Moku Famous Hawaiian Barbecue

We all know where to get a bowl of poké when we need one.  It isn't hard to find a place nearby.  However, if you wanted actual Hawaiian cuisine, it becomes more difficult.  So what is Hawaiian food anyways?  For those who haven't been, it is combination of different ethnic cuisines.  In particular, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese and of course, Polyneisan.  I was super excited to try out Moku Famous Hawaiian BBQ out in Langley since they had plate lunches as well as other Hawaiian goodies.

So let's get right to it with a classic in the Spam Musubi.  As you can see clearly in the picture, the Spam-to-rice ration was 1:1.  Hence, this ate really hearty and was not longing for the salty butteriness of the evenly-seared Spam.  A balancing sweet and caramelized teriyaki glaze helped complete the familiar flavour-profile.  The sushi rice base was the right texture being soft while still chewy.  It bonded properly and did not fall apart even when picked up.

Going for the first plate lunch, we found the Garlic Shrimp with rice and mac salad.  These large and plump shrimp were lightly fried and tossed in a garlic brown butter.  The result was some nutty aromatics with some saltiness and a touch of spice.  It reminded me slightly of Chinese salt & pepper garlic shrimp to a degree due to it being fried.  However, with the butter, it was was richer in flavour.  Texturally, the shrimp had a moist snap and really benefited from the light crispy coating.

If you are looking at this picture and have your mouth open, it can mean that you are hungry and/or in awe at the size of the Kona Beef Ribs.  For $22.95, this was a huge amount of meat!  These massive ribs were coffee-rubbed, slow-cooked and slathered in mango BBQ sauce.  The result was some tender meat that still had plenty of natural texture left.  The coffee taste was there but not enough to make it bitter while the BBQ sauce was tangy and sweet.

Another popular Hawaiian dish that I personally love is the Loco Moco featuring rice topped with 2 beef burger patties and smothered with rich mushroom gravy.  A fried egg put the finishing touch on the dish.  I really appreciated the home-made beef patties which were meaty with a natural texture.  Not sure if you can tell by the picture, but the patties were large and thick.  With an appealing viscosity, the gravy was silky with the right amount of saltiness and umaminess.

By virtue of using either fresh rice or rice with too much moisture, the Spam Fried Rice was a bit wet.  Despite this, it still ate well due to the generous amount of cubed Spam.  The saltiness from the meat helped flavour the dish and also provide a buttery texture.  Also, the fat from the Spam added umaminess and aromatics to the rice.  The addition of veggies was both a blessing and a curse as it gave colour and texture, but it also added even more moisture.

We ended up sampling the rest of the meats with the Combo Plate that has a choice of 2 meats, 2 scoops of rice and mac salad.  The first plate consisted of Chicken BBQ and Beef BBQ.  As you can see, the chicken was beautifully charred with smokiness and sweetness.  The meat itself was still moist and juicy.  As for the beef, it was fairly thin and meaty in texture.  It was less caramelized than the chicken.  I like how they add some sauteed cabbage and carrots underneath.

The next Combo Plate featured the Kalbi Beef and Garlic Furikake Chicken.  This mound of food would be a challenge for one person to finish by themselves. A regular Combo Plate sets you back $25.95, but with Kalbi, it is an extra $2.00.  Worth every penny in my books as you get 2 meals for that price!  The short ribs were tender with a chew while being flavourfully sweet and savoury.  Crispy but tender inside, the chicken was sweet and garlicky with hits of seaweed.

Our last Combo Plate consisted of Spicy Mochiko Chicken and Kalua Pork.   Similar in texture to the garlic chicken, this version had a bit less sauce and indeed had a mild kick.  The Kalua Pork was moist and tender despite not looking so in the picture.  Flavours were subtle and mild with only a bit of saltiness.  Of course we had to try their Hawaiian Pog to wash everything down with right?  It was appealingly fruity and sweet being refreshing.  Overall, the food at Moku is fantastic  and served in enormous portions.  Pricing is completely fair and they even have party/family meals if you order ahead.  I think I've found my Hawaiian food fix in the Lower Mainland!  Normally, I would say something like "I will be back with the fam!" but I have already returned!  Had most of the same dishes and they were exactly the same except I got even more ribs that the first time, but it was bit drier.  Otherwise, it was an excellent visit and Moku will be in my regular rotation of restaurants!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Delicious
- Large portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Parking lot fills up fast
- Maybe the rice in the fried rice can be drier

Ono Poké (Edmonds)

With the proliferation of poké joints on the mainland, it has been increasingly difficult to get excited about them.  It doesn't help the cause when some places pass off seafood salad as poké.  Hey, I have no problem with that, but it makes it hard to get something authentic and more basic.  I'm a big proponent of fusion and pushing the boundaries, but sometimes I just want the real thing.  That brought us to Ono Poké, specifically the Edmonds location in Seattle.

