Address: | 19267 SW Martinazzi Ave, Tualatin, OR 97062, USA |
Phone: | +1 503-612-9091 |
Site: | alohagrillor.com |
Rating: | 3.8 |
Working: | 11AM–8PM 11AM–8PM 11AM–8PM 11AM–8PM 11AM–8PM 11AM–8PM 11AM–7PM |
KY
Kyle Duyck
Hawaiian food is generally characterized by having a widely diverse range of taste due to a rich native history mixed with the influence from many different foreign cuisines. It wasnt just Westerners that snuck in an ingredient here or there (before that the Polynesians), but also Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and so on. Each culture contributing something entirely unique. Ultimately by blending it all together you get meats with a deep and tender texture, juicy fruits meeting roasted vegetables, and sauces and spices that range from the colorfully sweet, to the creamy white, to the mouth-burning spicy. That may be one of the reasons that Hawaiian food is so universally enjoyed by so many different types of people. It is because of the reasons listed above and the adherence to those details that I rate Aloha Grill so highly. For the first time in a long while, I was honestly (and completely) taken back by the sheer quality and depth of flavor presented by what appeared to be your average eatery. Found in a rather bland shopping complex in a business district outside of Portland, this local establishment truly left me wanting to come back for more. So I did, as many times as I could while travelling for work. And while my attached pictures dont do the food justice, Ill try to quickly describe what made those two dishes (and this restaurant) special. Meal One: Shrimp, beef, and Ahi tuna poke. Im pretty sure the combination of these things is where dreams come from. The battered shrimp was light on the crust and without the over-saturation of oils and grease. No common feat for a dish priced below twenty dollars. It was accompanied by seasoned beef, which was cooked with a light amount of soy and was minimal on the use of salt. To my surprise, it was very tender and perfectly peppered. Both the shrimp and beef were placed on a bed of shredded lettuce and were served with two scoops of white rice with sauce. But its the ahi tuna that really stood out here. Sushi grade in its freshness, it too was obviously marinated in some sort of light soy. This time though, you could taste the ever-so-slight addition of what I guessed was green onions and garlic. Being tossed with cabbage and lettuce, it balanced out so well that I had to resist the urge to inhale it sideways. The dinner plate itself, plus this "appetizer", came with mayonnaise-mac salad and tartar sauce. Meal Two: As delightful as my first dinner was, the second time around I decided to mix it up by trying the char-grilled short ribs with a side of spam musubi. Again taking me by surprise, the beef was spot on in terms of tenderness. Usually youd find a plate like this to have a good level of gristle... but that was absolutely not the case from my experience. Whatever combination of sweet sauces and oils it was cooked with greatly amplified the natural flavor. The spam musubi? Amazing. Spam is one of those things that is easy to get wrong largely because its such a processed and sodium drenched product. But when lightly grilled and wrapped with rice and nori dried seaweed, it can blow your mind. To sum it up, Im far from being an expert on things/foods Hawaiian. But it doesnt take a rocket scientist or professional chef to realize that a lot of love went into the recipes at Aloha Grill. You might think me crazy, but the food offered here is something magical. Maybe the planets happened to be aligned during my visits, but regardless of the reasoning this place is an absolute must try. Dont sell yourself short and miss out on that.
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A Private User
We are from Hawaii, my wife is born and raised there and I grew up there, too......... By first glance we didnt think much as we were going to Upscales (saltwater fish goods) a few stores down. My wife even said just by the name (the BBQ part) it was probably too salty and just soaked in terriyaki sauce, like some places do............. We left, but later came back to the fish store. We almost left but decided, well, "what if"? Okay, well get one plate even tho were not hungry, just to check it out, since we live 2 hrs away. Eugene, OR has about 4 Hawaiian grills, all different styles, all good.... To say we were surprised how Ono the food was was an understatement. We had the Laulau and Kalua Pork plate. It was seriously Broke Da Mouth good!............... We got back to the car and the smell was intense! There was NO way we could drive home with it sitting there. We forced ourselves to stop eating to save it for later, since we werent even hungry. My wife exclaimed "it even has Butterfish in it"! (in the Lau Lau)................ For $11 it was a generous serving. Not only did we munch it right then, but the next day both my wife and I shared it for lunch and it was still Ono-Liscious! I was hopeful to see some Huli Huli chicken on the menu, but alas. They have plenty other items.................. The Haupia was also very good. Their menu is more island-style that other places weve been too.............. We felt like Hawaii was all around us by eating that plate. My wife says its by far the best Hawaiian shes had here and definitely compares to the best from the mother land ;-).............. We plan to have them cater for us in the future for our events. Now we have 2 reasons to back there- Ono food and saltwater fish goodies-- both a part of Hawaii practically next door to each other!
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Brandon Kostelecky
Within a month of moving to Portland from Hawaii I began to grow restless from lack of plate lunches and longed for kalua pork, lau lau, chicken katsu and more. After giving up on food choices and settling for Taco Bell @ the Martinazzi square in Tualatin I pulled into the parking lot and saw the beautiful and familiar word "Aloha." Gas pedal to the floor I sped to the sign as quickly as possible, nearly diving through the front doors I was greeted by beautiful Hawaiian music and the smell of home. Ahhhhhh.... Many musubi, haupia and lau lau orders later I am feeling more at home in Oregon than ever before. The owner of Aloha Grill always greets me with a friendly hello and a story even if I havent shown face in quite awhile and no matter how long the food takes its worth it every time, especially the lau lau. I recommend always getting haupia for after, its probably just the Noh brand packets but hot damn is it refreshing and delicious!
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Diana Lu
Ive been eating at this place for some years now. They have great food, however, their staff has really changed and the service is terrible. I went 6/14/15 and there was a girl with black and red hair working that had such a bad attitude! She missed one of my drinks I ordered and got pissy when she had to re-run my card and then hollers out that my food is ready and its bagged up when I wanted to sit down and eat my food. I tell her this, her response, "well we close in 3 minutes." I ask for my money back, then she says, "well you can sit down and eat. Your food is in boxes." So I still asked for my money back and wanted to leave and the cook whos worked there for a long time returned my money and allowed me to keep the food for free. I appreciate him trying to do a quick fix to the situation but it wont change the terrible attitude that girl had! Done coming here!