GREAT EATS HAWAII: SOUL CUISINE WITH ALOHA AND SPICE

SOUL CUISINE WITH ALOHA AND SPICE

SOUL CUISINE WITH
ALOHA AND SPICE
HONOLULU, HAWAII

I was somewhat surprised when the cover of Honolulu Magazine hailed Soul Cuisine as Best New Restaurant in January of 2011. I have always heard great reviews about Chef Sean Priester when he was the Executive Chef at a well known Waikiki eatery. I had read that from the fame and spotlight in Waikiki, he traded for a Food Truck called Soul Patrol. The Food Truck lead to a stand alone small restaurant in a very tight and crowded strip of restaurants across from City Mill on Waialae Avenue. Parking is scarce so we opted to park in the City Mill lot where they charge $5. It is a bit confusing when you enter the space. On one side there is a Shave Ice business with a counter and on the other side is a counter for Soul. There are tables outside and a door that has a sign that says wait to be seated. We opened the door and a girl sat us at a table. She gave us three different menus. One regular, one special and one for Saturday breakfast. It was Saturday night? She told us that we need to walk back outside to the window to order once we know what we want. Kind of confusing for first time diners and from the looks of other patrons they did not get the concept either. The decor at Soul is simple. Album covers of various Soul Artists on the walls and a television playing a loop of Soul Train from the 70's. My daughter had never seen Soul Train so she was loving it. The loop however hit the end and it was never reset. Bummer..... I wanted to try Fried Chicken and Waffles so I got up and walked to the counter to see if they were available. No I was told with no information on when they would be available. I saw them on the Saturday morning menu and on a sign that said "Fried Chicken and Waffle Wednesdays". Guess we will be back on a Wednesday. The Regular Menu has Seafood Gumbo and Grits, Shrimp and Grits, Jambalaya, Pulled Pork Adobo, Southern Vegetarian Chili, BBQ Spare Ribs and Hot Dogs. Prices range from $4 to $20. I went off the Saturday Special Menu and chose the Sassy BBQ Chicken Po Boy ($12). Wow....this thing was massive. Enough for two people. Really surprised me. The sandwich had two or three pieces of boneless chicken smothered in BBQ Sauce and topped with Cheddar Cheese and Cole Slaw. This Bad Boy was difficult to pick up and eat but when I did get my hands around it I loved every bite. We ordered a side of the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($4) just so we could try the chicken. The Chicken was glossed with Honey which makes it real sticky when you pick it up to eat. I liked the flavor but the chicken was a bit dry. We also tried the Bacon Mac and Feta Cheese with Cornbread Au Gratin ($10). This was a huge plate of Mac. I tried a few bites and found it to be over powered with garlic and a bit dry. The entire table did not really enjoy the Feta in Mac N' Cheese. The Smothered Chicken ($15) looked like a mess but the wife said it was good. This is still to your ribs food. Nothing light about the dishes and not too many vegetables. The portions are large and probably good to serve Family Style. We will return to Soul to try some of the Regular Menu items. UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED.
www.pacificsoulhawaii.com