Experience What Mediterraneo Has to Offer

King Street is home to numerous restaurants and eateries from sushi to scampi. Also a wide range of restaurant types, from board shorts and slippers to coat and tie. Well, coat and tie are optional at most places but every so often I liked to get dressed up. Anyway a restaurant came highly recommended to me so I tried it out. Mediterraneo located on the makai side of King Street and serves a variety of Mediterranean/Italian dishes. On a weekday my wife and her father went to Mediterraneo and had a rather pleasant meal. The food was tasty and the portions were modest. The lone waitress seemed to handle the three of us and one other table just fine. Beside from putting her foot on the back of the empty chair when taking our order, our experience at Mediterraneo prompted us to have another dinner there for my wife and her mother’s birthday dinner. A few weeks after our first visit my wife’s family including her 89 year old aunty and 92 year old grandmother came to experience what Mediterraneo had to offer.


This time Mediterraneo had a few more customers than the last time but our table was reserved for the seven of us. The same Asian waitress seated us and took out orders with a nice sized foot on one of the chairs. A middle aged man also was there helping out with the orders and bringing out the food. Within the first 15 minutes, our orders were taken and the wait for our food started. If you have been to Mediterraneo before you will probably guess that the countdown for food will go on for a long time. After an hour and a half the first dish came out of the kitchen. I don’t know about you but an hour and a half is a bit excessive for me. Already a little steamed I sat back waiting for the rest of the dishes to come to our table but it’s a good thing I didn’t hold my breath otherwise I would have passed out. We had to wait an additional 5 to 10 minutes to get the rest of meals out. I don’t know about you but if you have a 92 year old grandmother they are not used to eating at 8:45. My grandparents, may the rest in peace, use to eat at a rather late 4:30 PM.

Anyway this story happened about six months ago and I still can visualize that waitress with her foot on the back of my chair and never apologizing for the slow kitchen or the slow service or even bringing another subpar loaf of bread to pass the time. Bottom line is we had reservations at 6:30 and didn’t leave that place until 9:30. So if you have three hours to kill and you don’t care about a size 5 shoe on your chair then Mediterraneo sounds like your kind of place. I’m guessing that that most people want their food as close to the time they order it. Call me crazy.

Island Manapua

One of the staples in the Manoa Marketplace is Island Manapua. This hole in the wall shop has the China Town feel and offers almost anything you can get at its counterparts in downtown Honolulu. Within the last few years Island Manapua has changed ownership, however many of the same workers continue to work there and the food seems to have the same taste and price. I guess you might be saying “well, why are you writing a blog about this place?” I thought you would never ask.

One afternoon while sitting in from of the TV I thought that bringing a box of manapua and pork hash to my father and uncles would really hit the spot considering it is finger food and I guess you could call it Chinese/Hawaiian comfort food. (If that even exists) They were working on fixing up my father’s apartment complex and looking back on the situation I am glad I wasn’t asked to help.

I walked in the door of Island Manapua to a pleasant sight. Only about 3 people deep in line and during lunchtime. As I waited in line and as always I looked at the fish tank and wonder how only the tinfoil barbs and clown loaches must be to get so huge. (That’s what she said.) When my turn came I put my order in for ten manapua and ten pork hash. The lady behind the counter tells me, “but dozen, cheaper. $10.20.” Taking her word on it I say alright. As my total is rung up in the register I thought about it and asked, “How is it cheaper to buy 12 manapua for $10.20 as opposed to 10 for $8.50? Both come out to $0.85.” The lady responds with a, “oh, it just is a better deal.” At risk of absolutely losing it and causing a big scene I say, “Whatever dude.” And just give her the money. Absolutely steaming I drive to meet my dad and my uncles to drop of the lunch.
It looks like she is learnig to count manapuas. You have to start somewhere.


Although buying a dozen might have been a better idea seeing that my family ate all the food, it doesn’t take away from the fact that the Island Manapua with stop at nothing to squeeze a few wore pennies from its customers, a very shameful thing especially in these tough economic times where customer service should count for something.

