Kau Kau is a new Hawaiian restaurant that opened up two months ago on Alberta. Married chefs Tracee and Brandon are bringing their own twist and flair to Hawaiian food and the plate lunch. Meticulous care is being brought not only to each dish but also to the sides, condiments and even the rice! I hesitate to use the word “elevated” in this context, but they are definitely bringing a level of quality and care not normally seen in PNW Hawaiian food.

Mom’s Garlic Chicken. First off, just look at how delicious the food looks. And it tasted even better than it looks! This was from opening day, and true to plate lunch tradition, I got it to go. The chicken was mouth-watering and fried to perfection. The takuwan (pickled daikon) was a nice touch. I had never heard of Koshihikari rice before, but they use it exclusively and it is indeed a step above normal rice. To be honest, I never thought about rice beyond is it white, brown or “wild” but I can taste the difference here. It’s less mushy, each grain holds its form more. I like their spin on mac salad, which honestly is closer to potato salad but I’m not mad. Most Hawaiian spots here in town serve up a bland mac salad at best, sometimes it’s down right inedible. Mac Pasta, Mayo, Mustard, Onion, Carrots, Potato, Egg, Pickle are the ingredients, and it is tasty! Garlic chicken is one of my favorite Hawaiian/Korean dishes and theirs is delicious. Very addicting and crave-able. Highly recommend this dish.

Lechon Poke. Besides their regular menu of 8 dishes, they are always running one or two specials. This was on the special board a month ago. Crispy Pork Belly, Ogo, Sesame-Shoyu, Inamona, Tomato, Onion with rice and mac salad. Really delicious. I love crispy pork belly and the crisp, crunch and flavor of theirs was perfect. The acidic components of the poke were a nice foil for the rich pork belly. Super yummy dish, and this time I ate there instead of getting take out.

Hawaiian Combo (sorry for the low quality pic)

Kalua Pig, Chicken Long Rice, Tako Lu’au, Lomi Salmon, Chilipepper Water

This is from my visit last week. I was trying to get their Lau Lau (pork shoulder wrapped in taro leaves and steamed) but each time I’ve tried to get it it has been sold out. Decided to get this combo for lunch. The chicken long rice was tasty and interesting, I’d never had anything like it before. Same goes for the Tako Lu’au. I really liked their Kalua pork, it was smoky and delicious. The Lomi Salmon was good, though I feel like I got more tomato than salmon. A very good plate overall, though I do feel that for the price, the garlic chicken plate is a better value. Let’s talk about that Chilipepper water! It is turning into one of my favorite condiments. I discovered it when I went to Hawaii (Oahu) for the first time two years ago, and now there are a few places in town that are making their own. It is so delicious! I pour it over everything. I don’t like eating plain rice, and often will put soy or teriyaki sauce on my rice, but here I just pour the chilipepper water over.

I highly recommend Kau Kau if you are in (or traveling to) Portland and love Hawaiian food. They are already getting lots of praise for this restaurant and it’s easy to see why. It has been a lunch spot only, but now they are extending hours for dinner service. I can’t wait to try everything on the menu. I will leave you with a photo of a dessert special they did of Ube Butter Mochi (they always have traditional butter mochi on the menu). I know this is a popular Island dessert but I had never had it before. Happy eating!