop yo jawz. lol

Actually it ended up being TOO MUCH, as the salted Cod was very salty, which made it a bit overpowering in contrast to the lightness of the lettuce and tomatoes. I should have taken it off and added it gradually to my taste instead of just pouring the dressing and tossing it together as is. As for the dressing, it’s a basic Olive Oil Vinaigrette. This salad is very good and very fresh, but again, slack back a bit on the salted cod next time and it’ll be much better.

And how was the Pastele and Gandule Rice? Excellent, excellent, excellent. The pastele taste just like the one an old friend’s Puerto Rican grandmother used to make. The banana “Masa” mixture had the right consistency, being a little mushy, and a little “tight”, and chunky, spicy pork filling inside just explodes with flavor. It was a little salty, but not too much… just enough to make give the whole thing added kick.

The mild version Diner A and myself had was laced with chopped olives here and there…

You can see a chopped olive towards the right side.

And no, these Pasteles aren’t going to win any food stylist award anytime soon. lol But they sure are contenders for best TASTE award! Really, I’m no Pastele expert, but these are up there with the best in my collective memory

The Gandule Rice also tastes authentic and flavorful, taking on a slightly earthy, nutty flavor from the Achiote Oil. It also had just the right texture and moisture level; not too soggy, not too dry, but jusssss’ right. The only thing it didn’t have were little chunks of pork in it, which is what I put in mine when making Gandule Rice at home. Thankfully, it still had a meaty flavor, which probably came from the stock they used to cook the rice. They do have Gandule rice with meat in it, but only on the ala Carte menu. I suppose you can request it on the combo plate, but it really doesn’t need it, as the Pastele already has pork.

The portions of everything we ordered were quite generous. The Pastele is very big, as you can see in how it takes up an easy 1/3 (actually almost 1/2!) area of that standard-sized clamshell take-out “plate”. Just that and the Gandule Rice served with it should make most adults full, as it did for Diner A. I couldn’t even finish my plate in one sitting, having to wait for that “second wind”. The Bacalao Salad is also generously portioned, packed kinda’ tight in that separate foam container, having enough lettuce, tomato and cod to make just that practically a meal in itself.

Diner A gave his Plate #5 and Pastele Lumpia a solid 4 SPAM Musubi rating. Diner E gave his order a solid 3. I contemplated reducing my rating to 3 due to the over-salty Cod in the salad, but the Pastele and Gandule Rice is so darned good, I have to go with 4 for my plate #2. With that, majority rules, giving The Pastele Shop 4 SPAM Musubi.

The Pastele Shop is highly recommended.

The Pastele Shop
2101 N. School St.
Honolulu, HI 96819
808 847-6969
Hours: Sunday & Monday 10am to 5pm
Tuesday ~ Saturday 10am to 6pm

Download the take-out menu here (120KB PDF document)

The Tasty Island Rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Ewa Beach Eats: Taste of Puerto Rico

Gandule Rice… yum!

Fellow friend/coworker/foodie/Kalihi Eats Tour Conductor Diner “E” recently visited this new hole-in-the-wall establishment in Ewa Beach called “Taste of Puerto Rico”, who opened doors just this past month.

This is exciting, as it fills the gap in this culture of cuisine that is mostly absent on Oahu’s culinary map. The only other resource I can think of here is the Pastele shop in Kalihi, and other local specialty stores like Alicia’s and Young’s Market . I do fondly remember the fantastic pastele, gandule rice and bacalao salad plate I had from Aunty’s Puerto Rican Kitchen, formerly located at the Nimitz end culdisac of Kekaulike street in Chinatown, but they’re now long gone.

Here at Taste of Puerto Rico, he and his wife both ordered the Pastele plate…

Pastele Plate – Includes 1 pastele (the “s” is silent), Gandule Rice and Bacalao salad, $6.75

He gave this plate a solid 3 SPAM Musubi rating, noting the gandule rice tasted authentic, flavorful and had perfect texture, while the pastele was pretty darned good. One twist he noticed was that they used green olives in the pastele instead of black olives…

He also noted the bacalao salad used what seemed like fresh cooked fish, and not salted cod…

Whatever the case, he enjoyed it.

He also tried this item here called a “Alcapurrias”…

Alcapurrias, $2 each

Here’s how it looks at cross-section view…

Similar to an Empanada.

He described the place as small, with just a service counter inside, and a few patio tables and chairs outside to sit on if you care to dine there. The place is family operated, with what he said was a very friendly “mama” running the front and back. I like that.

So if you’re out on the west side of Oahu and in the mood for Pasteles, Gandule Rice and other such favorites, show your love and visit the new Taste of Puerto Rico in Ewa Beach!

Taste of Puerto Rico
91-2072 Old Ft. Weaver Road
Ewa Beach, HI 96706
808 741-7401

Open Tuesday ~ Saturday from 10:30am to 6:30pm. Take-out only.

