Have it your way

Upon returning from Shanghai, I had a short list of restaurants due for a visit. "The List" is subject to change at any time, and a restaurant can jump the line for any of a variety of reasons. Maybe a more exciting cuisine or concept pops up. Maybe I have a particular craving. With Bowles Burritos a couple of older fans made a case for the small burrito shop outside the Kailua mainstream.

By Kailua measurement it’s far from the epicenter of shopping and dining, that area bounded by Whole Foods Market, Times Supermarket and the future Target. Bowles is in a row of unremarkable single-story businesses across from the police station.

Although I lived in Kailua for 10 years, I can’t remember what was there before. It’s not a stretch most people walk, though I believe there once was a secondhand sportings good store there, and Abe Cleaners is in the vicinity. Old-timers may even remember it was the site of an explosion from arson gone awry. The pyromaniac was caught when he landed square into the hands of the police.

I was game to visit Bowles, even though I’m not a big fan of burritos. I usually I find them to be overloaded with the most filling, cheapest and most bland of ingredients, rice.

Strangely enough, for a local of Chinese ancestry, I was born with an aversion to white rice, which carried over to other forms of rice, including Spanish rice. A born critic, even as a child I didn’t consider it a food — my dad could tell you stories about our dinnertime battles — and white rice is not very good for you, being full of glucose and having been processed until its nutritive content is gone.

Luckily, the friendly, family-owned and operated Bowles is the kind of place where the customer is always right. That means you can have your burrito made to your specs.

I couldn’t believe the number of options for the $6.95 price of a 10-inch regular burrito, or the $8.95 12-inch Bomber burrito.

I’m accustomed to two to four options offered at most places before you start having to pay extra. Here they walk you through the process that starts with choosing your meat or veggie filling, before piling on any or all of the following: black or refried beans, Spanish rice, cilantro, onions, lime, cheese, salsa and jala­peños.

The same choices are available if you choose tacos (two in flour tortillas for $4.95) or nachos, at $7.25 for a single layer or $9.55 for a double Bomber layer. You’ll pay extra for guacamole ($1) or sour cream (60 cents).

I was a little leery about guacamole squeezed out of a bottle, but at least it was avocado as opposed to the flavorless combination of avocado and mayonnaise served at some fast-food operations.

Only flour tortillas are available for the regular size-burritos, but the Bomber burrito comes with the option of a spinach or tomato tortilla as well.

As for meats, they include slices of grilled chicken, shredded beef, kalua pork and pork verde. For $1 extra there’s carne asada (grilled steak). Pork verde, in its tomatillo sauce, is a good choice for those who like their burritos moist and juicy. And the Hawaiian ambience comes through with the kalua pork.

Next time I go, I’ll probably try the assorted veggie filling I saw being prepared for someone else. It turns out to be an array of bell peppers, zucchini and summer squash sautéed in garlic.

I ordered tacos, nachos and one burrito sans rice but caved on the last burrito, thinking I had to try the Spanish rice. It proved innocuous in taste and texture, and with all the other ingredients, contributed to a pleasant, balanced blend of flavors.

If something seems missing from the flavor profile, I’d say you have only yourself to blame for excluding one of the key flavors when building your burrito. I didn’t care much for the tart salsa when sampled on its own, but it works well in combination with the rest of the ingredients.

The hefty Bomber burrito seems to weigh in at a pound, possibly more. So although there are bean-and-cheese burritos ($4.49) and cheesy nachos ($3.95) geared toward keiki, I saw parents cutting their own burritos into bite-sized segments for their little ones.

The only immediate improvement I’d propose is adding grilled fish or shrimp to the menu. It’s a no-brainer because every other taco and burrito joint has a seafood option.

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Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.