A slice of the islands in a Kent strip mall
On a blustery, way-too-wintry October day in Kent, I couldn’t have been thinking more about hoping a jet to Hawaii.
But there are a million reasons why a trip to the land of sun and sand wasn’t an option. Good thing the Aloha Hawaiian Grill just opened up a few blocks from my office.
I’ve watched the restaurant construction in stages and waited for the day I could try it. Although it’s been open only a week, the grill was packed at lunch. It seemed that all the area office-park workers were lining up to get a taste of the new restaurant.
Almost everything on the menu is served as a plate lunch - the Hawaiian staple that consists of an entrée portion of meat or seafood, accompanied by two scoops of white rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.
They also serve burgers, breakfast and Spam. Hawaiians are known for their Spam consumption, so it’s only natural that this rectangular, gelatinous meat would appear on the menu.
Fried and accompanied by rice and fried eggs, the Spam in the O’hana breakfast ($4.95) was better than I expected. The dish was a little salty, but a good option for breakfast that’s served all day.
For lunch, I went for the Island BBQ combo ($7.95) - a plate of barbecued chicken, beef and short ribs. The thinly sliced beef in sweet sauce was the best of the meat selections. The chicken wasn’t memorable, and the short ribs were gristly.
My companion chose the garlic shrimp ($7.45). Her only complaint was that the shrimp weren’t completely shelled, resulting in a messy dining experience.
The restaurant was too crowded to eat in, so we ordered to go. I wasn’t sad there weren’t any available tables. The blaring Hawaiian music was hokey, and the fluorescent tangerine walls were so bright I wondered if they were actually emitting UV rays.
Last time I had a plate lunch, I was in Maui. A Kent strip mall cannot be fairly compared with Maui, but on a stormy fall day, I’ll take the slice of aloha anywhere I can.
Lauren Vane: 253-234-8604 or lvane@seattletimes.com