CUISINE ON A SHOESTRING
Satisfy world of cravings at 99 Ranch food court

By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Restaurant Critic

Aida San Miguel gets her grandson's vegetable choices for his lunch plate at Bar B. Que, which specializes in Korean food at 99 Ranch Market's food court. Spicy pork, kalbi and ham steak are popular entrees here, and all come with rice and a choice of four vegetables, starch or kim chee. Photos by Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Eunice Trim, left, and Sonja Ome eat the lunch plates they ordered at Diem 99 Cafe at the 99 Ranch Market Food Court.

I've been shopping at 99 Ranch Market for a long time. There are several of these stores throughout California, as well as in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Our Mapunapuna unit's claim to fame is that it has "the largest Oriental food selection in Hawai'i." If you're looking for fresh produce, condiments, noodles, rice, teas, snacks or anything else Asian, it's a safe bet that it is on these shelves.

The fresh-fish counter is notable, packed with more than your regular supermarket ever dreamed of. The week I visited, there was fresh moi ($6.49 lb.), New Zealand tai snapper ($5.49 lb.), rainbow trout ($3.99 lb.), along with scallops ($7.99 lb.) and large sanma ($3.69 lb.) from Japan, to name just a few of the astounding array of fresh sea treats. You'll often see live crabs, lobsters, crawfish, clams and mussels as well.

Bento box lunches such as a meat jun with mochiko chicken combo were $3.79. A package of sesame chicken (about a pound) was only $3.89. Later in the day, you'll find many half-off stickers on bentos and other prepared items.

If you haven't visited 99 Ranch Market yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Here is a sampling of what's available from the food court. Most of the places are open until 9 p.m.

99 Local Mix Plate, 836-3223.

• This place earns high marks because everything is cooked to order, fast, hot and fresh. Familiar favorites appear as plate-lunch choices — barbecue chicken, chicken katsu ($3.40 for mini plates, $5.20 regular), teriyaki pork, beef stew ($3.50 & $5.40), along with chili ($3), curry ($3.25), stew ($3.25) and much more.

Diem 99 Cafe, 834-0438.

• This is Vietnamese food in a hurry, specializing in noodle and rice plates. Their golden rolls (two for a dollar) are excellent; cigar-shaped and filled with chicken and other tasty things. These are deep-fried, meaty delicacies. PhO, cool noodle dishes (bun) and salads also are available.

Bar B. Que 99, 836-5565.

• This is the Korean outpost at the food court. Spicy pork ($6.50) is thinly sliced and packs a mild wallop, kalbi ($7.25) is a very popular item here, and so is the ham steak ($5.50). These plates come with rice and your choice of four vegetables, starch or kim chee.

Scoop and Fruit 2 Go, 833-6339.

• Simple sandwiches, soups and salads reign here, along with smoothies, shakes, coffee and sundaes. The house club sandwich ($4.99) with turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato is a top seller. Roast beef is $4.59; turkey and ham are $4.29 each. The very veggie sandwich ($3.39) is the kind we used to eat before everything was grilled; lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, and sliced apple or pear, with a slice of provolone cheese on your choice of bread.

Hanaki Express, 834-3616.

• Much of the food here is kept warm on a steam table, so choose whatever looks best. I enjoy the combination plates; any two entrees for $5.50, any three for $6.50, or any four for $7.50. Pork ginger is good here, and so is the long bean with crab meat, spicy tofu and eggplant pork.

SushiMan, 833-4999.

• I'm partial to hand rolls because I love the crunch of a fresh sheet of nori. You can choose from seven kinds of hand rolls at 99 cents each; tuna, Spam, tamago (egg), cucumber, shinko, ume, and imitation crab. For $1.49 each, you can get California (avocado, cucumber and imi crab), ebi, salmon, unagi and spicy tuna, to name a few.

Rounding out the food-court selections is Mini-Garden Chinese, Lita's Filipino Fast Foods, Bee's Bubble Drink, a hotdog place and a candy store, jam-packed with colorful sweets.

There is a sea of tables to sit at while enjoying your food here. A large-screen television is there to keep you occupied, but I prefer people-watching. Enjoy.

Reach Matthew Gray at mgray@honoluluadvertiser.com.