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FrMay
Nov 12, 2004
The Culinary Detective: Bob's Ohana like
a visit to the islands
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BY
CHRIS COGNAC
SPECIAL TO RAVE!
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Those in the know when it comes to food and dining are aware that
Gardena is one of the best cities in Los Angeles and Orange County
for really good independent restaurants.
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The city is so rich with culinary treasures that a person need
only drive down Western or Vermont avenues and select from the
virtually endless eating options.
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One of those treasures is Bob's Ohana Hawaiian
Style Restaurant on Vermont Avenue. Located in a little
strip mall and without a particularly eye-catching exterior, it's
easy to miss. But inside, Bob's is like taking a trip to the Islands,
with shelves of Hawaiian products to ease the tummy of a homesick
islander.
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Bob's has a huge menu of really "ono" Hawaiian-style
food. In fact, it has the most extensive menu of any of the Hawaiian
places I have visited.
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If you like your breakfasts big -- and I mean big, as in "for
a really big bruddah from da islands" -- then check out Da
Big Hawaiian.
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It consists of Spam, Vienna sausage, Portuguese sausage (link
style), three eggs any style, macaroni salad and three scoops
of rice. As if that wasn't enough, it's topped off with tasty
pancakes that come with coconut syrup, all for $7.95.
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Bob's has the standard Hawaiian breakfast fare, such as Bacon
Fried Rice, but they have some really creative things
as well. Consider the Plantation
Omelet ($5.95), a mix of onion, tuna and soy sauce,
topped with green onion.
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The breakfast options include seemingly every combination of meat,
eggs and pancakes you can imagine. And there are vegetarian options
as well, such as Chibi's
Tofu Omelet ($4.75), which comes with green onions.
You can add Natto Beans for $1 more.
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I love the King's
Hawaiian French Toast ($3.25) made with King's Bread.
And Bob's makes
taro pancakes ($3) as well -- taro root being
a Hawaiian staple.
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For lunch, you can have a Kalua
Pork Plate that comes with Lomi Lomi, potato and macaroni salad,
and rice for $7.25, or for $8 you can check out some
Lau Lau (homemade pork wrapped in taro leaves) and Chicken with
Butterfish.
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Try a plate lunch starting at $5.25 with pork
adobo or katsu. Kalbi beef, beef teriyaki or braised
short ribs might hit the spot as well, all with
steamed rice, macaroni salad and tsukemono.
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You
must try the nori-wrapped chicken, which I found wonderful.
The chicken is marinated and then coated with a light breading
and deep-fried. The meat remained really juicy and tender with
lots of flavor.
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I also enjoyed the Hawaiian
Soft Taco, made with Kalua Pork ($4.50). It's a nice
twist on the traditional taco and a nice light lunch option.
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Kid's meals start at $1.25 for pancakes and top out at $3.50 for
the "Lo Lo" Chicken Nuggets with fries.
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The bottom line is that Bob's has so much food,
I can't even come close to telling you everything. I can, however,
steer you in the right direction.
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BEST-OF ALERT
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I am in the process of compiling my end-of-the-year list of Top
5 restaurants and will consider input from Culinary Detective
readers. So drop me a line with places you like and why you like
them.
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• Chris Cognac, a detective for a South Bay police department,
specializes in reviewing hole-in-the-wall restaurants. If you'd
like him to conduct a culinary investigation at a restaurant you've
been hesitant to try, write to him at the Daily Breeze, 5215 Torrance
Blvd., Torrance, CA, 90503-4077 or e-mail him at chris@culinarydetective.com.
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