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Filipino
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There are sometimes reservations regarding this particular cuisine, as locals cringe at some of the more exotic dishes that are played up and mentioned way too often by those eager to sensationalize a story, such as dinaguan, which is pork cooked in blood, balut, a semi-formed chicken still within the egg, and bagoong, a fermented fish or shrimp, which is the nice way to say rotten. And who, growing up in Hawaii, has not heard any of the infamous black dog stories? Though considered a delicacy in many cultures, including the ancient Hawaiians, here it is mostly attributed to the Filipino population. It's quite a shame that many people shy away from Filipino foods because of these more exotic・dishes, because, as in all cultures, there is always more to the story. The many very enjoyable dishes are as rich, diverse, and complex as any other food culture, if not more so.
Some of the more popular items that have earned their way into the mainstream and can often be found in plate lunch or okazuya houses are adobo, (a dish of pork, beef, chicken, or any other type of meat cooked in a base mixture of soy or salt with vinegar), lumpia (basically a fried spring roll), and pancit (a noodle dish of many variations). Other lesser-know items are pinakbet (a vegetable dish stewed with bagoong), kare-kare (stew), sinigang (a very sour, spicy soup), and tinola (a ginger soup with chicken and green papaya), as well as Chinese-style stir-fry' and Spanish-influenced paella dishes. For dessert, there is flan, banana lumpia, or the colorful concoction-in-a-cup called halo-halo, made by layers of shaved ice, sweetened milk, coconut and purple yam pudding, fruit, jello, and other sweet treats that form an explosion of colors and tastes! It's easy to see why the term halo-halo actually means mix-mix!
Da Big Boy's: Max's is the place to be; Mabuhay for soups and stews and a real hole-in-the-wall experience.
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Max's of Manila. 94-300 Farrington Hwy. at the Waipahu Shopping Plaza in Waipahu. 951-6297. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. Max 's is part of a large chain with restaurants in the Philippines and California. Its nickname is the house that chicken built.・This signature dish is a whole, half, or quartered bird, fried to a golden brown with a secret mix of herbs and spices. Max's has a casual, modern atmosphere and is probably the best choice for first-time Filipino food patrons who want to get their feet wet. It also has some great customer service, with friendly, attentive waitstaff and meals presented in short order.
Elena's. 94-866 Moloalo St. at the Tropicana Square in Waipahu. 676-8005. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. Elena's has been the perennial favorite for many years, before the advent of newer spots like Max's and Loulen's. This casual diner has all the traditional meals of sinigang, kare-kare, pancit, and more. Forget about the lumpia, though, which are tiny and pre-frozen.
Loulen's. 1125 N. King St. in Kalihi. 853-2212. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Parking outside store. Prices: $$. Map. Loulen's mixes standard Filipino dishes with American choices as well, such as a drunken seafood platter, roasted salmon, steaks, and burgers. They even have buttemilk pancakes and waffles for breakfast! The dining room is large, airy, and clean, as it is one of the newer Filipino restaurants to open up.
Mabuhay Cafe. A Closer Look. 1049 River St. near Chinatown. 545-1956. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking on street or in any municipal lot. Prices: $. Map. If you want traditional Filipino food in a shop that doesn't even try to go mainstream, this is your place. They make no concessions or compromises to their culture to cater to a larger audience, and continue making home-style dishes as they have been since 1963. They are famous for their large number of traditional, great tasting soups and stews available.
Thelma's. 94-366 Pupupani St. at the Westgate S.C. in Waipahu. 677-0443. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. Thelma's has a wide variety of traditional Filipino dishes, as well as a limited amount of American breakfast fare, burgers, and sandwiches. There is also an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch and dinner.
Julie's. 91-590 Farrington Hwy. at the Marketplace at Kapolei, in Kapolei. 693-8778. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. Another restaurant that gets raves within the Filipino community, Julie短 has a mean lechon Kawali (chopped crispy-fried pork mixed with onions and tomatoes) and shrimp sinigang (a clear, sour soup with whole shrimp and mixed vegetables), as well as the full line-up of Filipino specialties.
