**** Aloha Mixed Plate has closed
Aloha Mixed Plate had been recommended by several people I know. The bad part is, that all those who recommended AMP had really not had a "good" plate lunch before. On the positive side, if it tastes good and is well prepared, it's still ono, right?
Aloha Mixed Plate is located right behind the Maui Cannery Mall on Front Street. At first we thought we'd grab a couple of Banh Mi at Ba-Le in the mall, but I must admit I kinda freaked out….Banh Mi was going for four bucks, each! Ouch. So we decided to give AMP a try.
After walking up the stairs to the dining area and having a seat…we waited, and waited…finally deciding that perhaps we should get a take-out order. We placed our order and after a short wait drove back to the condo.
The Furikake Garlic Fries($3.50):
These weren't bad, but fell short on flavor. I had thought this would be a really good combination, and I'm still sure it could be, but it would need to have more furikake and garlic.
The Missus ordered the "Chinese" Roast Duck(say what!!! – $6.95):
To be honest this is about "Chinese" (the menu didn't say Chinese-style or Local style Chinese, but Chinese) as anything that Paul Fleming "Chang" would cook up, with very little five spice flavoring. The duck was not bad, though. The portion size was pretty good, and the meat while a bit tough, had a decent duck flavor.
The "Alii" Plate($12.95), had Kalua Pork & Cabbage, Lau Lau……
Lomi Salmon, Poi, and Haupia:
First off the Kalua Pork was terrible…dry with no flavor. You can tell by the color, it was very bland. Tasted like boiled pork.
The Lau Lau on the other hand was not bad, even though it looked like it was steamed in foil. The pork had absorbed the flavor from the luau leaves, and was moist. No butterfish or salted fish in this version, and especially no piece of fatty pork, I think the Lau Lau was kept tame to not freak out any tourists.
The Lomi Lomi Salmon was not very good, much too fishy. Too much tomato, not enough onion, and lousy fish.
The poi was runny, and weak, but the Haupia, even though it really had a more pudding like texture tasted pretty good.
The one and only Aloha Mixed Plate($8.75), had Shoyu Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, and Grilled Mahi Mahi:
The Shoyu Chicken had a nice flavor, but was tough and very dry, same with the Beef. You could tell it was marinated with local-style teriyaki…not as sweet, and with hints of ginger. Much to my surprise, the Mahi Mahi(Dolphin-Fish/Dorado) was pretty good, with a nicely grilled crust, and very moist, and not hint of any off putting fishy flavor.
By Lahaina standards, the prices at AMP are pretty reasonable, though in our opinion not as good in taste and quality(it's cheaper, though) as Honokowai Okazuya & Deli .
Aloha Mixed Plate
1285 Front St
Lahaina, HI 96761