The other half of eating for a living is trying to keep off the excess weight.
What’s a person who hates exercise to do? Well, this year I decided to take up dance, which feels more creative and fun than any other form of exercise.
But the classes leave me hungry and I use the workout’s burning of calories to justify eating more. Many of my classes are at Star Fitness in Puck’s Alley, a walk away from healthful fare at Kokua Market and Down to Earth. For half a year, those have been my go-to spots after morning classes, but lately there’s been a spate of newcomers to the area.
The new student apartment building Hale Mahana has welcomed mainland-based chains Pieology (custom pizzas) and Raising Cane’s (Louisiana-style chicken fingers).
Across the street on University Avenue, Phuket Thai Express is open with a menu of Thai plates and curries to go.
The most interesting of the bunch are a small-concept kitchen testing forward- looking food sustainability ideas and a local-style popup by a familiar face, chef Jon Matsubara.
Farm to Fork Manoa
Puck’s Alley, 1009 University Ave.
At first glance, this restaurant next to Nijiya Market looks like a standard plate-lunch spot, with counter service and hot trays that allow diners to choose from the day’s offerings. But the small menu features local fare that is fresh and of high quality, for prices of $9 for a mini and $13 for a two-protein plate.
A friend and I were whispering, “How can they afford to do this? This is crazy.”
“They’re going to hook us, then raise their prices for sure.”
That’s when co-owner Jimmy Lower told me of the restaurant’s sister operation, Diamond Head Luau, which shares the kitchen and allows for leveraging the cost of ingredients. Farm to Fork can then indulge its lofty aim of increasing diners’ knowledge of food and nutrition, while supporting local farmers and ranchers and reducing dependence on imported food.
Although increased talk of sustainability and “Eat Local” campaigns have led us to believe in a better future, Lower is less optimistic. “There are so many mainland franchises slated to come here in the next two years, bringing the worst kind of food for you. But why would you choose that if we could offer local, fresh agriculture in an affordable way, and support the local economy?”
In the kitchen is chef Jean-Pierre Maharibatcha, who spent more than 14 years in the kitchens of Ritz-Carlton hotel restaurants throughout the country before joining Halekulani’s Orchids restaurant.
More recently, he was responsible for the vegan menu at Kokua Market. At Farm to Fork, his food is satisfying, whether you’re a vegan or bona fide meat eater.
A mini plate provides one protein choice and one side. But I get the regular, with two proteins and two sides, because it’s so hard to pick from a list that includes taro hummus, purple sweet potato, lomi salmon and a lomi-style salad of crisp hoio fern shoots with tomatoes and raw onions.
And the poi is interesting, made in-house from Chinese taro so it’s sweeter and thicker, with a texture of mashed potatoes, than the slick paste many detest. I’ll be back for more, for sure.
There’s a roster of six protein choices to date, and all are tempting, from juicy kalua pork to a quarter-portion of free-range, rotisserie chicken. I’m not a beef-stew person, but I loved Maharibatcha’s version, a touch sweeter than most sour tomato stews.
A creamy vegan curry is made with coconut milk, tofu and veggies; and, for fish lovers, the catch of the day can be simply grilled or sauteed with tomatoes, onions and dill. You could also upgrade, selecting three pieces of soy-marinated kalbi for $2 more.
Also worth trying is the chef’s soup du jour ($6) which was of eggplant and parsnips when I visited. Delicious!
———
Feast @ Cafe Anasia
2227 S. Beretania St.; 840-0488. Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
Jon Matsubara is among a handful of local chefs I’d like to see strike out on their own, but financing is a huge obstacle for independents.
Matsubara has found a solution via a lunchtime pop-up within Cafe Anasia, a bar owned by his sister-in-law. The bar doesn’t open until 2 p.m. on weekdays, making it possible for Matsubara — most recently with Bloomingdale’s and Merriman’s Honolulu — to cater to a lunch crowd. The setup is indefinite while the chef scouts other locations.
On the menu are casual yet gourmet plates he came up with after polling neighbors as to what they would like to eat.
The best-seller by far is a couple of thick, compact Hilo-style hamburger steak patties ($14) served with rice, grilled onions and slaw.
Garlic and rosemary fries ($5) are a no-brainer, a plus on any menu, but a couple of my favorites were complete surprises. I don’t even like watercress, but found myself ordering the Ono Salt Beef Watercress Soup ($15) twice. The watercress is chopped fine enough to be palatable, without much bitterness, and the boiled short ribs were nice and homey. Chili pepper bouillon gave it enough of a kick to raise the interest quotient.
And few people do chow fun right outside of Chinatown, but ginger- scallion chicken ($14) with the noodles direct from Chinatown’s Ying Leong Look Funn Factory was another winner. Soy-sesame chili paste and housemade sambal were perfect enhancers for the noodles, and meshed beautifully with the flavors of cold ginger chicken.
Another of my favorites is a combo of a rich, creamy mushroom bisque combined with a mini mushroom sandwich with dashi cream and umami aioli ($10).
Those in need of greens could order a composed salad ($15) of kale, green beans, a small portion of green papaya salad and mound of warm butter-poached crab salad.
Meat lovers can sate themselves with kalua pig sammies ($10) topped with green-papaya kimchee, smoked provolone and soy-caramelized onions, or a McBara burger ($14) topped with thick-cut bacon, caramelized onions and “Magic” sauteed mushrooms. Matsubara sometimes offers a special of a McBara rib sandwich.
Specials give ample reason to return. You never know when rib-eye steak frites ($20) might appear, or a Thai-style garlic shrimp bouillabaisse ($15) flavored with kaffir, or a vegan dish of tempura pumpkin and vegetables ($12).
Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.
