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| - Clean place in a nondescript strip mall. Decent, fresh food. OK service.
I've been looking for a good Hawaiian BBQ place here in the Valley since I moved here. I can't say that I really have found it yet, but this was decent. When I first came here, I walked in to a nearly empty restaurant and became a little nervous, considering that it was right at the time when there should be a lunch rush. But it turned out that we had beaten the crowd, and it filled up decently after we arrived.
When I ordered, the cashier wasn't particularly helpful. I asked if there were any substitutes for the macaroni salad, which I can't eat, and he said "more rice". I asked if there was anything else, but he said no. I paid and was about to sit down and noticed the pictures on the menu with vegetables on the very plate I had ordered. I asked him if there were vegetables, and he said yes, so I asked if I could have more of those instead of the macaroni salad. He said OK to that, so it worked out, but it seemed like a lot of effort to get there.
On to the food. They cooked everything fresh while we were waiting. The food all came out nice and piping hot. I ordered the chicken and pork combo plate, which came with rice, steamed cabbage, teriyaki chicken, and kalua pork (also, it normally comes with macaroni salad). Everything was good, but nothing was great. The chicken was nice, hot, and tender. It was a little under-seasoned, but with some sauce, it was good. And it was definitely cooked right. The pork was a little dry. Teriyaki sauce is available by request, but considering the lack of flavor and dryness, maybe it should come with the plate by default. Also, quantity: I am used to being stuffed when I go to Hawaiian BBQ places. I left here not only not stuffed, but a little hungry still. I acknowledge that I eat more than a lot of people, but it just didn't meet my expectations of this type of establishment.
Price: This is definitely a bargain. For a really low price, you get a decent amount of freshly-made, solid food. It's definitely a good stop for lunch. It won't blow your socks off--well, it won't blow my socks off--but it's a much better option than many out there for a good lunch.
I wouldn't mind coming back. But it's not at the top of my list.
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