Whenever I'm in Hawaii, it is more about the food than anything for me. Yes, that doesn't seem like a revelation, given that I absolutely love to eat! Okay, I do enjoy the scenery and the sights in Hawaii too. So whenever I'm back at home or anywhere on the mainland, I am excited to see anything related to Hawaiian cuisine. How about a place called Musubi Kai in Seattle? A restaurant dedicated to Musubis? Just like the one in Honolulu??? Well I'm game!
So let's get right to it shall we? We got a selection of Musubis including the classic Spam Musubi. The slice of meat was thick and evenly-seared. There was a certain sweetness to it from the glaze. Sushi rice was moist but still had a great chewiness. Perfect ratio between meat and rice. Delicious. We also had the Spam, Egg and Avocado which made things a bit heartier but not heavier. Again, it started with the base classic musubi with a thin slice of fluffy egg omelet and ripe avocado. More of a breakfast item here that cut down the saltiness with the other ingredients. The next one we had was the Spam, Egg and Eel which was extra savory and more robust due to the buttery eel. It added more sweet saltiness and this would be great for those who like it hearty.
Onto the next 3 options, we had the BBB Eel and Pickled Daikon. Okay, no Spam here, so it was a bit less heavy and considerably less salty. This was all unagi with its soft texture and accompanying sweet sauce. The crunch from the pickles added texture and also tanginess. With a whole halved wiener, the Beef Frank & Egg was just as filling as the Spam versions. It had a different saltiness and naturally a more bouncy texture compared to the Spam. Lastly, we had the Shrimp Katsu with 2 ebi. This was the most different since it had a crunchy texture to it. Combined that with some katsu sauce and it was sweet and tangy.
They also have other items to supplement the large Musubi menu. What better to represent Hawaii than some Poke? We had the Salmon & Tuna Poke Bowl with all the fixins' including seaweed salad, edamame, imitation crab and corn on top of a mix of rice and mesclun greens. This was a good poke that wasn't over-the-top. There was enough fish to match the amount of rice and this was plenty for a meal.
Sticking with Hawaiian favorites, we found the Curry Loco Moco. This was a hearty portion of chewy rice that was bathed in a curry sauce. It was only mildly spicy with sweetness and equal parts savoriness. I actually preferred this sauce over the usual gravy. The burger patties were more like cutlets being soft and a bit bouncy. With the addition of pickled ginger, furikake, crispy onion flakes and scallions, it kept things from getting too heavy with acidity and brightness. Of course, there was a fried egg to offer up its yolky goodness.
*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*
The Good:- Even ratio of rice-to-Spam
- Other Hawaiian dishes other than Musubis
- Loved the instant noodles!
The Bad:
- Parking in the area is limited (could park in the adjacent parking lot though and buy something from Staples)