Ahi & Vegetable, an eatery with multiple Oahu locations, is known for its poke bowls and bentos. But did you know the biz recently started a food truck?
“It started in August,” confirms Jason Tiempo, one of the chefs at the food truck, along with Darol Palmerton. “The owners envisioned an express version of Ahi & Vegetable. We wanted to give the quality of fish that we have to people that can’t make it to our shops. We got this spot at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in late September.”
The food truck offers some of the same menu items that you can find at Ahi & Vegetable stores. However, be sure to check the specials board for featured items of the day.
“The basics (of our menu) are the same, when it comes to offering fresh fish and sashimi,” Tiempo says. “We do have some special rolls here, along with hot items like tomato bisque and ahi tuna melt combo ($14).”
Other popular food truck exclusives include ahi inari bombs ($13), spicy crab inari bombs ($8) and spicy ahi or spicy salmon nachos ($13).
“The spicy ahi inari bombs are a fan favorite,” Tiempo says. “They come with cilantro, aioli and unagi sauce on top for that umami taste. Both these and the crab inari bombs are torched.
“When it comes to the poke nachos, most people get the spicy ahi,” he adds. “The nachos come with spicy aioli and unagi sauce.”
If you want something filling and flavorful, order Bento No. 14 ($15.99), which comes with teri chicken, ahi poke, spicy ahi poke and sushi rice.
“It’s a full, packed meal; it can get anybody full,” Tiempo says. “All of our bentos come with sushi rice; we only carry sushi rice on the food truck.”
You can find the Ahi & Vegetable food truck by Campus Center at UH Manoa from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and at the Aloha Farm Lovers Pearlridge farmers market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
“We make everything with extra love,” Tiempo says. “We are proud of what we bring out to the students here, and we want to continue that. Also, anyone is welcome on campus to enjoy the food; the food truck is not limited to students.”
Ahi & Vegetable food truck
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2465 Campus Road, Honolulu
How to order: In person only
How to pay: Cash, credit cards, Venmo and Apple Pay accepted