Lam’s Garden, one of the few Chinese restaurants in Kahala, will close in late August after more than 30 years in a small retail complex across from Kahala Mall.
Kamehameha Schools is redeveloping Kahala Square, a blocklong section along Waialae Avenue, and Lam’s owner Cami Antolin said the eatery will not re-open there or elsewhere.
Antolin has owned the restaurant with her brother Liwai Zhong since taking over from Brian Lam in 2007.
She said that since the renovation was announced, customers have been moaning: “Oh no! Where we going now? They love this food over here.”
Among the most popular items are the shrimp with glazed walnuts, salt-and-pepper pork chops, and beef with broccoli — “everything is good!” she added.
Longtime customer Jeani Jow said the affordable mom-and-pop eatery, run by kind, hardworking people, has long been treasured by her popo (grandmother), husband and son. The last time they ate there — earlier this month — Popo reminisced about how much she enjoyed her frequent visits with her girlfriends when younger, Jow wrote in an email.
Among all the “onolicious” dishes, Jow said her favorites include steamed fish with ginger and green onion, Mongolian beef and stuffed eggplant.
Antolin said she and her brother decided to call it quits because it would be too hard to re-open elsewhere, and it is already difficult to find staff to cover the long shifts, six days a week.
Lam’s has about 10 employees, some of them part time, including Zhong’s wife and many other relatives who have since retired. Antolin’s mother helped fold gau gee and wonton dumplings up until a year ago, before she moved farther away.
Kamehameha Schools is renaming the complex Kahala Marketplace, and it will stretch from Hunakai Street to Kilauea Avenue. Construction is set to start in September, with an opening date of 2020.
