BY virtue of location, location, location, Pizza Hut at Dole Street and University Avenue was a premier stop on my college feed route. Kaimana takes over
a campus landmarkWhether fueling up for an exam or commiserating with friends over failed romances or failed classes, pizza was the perfect foil. Chomp it, pick at it or let it grow cold, we knew the basic mushroom-black-olive-pepperoni version by rote. This let us bypass the nonessential use of our brains for ordering, freeing us to ponder more serious subjects, like the molecular structure of some cute guy in chem class.
Pizza Hut was replaced a month ago by Kaimana Cafe-Campus. Its menu is bound to cut into valuable study time, with diversity as likely to appeal to the garden-salad-and- brown-rice crowd as the Loco Moco and katsu kids. Choose from salads, sandwiches and "Asian delights," focusing on Chinese food, local favorites and BBQ.
Like the smaller downtown Kaimanas, the campus restaurant offers family-style food in the Marie Callendar's or Anna Miller's tradition, but without the fuddy-duddy floral upholstery.
Restaurants that try to be all things to all people usually end up satisfying no one, but Kaimana has proven twice that it is capable of serving light and heavy eaters adequately, and this restaurant should be no exception.
Health buffs head straight to the salad bar. For $6.99, it doesn't have the fancy toppings offered at other salad bars , but in addition to your garden salad, you can select from a couple of pasta salads, a fresh fruit salad and brown rice salad, finishing with a dessert of almond tofu -- enough food for anyone.
IF you want to cut expenses, opt for take-out "Asian Delight" entrees. Dishes such as Crispy Orange Chicken, with the sticky sweetness of a sugar-vinegar-orange marinade, costs $6.95 in house, $3.69 on a mini plate to go, or $4.69 on a two-item (your choice) mixed plate to go.Asian Delight entrees also fill an all-you-can-eat $9.99 buffet served 5 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. It's a great deal if you're in the mood for Chinese fare such as Schezhuan Eggplant ($6.25 off the menu), Spicy Mini Chicken ($6.95), Choi Sum and Mapo Tofu ($6.25).
The buffet also features a four-selection soup bar, salad bar, soft drink and almond tofu dessert. Kids under 12 owe $6.99 and also get a break on Keiki Wednesdays.
Elsewhere on the menu, there are appetizers of veggie-filled Spring Rolls ($3.95), deep-fried chile-coated Chicken Wings ($5.95) and Cocktail Shrimp. Accompanying sauces leave much to be desired.
Entree portions are too overwhelming for appetizers anyway. Kaimana piles on the BBQ Chicken ($5.95) and BBQ Beef ($6.25) that has the salty-plummy flavor of Chinese-style jerky.
"You didn't even touch your food," my tablemates accused. In fact, I had eaten a good third of Spaghetti with Clam Sauce ($6.25). It's not a dish I'd recommend to pasta lovers, buried as it is in a starchy, heavy cream sauce, dotted with a few bits of fresh onion and sprinkled with canned Parmesan.
Peanut Pasta Salad ($4.95) has its share of salt and fat from shoyu and sesame oil, but it has the refreshing flavor of carrots and julienned cucumbers that also fill the plate.
Waiters are a bit short on experience but bubble with the effervescence of youth.
It ain't pizza, but it'll do.
Kaimana Cafe Campus
Where: 1442 University Ave.
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com-- excellent;
