The Weekly Eater
There are times when you're hungry and times when you're only sorta hungry. You Hungry? asks the all-important question and delivers a meal that fits your appetite just right. What kine hungry
are you today?This little eatery is local through and through, offering a range of take-out, plate-lunch standards ranging from the Mochiko Chicken ($6.05 hungry/$3.75 sorta) to Oxtail Soup ($7/$4), plus about five specials a day.
Indecisive types who understand the pain of not knowing exactly what they're hungry for, will be especially grateful for follow-up prompts, such as whether you prefer Beef Kine? Chicken Kine? Fish Kine? or Hapa Kine? entrees. And two-item combinations are made just for No Can Decide Kine people.
Once you say yes to a particular category, narrowing your choice to one of four or five items -- rather than the entire menu of 50-plus items -- should be relatively easy.
As if taking a cue from Sam Choy, You Hungry? keeps the quirks of the local palate close to heart. Therefore, a special of shutome is stuffed with spinach and slivers of shiitake, then topped with a rounded dollop of mayo. Some of you are probably saying "YIKES!" right now, but an equal number are thinking, "RIGHT ON!"
If you prefer fish without mayo, there's a Mahi Saute with Mushrooms and Onions ($6.25/$3.90) or deep-fried Furikake Mahi ($6.25/$3.90) with the nori stirred into the batter for a strong, unmistakable flavor. Ono!
Food: YOU HUNGRY?
1/2
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
Address: 1695 Kapiolani Blvd. (corner of Kapiolani and Atkinson Drive)
Pan-Fried Ribeye with Onions ($6.50/$3.90) is not served salt-and-pepper style as one might expect, but it's splashed with teriyaki sauce. Also, if you're a lazy eater, you'll be happy to hear the tender beef is pre-cut into bite-size chunks. Jus' swallow.
For these lunch plates, the difference between the Hungry? and Sorta Hungry? portions is whether you get one or two scoops of rice and whether you get both macaroni and a tossed green salad or just one.
Rather than give you one standard Hawaiian plate, You Hungry? offers a choice, so you can settle on Chicken Long Rice ($6.15/$3.90) if that's all you want, or order one of three Hapa Mix Plates. No. 3 ($7.85) offers a choice of chicken or pork laulau and one other item, in addition to the usual lomi salmon, haupia, two scoops rice and macaroni salad.
I didn't care much for the strong marinara accompanying some of the pastas served here. Those with a taste for garlic, however, will probably love the Spaghetti with Chicken and Mushrooms ($6.25/$3.90), even if it is rather oily.
And this couldn't be a local place without the fatty dessert. Choose from the likes of a Peanut Butter Cheesecake or Pumpkin Crunch ($2.75), with its shortbread crust, pumpkin pie center and walnut-and-sugar-crisp top, so rich even I could only eat a quarter of the slice.
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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
