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Youngs Kalbee, a closer look
Aloha!
9/20/09 - I'm sure you all know by now just how large Korean meals can be anywhere on the island, and so after some giant, really tasty Korean plates from Young's Kalbee, wifey and I had to sweat some of it out with a late-afternoon jaunt through the Ka Iwi Shoreline area, affectionately known as Alan Davis. Sandwiched between Sandy Beach/Erma's and the Makapuu Pt., the entire section of wilderness has been kept free from encroaching development, making it a favorite playground for 4-wheeler's, fisherman, hikers, bikers, and anyone looking to get away from the crowds. Nowadays, though, it's a lot more crowded than it was before, thanks to the newly-opened parking lot the City opened a couple of years ago. Now, not only do more people make their way up the paved trail to the lighthouse, but they also drop-down into the Ka Iwi shoreline trail to play, as well.
This place can get really hot and dry mid-day, which is probably a big reason why we came closer to evening, when the temperature was very manageable. It wasn't long before one of the coves was within sight, and we gladly traded walking on dirt and rock with the soft sands of the beach. Isn't this sight, like, in some movie or something?
There are two large coves in the area, and this one is the smaller of the two. It's actually not the prettiest cove in the world, but eeeh, it's still a fun place to go adventuring. The jet-black lava rocks on the right were stained a bit from the dirt, and the shade from the Makapuu hill next-door cast a pale, dull veil over the waters, which are actually very clear. Nevertheless, it's just another beach we in the islands are so blessed to be able to access any ol' time we want!
From the cove, you can also climb the hill which leads to the main, paved walk up to the Lighthouse, but we only accessed a clearing half-way up, just to gain better view of the shoreline:
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This whole area has been the site of numerous attempts at development projects ranging from houses to beach rentals to a full-blown resort, but there's a pretty good grass-roots campaign by several community groups that have protected the place admirably thus far.
Around the bend it gets treacherous, with giant waves smashing upon the base of the sheer, steep walls that comprise the Makapuu Cliffs.
Our little tour of the Ka Iwi coast over, let's reverse back in time several hours, to a tiny, non-descript, low-key eatery, one that has always seemed to garner lots and lots of attention from island diners far and wide. I've been hearing about this place from folks of all backgrounds and cultures - Japanese, Haole, Korean, any kine! Everyone seems to agree that it has some pretty darn tasty, very reliable, and super ono-kine grinds. Young's Kalbee is the name, and Korean is its aim, but like many inexpensive Korean plate-lunch-type spots, they often throw-in a few local items, as well, such as chicken katsu or hamburgers.
Though take-out and call-ahead party pans are popular, as in the Yummy's/Gina's brand of plate lunch-style Korean, Young's Kalbee differentiates itself from the genre by also having a regular, sit-down restaurant, complete with waitservice and booths for dining. On a crowded day, there's no extra waithelp so they can be a bit short-staffed, but the owner there is very kind and she'll do her best to keep you happy.
As you can see, it's pretty laid-back here. Nothing fancy at all. Their ticket to fame, however, doesn't come from atmosphere or service - it comes from good ol' Korean bbq, with island-style touches here and there, of course. And why do I say island-style, too? Well... the reasons are many, but I'll be calling them throughout the remainder of this page, so just read on. First of all, and even before we get to the mixed bbq plate, let's check out another mixed plate, one of the deep-fried variety, instead!
I guess one thing that both local and Korean meals-alike have in common are truly gigantic portions. I know both plate lunch spots and Korean spots, including right here at Young's Kalbee, that can't even fit a single order into one of these giant styrofoam boxes - a feat in itself! Unlike the next plate, this one above did manage to fit, albeit just barely, bulging on all sides from the stress.
