We had heard about Fresh Catch from friends so it was on our growing list of places to eat when we were back in Hawaii.  Luckily, there is a location in Kaneohe really close to where my in-laws live.  As we walked up to the door, we noticed signs pointing out that this restaurant was going to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri.

There were so many different kinds of poke to choose from, I was in heaven.

I ordered a small poke bowl which is your choice of poke with steamed rice.  I kept it nice and simple with spicy ahi poke.  The fish was so fresh and tasted so good, I was sad that I had ordered such a small bit of it!

Fresh Catch has an extensive menu with a ton of different plate lunches with lau lau, beef stew, fried rice and more.  I will keep going back for the poke though.

We went here for lunch on our second to last day in Hawaii.  We loved it so much that we actually went back a few hours later to eat more poke again as a snack!  We were headed to a friend’s wedding so we went back in our wedding attire before we went to the ceremony.

Poke Paradise indeed!

We left Hawaii the next day to come back to the mainland.  Before we left, we made a stop at Fresh Catch for our last meal.  We learned our lesson and this time we got a bigger poke bowl.  Mine is on the left.  I got spicy ahi and spicy salmon.  TM got shoyu salmon and smoked tako poke.  The owner, Reno Henriques, dives for his own octopus and the smoked tako poke is one of the most popular flavors.  I have decided this place is a “must go” any time we are back on the islands!

two locations, we went to: 45-1118 Kamehameha Hwy  Kaneohe, HI

I’ve had fond memories of it back in the early 2000’s, when it was a fast food sushi place. I occasionally picked up cartons of pre-made sushi, ordered a teriyaki rice bowl or got some specialty rolls.

Today, it’s a sit down place, expanded in a remodeled to fit in a sushi bar and a few tables. It’s a cozy little place and I would call it a mini Honda-Ya without the yakitori bar. They have tapas style portions of dishes with a full sushi bar. Their seasonal menu changes constantly and it’s nice to see new items but sad to see old favorites disappear.

What I can stand by is that their staff is great! They’re very genuine and kind. They’re not entirely knowledgeable of the items on the menu, especially when their weekly special menu changes, but they know what they like and their recommendations are fantastic. Their dishes are well put together and beautiful looking. I can make most of the stuff on their menu, but what I tend to order are their poke bowls. I almost always order their mixed salmon and tuna poke bowl. It’s refreshing and doesn’t leave you feeling guilty, like korean bbq.

When Fukada is too far, I come here, but it’s never my first choice. It’s a cute place, with some interesting items. Most of the times, I come here because I run out of places to eat.

3850 Barranca Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 857-8030
http://irvinesagami.com/

This place is tiny! There are maybe two tables inside & two outside.  The only kitchen space is a small counter where you see him preparing the food. The owner (a very small cute man) quickly realized we had never been there before and walked us up to the front where he had a display refrigerator.  In the refrigerator was small & large poke bowls as well as a couple different kinds of sushi rolls.  We both picked out a large poke bowl & sat at one of the tables outside.  I was happy with my poke bowl.  It’s tough to find a sandwich for that price anymore!

After eating our lunch we went back inside to sample some gelato.  Yes.. he also had gelato & sorbet.  We tried a few flavors but were set on something else..

I wasn’t ready to go back to work so we went for a little walk around downtown Carlsbad & sp0tted a frozen yogurt place called Swirlicious.  Snickerdoodle, triple chocolate & peanut butter with sprinkles & hot fudge.  Ehh.. not my favorite fro yo.  It’s kind of sad, didn’t know I could have these feelings about frozen yogurt.

It was nothing compared to my red velvet last week.  I still am on the hunt for ‘brownie batter’ topping that I’ve seen around the blog world for awhile.  Anyone know where to find it?

First things first, kalua pig. Thank you to our BGE. Placed on the BGE with keawe wood and started the smoking process. We project about 250 degrees for maybe 5 hours…after all, it was only 2 lbs of pork. Easy and simple. Alright, we would have dug a hole (imu), special rocks, burlap bags, and all that good stuff….but sadly, our limiting reagent was the Ti Leaves. Can’t seem to find them in Cleveland. Hmmmm.  

The apps were some of my childhood memories like celery sticks and Ararae (we called it “kakimochi”). Crunchy crunchy for sure. Simple snacky-snacky. 

Started the Kalua pig on our BGE. Keawe wood chunks pre-soaked for smokey awesomeness.    

Smokie!

Here’s a close up. As you can see the special Hawaiian sea salt on it. Maybe some Walker too (Thanks Chong family Christmas Luau).  

Mmmmmmmm.    

Made the Hawaiian Electric imitation crab poke. Fresh and no fear cause this isn’t raw poke.    

