Super Six

One last meal before we left Seattle for our brief one-night stay.  Hey, we had to dip our toes into uncharted territory - go out-of-town with fellow foodies.  We didn't end up killing each other despite sharing one room amongst the 5 of us!  So on our way out, we drove out to Super Six for some Hawaiian food.  For those unfamiliar, Hawaiian food is a mish-mash of cuisines that include Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Portuguese and Puerto Rican mixed in with indigenous, European and American foods.  Yes, if you wanted fusion, then this is the mother of all fusion foods.  However, it doesn't mean complete fusion as Hawaii is also famous for their "Mixed Plate" which puts all the different cuisines onto one plate (like at a pot luck dinner).

So with that in mind, let's start with the one of the most famous food items from Hawaii - The musubi.  We ended up with the classic Spam Musubi as well as the Pork Belly Musubi.  Now this isn't a particularly complex concoction as it is merely sushi rice topped with something while sealed with nori.  So this means only one thing - one must nail the individual ingredients.  For these, the rice was pretty good being chewy yet not dry.  I would've liked to see a more aggressive sear on the Spam as it was not as caramelized and smoky as it should've been.  That wasn't a problem with the pork belly as it was seared beautifully (and it was tender too).  Next, we tried their Fried Chicken Wings glazed with a Korean gochujang sauce.  This was pretty tasty with crispy wings sporting rendered skin and super juicy meat on the inside.  There was a good balance between spicy and sweet, but I would've liked it even spicier.  Loved the grilled pineapple on the side too.

One dish that I was rather indifferent about was the Sichuan Pork Noodles.  Although the mix of Portuguese sausage ragu, bak choy, shimeji mushrooms, serrano and daikon sounded great, the dish itself ultimately fell flat.  Sure, there was some background spice, but I found that there wasn't enough seasoning in general.  Worst of all, the noodles were way overdone.  This didn't elicit good mouth-feel.  I hope this was a one-off because it wasn't good.  On the other hand, the Shoyu Ahi Poke was excellent.  It was well-portioned with plenty of fresh and buttery ahi tuna, kimchi, wakame, slaw, tobiko, macadamia nuts, ogo and taro chips.  Considering the amount of toppings, this ate very well with each scoop consisting of ingredients including the chewy sushi rice.  I particularly liked the kimchi as it added a tangy spice to the dish.

Another dish that I enjoyed was the Aloha Fries with hand-cut fries, kalua pork, kimchi mayo, scallions and sunny-side eggs.  Call this a "Hawaiian Poutine" or "Dirty Fries", but one thing is for sure, it was tasty!  It started with the crispy fresh-cut fries that formed a good base to begin with.  Add in the spicy mayo and the runny egg yolk and there was just enough moisture that didn't make things soggy.  The pork was a touch dry, but tender enough.  We couldn't forget about an iconic Hawaiian side in the Mac Salad, so we had to get an order.  As you can see in the picture, it was a touch overdressed.  That didn't affect the al dente macaroni itself though and that texture was necessary given the amount of dressing.  It was well-seasoned and didn't eat as heavy as it appeared.

I thought the Palehu Spare Ribs were well-executed sporting a smoky caramelized bark.  The glaze was sweet, but the char on the outside helped create layers of flavor.  The meat itself was tender despite the dry-looking exterior.  On the side, this was not ordinary mac n' cheese.  Rather it was a kimchi mac n' cheese.  As such, there was much more impact and kick from the tangy and spicy kimchi.  Since this was cooked, the macaroni wasn't as al dente as the mac salad, but it wasn't mushy either.  Taking a page from Filipino cuisine influences, we got the Lumpia stuffed with pork.  These were crispy and none-too-greasy.  I thought the filling was a bit on the mealy side and lacking in flavor, but hey, that is what the dipping sauce is for!  Sweet and vinegary, it was the punch of impact that these rolls needed.

We couldn't forget about the other famous Hawaiian/Portuguese item that everyone strives to try when they are in Waikiki - Malasadas.  We got one each with coconut cream and Nutella cream.  Drizzled on top was a Liliko'i caramel sauce.  I would say that Leonard's is better since they are fluffier and have more flavor options, yet that is like saying Thai food is better in Thailand.  Duh.  So back to these ones, they were decent with a firmer texture, but not overly sweet, even with the caramel.  I liked the coconut cream more as it was aromatic and light.  After we had finished, we pretty much agreed this was the most solid meal of the 3 we had on our mini-trip.  Reasonably-priced and tasty.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Generally well-executed
- Nice people

The Bad:
- The noodles could've been better