As a person who works with words, I am sensitive to their connotations and I noticed that one word used in an eatery’s name always gives me pause when thinking about visiting the venue. That word is “chubby” or its alternative spelling “chubbie.”

Whenever I see it, my subconscious worries, “Is this food gonna make me chubby?”

A quick check of Viet Chubby Boy’s menu online offered relief because of the relatively healthful quality of Vietnamese cuisine that incorporates a load of herbs and vegetables.

It turns out “Chubby” was a loving nickname bestowed long ago on chef/owner Kevin Nguyen Tran by his wife. Except these days, he’s not so chubby anymore after losing more than 20 pounds — and counting — from eating healthier during the pandemic, then running around trying to get his restaurant open in the Kapalama Shopping Plaza. His restaurant is in the former Old Saimin House space.

Originally from Vietnam, he didn’t start cooking until enrolling in the culinary programs at Leeward and Kapiolani community colleges, and as happens in multicultural Hawaii, his memories of flavors from home are sometimes fused with Japanese and Korean accents, resulting in a menu that easily encompasses both traditional and original.

This is most pronounced in an appetizer of fluffy Japanese cheese omelet ($9.50) dressed with mayo and a house okonomiyaki-style sauce.

Garlic, lemongrass and other Vietnamese herbs perfume Tran’s version of grilled kalbi ($17.75) served on a rice plate with poached egg, Vietnamese pickled vegetables and kimchi.

Kimchi also reappears on a combo rice plate ($18.90) of kalbi and shoyu-marinated barbecue pork. The pork is also delicious in a bowl of vermicelli ($13) with crunchy spring rolls and plenty of veggies.

In this small, husband- and-wife run operation, the menu is smaller than many other Vietnamese restaurants, but you will find a little bit of every essential.

Before hitting those entrées, you’ll find the requisite starters of spring rolls ($12.50) and rice paper-wrapped summer rolls ($9.50) filled with vermicelli, sliced shrimp and vegetables enjoyed with a peanut butter dipping sauce.

There are also Chubby spicy wings ($11.75), fried chicken coated with a tangy house sauce, and something I’d never tried before, a bowl of Vietnamese fried corn ($9.95), with the kernels tossed in a spicy sauce spiked with pungent dried baby shrimp. My Chinese palate, trained on harm har (shrimp paste) and dried shrimp, appreciated the familiar flavor.

There are three pho options hitting the major categories of beef ($15.50), with rare steak, stewed brisket and meatballs; oxtails ($19.95) served with hoisin sauce and a housemade relish of garlic and chilies; and vegetables ($14.50), with tofu, carrots, broccoli and cabbage served in the house beef broth.

For dessert, there’s mango pudding ($5.75). What I wanted to try were the trio of vanilla, Kona coffee and ube ice cream sliders ($7.50), but unfortunately was too full for that.

A dessert-like drink of housemade jujube (red date) iced tea ($4.75) might also fulfill a craving for something sweet to end a meal. Thick with honey, it might be too sweet for some but can be fixed by adding some of your drinking water to the glass after each gulp.

Viet Chubby Boy

Kapalama Shopping Plaza,
1311 N. King St., Honolulu
Food: ****
Service: ****
Ambiance: **½
Value: ****
Call: 808-888-2020
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays
Prices:About $40-$60 for two

Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).