Hawaiian Electric imitation crab poke

Then on to my favorite poke…Ahi shoyu tobiko poke.    

most favorite poke

 Cubes of raw ahi, Hawaiian salt, sliced red onions, minced red onions, chopped green onions, shoyu, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, tobiko, black sesame seeds, and white toasted sesame seeds. We sadly ran out of ogo, but it was so good. We don’t think anyone even noticed.    

We opted to serve this not by itself, but as a whole other dish called Poke bowl (C’mon @Sushi_Rock you know you want to). Extreme closeup of the demo bowl? Sure. 

Macro the poke!

BTW-the rice on the bottom is sushi rice…So good. 

Flavors melted together well.   

For the mini Kalua pig sliders, we decided on a crispy red cabbage slaw dressed with an oriential/miso sauce and lomi lomi tomato as the topping.    

Lomi lomi tomato

Looking for the nice contrast between kalua pig, crispy slaw, and fresh lomi lomi. 

Pulled the kalua pig off the BGE and sliced thick chunks and haphazardly placed between sandwich buns (our timing was a bit off).   

Mini kalua pig sliders

Following the kalua pig, steaks went on the BGE…Keawe wood still going good.    

Keawe smoked Delmonico ribeye

Served with the most popular sides of carmelized onion and bourbon wild mushrooms and grilled bi-colored sweet corn. Yeah, we think its summer alright.    

The ladies polished off the bottle of the Oregon Pinot noir…then moved on to the multiple bottles of Champagne.    

Guests pondered dessert, but finally said no as they were too full. But they did spy our private beverage cabinet. Hmmmmm.    

Just part of our stash

That’s right-patrons didn’t want any fresh fruit smoothies from Cleveland’s West Side Market…so instead they drank. 

Ahem…Bourbon flights please! 

So we obliged with a small sampling of our vast array of Bourbons and single malt scotch from our private cabinet.   

*Prichard’s Double Barreled Bourbon Whiskey, 9-year-old / 90 proof    

*Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 9-year-old / 100 proof    

*Booker’s Bourbon, 6-year-old / 124 proof    

*George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 15-year-old / 141 proof    

*Duncan Taylor Single Malt Scotch Strathisla Sherry Cask Speyside, 35-year-old / 110 proof    

As always, a great night of foodie friends!    

Reporting live from QuarryLaneFarms…

It is a cute take-out food stand with outdoor tables and chairs for dining. The line continued to grow while we waited for our food orders.

Ordering Pa’ina Plates (main item with rice, house salad, and red potato salad) is a four step process:  

1. Step 1: Choose rice (white or brown);
2. Step 2: Choose main item (steak skewers, shrimp, ahi, salmon, ahi/tofu patties, veggie skewers, or poke);
3. Step 3: Choose salad dressing (balsamic, ranch, or italian); and
4. Step 4: Choose sauce (spicy mayo, walnut pesto, garlic aioli, or sun dried tomato.

Mixed Plate Special: Grilled steak and shrimp skewers with brown rice and spicy mayo dipping sauce.

The steak was tender and the shrimp was grilled just right, not tough or rubbery.  The choice of dipping sauces was greatly appreciated because it added an extra kick of flavor.  Pa’ina also offers a great assortment of sandwiches, including Pastrami, Italiano, Ahi or Salmon Nicoise, Kalua BBQ Pork, or Tuna or Chicken Salad.  There is also a Pita Turkey or Pita Cheese for the kids.  You can also choose a sandwich combo to include a side salad, soup, or chips to accompany your sandwich.

Italiano Sandwich: Turkey, salami, cheese, sweet peppers, tomato, pepperoni, lettuce, mayo, and red wine vinaigrette stuffed in a crusty Italian sandwich roll. I ordered the sandwich combo with chips, pickle, and small soda, but they forgot the pickle. The line was too long to bother to ask for my pickle spear.

The sandwich was simply delicious!  The salami was cut thick and the cheese melted and glued the meats and vegetables together.  The bread was crusty with a chewy center and my bag of salt and vinegar kettle chips complemented the sandwich perfectly.  Salads include Caesar, Asian Slaw, BBQ Lime Chicken, Nicoise with Ahi or Salmon, and Caprese.  Also, don’t forget to try their poke bowls.  Ordering a poke bowl is a four step process:  

1. Step 1: Choose rice (white or brown);
2. Step 2: Choose sauce (hot or mild);
3. Step 3: Choose poke (spicy tuna, shoyu ahi, hot shoyu ahi, or limu ahi); and
4. Step 4: Choose toppings (natto, taegu, kimchee, takuan, shredded nori, fukujinzuke, pickled onions, furikake, green onion, or seaweed salad).

Pa’ina Cafe is open Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm and Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.  There is plenty of parking at Ward Warehouse, which makes it a perfect place to stop by before or after a movie, or while shopping in the area.  

Happy Dining,
The Common Foodie