Bua Khao has good atmosphere, but food is uneven
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Reviewer
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| Bua Khao Thai restaurant at Koko Marina Shopping Center offers a great view of the marina and pleasant atmosphere. However, some dishes were less than spectacular, and required a greater attention to detail. Service was also uneven.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser Bua Khao Koko Marina Shopping Center, Hawai'i Kai 395-2501 Lunch: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily Dinner: 5-9:30 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 5-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
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We passed on appetizers on our first visit, but they have all the standard Thai choices: deep-fried spring rolls ($7.90), fresh shrimp rolls ($6.90) wrapped in rice paper, grilled sateh with peanut sauce ($7.90 for chicken or beef, $9.90 for shrimp, $6.90 for tofu), mee krob sweet crispy noodles ($8.90), and stuffed chicken wings ($8.90).
Instead of appetizers, we wanted soup: something with a jolt of fiery fury to let our taste buds know who is boss. Miss A ordered tom yum ($3.25-$4.90, depending on meat choice), and I asked for tom kha ($3.75-$4.50). Both soups have a certain amount of heat, and the flavors of lemongrass, galangel, kaffir lime leaf and chili paste really shine through.
Aside from the spice-forward flavors of the soup starter in this case I usually begin with mild dishes before working up to spicier ones. This allows the palate to recognize and appreciate subtle flavors such as those found in noodle dishes pad Thai or pad seiew ($7.90-$9.90).
Pad Thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish that can be heavenly when done right. At Bua Khao, it seems as though the correct cooking technique was employed, and all the right ingredients were included, but something was amiss. The dish looked great, but it lacked a certain necessary salty-sweet component. The pad seiew was better, fried with thick rice noodles combined with broccoli and cabbage in a mild soy sauce.
The chef's special grilled chicken, kai yang ($9.90), was a simple and flavorful marinated, grilled dish. Charred bits and crisp skin protected the tender and juicy meat beneath, served with a mild and sweet chili sauce.
Wanting to try something a bit different, we ordered the beef matsaman ($9.90) — large chunks of beef, potatoes, carrot, pineapple chunks, onion and just a touch of coconut milk. But the meat was extremely tough and the pineapple chunks were the canned variety. We returned this dish and were not charged for it.
Pad khing ($8.90-$9.90), my favorite dish here, is a Thai ginger saute with green beans, onion and garlic. The combination worked quite well, offering well-rounded flavors without being overpowering.
King marina ($7.90-$9.90) is close to the creamy curry offered around town and given the "evil" moniker. This one could have definitely been more "evil," if evil means highly flavored or spices. Even with the proper ingredients being used, the combination fell flat.
For a side dish, we ordered the long eggplant ($7.90-$9.90) sauteed with garlic and Thai basil. But the vegetable was mushy, as if it stood in its sauce a bit too long.
The uneven food was matched by uneven service: On our first visit, the waiter never once checked on us after serving the food, though our water glasses were replenished by another staffer. Service on the second visit was better.
If your goal is to slip away into a pleasant atmosphere, enjoy a few drinks, watch the boats, and munch on just decent Thai food, then Bua Khao is the place. However, if you are a serious appreciator of Thai food, better places exist on O'ahu. The food here could readily be improved by more attention to detail.
Reach Matthew Gray at mgray@honoluluadvertiser.com.
