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Big Wave Shrimp Truck, a closer look
Aloha!
1/16/09 - Straight from the rarified, candle-lit, fine-dining air of Chef Mavro's on our last Closer Look, we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of wild chickens, park benches, dirt parking lots, and make-shift roadside stands of the North Shore Shrimp Truck world! And today, we're following the one that surfs.
On the Waialua-side of the very end of Haleiwa Town, there sits a couple of dirt parking lots featuring Giovanni's, Macky's, and several other shrimp trucks. Don't look there. Big Wave Shrimp is located a bit further into Haleiwa Town, just past McDonald's and on the left-side. Can't miss it. Not with this sign right on the main road (Kam Hwy.) that cuts through the town:
The double sign kinda had me confused there for a while, as there really is a Famous Kahuku Shrimp Truck located on the other side of Haleiwa, next to the Kahuku Sugar Mill. But no, there's only one crustacean vendor behind this sign, and that's Big Wave Shrimp.
I kinda like the atmosphere here, as you don't sit under a huge tent flapping in the wind, but a giant, living, breathing organism, one of the wonders of the natural world, a sight so impressive, it'll make you believe in God. Sitting under the giant green canopy, you wonder how such a massive, imposing creature even came into existence. No, really - next time you sit under a tree at Kapiolani Park, Magic Island, or anywhere else, just look up and contemplate a bit. If the sheer scope of it all - the girth of its massive trunk, the spread of its ever-reaching branches, the amount of creatures taking refuge therein, the gusts of wind it generates, the surplus of life-giving oxygen it freely dispenses - if it aaall doesn't getcha real good, then son, you need to slow down! Focusing on tomorrow is not important enough to skip what you have today, even at this very moment!
And then, sitting right next-door, the One Love Surf Shop:
Surfing Shrimp? Contemplating under a tree? Dwelling in the now? One Love Surf Shop?
Cosmic, man, like, totally hippie-out.
And no, I didn't stick my face into either of those two holes:
Big Wave Shrimp Truck features not only shrimp plates, at $12, but also calamari, teriyaki chicken, steak, and even rib plates, as well, for between $8-10. Of course, I've never seen anything other than shrimp being the most popular item at any of these trucks, so why bother, unless on your third or fourth trek to any one vendor. I like trying side dishes or other entrees when I can, but only after sampling their more popular varieties of shrimp, especially butter/garlic shrimp. I mean, it's the pork ribs of American bbq, the burgers of fast-food, the pho in a Vietnamese restaurant. You'll see it here real soon, but first, check out this side-platter of fried spring rolls:
The sauce is the usual chili garlic Mae Ploy all the way, while the crispy rolls are made mostly from vegetables, such as cabbage, onions, and carrots. Not the worst I've had, but it was obvious that they were rolled much earlier and held in the fridge for a time, as the inner layers of wrapper (see the white's?) were thick and mushy, instead of being light and crispy. Just makes for a heavier, more crude spring roll, is all.
Did I forget to mention shave ice? Yeah, Big Wave Shrimp Truck carries the iconic summer treat, or all-year-long treat, if you happen to live in beautiful Hawaii-nei, and these mounds of flavored ice come loud and laaah-dge. However, at $3, they are a skosh expensive, and the ice is not very finely-shaven, as far as the best shave ice stops go. But no worries; you don't have to be a shave ice snob like me, you know...
There are several varieties of shrimp here, including garlic, spicy, coconut, pineapple, crispy, and even a peeled shrimp plate, for a dollar more! My order was of the fried variety, coming not as the panko-crusted katsu seen at most trucks, where they are mistakenly labeled tempura, but as batter-fried puffs:
On the good side, they were tasty, in a deep-fried way, and the batter was very crispy, for the most part. I say for the most part because there were a couple of pieces where two shrimps were stuck-together, and where their batters adjoined, these sections revealed mushy-soft, unpleasanty thick areas that were inedible. However, when pieces formed separately, the crusts were super-crunchy, much more on the heavy-crunchy side than the light-crunchy side, if you know what I mean. More corn-starch than flour and water, is all.
And yeah, it wasn't the cleanest oil, either, and the taste of the last few things dropped into the same vat of oil was also evident. No worries. More flavor, and more complex layerings, too. I hope you know I'm joking...
All in all, a mixed bag.
But at the end of the day, it's all about garlic shrimp. It's the only thing that really matters. Some call it scampi, some call it garlic, some call it house special. Whatever term used, it's always at the top of the list, and always comes with two potent ingredients as a base - garlic and butter! How can you go wrong?
And there's nothing wrong at all with Big Wave Shrimp's version, which arrives loaded with tons of garlic bits layered over both the shrimp and two scoops of rice!
Portions? Eeeh, decent. Size of tails? Eeeh, not bad. Taste? Yeah, on the better side. Split-shell's for easy consumption and minimum of paper towel usage (and soap afterwards!)? You got it.
Can't say much wrong about these baby's, as they were full of buttery, garlicky, greasy, sticky-fingered goodness, just as a good plate from a North Shore Shrimp Truck should be!
I know you all want the skinny, though. I know you all want me to compare these tails to those at other trucks. I do hate comparing, but you all hold me to the test. Simply said, they are very good, and worthy of a trip, most definitely, but I'm not quite willing to give them enough inertia to burst into the top echelon just yet.
But don't let that stop ya, please. Like those grabbing a shave ice at Aoki's when the line over at Matsumoto's has become waaay out of hand, it gets pretty darn crowded at some of the other shrimp trucks, so don't think that Big Wave Shrimp is not a great option. It is.
I know I said the next truck visited would be Blue Water Shrimp and Seafood Co., but this particular operation had a lot more layers of onion to peel-off, so to speak, and it has merited another visit to adequately create a finished product, so just hold-off there just a bit longer. Promise-promise, it'll either be the next Closer Look or the following one after that. Without saying too much, let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised by what we found. You'll see why soon...
Hope you're having a wonderful, fantabulous weekend! Ain't this gorgeous weather grand?!!!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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