9/19/08 - Anyone ever check out Magic Island on a Friday late-afternoon/early evening? Not a bad place to hang out, it is. First of all, the Waikiki Yacht Club has a little pow-wow out on the water, their long line of sailboats streaming in and out of the harbour every Friday before sundown. Makes for a romantic little excursion while also enjoying the beautiful ocean, stunning sunsets, and over-all positive vibe at the park itself - skater's, joggers, fisherman, surfers, canoe paddlers, swimmer's, and healthy activities of all kinds mix with hibachi get-together's, family's enjoying themselves, kids everywhere, and, of course - TGIF as an added bonus!!! I just love the feel of it all!
Here's one of the many sailboats, coming in just before it starts getting dark.
And also a few of his friends...
An added bonus awaits every Friday night, at either 7:30pm or 8pm, depending on the season, when the Hilton Hawaiian Village puts out a Fireworks show for all of Waikiki and the Ala Moana area to see! Sure, it's not a half-hour 4th of July event, but still spectacular and fun, nonetheless.
The best place to be is right at the Ala Moana Bowl's parking lot or on the beach fronting the Hilton, but our view from Magic Island was still a straight-shot and pretty good in itself. Apparently, many others thought so, too, as evidenced by the good-sized crowds gathering for the show.
Here's another shot across the channel, minus the fireworks and a little earlier in the evening.
After the show it was getting a bit chilly, and wifey, who is always cold, needed some hot pho. As much as I love this Vietnamese soup/noodle, I never order it anymore, preferring to sample other dishes instead. Yes, absolutely, there is more to Vietnamese food than pho, yes? Besides, no matter what I order, I always get a taste of her bowl, anyway. And speaking of non-pho dishes, Bac Nam on S. King St. is one of the best places to find a wider variety of Vietnamese foods. The menu is more diverse than most in this genre, with delicacies like jelly fish salad, stuffed squid or chicken wings, grilled beef in lotus leaf, tamarind shrimp, lamb curry, a variety of special hotpots like fish, oxtail, vegetarian, and pork rib, as well as all your favorites found at most Vietnamese restaurants - you know, lemongrass chicken, grilled pork, spring rolls, summer rolls, etc.
Straight-away's I knew I wanted a hot plate of garlic unchoi as a side dish, one of my favorite Asian stir-fry vegetables. Most people prefer choi sum, the yellow-flowered, broad-leafed green found in Chinese restaurants everywhere, but I like the crunchy, hollow stems of unchoi and, especially, the soft leaves that melt so easily, soaking up all the delicious sauces that are applied in the process. It's flavor is a bit more wild and gamey than others, which is one of the reasons I like it.
Wifey ordered a small bowl of beef pho, as always. Furthermore, as always, what more can I say about pho? Hints of clove, cinammon, anise, and other herbs, a flavorful, beefy broth, and a mess of basil, hot peppers, and beansprouts to add in? I am still not aware of any restaurant that carries a bad bowl of pho - not one - and Bac Nam is definitely no exception to this rule.
Looking over the menu, my eyes stopped upon the title of fried spicy lemongrass-marinated fish. Quite enough to peak my interest, I asked our kind server to elaborate a little more. He said it was a yellow corvina, the variety so popular in Korean restaurants, and it came, much to my delight, whole, not cut into steaks or fillets. When it comes to fish, why bother filleting? Leave it as is - fins, head, tail, eyeballs and all! I love it this way. Of course, you still gotta take out the guts and scales, but that's about it.
Slits were cut down the side, allowing for even cooking and more flavor to seep into the meat. It was also covered with sauteed garlic, ginger, and green onion and a side of sweet/sour fish sauce. The flavors on this guy were simply incredible, the firm, bold texture and taste of the yellow corvina perfect for this type of preparation. Like a Japanese karei (flounder) karaage, most of the fish, including the tail, fins, and bones, were crisped-up enough to eat, with only the largest, hardest of calcified sections left sitting on theplate by the time I was finished.
If you're looking for a flaky, white, tender, and sophisticated fish, stay away. If you're looking for a deep-fried, heavily-flavored infusion that will titillate every sensory section of your tongue, this is your dish. The only drawback is that the oil was a bit much, even for me. As long as you don't eat till you're beyond stuffed, this will be a very enjoyable meal - just remember, lots of hot tea!
I'm still interested in coming back and trying the many other dishes they prepare here. It's always comforting when a Vietnamese restaurant is not quite as dingy and beyond-casual as the ones found in Downtown or a few other places. No, you won't find people yelling back and forth from the kitchen in inaudible languages or employees preparing dishes on tables that are supposed to be for guests. But then again... those are pretty fun, too, aren't they?
Bac Nam is nothing fancy, but is clean, comfortable, and definitely more hospitable than anything in Downtown. In fact, it's quite similiar in atmosphere to Pho Mai just down the road and Pho Thinh further down. All three are great places for getting a taste of Vietnam.
And finally, I'll leave you with a last pic of the entrance, taken on a separate evening.
Y'all take care and thanks for stopping by! Till next time...
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