Shakas Hawaiian Flavors
2300 Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
323-888-2695
http://www.shakas.com/
Casual; order at the counter.
Located just north of the 60 freeway.
Parking in the strip mall and on the side street.
Second location: 101 Main St, #C, Alhambra, CA 91801
Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Take-out
Shakas is a nice casual Hawaiian fast food place. We tried just a few things, but were quite satisfied, and will definitely be back to try more menu items.
We had the Kalua Pork Tacos - two crispy tacos FILLED with kalua pig and topped with raw cabbage, cheese and pico de gallo. The kalua was smoky and rich, however, I figured out that kalua tacos are not for me. While tasty, they were waaay too rich for my blood.
We got a side order of the Mochiko Chicken. Boneless chicken pieces that have been marinated in a sweet soy sauce, and then lightly coated and deep fried. These were delicious little morsels. They identify the Mochiko Chicken as a house specialty, and they're right.
We also got an order of Spam Musubi ($1.95) which was very fresh and flavorful. I love it when there's just a little sauce on the rice, and this how they do it. It was larger than I expected - maybe 4 inches long.
They have all the other traditional Hawaiian grindz (Loco Moco, Kalbi, Katsu, Huli Huli Chicken, etc.) so we'll be back to try.
Showing posts with label musubi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musubi. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Friday, August 21, 2009
Harry's Cafe, Gardena, CA
Harry's Cafe
1721 W. Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247
310-324-4231
While small, there's usually plenty of free parking in the lot out front or on the street.
Casual. Order and pick up at the counter. Small dining room.
Visited: many times over the years
Most recently: July 2009
This is the old Harry's Aloha Chop Suey that's been 'modernized.' Fortunately, many of the old Harry's recipes are still being produced so that makes for very happy campers.
The combo plate lunches are the way to go to get a treat of many things, or you can get one of the Special Plates that are pre-arranged for you. Either way, it's a winner.
Harry's Mixed Plate ($8.95) is a tasty sampling of Harry's Fried Chicken (the traditional version with the bone), char siu, spareribs, fried wonton, mac, and steamed rice.
LOVE ME some spareribs. I often just get a side serving of the Spareribs (Sm $3.95, Med $5.95, Large $8.95). The medium is plenty to be stuffed for a meal. These spareribs are cut short and cooked in a sweet (and maybe a little sour) gravy. The meat just melts away. I recommend getting some steamed rice to soak up all the gravy.
Then there's the Aloha Mixed Plate ($9.95) of Island fried chicken (boneless), fried wonton, kalbi, spam musubi, mac, and steamed rice. Also an excellent plate lunch choice.
You can also order Harry's Fried Chicken or Island Fried Chicken by itself: Small ($5.95) 5 pieces or Large ($10.95) 10 pieces.
Spam Musubi is also available on the side for $2.50. Eight pieces of Fried Wonton for $3.95 - very tasty filling.
We were so happy to see that all of the old favorites are still here. I have family members from Orange County that make special detours to Harry's to pick up some Fried Chicken any time they are coming home from LAX.
1721 W. Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247
310-324-4231
While small, there's usually plenty of free parking in the lot out front or on the street.
Casual. Order and pick up at the counter. Small dining room.
Visited: many times over the years
Most recently: July 2009
This is the old Harry's Aloha Chop Suey that's been 'modernized.' Fortunately, many of the old Harry's recipes are still being produced so that makes for very happy campers.
The combo plate lunches are the way to go to get a treat of many things, or you can get one of the Special Plates that are pre-arranged for you. Either way, it's a winner.
Harry's Mixed Plate ($8.95) is a tasty sampling of Harry's Fried Chicken (the traditional version with the bone), char siu, spareribs, fried wonton, mac, and steamed rice.
LOVE ME some spareribs. I often just get a side serving of the Spareribs (Sm $3.95, Med $5.95, Large $8.95). The medium is plenty to be stuffed for a meal. These spareribs are cut short and cooked in a sweet (and maybe a little sour) gravy. The meat just melts away. I recommend getting some steamed rice to soak up all the gravy.
Then there's the Aloha Mixed Plate ($9.95) of Island fried chicken (boneless), fried wonton, kalbi, spam musubi, mac, and steamed rice. Also an excellent plate lunch choice.
You can also order Harry's Fried Chicken or Island Fried Chicken by itself: Small ($5.95) 5 pieces or Large ($10.95) 10 pieces.
Spam Musubi is also available on the side for $2.50. Eight pieces of Fried Wonton for $3.95 - very tasty filling.
We were so happy to see that all of the old favorites are still here. I have family members from Orange County that make special detours to Harry's to pick up some Fried Chicken any time they are coming home from LAX.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ono Ono Hawaiian BBQ, Tustin, CA
Ono Ono Hawaiian BBQ
17582 E. 17th Street, Tustin, CA 92780, 714-505-0750
http://onoonohawaiianbbq.com/
In a strip mall with plenty of free parking.
