It is a wonder that one could find tastes of Hawaii in a small Nicaraguan fishing town … but as one of the inseparable parts of the soul and spirit of surfing,  Hawaii comes to where ever there are waves and surfers to be found. Kenny Nakai’s Pau Hana is a mix of local Nica flavor and Hawaiian flare, recreating such local Hawaiian favorites as ‘Loco-Moco’ and Chicken Stri-Fry, as well as fusion dishes like “Ono” Revuelto (Spanish for ‘scrambled) and Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich.

Located on the beach front row of bars, restaurants, and eateries in what can be called San Juan del Sur’s (SJDS) main strip, Kenny Nakai’s “Pau Hana” calls on the long tradition of ‘finished with work’ and ‘let’s get together with friends’ and mixes it with what is already a definitely laid back Nica scene. The restaurant is decorated with blazingly vibrant colors and a tropical island touch recalling visions of Waikiki and the Big Island.

The menu (only several days old since the restaurant opened)  follows Nicaraguan standards for the most parts, but succeeds in injecting familiar Hawaiian flavors, such as the flavorful Ono Revuelto … a local favorite of scrambled eggs mixed with your standard Hawaiian goodness for breakfast. Think scrambled egg omelet with veggies and a Nica flare!

BUT, let’s talk about the mother-of-all Hawaiian local favorites, the loco moco. Consisting of a bowl (or plate) of rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and doused with brown gravy for good measure, this Hawaii favorite becomes the barometer of how local Hawaiian a restaurant can get. After months of being away from Hawaii, this was a definite treat!

Personally accustomed to fabulous loco moco plates from Honolulu favorites such as Asahi Grill and Diamond Head Market & Grill, Kenny’s loco moco was up for some serious scrutiny … and unfortunately it pales in comparison, although not in spirit! The flavors are colorful, with touches of sautéed onions to boot, but the two main components of the dish ( the gravy and the flavored beef patty) were unseasoned and at times bland.To his credit, Kenny does offer other flavors of Hawaii that makes it easy to bypass the loco moco!

[photo collage assembled courtesy 0f DanCesar.com photos]

The Himalayan Kitchen is an authentic Nepali & Indian Cuisine restaurant that boasts an in-house tandoori clay oven … allowing them to serve up a wide variety of tasty breads that are piping hot and ever-so-fresh! The more than gracious and ever-so-friendly owner, Suman Jonchhe, is quite a perfetionist when it comes to his Naan breads, so you are in for a treat! However, I’m getting ahead of myself here! Many people often assume that Nepali cuisine is similar to Indian food, and consists primarily of “curry” and rice.

To be precise, Nepali cuisine has been deeply influenced by both Indian and Tibetan cuisine, which consequently results some wonderful cross-over tastes in their wide variety of foods. Nepali cuisine tends to be simple, but flavorful with its combination of special spices and seeds: garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, chilies, onions, cilantro, scallions, mustard oil, clarified butter (ghee),and other secret ingredients that Suman was careful not to reveal to us too easily!

To start with, you could indulge in a variety of drinks and appetizers that are more than tantalizing on their own … but we opted to jump right into some serious eating starting with Momo (or momo-cha). Momo is a type of Tibetan-Nepali dumpling that is filled with several mixtures available. We chose the vegetarian Momo to start.

Rebecca, Suman’s wife and our lovely hostess, was quick to caution us that the vegetarian Momo is quite spicy and may be a tad much for us, recommending the chicken (after carefully inquiring if we were vegetarians first!) instead. To allow us a preview of the flavor sensation, she brought out a sample dish of the vegetarian Momo … and thankfully for me that she did that first. If you like spicy flavors, then the vegetarian Momo is for you! I opted for the chicken Momo, while my lovely dinner companion savored every last spicy bite!

The Momo came with a sauce that consisted of tomatoes, ginger, cloves, and other secret ingredients that made for a great dipping sauce … although the dumplings needed very little help in the flavor department. Rebecca suggested that Momos are best consumed with beer … but remember to bring your own since they do not have their liquor license, yet! It’s strictly BYOB!

The Momos were followed by Paneer Kulcha, a naan bread with paneer – a type of soft, crumbly cheese native to India. The cheese is considered to be an acid set cheese, which means that the cheese is curdled and set with the assistance of an acid such as lemon or lime juice, rather than rennet and bacteria, as is the case with most cheeses.

Piping hot from the clay tandoori oven in the kitchen, the bread came with a zesty dipping sauce that had jalapenos among many other ingredients. After feasting on the paneer kulcha, Suman brought out the lamb bhuna. For those unfamiliar with bhuna, it is a type of curry, in which the spices are cooked in oil with little or no water.

The “bhuna” is an extension of that process where meat is added to the spices and then cooked in its own juices which results in deep strong flavours but very little sauce. Served with a portion of rice on the side, and a smattering of fresh begetables, the creamy dish was a perfect compliment to the Momo and bread! The spices were nothing short of perfection in the way they mixed with the tender slivers of lamb.

Himalayan Kitchen had been quietly opened for the last five days; a soft opening of sorts, to test the inevitable issues that normally arise during grand openings. Although the restaurant had not advertised publicly yet, and the website has nothing short of a splash page, they have had a steady flow of customers over the last five days … a true testament to the power of “word-of-mouth” in this community.

So get over there quick, get yours, before the word gets too far out and the wait times for tables get way too long! We have made it our mission to dine at almost every Indian, Tibetan, or Nepali Cuisine stablishment when we come across them all around the globe … and it was a great pleasure to find one just steps away from our Kaimuki home. See Suman and Rebecca, tell them you read good things! You won’t regret it!

The Place: Himalayan Kitchen
The Location: 1137 11th Avenue Honolulu HI   (808) 735-1122
The Website: http://www.himalayan-kitchen.com

…   review of Himalayan Kitchen is also featured on Hawaii WOMF [ link HERE ]