I’ve heard The Original Hawaiian BBQ commercial so many times on the radio, I’ve lost count, but it basically boasts of having the best baby back ribs and other barbecued meat in town. So of course, if they say it’s the best in town, it must be worthy.
I love that you can order food from Pamana* or Tsokolateria** when you dine at The Original Hawaiian BBQ, in as much as you can order food from the latter if you choose to dine at the other two restaurants mentioned. It kind of reminds me of the concept of restaurants in the Ketchup Food Community.
For a place called The Original Hawaiian BBQ, I found it so weird that the restaurant itself didn’t have a Hawaiian theme. The setting was too formal for a barbecue place. I mean like come on, where are the torches? Tiki figurines or something, give me a lei for crying out loud! Except for the logo of the restaurant on the wall, you wouldn’t even think you were in the right place, but whatever. I loved that they have huge ass mirrors though.
On to the food!
I’ve tried their baby back ribs once before when we ate in Pamana, but it was too long ago, and it didn’t make a lasting impression.Barbecued ribs can come with your choice of a side dish. Side choices include Taro Shoestring Fries, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw Salad, Buttered Corn and Carrots or French Fries.
Barbecued ribs also come in 3 sizes, Small at 400Php, Medium at 800Php and Large at 1,040Php.For this visit, I ordered the Waikiki’s Rootbeer Sesame Ribs and had it with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
The ribs are supposed to be infused with rootbeer and sesame seeds and then grilled to tender perfection. Unfortunately, it was grilled too long, which caused it to dry out. I didn’t mind the charred parts but the dryness of the meat, there’s no saving that, not even drowning it with the sauce. The sauce did taste like rootbeer with a hint of sesame oil, it was good. The mashed potatoes was the one that saved this for me, it was so good and the gravy? Aaaahhhh yummy!“O” ordered Sam Choy’s Hot and Spicy Ribs. He had it with rice and a side of shoestring Taro Fries.
I am not fond of spicy food, but I always make it a point to taste everything we order so I can properly write about it. This one took my tastebuds on for a ride. The first thing I tasted was the sweetness from the sauce and just when I was about to think that maybe it wasn’t spicy at all, boom! The spicyness (or spiciness, I just prefer the spelling with a ‘y’) hit me. It started from the sides of my tongue, and then moved to the middle and then the front, damn! That was spicy!!! It was also cooked better than mine was, cause this was juicy but cooked all the way through, the meat was tender. The taro shoestring fries were okay, they were indeed thin and crispy, and well seasoned.
And then Chakai had The Original Hawaiian Baby Back Ribs. She had it with shredded buttered corn and carrots.
I wish I ordered this one for myself because it was better than what I ordered. It was cooked better, charred a bit but with the meat still juicy and tender. The sauce was definitely better than the rootbeer and sesame oil sauce, it was sweet but not too sweet, with a smoky flavor. I definitely liked this one better. The buttered shredded corn and carrots were a bit mushy but buttery, it was okay.
Lucas had the Carbonara Mac & Cheese.
It’s not as cheesy as I expected and the macaroni was a little bit overcooked, but it tasted fine, it wasn’t as memorable as I would have liked, but it wasn’t bad.
For the drinks, I had their house blend iced tea which they call the Hawaiian Iced Tea. It costs 100Php and is served in a mason jar with a slice of pineapple and orange as garnish. It tasted like regular iced tea, except that it was foamy and had a hint of pineapple and orange taste, quite refreshing actually.“O” had the Fresh Pineapple Juice that costs 95Php. It was served in a glass with a slice of pineapple for garnish, surprisingly refreshing.
Chakai had the Rootbeer Float, for 140Php, served in a mason jar, it tasted like the rootbeer was a bit watered down, so it didn’t taste exactly like what a rootbeer float should taste like.
Lucas had the Oreo Cheesecake Milkshake, at 140Php, served in a mason jar and topped with a cherry and an Oreo cookie. I am a fan of cheesecake, I love it, but this one was more of a dessert than a refreshing drink, it definitely only made Lucas thirsty for an actual drink, taste wise though, it did taste like actual Oreo cheesecake, which is nice because it means they didn’t scrimp on the ingredients for this one. I will order it as a dessert, but not to quench my thirst or to push my food down.
So the radio ad isn’t accurate, sorry but I’ve tasted better barbecued ribs than what they offered. I will however, pay them a visit again, because maybe next time, they will live up to their ad of making and serving the best ribs in town.