If you look at the regular sized Poké Bowl with 2 protein options, we only have fish, edamame and some imitation crab salad on a mix of sushi rice and salad.  The simplicity in this allowed for more fish and less filler.  This was a mix of Traditional Limu Ahi and Tamari Garlic Salmon.  Each scoop had a cube of fish in it, so not only was there the buttery texture of the ahi and salmon, there was also the taste of sesame oil, garlic and ginger.  The ahi had a bit of spice to it.

Something a bit different, we tried the Nachos with Spicy Sambal Ahi, seaweed salad, bonito flakes, nori and a good amount of spicy mayo.  Although I personally would've preferred wonton crisps, the chips that they used were fairly light and crispy, which matched well with the tuna.  This was so addictive as I couldn't stop eating them!  Something about the spice from the tuna, sesame oil, umami from the nori and creamy heat from the mayo with the chip made this work.

Looking more like the sides of a Plate Lunch, it was actually the Poké Moco.  This was essentially layered poke within sushi rice and topped with furikake.  It was further enhanced by some mac salad and edamame.  So this had the same components of the poké bowl except with more rice and no mac salad (although you can add that to the poké as well).  So with the extra rice, this ate more like a sushi bake (without the baking) where the rice was more prominent.  Interesting, but I would stick with the regular bowl.

If you didn't want raw fish, then there was another option in the Kalua Pig Plate Lunch.  We got this in regular size once again, because the large is enormous!  The pork was legit being fall-apart tender while exhibiting background hints of smoke, saltiness and sweetness.  They didn't skimp on the amount of it as they piled it high on top of the sushi rice.  I swear there was more pork than rice!  It also came with a side of mac salad.  I found the mac to be fairly firm with a sweet creamy dressing.

We ended up also ordering the Surf n Turf so that it would offer up the best of both worlds.  As you can see, this came in a large portion which could feed 2 people if they weren't too hungry.   The combination of hot and cold made this a different experience for sure, but once again, I would go for the regular poké bowl as I liked it the most.  In the end, we came away impressed at the quality and authentic nature of the food.  It reminded me of my visits to Hawaii (especially the big island).  Would totally come back here, my kids would love it!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Straight-up poké that is done right
- Enormous portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Not much you can do with the compostable containers, but they don't stand up to what is inside it. Just be careful when you take out.

Musubi Kai

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.

Now for the overseas influence where they offered Nong Shim Cup Noodles as well as Udon.  You would find these in Korea and Japan where people happily eat them in store.  We did so too and although it wasn't anything they made or "cooked", it was satisfying nonetheless (especially on a cold day).  Overall, the Musubis were good and filling.  We liked how they had some other Hawaiian options to compliment.  Also, no joke, the instant noodles were great too!

*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)

Hula Poke (Yaletown)

With all of the Poke options these days, it is hard to differentiate between them.  Let's be honest here, most of them are not "authentic poke" anyways.  However, I'm not poke snob and am always open to interesting takes on how it is prepared.  One of the more creative spots is Hula Poke, with its many locations in town.  They offer up not only international flavours and ingredients, there are also hot options that are not necessarily poke at all.

One of which is Grilled Salmon Bowl atop coconut rice base, edamame, carrot, green onion, red peppers, sesame seeds and microgreens.  We got this in garlic sesame rather than the spicy miso option.  Due to the glaze, the salmon itself already had a sweet caramelized flavour.  It was fairly moist and flaky.  The coconut rice paired well with the salmon to create a tropical taste.  Add in all of the veggies on top, this felt like a complete meal that was healthy.

Even before we got to the fish, we had the Warm Chicken Bowl with grilled chicken, rice base, edamame, carrot, green onion, red peppers, sesame seeds and microgreens in spicy miso.  The fact it was warm rather than piping hot was key as the cold ingredients didn't start wilting.  The fresh crunch combined with the tender chicken provided a contrast in textures and temperature.  Also, the spicy miso provided the kick of flavour to an otherwise collection of mild ingredients.

