Side Street Inn, Honolulu, HI

Side Street Inn
1225 Hopaka
Honolulu, O'ahu, HI 96814
808-591-0253
http://www.sidestreetinn.com/
Open daily, 2pm-2am.
It's on a small side street not far from the Ala Moana Center.
Very little side street parking available. There's a pay parking structure across the street - park in the upper levels. Valet available in the evenings.

Visited: August 2010, Dinnner, Dine-in

Side Street Inn is a large casual bar that serves great food. There are a ton of TVs around, and all in all, it seems like folks are having a good time. Chef/owner Colin Nishida has created a great menu of local flavors with a few high end touches thrown in here and there. Side Street Inn is supposed to be a favorite of locals and chefs alike, and I can see why.

Everything is served small plate or pupu style. Yes, everything is served to share, like a pupu or appetizer, however there is nothing small plate about it. The portions are very large. We wish we knew how large before we set to ordering.

We had the 12 ounce New York Steak (market price) which came on a sizzling black plate atop onions and mushrooms. The steak itself was rather plain, but very tender and tasty on its own. The mushrooms were heavenly! They continued to sizzle away in some type of non-visible buttery garlicky goodness, so it was quite a surprise to get so much flavor bursting forth.

We tried one of the specials, a combo of pork buns. Chinese BBQ Pork / Cha Siu and Chinese Roast Pork served with steamed white buns. Except for the mustard drizzled over the cha siu, these were delicious. The buns were a tender texture, however we could have used more buns. The roast pork with its crisp skin and touch of plum sauce was the perfect analog for Peking duck.

We had their Side Street Works Fried Rice ($15.00) which was loaded with quite the assortment of pork - cha siu, lop cheng, bacon, Portuguese sausage, and possibly more. It was a very good fried rice, however, with so many goodies, it soon became hard to distinguish all of the yummies. I think I would have preferred a simpler bacon fried rice, or a cha siu fried rice, for example, to really be able to savor it properly.

And lastly we had the Fried Saimin which was also a very large portion. It had a great flavor and was loaded with egg, kamaboko, Portuguese sausage and spamelope.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal, we just ordered waaay too much food. Their Pan Fried Island Pork Chops and Baby Back Ribs are also supposed to be delicious - so we'll try those next time.

Hukilau Cafe, Laie, Oahu, HI

Hukilau Cafe
55-662 Wahinipe'e St
La'ie, O'ahu, HI 96762
808-293-8616
Located north of the Polynesian Cultural Center, to the west of Route 83 Kamehameha Hwy.
There is a small sign when going northbound that shows you where to turn.
Street parking.
Cash only. Breakfast and lunch only.

Visited: August 2010, Lunch, Dine-in

We were looking forward to a great plate lunch, and we were not disappointed! Be sure to go early to beat the lunch crowd, and to ensure finding parking in this residential neighborhood.

We ordered our favorites, starting with the Loco Moco - ground beef patties covered with very tasty scrambled eggs over lots of rice, then smothered in a rich brown gravy. This was a very good loco moco, which means that the gravy was good - the gravy is always the kicker.

Then we had the Hukilau Combo - teri beef, fried mahi mahi and tempura shrimp, of course served with two scoops of rice and usually a scoop of macaroni salad. But not being fan of mac, I ordered all rice. First note was that it wasn't tempura shrimp but rather panko coated fried shrimp. No matter - they were fresh (crisp and hot) and tasty. The mahi mahi was also panko crusted, and served hot and crisp. Side sauces included were cocktail and tartar, but they didn't really need them. I was a little concerned that there wasn't a side of teri sauce to go with the beef, but amazingly, it didn't need it. The many slices of thin teri beef were very flavorful - they must have a great marinade, that there was no need for any additional sauce. This is a good entree to try several things, and large enough to share.



Which is why we also ordered the Beef Stew Bowl instead of the plate lunch. The stew had that great Hawaiian stew look - a hint of red from the tomato, however it wasn't strong in the tomato flavor. But the stew didn't need it. The gravy was thick and rich, and the meat was plentiful and tender as were the carrots and potatoes. It comes served over rice.



We also ordered a side of fries (they just looked so good, and were tasty) and one soda. They have self service water near the counter. I don't have all of the individual prices, but our total (before tip) was $28 - a great great deal considering not only how much food we got, but how great it tasted. And everyone was super friendly and very welcoming.

Most folks visit and write about the giant Hukilau Burger which is a hamburger patty topped with teri beef, fried egg, grilled onions, cheese, and lettuce and tomato. We did see someone order it at the next table over, and it looked ridiculous. Perhaps another time.