Whose kitchen? This restaurant's name sounds like a drum master in the middle of the Caribbean. Its location? Even with standing room only, a few puke yellow benches outside and being located on one of the bumpiest roads in Kalihi, do you think that stops me from eating at Pongo's Kitchen?
Pongo's Kitchen is a family run and operated restaurant located
on 414 Mokauea Street in Kalihi
Yes, folks, my pick this month is Pongo's, in the heart of Kalihi.
Pongo's is open on Mondays-Fridays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
And drizzle? Just what IS a drizzle? When I first heard the term, I pictured Snoop Dogg in full attire, "Fashizzle ya nizzle drizzle?" Aah. The benefits of living in this day in age. I couldn't have been further off from what "drizzle" was referring to here-FOOD! Read on, and you'll learn more about these drizzle queens!
Cindy Lau teamed up with sisters Candace and Tracey
Sakuma in the early 90's to form what is known now
as Pongo's Kitchen
In 1991, sisters Candace and Tracey Sakuma put their own dreams aside and along with their sister Cindy Lau, decided to get into the food establishment industry.
The Pongo's Kitchen sisters make it all happen!
Pictured here left to right is Cindy Lau, Christine
Fejeran, Candace Sakuma, and Tracey Sakuma
After getting yet ANOTHER sister, Christie Fejeran, and mom, Barbara Fejeran, to move home from Guam, they decided to open up a lunch wagon, and then yet another, and then, finally, Pongo's Kitchen at their current location on Mokauea Street.
Co-owner Candace Sakuma says that her days can start as early as 5 a.m.,
only going to bed after 10 p.m. "We eat, breathe, and think about Pongo's 24/7!"
What regulars have definitely noticed is that the menu has changed quite recently. On the original Pongo's menu, was the typical "local" food menu: Beef Stew, Hamburger Curry, Teri Beef, Hamburger Steak, Chili, Sesame Chicken, Oxtail Soup, etc., along with their daily specials. But it got to be too much for the entire family to keep cooking this type of food.
Pictured here is Pongo's garden salad, with a spring mix of fresh
green vegetables, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Top that with any of their mouth watering dressings (Ranch,
Strawberry Vinaigrette or Creamy Italian).
They all agreed that healthier dishes using better quality ingredients, was on the horizon of change, and they needed to do it, soon. Tracey Sakuma was the innovative one and started brainstorming on ways to change the menu utilizing all of their proposed ideas and goals.
Co-owner Tracey Sakuma comes up with most, if not all of Pongo's
delicious menu items
Thus, the new Pongo's menu was born.
The sisters and extended family have bonded together to create a booming success of a restaurant, that no matter how inconvenient or awkward the location, food and service, speaks for itself. I not only feel comfortable there, but I feel like part of the family.
Pongo's front line man, Evan Abraham, takes care of their busy
lunch rush without even blinking an eye
Before even knowing the history of the restaurant, I highly sensed a strong "family" feel. Now that their history has been exposed to me, I realize just how tight-knit this family operation is; the interaction I witnessed was genuine, and carried on to their customers.
An 8 oz ribeye steak drizzled with ranch, is moist, and tender
and just enough for any meat lover's appetite
It always warms my heart to see families flourish doing business together, especially a strong sisterhood such as the one at Pongo's. Then I discovered that it's more of a family operation than I thought! The sisters' stepbrother Frankie is their "healthy choice" menu consultant. Dad, whose name is Pongo (ring a bell?) helps around with electrical work. Stepmother Jean helps with bookkeeping; brother-in-law Gregg does all the remodeling, lighting, and is Pongo's all around handy man. Another brother-in-law, Mike, is the sisters' insurance agent. Both mom and grandma grow the fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro, thyme, chives and flat leaf parsley, needed for their homemade drizzles, sauces, and dressings.
Pongo's new catch phrase? "Its all about the drizzles!" Pongo's drizzles
include: Garlic, Creamy Mild Wasabi, Sweet Red Pepper, Ranch, Chipotle,
and Green Chile-put them on ANYTHING on their menu!
Driz-zle: drops of flavor. As defined by Pongo's, drizzling just about anything on their menu will provide your mouth with surprising mix of homemade delight. What am I talking about?
