Kubiertos

Last saturday, my hubby and I went to Rustans at Shangri-la Mall to buy stuff for our kids. After about 2 hours of walking along the department store aisles and skirting around little boys and girls and their mommies and daddies, we both became famished. We went outside the mall hoping to find a place with great food that will satisfy our intense hunger. We then came upon an interesting restaurant that had little hawaiian theme going. We looked at the huge menu that was on display and it took one look for my husband’s saliva to drizzle. I looked over his shoulder and was not surprised at all at his reaction. What he saw was an image that looked so tasty and delicious – besides it was his favorite – chili beans (uggh – for me).

So we went in and was greeted by a petite girl wearing a fluffy white top, very see through floral skirt and string sandals. Looking at her – I can almost smell the beach. I could not picture Hawaii but I could definitely imagine the beach.

The menu offered a wide variety of grilled and barbecued dishes like pork and seafood (pusit). Appetizers though were mostly sashimi or maki (I guess because in Hawaii you have easy access to fish – duh!). We ordered unagi with crispy calamares for starters. My first taste of it was glorious. The unagi was smoked perfectly and the calamares crispy (albeit a bit tough already) – the clincher was the salsa that was lightly drizzled over them. It was mango salsa. I must say it went perfectly with the tasty unagi.

Sweetie ordered the Big Foot – which the menu describes as Pork BBQ Skewers. He decided on only one stick and did not regret it. Apparently the place used very big sticks. He chose teriyaki sauce with sides of crazy rice and (of course!) chili beans. I asked the waiter what crazy rice was and he replied that it was fried rice with bacon bifs (bits – sheesh!). I chose to order the Island Belly Chops. These are commonly known as “grilled liempo”. I was musing on whether to get the small or medium fare. Like sweetie, I did not regret choosing the “small” portion. I also had teriyaki sauce and sides of crazy rice and mashed potatoes.

Our food came and it all looked good and delicious. I sliced a piece of my chops and was surprised at how tender the meat was. Usually the pork skin would remain tough even if the meat itself was tender. In this case – the whole thing was very tender and it was very easy to break it out into bite sized pieces using only a butter knife. Yummy! The chops tasted great and the crazy rice made me crazy (or maybe I just love bacon). I looked over at my husband and laughed at how he appeared to be savoring every bite of his VERY big foot… complete with closed eyes.

Next for me was to try the mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes looked “ok” but I could not say the same for the taste. It failed miserably in my book. The boxed version you can buy at the grocery is tons better.

Overall though, it was a deliciously filling experience. We actually did not get to finish everything that was on our plate because we got so full already. Plus I did not want to deal with swallowing the mashed potatoes. But if you like to experience a different kind of grilling then this is a place you could try. Don’t forget to try out their appetizers as I think this would be where they really excel.

Here’s more info on the menu for the grilled dishes….

• You can choose between 1 stick or 2 sticks or small, medium, and large.
• Basting choices were: adobo, teriyaki, manila smoke, garlic olive oil.
• Side dishes include crazy rice, rice pilaf, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, fries, chili beans.

Prices range P120 up. Considering the large serving, you get value for money. However, prepare yourselves as the appetizers are more expensive than the main dishes on the menu (the unagi was almost at P200).

I still recommend you guys try Hula Hula, it might turn out to be a different experience for you.

Hula Hula Seafood and BBQ House is located at Unit IS-8 Level 1 Shangri-la Mall.

Ciao!

** Updated July 26 2009 – Hula Hula is no longer open at Shangrila Mall. Another restaurant has taken its place.