Onto the poke, but with sweet potato rather than a protein, we added it to the Bahamian with coconut rice.  Believe it or not, I really enjoyed this despite the absence of fish or meat.  Exhibiting robustness, the sweet potato paired well with the tropical flavours of the coconut and pineapple.  Naturally, the coconut rice was aromatic and had a nice bite, so it also did well with the ingredients.  Due to that mix, this bowl ate on the sweeter side.

Staying in the Americas, we went for the Peruvian with salmon, tuna and all kale.  So this was more a poke salad with Peruvian marinade, ponzu dressing, edamame, green onion, red chili, avocado, sesame seeds, crispy onions, cilantro and kale.  This ate very bright due to the citrus flavours.  There was also a mild spice to it while the crunch from onions provided texture.  Due to the cilantro, a certain herbaceousness was maintained in each bite.

Honestly, the Thai with chicken and kelp noodles was not really a "poke bowl", but it was delicious nonetheless.  It had coconut Thai green curry, pineapple, carrot, red pepper, cilantro, green chilies, sesame seeds, pickled red onions, ponzu and kale. With the combination of ingredients, there was tropical taste to it with spice, creaminess, sweetness and acidity.  I thought the chicken went well while the kelp noodles were chewy and firm.

We moved onto some Korean flavours next with the Koko featuring spicy gochujang, carrot, white onion, avocado, cucumber, kimchi, furikake, sesame seeds, cilantro, miso ginger vinaigrette and kale.  We decided to get this with tofu and that paired well with the spiciness.  We chose traditional sushi rice for this bowl and it was hearty and chewy, standing up to the strong flavours. Loved the ginger notes which helped give a bit of a sharpness to compliment the sweet spice.

Lastly, we had the trusty ol' Yuzu with ginger sesame dressing, avocado, cucumber, edamame, carrot, furikake, sesame seeds, crispy onion and kale with sushi rice.  This was the most "usual"-tasting bowl and especially with salmon and tuna, it ate like one too.  Sure, there were other things in the mix that added texture and flavour but this was your classic sweet and tangy concoction with raw fish and chewy rice.  So this was another great visit to Hula Poke.  I feel they have actually improved over time.  Lots of flavours and ingredients to choose from that can satisfy a variety of tastes.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Many different flavours that are unique

- More than just typical poke

- A variety of proteins and vegetarian options

The Bad:

- Can upset the authentic poke crowd

- Parking can be tough to find

Aloha Hawaiian Grill

Oh how I miss Hawaii!  Totally love the weather there, the beaches and of course, the food!  Such an eclectic fusion of cuisines due to the many different cultures intermixing on the islands.  Although we have Hawaiian eats available on the mainland, there isn't much of a selection locally unless you are looking for poke.  Even with that, you get a mish mash of what is supposed to be poke, but sometimes you end up with fish salad.  So when Nora tipped me off a Aloha Hawaiian Grill in Steveston, I just knew I had to meet up with her to try it out!

We were lucky to get there at opening since it was pretty busy by the time it hit Noon. So we had to get some classics including the Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp on rice with a side of mac salad and corn.  This was not bad with plenty of garlickiness and butter.  I would've liked to see a bit more salt, but it was enough to season the shrimp.  About that shrimp, they were of a decent size and plump.  Good buttery snap and natural briny aroma.  Rice underneath was chewy and dry (in a good way).

We also got the Luau Pork Ribs with the same sides.  These slow-cooked ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender but at the same time, they didn't exactly fall-off-the-bone upon contact.  Hence, this was the perfect balance between being tender while not being mushy.  These were sweet and a bit smoky from char off the grill.  I found the mac salad to be decent with al dente noodles and not too much mayo.  It could've used a bit more seasoning though.

Our last big plate was the Loco Moco featuring the usual beef patty with brown gravy and a fried egg on rice.  I quite liked this as the beef patty was large and thick.  It was moist with tender beef and benefited from the sweetness of the onions.  It had been seared nicely and exhibited good caramelization.  The gravy was flavourful but not salty.  The mushrooms added some body and umaminess.  Once again, the dry rice was perfect for accepting the gravy.

Of course couldn't forget about the ever popular Spam Musubi right?  We got a couple of these and right off the bat, I liked how the spam-to-rice ratio was almost 50:50.  Furthermore, the rice was mixed with furikake which meant extra umaminess.  Like it should be, the spam was teriyaki-sauce glazed  which helped also flavour the rice.  I would've liked to see a more aggressive sear on the spam though.  Otherwise, this was a solid version.