One of their most famous "drizzles" (and my favorite) is their Garlic
flavored. All of their drizzled are homemade and made totally
from scratch
As other locals who may not be familiar (even Pongo's regular customers), the word "drizzle" will soon be synonymous with ono-licious teases of Pongo's unique concoctions. Every created drizzle and seasoned butter, according to co-owner, Candace Sakuma, can be used on all the dishes.
For health enthusiasts that want a tasty alternative to what most fast-food
restaurants offer, Pongo's Grilled Tofu steak lays on a bed of fresh spinach
with a choice of ponzu or ginger green onion sauce. I opted for their ponzu
sauce here-and it was delicious!
Their ginger green onion sauce (Yum!) can be put onto their grilled ahi, grilled tofu, grilled chicken tenders, or grilled pork medallions (notice the healthy method in which the dishes are now prepared!).
Grilled Ahi Steak that tastes as good as it looks; and Pongo's gives you
a choice of what kind of drizzle, sauce, or seasoned butter you
want atop your fish dish.
The reasoning (and this totally makes sense) is that once you're tired of a flavor, you have an entire array of other seasonings to choose from! Their newest slogan (at press time, invented just two days prior by co-owner Candace Sakuma) is "Its all about the drizzles." After trying them, I completely agree. Not only can you taste the ingredients, but it's hard to put a finger on why they taste so distinctly different. Upon seeing the selection of all their drizzles, I thought I would taste one and after the first few they would all start tasting the same. I couldn't be further from the truth. Each one was unique, and very homemade and had a "bam!" all its own (thank you Emeril).
Pictured here is their fried chicken with chipotle drizzle. One of the most
famous chicken dishes is their guava chicken, which didn't make it to
the picture! C'mon, a girl's gotta eat! Again, the choice of drizzle here is all up
to you, or you can leave the chicken totally plain
They even have a tasty pasta dish! Penne pasta with grilled Italian
sausage and garlic bread, this dish is tossed in a light, creamy sun dried tomato
pesto sauce. Very light, and perfect for those days where you're looking for
something different, that will fill you up but not leave you gasping for air!
When asked their motivation for staying so "up and coming" yet consistent in quality, taste, service and menu selection, the sisters responded, "The excitement of the lunch rush, creating new dishes, and seeing the bigger picture." The bigger picture I see for this "Sister-Act," first class eatery? Hopefully, as echoed in their sentiments, bottling their drizzles and dressings, as well as opening up more Pongo's Kitchens.
Pictured left to right: Cindy Lau, Christine Fejeran, Evan Abraham, Candace
Sakuma, and Tracey Sakuma... I guess you can call this picture
the sisters with Evan!
Pongo's Kitchen
414 Mokauea Street
Honolulu, HI 96819 (map)
Open M-F 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Phone orders: (808) 847-2291
Fax orders: (808) 847-1668
|
| What Da Locals Think: |
| Yes! You asked for it, and its back! But this time, I wanted to see if I was alone, in not knowing what in the WORLD the word "drizzle" really DID mean! |
 | "To squirt a sauce or dressing over a plated dish." - Dean Yamashiroya, Salt Lake |
 | "Light misty rain, OR thin line of sauce" - Pat Fujisaki, Hawaii Kai |
 | "Huh?" - Bruce Inouye, Salt Lake |
 | (as he's laughing at Bruce) "What the he**?" - Darcy Betonio, Kalihi Valley |
Where I've Been
This is a new mini-section that I’ll be including each month. Because I’m such a busybody, and all over the place, I decided to at least talk about where I’ve been! Hence the title!
This picture was taken at the Chaminade University of Honolulu’s 50th Anniversary All-Alumni Weekend Reunion Kick-off, which started with alumni attending the Perry and Price show, that takes place every Saturday morning at John Dominis in Kaka ‘ako. Not only were we, fellow Chaminade graduates, able to feast on John Dominis’ famous brunch, but we were treated to entertainment all morning long, including some of our alumni, such as Frank Delima, Vaihi (Bruce, group member, graduated from Chaminade), and Jose Dynamite! Rolando Sanchez, Toa, Dita Holifield, and Stephanie Sanchez also shared the morning bill, and the who’s who of many well-knowns in Hawaii were present that day. I got to catch up with long time friend, Roz Makaula, KHNL producer and Midweek Columnist, who is a success story all her own; a cancer survivor, and one of my hugest inspirations! My son, obviously, as you can see from this picture, thought that the ocean was more important!