Needless to say Island Manapua is OnJordanslist because of their greed and/ or poor mathematic skills. Don’t for get to go to school kids.

Loco Moco Koko Marina

These days it is all about being healthy. Or is it? Anyway in all reality it is impossible to be 100% healthy so when it is time to splurge you might as well get a good ol’ plate lunch. Working in Hawaii Kai doesn’t exactly give you the best of options and being right across the street from Koko Marina limits your plate lunch possibilities to Loco Moco located next to Foodland. Their renovations have made the interior of the restaurant appealing to the casual tourist on their way to or from Hanauma Bay with the tropical paint job and surf boards on the wall.
You might be wondering why a newly renovated place like this would find itself OnJordan’sList. Here is your answer. A few months ago I had that fall off the bandwagon urge for a plate lunch resulting in a quick drive to Loco Moco. I looked at the menu and all the specials listed on the wall while I waited two deep in a rather short line for lunch. I decide to get the mochiko chicken plate. After I ordered I turned around to see about six tourists looking like they just got back from a shopping spree from Waikiki’s Royal Hawaiian Shopping center. Every cliché you can think of form the straw hats to the matching Aloha shirts and shorts combo. After taking in the sight of the tourists and the smell of coconut sunscreen I though to myself how lucky I was to have ordered before them. (Or so I thought)
I sat down to hear the man working behind the counter call out order after order until I notice that the tourists behind me were getting their food before me. Not thinking much of it I waited only to see all six tourists that were behind be getting their food and pigging out. I walked up to the lineless counter without saying a word and the man looked at me and said, “Oh mochiko chicken right? It is coming up.” I looked at my watch and almost 25 minutes had passed since I put my order in. I walked to the left of the counter to look in to the kitchen and saw the cook putting the chicken into the deep fryer. In an absolute rage I was about to say WTF is that my food you just started cooking? Actually quite uncharacteristically of my normal reactions, I sat back down and told myself that my lunch break is almost over and I wouldn’t have time to get anything else.
Anyway to make a long story short the guy at Loco Moco forgot to put my order in and only remembered after a glaring mad dog face reminded me of Mochiko chicken. About two min later he called my order and I grabbed it out if his hand. No, “Sorry for the wait” or not even at “thank you.”
With that I have come to the conclusion that if I want a plate lunch I am going to dive a few more miles or bring a crossword puzzle, like Stanley from The Office, to work on while I wait for the man behind the counter to remember my order. Oh yah, half of my mochiko chicken was either just skin or burnt. Give your business to someone else.

Sanoya’s say Sorry

I would be willing to wager that this next establishment is a lot of people’s top late night eating spots (besides Zippy’s). Sanoya’s restaurant located on King St. one block after Zippy’s seems to get busier as the night goes on. Open til 2 AM, many late night hungry people find their way to this ramen restaurant. I would have to say that regardless of the dirty and unfortunately very visible kitchen, I frequented this restaurant for dinner and for late night hunger cravings.


This picture must have been after a rare cleaning but as you can see, it is not what you want to look at while slurping down ramen or scarfing down curry.