We ended off with a small bowl of Shaved Ice in Mango, Cherry and Passionfruit topped with some condensed milk.  I found the shaved ice to be rather snowy and light.  Hence it was easy to eat and not "icy" if that makes any sense.  The flavours could've been anything because it all just tasted sweet to me.  Just enough condensed milk so that the whole thing wasn't sickingly sweet.  Overall, I thought the food at Aloha was pretty good for the mainland.  I still miss the stuff in Hawaii though, but flying there will cost me, so not really fair to compare.

The Good:

- Generally good eats

- Nice people

- Wonderful location

The Bad:

- Garlic shrimp could be more flavourful

- Parking in the village sucks

Hanai Vancouver

So one of the newer restaurants on Commercial Drive isn't really all that new.  Hanai, which takes over the spot Ugly Dumpling used to reside, started out as a food stand, then a takeout spot.  So moving into a brick & mortar location is a huge step forward for owners Tess Bevernage and Thomas Robillard.  Vancouver is blessed with a variety of cuisines, but Hawaiian isn't well-represented (unless you include the countless poke shops...).  For me, I love Hawaiian food and I finally made it out to Hanai for their well-priced Ohana Menu for $60.00 per person.

As mentioned in my previous posts, the cost of eating out is through the roof these days.  Hey, I don't blame the restaurants as they need to cover their expenses.  So this family-style menu is a great deal in my books.  We started things off with the some soft bread with a delicious Tall Shadows Ube Buns & Limu Butter.  The buns were only lightly kissed with ube and were super-soft.  However, the star of the show was the butter.  It was so filled with umami and the taste of the sea, we wished there was more!  We would've eaten with a spoon...

Our next course consisted of 4 dishes including Whole Pig Pork Terrine with pickles, Crispy Smelt, Curry Dashi Squash and Purple Yams. Starting with the terrine, it was made with various parts of a whole pig, hence the different textures and flavours were pronounced.  Very meaty, a bit porky and definitely tender.  It was served with pickles and some gochujang.  Absolutely loved the crispy smelt as they were delicate and deliciously fishy.  Kewpie mayo was served with it.  The delicate sweetness of the squash was accented by a mild hint of curry while the naturally sweet purple yam benefited from the nuttiness of the sesame seeds.

In between the aforementioned course and the next, we were served the Cheesy Rice Cakes with gochujang and mozzarella.  Personally, I would've liked it with a some more kick, but this still had most of what makes this dish good.  Namely, the rice cakes were soft and tender while retaining a chew.  Also, the flavours of the dish included spice, sweetness and tanginess.  Lastly, can't hurt with all that ooey gooey cheese on top.

Onto yet another multi-dish course, we had the Potato Salad, Roasted Beet Salad and Manila Clams.  Featuring sieglinde potatoes, smoked bonito and kewpie mayo, the potato salad was chunky with some firmness.  It was creamy with a bit of smoky fishiness.  It was topped with a ramen egg.  I really enjoyed the beet salad where the beets were firm, yet tender.  Nice sweet earthiness complimented by the nutty and sweet sesame dressing.  The purple daikon and pickled wakame added even more texture to the salad as well as acidity from the wakame.  The best of the three was the Manila clams in a ginger & lemongrass broth complimented by cured Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong) and chili.  These little clams were buttery soft and briny.  I thought the saltiness from the sausage and the chili added depth and impact to the otherwise mild fragrant broth.

Okay, onto the literally the meat of the meal, we had the Huli Huli Chicken, Cropthorne Farm Carrots, Furikake Rice, Perilla Leaves and Two Rivers Pork Chop.  Now if the chicken looks suspiciously like Chinese soy chicken, you aren't far off since this was indeed cooked with sweet shoyu.  It was perfectly prepared where the meat (including the beast) was super moist and juicy.  On the side, there was a finadene sauce which added tang, sharpness and spice.  Equally moist and juicy, the bone-in pork chop was topped with an umami-packed fermented black bean butter sauce.  It was balanced where the butter tempered the saltiness of the black beans.  Not to be outdone, the roasted carrots were cooked through, yet still had a firm crunch.  They were naturally sweet and a bit earthy.  On top, there was a extensively briny XO sauce.  To compliment all the meats and full-bodied flavours, we had some furikake rice with a side of braised perilla leaves.  The leaves were great to wrap things with and had a nice herbaceous hit.

