Eric's Tummy Points
Friday, 11 December 2009
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Bongo Ben's Island Cafe
Bongo Ben's Island Cafe
75 Alii Dr.
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
808-329-9203
Price: $$
Ambiance: Casual
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
Tummy Points: 2.5/5
Notes: Chicken Katsu $11.95,
Fresh Catch $14.95.
We had spent a whole day driving and hiking through Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. It was amazing to see the cooled lava formations and the ocean water crashing against the island. Sadly it was raining for most of the day so it didn't feel great.
We had landed in Hilo on the East side of Big Island and drove southwardly to Kalaola because the Volcanoes National Park was along the way and hotels in Kalaola were better.
It was already dark and late when we got to Royal Kona Resort but still made the effort to walk down the street to find a few local eateries still open. We decided to give Bongo Ben's Island Cafe because it had the most people sitting around eating and chatting. It might not be the best indication of the good restaurant but it usually works.
I ordered the fresh catch which was grilled Ono fish with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Ono fish is also known as wahoo in other parts of the world. Ono was probably overcooked as it was chewy and the mango salsa did little to bring out any fish flavor. The texture was like chicken. The mashed potatoes still had the red potato skin, which I like. It was also buttered so it was fatty and tasty. The broccoli was just steamed and flavorless. It needed a lot of pepper to bring it back to life or dipped in the mashed potatoes.
The breaded chicken, Chicken Katsu, had a really hard crunchy outside that easily separated from the white chicken meat inside. The chicken was overcooked but not overly dry. The broccoli and mashed potatoes taste the same as included with the Ono fish.
It was convenient, they had large outdoor LCD TVs showing a basketball game, and still open. Service was bar friendly and food was eatable. I'd probably skip over this restaurant and just go for Bubba Gump if I were in the area again.
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Comments (12)
The fish looks super good. Too bad it wasn't that tasty.
i am never a fan of Hawaiian food because they don't taste good. i've never eaten a good one so far.
@JL789 - yeah, i was disappointed too. Good looking food should taste good.
@falconfraudless - i think i agree. maybe fusion would be good.
"...skip the restaurant and go for Bubba Gump..." Wow, that pretty much tells me what I need to know. Such a shame, though, as the gilled Ono looked pretty.
My family used to vacation in Hawai'i pretty often when I was a child since we lived in SF and my father working for United Airlines, which made it an inexpensive destination. The trip to the Big Island was very memorable for me, especially going to see the volcanoes. Watching the birth of new land is pretty awesome in the fullest sense of the word.
O wow the chicken katsu looks pretty dark.
Did you have any poi?
@rice_eric - I think it's because the food is not authentic in California, so it explains why I've never eaten a quality one. The only place I know are Ono Hawaiian Grill and some place else, but they're fast food anyway. The only thing I like about it is spam masubi because it tastes nothing different from anything else similar that I've eaten.
the mango salsa looks really nice though. ): did it not taste good?
mmmm...looks great.
the food names doesn't sound authentic, unless katsu isn't actually a japanese word for "breaded/deep fried" but instead, a hawaiian word...
@yang1815 - i had poi at Ono.
@falconfraudless - after my college years, i never want spam again. I used to run into the kitchen and grab the spam in my hands and throw it into the garbage to avoid my roommates cooking it. We used to cook for each other.
@caeliosophy - mangos were not ripe. Not much taste in the salsa :(
@mewithoutu77 - yeah, it was pretty, that's why it's the first photo i put up for this entry, but disappointing.
@see_lai - hmm.. i'm not sure what is authentic hawaiian when i'm here... i just go by what ppl tell me
@rice_eric - dang. but would it have tasted any better if they were ripe?
@rice_eric - Wow. You must had hated it so much. Spam isn't that good anyway.