Home-style Mexican fare at La Bamba is just right
By Helen Wu
Advertiser Restaurant Critic
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| At La Bamba Mexican restaurant on Kapahulu Avenue, the portions are sure to satisfy even the hungriest.
Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
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| Dinner dishes come with Spanish rice, refried beans, salad and tortillas. |
La Bamba 847 Kapahulu Ave. 737-1956 Open Sundays to Fridays Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner: 5 to 9:30 p.m. BYOB Street parking only
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Though we had the exact address and knew just enough Spanish to get by, no one in the area could tell us precisely where the place was. At the height of our increasing frustration, wondering if our adventure to experience indigenous fare was futile, we were shocked to discover that we had been circling our prize all along. Genuine Mexican flavors were a payoff that day and rewarded our desire to avoid tourists and the commercial enterprises catering to them.
I am relieved that we don't have to struggle so hard to find La Bamba Mexican restaurant on Kapahulu Avenue. Owned and operated by the Martinez family for the past 17 years, the restaurant offers "authentic Mexican food (prepared) by authentic Mexican cooks" using family recipes.
How are they different from some of the other Mexican eateries? This no-frills, small restaurant presents straightforward and consistent home-style cooking. Sincere flavors at La Bamba are some of the closest substitutes you will find here for those amply found in other parts of the country. Some may argue that La Bamba's food is Mexican-American. Without digressing into a lecture on the various types of Mexican food, let's just say that most Cal-Mex lovers I know can appreciate this place.
It starts with the simplest dishes, which usually indicate how good the rest of the menu is going to be. If salsa, chips, rice and beans are all tasty, I can almost breathe a sigh of relief at not having to worry much about the rest. This is the case at La Bamba, where they get these sides right every time. Food also arrives at the table piping hot, right down to the steaming tortillas.
Although the restaurant recently raised prices by 50 cents or $1 per dish, the revised menu is easier on the eyes and more streamlined. Portions are still large enough to be shared, and smaller plates, which are actually quite substantial, continue to be available.
My companions and I easily managed to satisfy our cravings for Mexican food on a lunch visit to La Bamba. I am always amazed to find perfect avocados here. They show up in the house guacamole ($4 small, $6.25 large) and in the salads served with dinner dishes. Even when I'm not hungry, I always end up ordering and starting with the guacamole. It's the best I've had on the island and makes me want to shake my finger at places that serve the green stuff that comes in a bag.
Butaquito ($7.25), a deep fried, flour tortilla with a choice of fillings and cut into pieces, was big enough to qualify as a small meal by itself. We chose a mixed-vegetable filling, which delighted the vegetarian in our group. The chile relleno ($4.95 á la carte) — a mild, green chile stuffed with a choice of fillings, battered in egg and pan-fried — was another hefty vegetarian option with potato and cheese inside. Aside from eggs and cheese, vegetarians needn't be concerned because the restaurant only uses vegetable oil.
Choices abound at La Bamba. Nine assorted, big-plate dinner dishes ($14.95) served with Spanish rice, refried beans, salad and warm tortillas are a mouthful even for the hungriest. Grilled La Bamba chicken was moist and tangy with a spicy, dry rub. Pollo con mole — chicken in a dark, sweet, heady sauce of chocolate and a little peanut butter — was so good I didn't want to share it. Carne asada — a grilled New York steak — was tender and smoky, but much of the flavorful, green tomatillo sauce meant for the steak soaked into an enchilada that resembled a puddle of melted cheese.
Platos Mexicanos, Mexican plates served with Spanish rice and refried beans, are a wonderful way to accommodate all kinds of appetites. You can mix and match among five different options choosing one, two or three entrées ($7.50 uno; $10.95 dos; $12.95 trés).
I would love to report about dessert. There is only one — flan ($3.75), a traditional egg custard. But I have never been able to eat it because I'm always too full. I can say with certainty, however, that homemade lemonade ($2) and a strawberry-banana smoothie ($3.50) are both wonderful thirst-quenchers.
Next time you get the urge for Mexican, avoid the obvious. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that La Bamba has been right in front of you all along.
Reach Helen Wu at hwu@honoluluadvertiser.com.