On the left is an order of chicken katsu, while to your right are three very large, plump pieces of fried mandoo. A mandoo done right, like at So Gong Dong in the McCully Shopping Center, is to die for, but this one was definitely the weak link out of everything we experienced here today. Though the size of each dumpling was impressive indeed, the wrapper was thick and soggy, while the insides were an unexciting mix of mostly vegetables. The katsu, on the other hand, was much more enjoyable:
Ok, you can probably tell by the pic that this katsu ain't gonna win any awards for presentation, general care, or culinary skills, with its un-uniformly colored crust and specks of burnt residue from old oil! But nevertheless, at $7-$12 per bulging plate that could easily feed two, da buggah was still ono! A big reason for the great taste is that unlike most orders of chicken katsu that are flavored simply with salt, this one came with chicken that was marinated in a local-style teriyaki sauce, and I only say local teriyaki because in true form, it was much sweeter than either Japanese or Korean bbq will ever be. The soy and sweetness adds another dimension that caters well to the island palate and all those looking for bold, strong flavors in general.
Hiding under the dumplings were a few types of banchan - a salted cabbage, a wakame salad, and beansprouts, along with sides of kim chee presented separately. Oops, I guess it didn't all fit into one plate!
The next order was truly fit for only the largest of eaters - a collossal stack of banchan, bbq chicken, kalbi, and meat jhun. Why, it was so jam-packed full of meat, not a single grain of rice was found anywhere on the plate, but instead, due to a serious shortage of space, needed to be included separately!
Yeah, you can't really see what's going on here except for that large piece of meat jhun on-top, which is, by the way, one of their big-seller's here. Just like their chicken katsu, the beef from this meat jhun is marinated in a local-style teriyaki sauce, as well. Though meat jhun anywhere is marinated in a teri sauce first, it's normally nowhere near as strong nor as sweet as you'll find it here, where the super-bold flavors of soy and sugar are very pronounced, and far off the scales of any strictly traditional Korean eatery.
The end-taste, however, suits me just fine, and judging by most people I've personally heard from, none of us would have it any other way!
Sitting just under the meat jhun were an incredible four pieces of bbq chicken - enough to make an entire plate at most plate lunch houses!
You know, while the meat jhun and kalbi get most of the attention here, don't ever think about ignoring their bbq chicken. Made from small, de-boned thighs, they are the perfect size for this type of meal, as larger pieces are not nearly as tender, have small sections of fat that can't be cut out (adding to the flavor!), and don't soak-in nearly as much of that lovely sauce, which was very lovely, indeed! A bit on the sweet side, I couldn't get enough of it, even spooning a bit on my rice, which I almost never do when it comes to local-style bbq. Placing a thigh or two on my rice is usually enough to get the job done, but with this sauce, I just wanted to maximize the benefits as much as possible!
Ditto's for their kalbi, which is flavored with the same sauce, or something very close to it, at least. What can I say about Young's Kalbee kalbi? Well... how 'bout... pretty darn good!
I guess the epitome of this eatery is most well-represented through its delicious, well-flavored, very tasty meats, whether they come from bbq items like kalbi and grilled chicken to fried items like jhun and katsu. The very bold sensation on your palate can be almost overwhelming upon first bite, especially with their meat jhun and katsu, but somehow, someway, the salty and sweet still manages to balance-out well without being too crude. With such a punch, and at such high flavor levels, it seems they push the envelope right-out to the edge, to the Wow-factor area, stopping just shy of becoming, well... outright sinful and improper! You get the feeling just one more half-spoon of sugar, one more splash of shoyu, or one more pour of sesame oil, would throw everything out-of-whack and cause a momentous shift in the force, causing disastrous results at such heightened levels of play. The way I see it, while most wouldn't even attempt it, Young's Kalbee seems to straddle the fine line's of every angle perfectly.
I guess that's why they keep coming back...
Yeah, it's an in-your-face style. And yeah, it's of the plate lunch variety, mostly. But aaaah, for a construction worker-type meal, a blue-collar special, of which I am, this place really knows how to satisfy.
I'll leave you with one more shot, of the entrance, which is located in that small maze of malls across of busy Moanalua Rd. and the Aiea Shopping Center, which houses Times, McDonald's, and The Alley.
Hope you're all having a great and wonderful weekend! Don't let it be like the last, when you did nothing! Eeeasy, just joking. You probably did more than me! But if I was right.... hey, go hit the Makapuu trail, take the kids to the beach, the park, a fair, a show - something... anything! You won't be sorry!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
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