Heading to Kakaako for comfort food
Friday - October 10, 2008
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Kakaako Kitchen might be famous for its plate-lunch style and laid-back atmosphere, but when it comes to creating dishes that people crave, there’s no place that does it better.
Need a fix of shoyu chicken, two scoops and mac salad? It’s on the menu every day, along with Crispy Fried Sweet Chili Chicken ($8.75), Beef Stew ($7.95), Sweet and Sour Spareribs ($7.95), Pot Roast ($8.25), Meat Loaf ($7.95), Sautéed Mahimahi ($10.50) and a host of other hot entrees, salads and sandwiches.
With a menu of plate lunch favorites and Styrofoam-boxed comfort food, it’s easy to find a favorite. I go for the Chinese Five Spice Shoyu Chicken ($7.75) with a side of Nalo greens, no rice. Occasionally I’m tempted by the mahimahi with brown rice and salad, and without rigorous restraint I could eat the turkey and mashed potatoes every day.
But I’m not the only one who orders the same thing every visit. “Everyone does that,” says owner Russell Siu. “I do it too.”
For sushi cravings, he goes to Mitch’s; for oysters Rockefeller it’s Chart House; and for pork chops “it’s gotta be Side Street,” he says with a grin. “I expect those dishes to be on the menu there.”
For Kakaako Kitchen Chef Ben Aiana, his favorite is a grilled pastrami sandwich ($8.50), although he admits to liking almost everything on the menu.“I like stuff pretty simple,” says Aiana, who was recently promoted to head chef.
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The menu does change - recent items like Furikake Tempura Catfish with Ponzu Sauce ($8.29), Island Style Chicken Linguine and Two Tofu Sauté ($7.95) have become instant winners - but it’s getting hard to find space to add new entrees.
You can’t touch the beef stew, the Chinese five spice shoyu chicken or the mahi plate, says the staff, and don’t even think about moving the hamburger steak or the meat loaf.
So when the food is this good and this consistent, you can be pretty sure that the catering department sends out more of the same. Dena Togafau is the catering manager responsible for coordinating orders for anything from small backyard parties of 20 to gatherings of hundreds.
“We cater to everyone, really,” she says.“Most people know that we serve a plate-lunch kind of menu, so even if there’s a group smaller than 20, we can work with them to order from our menu and serve the food buffet style.”
For larger parties, choose from a vast catering menu, or ask the chefs to design something for your event.
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“We’ll customize anything people want,“says Togafau.“People tell me their budget, the kinds of food they like, and then Russell puts together a fabulous menu.”
And with portion sizes known to be generous, there’s never any worry that guests may go home hungry.
“It’s the opposite with our catering,“says Togafau, “Guests go home with leftovers.”
From bento boxes ($7.75) packed with homemade meatloaf, crispy fried sweet chili chicken, furikake salmon, steamed rice and wok-fried noodles, to pupu platters that start at $16.75 and include assorted veggies, potato mac salad, crispy fried sweet chili chicken, char siu chicken, spring rolls with a plum sauce, mahi katsu strips with green onion aioli and wok-fried noodles, there’s something for everyone. There are a la carte platters that serve about 50, or smaller, casual barbecue menus with pupu like grilled salmon skewers, mac nut chicken on a stick, bruschetta, toasted eggplant crostini, and crab salad-stuffed mushrooms.
Set lunch and dinner buffet menus start at $18.25 with an Island-themed buffet of Nalo Greens, potato mac salad, crispy fried sweet chili chicken, sautéed mahi dori with lemon ginger sauce, wok-fried veggies, steamed rice and double chocolate brownies.
Kakaako Catering also has a breakfast buffet that includes dozens of items, including corned beef hash, bacon and smoked ham, steamed rice, fruit skewers, coffee, tea and French toast. Perfect for that business meeting that needs to get off to a great start.
The large menu works well when helping people decide what they want, says Togafau.“It is a lot of food, but it means that people get exactly what they want for their party.”
Behind the scenes, the large menu doesn’t pose many problems for Chef Aiana and his staff.
“We’re pretty organized and just having everyone on the same page is crucial to things running smoothly,” he says.
So with a menu that can’t get much bigger and a catering business that bridges the gap between plate-lunch flavor and elegant buffet, what can Kakaako do next?
How about curbside pickup for dinner?
“We’re thinking of introducing prepared meals and entrees with side dishes pretty soon,” says Siu. “We know that a lot of people don’t have time to shop or cook during the week, and we want to be able to provide good food for families at a reasonable price.”
Simply call ahead, order dinner and drive by.
“We want to take the hassle out of cooking for people,” says Siu. “Give them more time to spend relaxing.”
And eating well.
Kakaako Kitchen Catering
1200 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu
596-7491
catering@kakaakokitchen
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