Casual/fast foodish. Order at the counter; your food brought to you.
[Note: This is not the same as the Ono Hawaiian BBQ restaurant chain.]
Visited: February 2009, Lunch, Dine-in
The food was hot, fresh, and fast. What a treat! It was definitely Ono Ono (ono means delicious in Hawaiian)!
It's a combination of fast food and sit down dining. You order at the counter, but they bring you your food, and you're served on real plates with plasticware. It sounds odd, but it works. The staff and decor were all very nice.
All of the entrees come with choice of 2 sides: white rice, brown rice, long rice noodles, Asian coleslaw, grilled veggie, potato mac, or green salad. Keep in mind that if you want rice, you have to order it as one of your sides. This threw me for a minor loop when ordering.
You can also get free soup if you eat in. I had the miso soup with tofu. Very tasty. They also had a second more traditional looking veggie soup in a reddish broth.
For appetizers we got:
Spam Musubi ($2.75) which was sliced into 4 nice slices. The rice was seasoned and tender, and the Spam was nicely fried. Overall more flavor than I've had at other restaurants.
12 pcs Fried Dumplings ($5.99). I guess I was expecting pan fried gyoza, but these were actually deep fried. They came with a soy dipping sauce. Not bad, they needed the sauce; but I wouldn't order them again.
The 3 item combos are a great way to sample their offerings, and they are sold at a great price. You get plenty of food, and may even be able to share a plate. We had:
Mix Plate ($8.95): BBQ chicken (like teri chicken), kalua pork, panko fried mahi mahi (served with tartar sauce) with sides of grilled veggie and long rice. The mahi mahi was outstanding as was the long rice. The chicken and pork were also very good, but the other items outshone them. The veggies were plain, and that suited the meal very well.
Ono Plate ($8.95): chicken katsu, BBQ spicy pork, beef kalbi with sides of white rice and potato mac. The pork was just like Korean-style spicy pork - yum! Great flavor and very tender. The kalbi was also very nice - hot and fresh with a nice char. The katsu was just fine; the others were just that much better. The potato mac was plain but tasty. It had little bits of carrots for color and texture.
There are plenty more things on the menu to try, and I'm looking forward to my next visit.
17582 E. 17th Street, Tustin, CA 92780, 714-505-0750
http://onoonohawaiianbbq.com/
In a strip mall with plenty of free parking.
Casual/fast foodish. Order at the counter; your food brought to you.
[Note: This is not the same as the Ono Hawaiian BBQ restaurant chain.]
Visited: February 2009, Lunch, Dine-in
The food was hot, fresh, and fast. What a treat! It was definitely Ono Ono (ono means delicious in Hawaiian)!
It's a combination of fast food and sit down dining. You order at the counter, but they bring you your food, and you're served on real plates with plasticware. It sounds odd, but it works. The staff and decor were all very nice.
All of the entrees come with choice of 2 sides: white rice, brown rice, long rice noodles, Asian coleslaw, grilled veggie, potato mac, or green salad. Keep in mind that if you want rice, you have to order it as one of your sides. This threw me for a minor loop when ordering.
You can also get free soup if you eat in. I had the miso soup with tofu. Very tasty. They also had a second more traditional looking veggie soup in a reddish broth.
For appetizers we got:
Spam Musubi ($2.75) which was sliced into 4 nice slices. The rice was seasoned and tender, and the Spam was nicely fried. Overall more flavor than I've had at other restaurants.
12 pcs Fried Dumplings ($5.99). I guess I was expecting pan fried gyoza, but these were actually deep fried. They came with a soy dipping sauce. Not bad, they needed the sauce; but I wouldn't order them again.
The 3 item combos are a great way to sample their offerings, and they are sold at a great price. You get plenty of food, and may even be able to share a plate. We had:
Mix Plate ($8.95): BBQ chicken (like teri chicken), kalua pork, panko fried mahi mahi (served with tartar sauce) with sides of grilled veggie and long rice. The mahi mahi was outstanding as was the long rice. The chicken and pork were also very good, but the other items outshone them. The veggies were plain, and that suited the meal very well.
Ono Plate ($8.95): chicken katsu, BBQ spicy pork, beef kalbi with sides of white rice and potato mac. The pork was just like Korean-style spicy pork - yum! Great flavor and very tender. The kalbi was also very nice - hot and fresh with a nice char. The katsu was just fine; the others were just that much better. The potato mac was plain but tasty. It had little bits of carrots for color and texture.
There are plenty more things on the menu to try, and I'm looking forward to my next visit.
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