ROTI-SI
ADDRESS: 919 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96814 (Kakaʻako Farmers Market)
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @roti_si.hi
When I was working with my wife Cami to plan out our honeymoon in Hawaii, one of her suggestions was for us to look into any local farmers markets to check out. Lo and behold, our research led us to the Kaka’ako Farmers Market, which we ended up checking out during our first morning in Honolulu.
With over 100 vendors to browse through across two areas of the market, making a decision on what to eat became challenging with all of the interesting options that were available. But for me, the one that had caught my eye was Roti-Si, serving up porchetta sandwiches along with rotisserie chicken being cooked on-the-spot. I was really craving something savory that morning, so the porchetta sandwich sounded like it’d do the trick.
From the description of the sandwich, it sounded like a great mix of different flavors: slices of porchetta paired with caramelized onions, topped with cherry tomato confit, arugula, and Italian chili oil, served on ciabatta. I got quoted about a 15-minute wait for the sandwich, which spoke to the volume of other orders that the guys in the back were working on. That gave some time for me and Cami to walk around the rest of the farmers market to check out some other vendors before we circled back to pick up the food.
When I got handed the bag with the sandwich, it definitely had quite a bit of heft to it. Once I pulled the sandwich out, it was easy to see why. The ciabatta was overflowing with the sandwich ingredients, with the layer of porchetta slices at least an inch thick. There was also plenty of arugula to help cut through the richness of the roasted pork. One bite of the sandwich and I could see how the $18 price tag was worth it.
The porchetta itself was nice and moist, coupled with the signature crispy skin on the outside that provided a crunch. There were nice herbal notes coming in when eating, along with savory and peppery flavors too from other spices. The cherry tomato confit provided additional moisture along with an acidity to help cut through the meat. The caramelized onions added a nice sweetness to each bite, with the arugula providing more peppery notes, along with a slight hint of heat after being tossed in the Italian chili oil. The ciabatta itself was thick-cut, and had plenty of bread to hold all of the juices from the sandwich. Although the ingredients were prone to fall out as you were eating the sandwich at times, every bit was still delicious.
Was it worth the 15-minute wait? Absolutely. There was not only a great blend of different flavors from the ingredients but also a mix of textures that made each bite enjoyable too. From the 100+ vendors that were there at the farmers market, Roti-Si would certainly be one I’d be happy to return to in the future for another taste of either the porchetta sandwich or one of their other Tuscan-inspired offerings.a.
Let’s now take a look at the Roti-Si Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Porchetta Sandwich **
Slices of porchetta paired with caramelized onions, topped with cherry tomato confit, arugula, and Italian chili oil, served on ciabatta.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Roti-Si:
Food: 5 / 5
This porchetta sandwich had a whole array of flavors at your disposal: savory, umami, sweet, peppery, and a slight bit of heat. Each bite just mixed together well and made you want to go back in for another.
Atmosphere: N/A
The bustling farmers market crowd on a Saturday morning already made for a nice first day experiencing Honolulu.
Service: 4.25 / 5
Even with the volume of people that were at the farmers market, a 15-minute wait was not bad at all, all things considered. The two guys working in the back were really hustling.
Price: 4.75 / 5
For the size of the sandwich and the quality of the ingredients you could taste, I thought that the $18 price tag was very reasonable at the end of the day. The sandwich was also big enough for me and Cami to share as well, but someone that is really hungry might be able to tackle it in one sitting.
Overall:
14 / 15
(93%)
Categories: Hawaii, Restaurants
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