The Tasty Isand Rating (c/o Diner “E”):

(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)

****************************************

A “Hana Hou” addition to this entry…

See what we got started! With all this excitement stirring lately over Puerto Rican eats, Diner A’s wife wanted in on the “fix” too and picked up a Pastele Plate today from Maile … Wat Get? … Kitchen in Waipahu (behind Time’s Supermarket)…

Maile … “What Get?” … Kitchen – Pastele Plate, $6.50

Notice there’s one scoop of white rice and one scoop of Gandule Rice. That’s kinda’ weird. We suppose it’s to keep costs down, but personally, I’d pay the extra price to just have Gandule Rice. They can lose the Mac salad as well.

Another difference with Maile’s Pastele plate is the Bacalao salad, which includes sliced Bananas in it, or is that Plantain?. We’re questioning that, as she said it was hard, as if unripe.

Bacalao Salad with banana? or plantain? in it

Anyway, just thought I’d add this little “side excursion” with this entry, since it’s another Puerto Rican option in this particular west side area of Oahu (Waipahu is just a town away from Ewa Beach).

Maile … Wat Get? … Kitchen also has your typical plate lunch selections like hamburger steak, chicken katsu, etc., along with breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, and party trays. Pasteles are available ala carte for $2.75 each. Download the take-out menu here.

Kim Chee, Pastele and Chorizo Sausages

Top to bottom (or back to front): Ume Musubi, Pickled Cucumber, Maui’s Uradomo Farm’s Takuan (ichiban!), Kim Chee Sausage, Pastele Sausage and Chorizo Sausage

In spirit of the popular Portuguese Sausage Shootout, here’s a further spin on ethnic variety in the form of Kim Chee, Pastele and Chorizo Sausages! Who woulda’ thought? Yes, give a butcher some casings, ground meat and a bunch of ethnic flavorings and things like this do happen as we see here!

You can’t help but think to yourself when seeing something like this on the store shelves, “I wonder how those taste? Does the flavor actually resemble what it’s labeled as?” Well, those questions certainly crossed my mind, so nothing else to do but throw them in the cart and give ’em a spin!

These three sausages are all made by Kukui Sausage Company in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here is each one in detail…

Kim Chee Sausage
8oz.
Ingredients: Pork, Water, Salt, Vinegar, Flavorings, Paprika, Sodium Nitrite, Chili Powder, Cabbage, Garlic, Scallion, Sugar, Fish Sauce, MSG

Pastele Sausage
8oz.
Ingredients: Pork, Bananas, Salt, Black Pepper, Tomato Paste, Achote Oil, Spices, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Nitrite

Chorizo Sausage
8oz.
Ingredients: Pork, Vinegar, Parika, Garlic, Chili Powder, Black Pepper, Spices, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Nitrite

As you can see, these are all pork-based sausages, and from there the flavor components completely take a different course.

Hawaii’s culinary scene is no stranger to these three flavors due to the contributions of our fellow Korean (Kim Chee), Puerto Rican (Pastele) and overall Latino (Chorizo) folks.

So how do they taste? First of all, notice that I accompany these rather heavy-hearted foods with my trusty Ume Musubi, Takuan and pickled cucumber. These help buffer the palate and also bring balance to an otherwise oily affair.

Right down to it, the Kim Chee and the Pastele both taste as advertised. The Kim Chee sausage taste like Kim Chee-flavored pork and the Pastele Sausage tastes like a “porky” pastele. That really is the best and only way I can explain it.

With the Kim Chee sausage, there’s actual slices of cabbage mixed in it, so the texture further reinforces and convinces you what it’s supposed to be. I would recommend they make this one a little more spicy-hot; not too hot, but more than what it is so that you really are convinced this IS Kim Chee sausage. Still, that flavor is there and you know it upon first bite.

Here you can see a slice of Kim Chee cabbage in the sausage…

I can see cutting this into cubes and adding it to the classic Kim Chee Fried Rice.

In truth, I didn’t like the Chorizo Sausage at all. It lacked quality in flavor, tasting mostly like a spicy porky “something”. Worst of all, it falls apart as it cooks, turning into basically a sauteed ground pork with a strangely-spiced flavor profile. There’s no way this even comes close to that good stuff in the green can.

My favorite, and certainly the one shining with the most character and most true to it’s labeled name is the Pastele Sausage. While I won’t say you can taste the bananas in it, there’s something about that ingredient that gives this sausage its signature flavor. It’s really hard for me to describe this, but it’s really good and taste, well, like Pastele Sausage! Shouldn’t it?

You can sort of see the complexity involved in this cross section of the Pastele Sausage…

This is certainly one you must pick and try if you like the flavor of Peurto Rican style Pasteles.

Any of these three would be a welcome addition to an ethnically-charged fried rice.

1st place: Pastele Sausage
2nd place: Kim Chee Sausage
3rd place: Chorizo Sausage

Once again, I highly recommend the Pastele Sausage if you like pasteles. This hits home.

Kukui Sausage Company
Honolulu, Hawaii 96819
(808) 841-8843

P.S. I’ve added Frank’s Foods (Hilo), Redondos (duh!) and Kukui brand Portuguese Sausage to “The Great Portuguese Sausage Shootout” entry.

Portuguese Sausage Shootout