The Virginian-Pilot
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At the Hawaiian Aloha BBQ, the food comes fast, but it's definitely not fast food.
On a recent Wednesday evening, my daughter and I stopped in for dinner. It's been on my to-do list, which is always too long, ever since I noticed the sign with the whimsical hula girl on Princess Anne Road, near Witchduck, in Virginia Beach.
The casual restaurant - with seating for 18 in the front and an overflow room in back - was an affordable place to enjoy a meal. As the name implies, Aloha features Hawaiian-style barbecue and Thai favorites. Nothing on the menu is more than $10.
We ordered at the counter, and the food was happily delivered to our booth by the counter attendant. When she wasn't taking orders in person or over the phone, she replenished our water, answered menu questions and made guests, new and old, feel welcome.
We started with the manapua appetizer, a pork bun for $1.75, that quickly disappeared.
For our entrees, we tried two of Aloha's "plate lunches," a seafood mix and a Hawaiian BBQ mix (both $7.95). A plate lunch is a classic Hawaiian meal that comes with white rice, a macaroni salad and a protein. Yes, the island favorite, Spam, is available; no, we didn't try it - only because I've sampled it in Hawaii. Mashed potatoes and gravy or french fries can be substituted for the rice or macaroni salad.
The seafood mix brought us two crispy fried shrimp and mahi mahi strips, similar to Japanese katsu, stacked atop a tender boneless barbecued chicken thigh. We enjoyed the seafood plain and with the accompanying teriyaki, katsu and kalbi sauces. The instant mashed potatoes, served with gravy, were a disappointment; sticky rice proved to be a better accompaniment.
The barbecue mix featured two thinly sliced barbecue ribs and beef slices, served also with the barbecued chicken thigh, rice, cabbage and salad. The beef, perhaps cooked too long, was drier than I prefer. Elbow macaroni with mayonnaise and shreds of canned tuna was a fun and flavorful salad.
With both mixes, a petite salad with ginger dressing and fresh pineapple was an unexpected pleasure, and boiled cabbage was just unexpected.
Garlic shrimp ($7.95) delivered 11 savory shrimp atop cabbage served with a scallion garlic sauce. The sauce made us appreciate the cabbage, in spite of anticipating "vegetables" from its menu description.
Aloha owner Pat Adalem also owns Bangkok Garden with sister Rungsi, and that's why Bangkok Garden Express menu items are available in the restaurant and for take-out orders. We found a bounty of goodness in the pad see ew ($7.25) - rice noodles with egg, broccoli and chicken (beef and pork are other options).
Affordable fare that's plentiful and tasty with friendly service that allows one to get in and out quickly are a winning combination for Aloha.
Tammy Jaxtheimer, flavor@pilotonline.com
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My daughter and I were at
My daughter and I were at this restaurant for the first time a couple weeks ago and we loved it. The food is tasty, freshly made, and comes in ample portions. Definitely worth a repeat visit..... lots of them.
you sampled spam in hawaii?
Is that actually the only time you have eaten Spam? You must be joking.
it's important to read
It's important to read before posting a snide comment.
She said that the Spam on the Plate Lunch in Hawaii was a favorite; she did not get the Plate Lunch with Spam at the Virginia Beach restaurant because she had had the Spam Plate Lunch previously on a trip to Hawaii. Not that she had never tried the singular product Spam except for her visit to our 50th state.
Even protected behind the anonymity of a psuedonym on the Internet, I like to get my fact straight before firing off a post. Good advice for someone proclaiming to have common sense. And no, I'm not joking.
Speaking of snide comments
Thanks for the tongue lashing. There is no such thing as 'common sense'; hence, the screen name. If there was, we would not be arguing the point, because our sensibilities would be the same. There would be no religious, political or other philosophical differences, either.
Speaking of reading and getting facts straight, you obviously read something into the story that just was not there and created your own 'facts'. The author did not state that she had tried a Spam plate lunch in Hawaii - merely that "Spam is available; no, we didn't try it - only because I've sampled it in Hawaii". She never mentioned that she sampled it on a plate lunch. It is available in many other ways, such as Spam musubi. Thanks again.
I have never
tried it :)
come on. really?
I am not by any means saying everyone would enjoy it, but I grew up here eating Spam and have it in my cupboard as we speak. It is on the shelf in many varieties in nearly every grocery store in the USA. When I lived in Hawaii everyone wondered why haole ate so much of it. BTW, try the BBQ mixed plate (and ask for a piece of grilled Spam).
Never had it, either.
Been to Maui but didn't get the plate lunch. Did get a few shave ices, though.
then there'so excuse now
If you are near I would recommend giving it try. I enjoy Hawaiian plate lunches, but usually ask for more green salad in lieu of mac salad.
will do
mahalo
aloha
aloha