Even with the unsanitary kitchen Sanoya’s is on Jordan’s List for something much more important, service. I know that a restaurant full of drunk guys and aunties at 1:30 AM shouldn’t expect service with a smile but this incident happen at 8:00 PM.
A friend and I couldn’t decide on what to eat so we went to a place that offered some comfort food. As we entered Sanoya’s from the parking lot side of the restaurant we saw the kitchen looking a charming as can be. Looking past that sight we sat ourselves on a table where we didn’t have to look at it while we dine. My friend ordered a ramen set and I ordered probably the most common thing you can order at Sanoya’s, curry katsu. (There’s something about the curry making the katsu soggy so that feels good while I am eating it. Not necessarily after.) A few minutes pass and my friend gets his ramen, then his gyoza, then his fried rice. I on the other hand must be waiting for the new batch of curry to be made because I just have to sit there watching my friend eat his dinner. There were three times when the waiter carrying a katsu curry plate came close to our table but every time I got passed by. By this time my friend’s food was nothing but crumbs and my empty stomach made me go into a rage. The waiter came and slapped the check on the edge of the table. Before I could even say anything to him he looked at the check, then grabbed it and ran to the kitchen to talk to the chef (are these guys chefs or cooks? I think they are cooks.) I stood up and walked over the waiter and asked, “Did you just put my order in to the cook?” He answered, “Oh, yes. The cook forgot the order.” As my face was probably red I said in a clam voice, “Does this mean you want me to wait for my meal, then have my friend sit there watching me eat it, just like I watched him for the last twenty five minutes?” He answered, “Ah, does that mean you want me to cancel my order?” I looked at him for a few second and with disgust I walked out of the restaurant.
A word to the wise about the being a waiter, it’s your fault. Even if the chef forgets something, even if the customer changes his order even if some kids trips you making you drop plates and food onto the floor it is the waiters fault. That’s the unfortunate part of the customer service industry. Is it right, NO, but if that’s the job that you got then either changes professions or deal with it. It would have taken two words to solve this whole problem. “I’m sorry.” If the waiter has said those two words my hunger induced rage would have gone away. I am an elementary teacher and I try to teach my students to apologize when they are wrong. I do it. I guess not all teachers teach this, or wait, isn’t that the parent’s job? (Lets not get into what the parent’s job should be. My rage will return fosho.) Anyway to make a long story short Sanoya is on Jordan’s List for poor service. If you have ever seen their kitchen you would agree that if that didn’t put them on Jordan’s List, then you have to mess up pretty bad in order to be on the list. Please remember to take you business else ware.

On Jordan's List

With all the many “good eats” in Hawaii, there are an equal amount of places that deserve to be on a list of “don’t ever go there.” On Jordan’s List shares restaurant establishments, some of them local favorites, that need to be avoided at all cost. I know some of them may be right next to your house or work place but it is worth you while to give your business to other businesses.

Living in Manoa, one of your only options to eat out is Manoa Marketplace. Although some restaurants are good, there are some that need to be On Jordan’s List.

There is no L&L in Manoa so Manoa BBQ may be your only option to get a local style plate lunch. When you first enter there are numerous selections handwritten on the wall and on the crowded menu. The menu flows from mixed plate to katsu, however this is Manoa BBQ's reasons for being on the list. The closest table to the register is always piled up with the employee's newspaper, magazine and leftover food. Not to mention the right side of the eating area is jammed with boxes almost touching the brown but once white ceiling. I will admit the food is OK using normal greasy plate lunch standards and the portions and price is fair. The main reason for the list is the very poor customer service. I eat at hole in the wall places that make this place look like a John Dominis, but the food and service is good. That combination is lacking here. If you have ever been here before you might recall an Asian woman working the register with short straight bangs. If she is not checking her cell phone while you wait she is giving you the mean stink eye.

There she is.

My last experience came on my way home from grad school at UH. (Don’t even get me started on the Educational Technology program at UH. I don’t have enough memory on my computer to write about all the times they cut corners.) It was 8:45 and I knew I have only 15 minutes until all eateries closed at the Marketplace. I walk in to Manoa BBQ only to find my favorite worker at the register. As she checked her phone I looked over the menu for at least a minute looking for something haven’t eaten before. Not finding anything appealing I just went with the usual, "May I have a curry katsu plate." I would have to guess that I awakened her from her cell phone trance only to replay to me, “We closed.” A little confused I looked behind me to see a rather dirty but well it "OPEN" sign shining in the window. I asked her, “What time do you close?” Her repose was, “nine.” I then asked if you were closed why you didn’t tell me you were closed when I walked in to your store two minutes ago. With a simple shrug of her shoulders, I thought it would be best to just leave and try to go someplace else. I got back in my car and drove around to the front entrance only to the Pearl and Ramen workers turning of their OPEN signs in what seemed to be unison.

To sum things up, my top ramen dinner that night did not fulfill the hunger that was building from teaching 6th graders all day and listening to a professor giving a 97 slide PowerPoint about how she is great at what she does. Manoa BBQ Deserves to be On Jordan’s List. What do you think?