Fried Ahi Belly from the Market at HFS

I'm sure you all know that The Market at HFS is on our rotation by now. I know the place has been doing lunches, but I usually want to beat the crowds and go at 10am. On one of my visits, the manager, Hope, who is from Aiea told me that I needed to try the "Ahi Belly Bomb" ($16)…….."you know how good ahi belly is and for sure you won't be able to get that around here."

And since I'm quite good at taking direction, I decided to check it out. But, I called in my order at 1045 and drove over to pick it up. If you place a phone order you can skip the line and walk right in. Which is what I did. 

Returning to the office I opened the container up…….

Whoa, that was quite a bit of food.

Truthfully, I wasn't expecting this.

Which was from Keeaumoku Seafood.

 I would have preferred the belly intact as you can really dig into the buttery-rich ahi belly and also a bit more fried for good textural contrast, but this was not bad. The flavor did seem a bit on the stronger side….closed to aku than ahi to me and I'm sure the Missus would not have cared for it much. The unagi sauce went well with this, but if I have it again, I'll ask that they put the mayo on the side…..it made things a bit too rich for me.

I enjoyed the mac salad….I thought it was going to be a bit "overdressed" but this was quite good….even with vinegar to liven things up. Straight forward and good.

The rice looked dry, but was nicely done.

This was good, but unlike the poke here is a great fix when I'm missing home, this doesn't quite do it for me. I'm glad I tried it though. And it's so nice that Hope recognizes and thinks of me; letting me know when there's something I should try! That's bringing the Aloha!

The Market at HFS
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 4pm
Plate lunches served from 11am.