DA KITCHEN
ADDRESS: 1215 S Kihei Road, Suite E, Kihei, HI 96753
WEBSITE: https://www.dakitchenkihei.com/
Da Kitchen made it onto our pre-trip research list when my wife Cami and I were looking for places that had deep-fried Spam musubi before we went to Maui. After our experience at The Musubi Truck back on Kauai, we had to try to find that dish again for our return trip to the islands. While the Spam musubi might have originally been what drew our interest, a few of the other entrée dishes on their menu also sounded quite appealing too. On the day that we were just planning to spend relaxing at the Airbnb, we decided to stop at Da Kitchen for a quick lunch.
Located inside the Kihei Center shopping plaza, Da Kitchen is tucked away in the corner where the plaza meets, with an inside dining area on the smaller side and some tables outside the front of the restaurant as well. The inside also featured some pretty cool décor — custom made surfboards with the name and logo of the restaurant on there. The menu overall features what sounds like comfort food, with katsu, teriyaki, kalua pork, loco moco, garlic noodles, and kalbi ribs, just to name some items.
This is once again where it was difficult for me and Cami to decide, since there were so many things that sounded good. But there would be no way for us to finish all of that food if we had gotten three or four different main dishes to try. We already knew that we were going to get the deep-fried Spam musubi, and we ended up deciding that the garlic noodles would be a good dish to complement that.
Even though it was a weekday lunch service, the place seemed to get progressively busier as we were there. I also noticed there were quite a few people doing takeout from the restaurant as well, so it was clear that the place was pretty popular. By the time we left, the whole inside dining area was filled up. This was also another place where the kitchen seemed to work blazing fast, since we got both of our dishes probably 10 minutes after we ordered, which was amazing.
The deep-fried Spam musubi was good, layered with just the right ratio of Spam to rice, and the panko-breaded outside being fried up crispy. But I do think that the one we got in Kauai still reigns supreme, even though this one did hit the spot for the Spam musubi that I had been craving during our time on the island.
Switching our attention over to the garlic noodles, those certainly did not shy away from the garlic flavor. Each bite was jam-packed with it, and made me wonder if there might have been two whole heads’ worth of garlic just in our one dish alone. By sautéing the noodles together with the garlic, oyster sauce, and shoyu, I thought that really helped to bring a nice sweet, savory, and umami flavor to the noodles themselves. Add in the teriyaki chicken on top to help bring some additional grilled smoky flavor and sweetness, and it really helped to complement the dish as a whole.
Two really solid dishes for our quick lunch stop helped to leave us with a good impression. The flavors really packed a punch and the food turned out in super quick time. There’s a really nice variety of the different dishes to choose from, and even though the prices were higher, I thought that they were pretty shareable portions (unless you were just really hungry). If we are staying in the Kihei area again the next time we are on Maui, Da Kitchen will definitely be on our list of places to stop by to try out some of those other dishes that sounded really solid.
Let’s now take a look at the Da Kitchen Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Deep-Fried Spam Musubi **
Traditional Spam musubi, breaded with panko and deep-fried.
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** Garlic Noodles **
Stir-fry noodles sautéed with oyster sauce, shoyu, and fresh minced garlic. Topped with teriyaki chicken and garnished with scallions.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Da Kitchen:
Food: 4.75 / 5
Our garlic noodles were just bursting with flavor, and the rest of the menu features an assortment of other flavor-packed dishes that have the potential to be just as good.
Atmosphere: 4.25 / 5
Although the dining area inside is on the smaller side, it was still a nice setup that they had, with the tables spaced apart. There are also some of the outdoor dining tables as well for when the sun wasn’t shining directly on you. The custom surfboards mounted to the wall are also a pretty cool touch.
Service: 4.25 / 5
Our waitress was friendly, answering questions that we had on the menu and stopping by to refill our waters a couple of times during the meal. The kitchen worked at blazing speed to get us out our food in probably 10 minutes after we ordered.
Price: 4.5 / 5
All entrée plates clocked in at over $20, with some crossing the $30 threshold too. But it was clear that the plates also gave you quite a generous portion of food, so the prices were worth it in my mind.
Overall:
17.75 / 20
(89%)
Categories: Hawaii, Restaurants
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