Malee & Steven's food exquisite
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
 |
| Araya Nakasone, left, offers a dish of seafood pad thai as her sister, chef Netnapha Tran, displays a dish of chicken curry panang at Malee & Steven restaurant in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Malee & Steven Thai/Vietnamese Cuisine 377 Keahole St., No. 201 (Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, upstairs) Mondays -Saturdays : lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner 5-9 p.m. 394-2525
|
Malee, the superb chef and mother-in-law, is from Thailand. Yes, the same Malee who cooked at Hale Vietnam and the Maunakea Marketplace food stall for several years. She is a kitchen goddess. She started another restaurant in San Francisco about three years ago, but not before teaching her two beautiful daughters, Netnapha (call her "Net") the chef, and Araya, the waitress, the recipes and techniques of success.
Steven, Malee's partner and son-in-law, and Net's husband, hails from Vietnam and is the front guy. He greets and seats the patrons, sprinkling advice and answering questions about the food selections.
Malee & Steven, thankfully, is off the beaten restaurant path (Hawaii Kai Shopping Center), the newest kid on the block, as it were. Instead of having all the toys, this kid has all the flavors.
The restaurant is upstairs, overlooking the tranquil waterway that is the flowing centerpiece of Hawai'i Kai. The room is cool, quiet and comfortable. The pastel floral tablecloths, soft lighting and background music help create a comfy ambiance.
The operators take pride, both personally and on the menu, in letting you know which dishes are Vietnamese and which are Thai. Although there are many differences between the two cuisines, here they are brought together harmoniously, distinctly and adeptly.
Our feast began with the Vietnamese spring roll (cha gio, $6.75 for six pieces) appetizer, presented with fresh leaves of romaine, slices of cucumber, mint and cool noodles; it was definitely a cut above.
Next came the spicy beef salad (nam tok, $6.95), a medium-spicy, fun and refreshing salad combining grilled slices of medium-rare beef, tossed with onion, mint and cucumber, and served with cabbage.
We then tried a superb chicken satay (four skewers, $5.75) of marinated and slightly charred chicken with an exceptional peanut dipping sauce.
I was just looking at a map of Southeast Asia and noticed that Vietnam has the shape of a dragon, descending from the sky to the Earth. The wars have stopped and the poverty is ending, and today this dragon is ascending, attracting luck and prosperity from the heavens.
Pho (pronounced like "foot" without the "t" sound), the Vietnamese noodle soup with a beef-bone-based broth simmered for many hours, offers you a choice of meat (brisket, flank steak, tendon or tripe) together with fresh herbs. Here it is garnished with white and green onion, and cilantro, served with fresh rice noodles, bean sprouts, green chili, lemon and basil leaves. It's $6.25 for a large bowl.
Thailand is the only nation in Indochina that managed to avoid colonialism. It and Vietnam are the largest nations on the Indochina Peninsula, based on land and population size. The two countries competed for dominion over the peninsula and control over Laos and Cambodia, which brought them into several conflicts dating to the 16th century.
There would be no conflicts with the evil jungle curry ($8.95 with chicken, beef or pork). It was as balanced as could be, artfully nestled between coconut-cream heaven and the spiciness that we all wish for. The red, yellow and green curries (each $8.95) contain bamboo shoots, long beans, eggplant, potatoes and Thai basil.
The Thai spicy soup (tom yum, $9.95) can be an incendiary device if used improperly. Almost too spicy for me, I could not stop consuming it. Like a kitten on catnip, I was going wild from this chicken stock flavored with galangal, kaffir lime leaf, lemon grass, chili oil, mushrooms and mixed seafood. Somebody hose me down!
The famous fried Thai rice noodle dish, pad thai ($7.25 with chicken, beef or tofu) is excellent here, containing all the necessary items in its preparation, the aromatic properties wafting directly to my brain's pad thai receptors. Also quite good is the lad na ($7.25 with chicken or beef) noodle dish, with its fried thick and chewy chow-funn noodles, topped with Chinese broccoli and gravy.
Malee & Steven is a yummy place.
Portions are generous, prices are reasonable and the produce is always fresh. And everyone on the staff is friendly and capable.
Reach Matthew Gray at mgray@honoluluadvertiser.com.
