GREAT EATS HAWAII: PAU HANA MARKET WAIKIKI

PAU HANA MARKET WAIKIKI

234 BEACHWALK AVE

HONOLULU, HI 96815

808-286-8900

HOURS: Daily 7:0 AM - 10:00 PM

www.pauhanawaikiki.com

Beach Walk in Waikiki is home to Trump Tower, Regency on Beachwalk, Embassy Suites, Hard Rock Cafe, Tommy Bahamas, Bill's Sidney and a Food Truck Court. Yes there are Food Trucks on Beachwalk in Waikiki. Not just any place in Waikiki but just a few hundred yards from the beach. You can pick up lunch or dinner here and literally walk down and eat on the beach in one minute. There were four trucks in the court today; Five Star Shrimp, Kamitoku Ramen, Lani's Loco Moco & Plate lunch and Onolicious Burger Waikiki. We made the rounds and looked at each trucks menu. I settled in on Five Star Shrimp because they advertised "Spicy" Shrimp. I approached the truck and stepped up onto the block of wood that allowed me to look up at the two ladies working the truck. Not too many smiles but they took my order for a Spicy Shrimp. What level the woman asked. I said Five Star hot. I sat at one of the tables placed in the middle of the Food Trucks and waited for my Wife and food. A few minutes later one of the ladies in the Shrimp Truck came out and delivered my Shrimp to the table. This time she was all smiles and very friendly. I opened the container expecting to get a whiff of some heat but there was nothing. The plate looked o.k. with a small salad, pineapple, rice and Macaroni Salad. What surprised me was that there one scoop rice. Everyone in Hawaii knows that a Plate Lunch ALWAYS has two scoops rice. Since I ordered Five Star hot I was hesitant to take a big bite at first. The shrimp here comes with the shells on and I don't eat the shells so I took off one shell and tasted the sauce. To my surprise there was very little or no heat. Mild to be sure. I was very disappointed as I wanted to break a sweat and enjoy some heat like I do at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore. The Shrimp were cooked well and had a good garlic flavor. The sauce that was not spicy was kind of thick. Needed the rice to soak it up. The Mac Salad was good because it was very lightly dressed with only a little bit of mayonnaise. Overall I would not come back to this Shrimp Truck and pay $14 for this dish. My Wife however would return to Kamitoku Ramen for the Beefy Rice Bowl ($4.75 small). She loved this dish of rice and beef. She said the truck was clean and the chef took his time preparing each dish. It showed when her small bowl arrived at our table. Beautifully presented with color, texture and design. The first thing she loved was the Kimchi. Light, fresh, spicy and so good. The boiled egg also made her happy as did the beef. The beef she said was not too sweet like other places.