Many of you know and understand local cuisine and are aware that a plate lunch is unique to this section of the world. So my lunch partner and I, or as we like to call ourselves, “Phat vs. Food,” figured it was time to establish a few “Plate Lunch Standards” for our food reviews moving forward. Here is the standard that we believe should be the standard islandwide, and yes; we do consider a Loco Moco a plate lunch. The main dish should be: two heaping scoops of rice, and a rice scoop of macaroni salad. You are probably saying to yourself, “don’t we already practice this as standard?”, unfortunately, not anymore. Many local eateries have fallen into the trap of “on the side” ordering which we find reprehensible. We believe that if we have to order macaroni salad on the side it’s a point deduction and if that mac salad is smaller than the rice scoop it’s another deduction as well. If you order a Loco Moco and they are stingy with the gravy and/or the fried egg’s yolk doesn’t ooze over the hamburger and rice unless you order your yolk “over hard”, that is a deduction as well. Finally, if there is more rice on your plate than the main dish we consider that the ultimate insult. Now back to the review of Bamboo Grille.
On Lower Main Street, Wailuku sitting atop a steep incline and nestled between dentist and business offices lies a little out of the way family restaurant called “Bamboo Grille.”
Once you open Bamboo Grille’s doors, you notice that it is quite a cozy establishment. The front of house is narrow leading to a bigger dining room toward the back. The ambiance was quaint and had beautiful local art strewn about the walls. I must make mention of the “Phat friendly” seats. I went with my lunch partner and gentlemen as portly as we greatly appreciated the chairs with no arms.
When we were sat down, we were greeted by a lovely and personable waitress who made small talk with us. Then proceeded to go over what she thought was good on the menu. I’m a patron that appreciates that level of service; when I come in as a customer who knows very little about the menu I always asks what my server recommends.
I’m a big believer in the “less is more” theory when it comes to menu selection. I believe the fewer choices on a menu means the chef has more time to spend on fewer dishes, which translates to better tasting food and faster service. The menu at Bamboo Grille is quite extensive and has four to five pages. I believe the prior statement does hold true for Bamboo Grille, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t put together a decent meal. Selections range from breakfast standards to local favorites. My lunch partner and I found the page dedicated to all of their specialty Loco Moco’s to be the most intriguing. Their selections of Loco Moco’s range from traditional Loco Moco’s to the specialty Sumo Loco Moco. After much consideration, We proceeded to order from the Loco Moco page. I got the Sumo Loco Moco, which consisted of chicken katsu, two hamburger patties, and a slice of teri beef. My lunch partner got the Curry Katsu Moco and we also both ordered a small saimin and a side of macaroni salad.
Our lunches came out in a timely fashion and both dishes were hot and fresh. My Sumo loco moco had a great, fresh taste. What sets apart most Loco Moco’s is the gravy and Bamboo Grille has great tasting gravy. Sadly, not all was right in my Loco Moco. The “standards” were held up properly, but I found the hamburger patties to be too thin and not hearty enough. The teri beef, while good on its own, didn’t taste great when paired with the burger and the katsu. The katsu, on the other hand was crispy and quite tasty. My lunch partner’s Loco Moco was just katsu, but he had it “curry style”. Let me tell you we both enjoyed Bamboo Grille’s curry. If I could’ve changed one item on my Sumo Loco Moco, it would’ve been substituting the gravy for the curry. Even with the gravy bring really good.
The saimin sides that were ordered weren’t extraordinary, but were still quite tasty. Even on such a hot day. It had a good soup base, fresh noodles and it made for a decent bowl of saimin. The macaroni salad on the other hand was a bit bland and not exciting. The waitress recommended next time we order the “Pineapple Coleslaw.” She then gave us a sample of the coleslaw and it was delicious. The pineapple coleslaw proved to be tasty, fresh, and crispy with just a hint of pineapple. We recommend the coleslaw instead of the macaroni salad when you order.
After our meal, we had an opportunity to sample Bamboo Grille’s version of an Oahu restaurant pancake recipe: Macadamia nut pancakes with a vanilla creme sauce. While Bamboo Grille’s version doesn’t come close to the classic, it was enjoyable to experience the essence of what we remembered.
Our Bamboo Grille experience can be summed up as follows: great service, good food, but with a few missteps. We look forward to going back soon if only for that coleslaw and curry.