Finally, we got to our last course which was dessert.  We were served both the Banana Melt (consisting of banana cake, brown sugar coconut, Filipino cheese and fior di latte gelato) and Rouie's Guinatan (mochi, banana, ube and coconut milk).  We found the banana cake a touch dry, but it was still aromatic and just semi-sweet.  The cheese on top added an "it" factor to the dessert in terms of texture and savouriness.  A scoop of gelato from next door (Dolce Amore) helped add moisture to the cake.  Of the two, I loved Rouie's Guinatan the most as it was so creamy and aromatic from the coconut milk.  Those hand-made mochi balls were so soft and appealing.  This was just sweet enough and I could've had a few of them for myself.  Overall, this was a really good meal at a reasonable price.  There was more than enough food for all of us and we even had leftovers.  Proteins were cooked perfectly and the sides were equally delicious.  We will be back.

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Reasonable-pricing and generous portions
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit tight due to the size of the restaurant 

 

Seattle Fish Guys

I love poke.  My kids love poke.  Heck, Viv loves poke.  There is a dirty joke to had somewhere here, but I'll refrain...  So if we all love poke, then there was no doubt we'd give the Seattle Fish Guys a visit while we were down there.  Now this place isn't a restaurant per se.  It is actually a fish market that also serves to-go items including poke.  They do have a small outdoor dining space, which is generally packed.  We were lucky to grab a table and also a bunch of goodies to eat.

This included a 6 piece order of Prawn Tempura accompanied strangely by unagi sauce.  Who am I to judge as it worked well with the tempura.  As for the tempura, the batter was a bit thick, but wasn't heavy.  Since it was fried and was sitting in a warming display case, it was a little hard and not uniformly crunchy.  Mind you, it wasn't soggy either.  Inside, the ebi was still buttery and had a nice meaty snap.

 

So of course we got the Poke and for this one, we choose salmon and scallop.  It also came with cucumbers, wakame and rice.  We had a choice between raw baby scallops and cooked whole scallops.  As you can see, we picked the latter and these were so appealingly delicious.  There was the hit of sesame oil that complimented the natural sweetness and beautiful chewy texture of the whole thing.

For the other Poke, we had salmon and tuna.  Much like the previous plate, the salmon was in large chunks.  Texturally, it was buttery and soft without being mushy.  However, it was not seasoned properly as it was pretty much bland except for the natural sweetness of the fish.  On the other hand, the tuna was flavourful and slightly creamy.  It was soft and delicate while having the freshness of the sea.

 

To continue with the raw stuff, we got the Sashimi Plate featuring salmon, hamachi and red tuna.  It also came with rice and a boatload of wakame.  We found the fish to be supremely fresh and appetizing.  The hamachi was so buttery soft with a minor bite.  It was sweet with plenty of that hamachi flavor goodness.  Salmon was like in the poke and the tuna was soft with a more robust texture.  Went well with the rice and wakame.  Only wish is that they included wasabi.

One of the most interesting things we got was the Dungeness Crab Sandwich with mac salad and oyster crackers (supposed to be Hawaiian chips, but I guess they ran out?).  I cannot stress how much fluffy crab there was in this sandwich.  So much so, I got the full effect from the crab flavor and texture in each bite.  I wished the bun was a bit softer and smaller, but really, this was a tasty sandwich.  Side of mac salad was solid too.

As if we didn't have enough rice already, I picked up a Miso Black Cod on rice as well.  This was pretty solid for something that was premade and sitting in a warming tray.  The rice was a little on the dry side, but I didn't mind it.  Presented in a generous large piece, the black cod was fatty, soft and flaky.  It was flavorful from the marinade, but could've used a bit more since it was the sole thing flavoring the rice.

 

Lastly, we picked up some Spam Musubis for good measure.  In terms of appearance, they were a bit flat-looking (curiously taking on the shape of the mubushi mould I bought on Amazon...).  I found that the Spam was seared nicely, but a bit thin.  However, with less rice, the ratio was still okay.  Would've liked more of a glaze on one of the musubis though.  Overall, I thought the food was solid given the price and portion size.  I would say I've had much better poke elsewhere, but not again, this was good value and fresh.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Large portions

- Fresh

The Bad:

- Food is good but not great

- Usually a long lineup (moves fast though)