MAILE'S THAI BISTRO

MAILE'S THAI BISTRO

HAWAII KAI, HAWAII 

It is done.  I now have a new favorite Thai Restaurant.  After my 20 year plus love affair with Mekong on Beretania (which is now closed) I can move on and make Maile's in Hawaii Kai my favorite Thai restaurant.  I have known Maile for 20 years and believe me, she has not aged over the years.  Still beautiful, charming and the ultimate host for the restaurant.  Her staff is happy and provides top notch service every time.  The food rocks here.  Beautiful presentations and big bold flavors that amaze me.  We started with a dish of crispy noodles with bean sprouts and cilantro served with a sweet sauce.  Think this is the house appetizer that everyone gets when they dine here.  Just a light and fresh way to start the meal.  We ordered Spring Rolls ($8.90).  Golden deep fried spring rolls stuffed with mushrooms, carrots, long rice, ground pork and spices.  Served with slices of fresh cucumber, mint leaves, lettuce and house sweet and sour sauce.  I take a little bit of everything from above wrap it all in the lettuce, add some hot sauce and bam.  One of the best spring rolls on the Island.  Loved them.  Next up were the Maile Rolls ($9.90).  Vegetables rolled with shrimp and seasoned pork, wrapped in soft rice paper and served with the house special sauce.  These were beautiful on the plate and in my stomach.  The next dish came from Maile.  I would have never ordered off the menu.  It is simply called Cold Tofu ($4.90).  Yuck to me.  Boy was I wrong.  This was the best Tofu dish I have ever eaten.  Will order it every time I return.  Can't believe I am saying this.  I don't like Tofu.  What makes this dish special and tasty is Maile's Ginger Soy Chili Sauce.  This sauce would make a shoe taste good.  She should bottle it.  The entire table was amazed by this Tofu dish.  Next up were Maile's French Fries.  Yes, French Fries at a Thai restaurant.  They are sliced thin and crunch.  Probably some of the best fries you can get in Hawaii.  We love them.  The Pad Thai Noodles also rock here.  Noodles served with bean sprouts, carrot, green onion and peanuts.  The Seafood with Vegetables was also delicious.  Large scallops, calamari, shrimp and fish served with fresh vegetables in a really good sauce.  The Thai Yellow Curry ($8.90) was served with chicken, curry sauce, coconut milk, potato and carrots.  Not spicy but good flavor.  The Larb Salad ($9.90) was served with minced chicken and fresh herbs.  You can wrap the larb in lettuce or cabbage.  There are dozens of other dishes on Maile's menu and believe me I want to try them all.  This is a TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITE.
Click links below for more posts on Maile's Thai Bistro:
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/12/mailes-thai-bistro-revisited.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2010/08/mailes-thai-bistro.html

MAILE'S THAI BISTRO

SARAH AND COREY.  JUST DAYS BEFORE THEY HAVE FIRST BABY

CRISPY NOODLES

MAILE ROLLS

SPRING ROLLS

SOME OF THE BEST FRIES ON THE ISLAND

PAD THAI WITH CHICKEN

SEAFOOD WITH VEGETABLES

THAI YELLOW CURRY

LARB - MINCHED CHICKEN SALAD

SIAM GARDEN CAFE

SIAM GARDEN CAFE

HONOLULU, HAWAII

There is a reason why the Siam Garden Cafe is packed everyday for lunch.  The food comes out fast and it is good.  Real good.  I have been here a dozen times and always enjoy it.  The staff is all business.  Not much talk or show.  They just jam out the orders so you can get in and out on a timely basis.  The Spring Rolls are good but they do not cut them and do not serve them with lettuce.  I like to wrap the roll in lettuce and then top with sauce, cucumber and hot sauce.  We just ask for lettuce and they bring it.  You also need to ask for the hot sauce as it is never on the table.  After the Spring Rolls, we tried a Minced Beef.  This dish was large and delicious.  Only problem is the cabbage they give you to make a wrap is too small.  We had to ask for more cabbage too.  The Curries here are always good.  I am not a big Curry person, but always seem to enjoy the Red Curry.  I loved the Spicy Beef Stir Fry.  Tender strips of beef sauteed with vegetables and a not too spicy sauce.  I recommend Siam Garden Cafe if you are on Nimitz and want a quick and delicious Thai lunch.
Click links below for more on Siam Garden Cafe;
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/03/siam-garden-cafe-nimitz-highway.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2011/01/siam-garden-cafe.html

MINCED BEEF WRAPS

SPRING ROLLS

RED CURRY

SPICY BEEF STIR FRY

MAILE'S THAI BISTRO - HAWAII KAI, HAWAII

MAILE'S THAI BISTRO

HAWAII KAI TOWNE CENTER, HAWAII

I have known the owner of Maile's Thai Bistro for around 15 years. Met her at Mekong Restaurant and Paesano's in Manoa many moons ago. Always beautiful, friendly and professional with her customers. Back in those days, Maile ran the front of the house or was a waitress. Today Maile owns her own restaurant - and let me tell you it is fantastic. This is an instant Taste of Hawaii Favorite. While the restaurant has been open for about a year, we have never gone and I don't know why. Last night Shirley was craving Thai food so Maile's was our first choice. We entered to find a beautiful bistro setting coupled with a packed bar with wide screen t.v. We were greeted by hostesses with large genuine smiles. They quickly checked our reservation and seated us at a table near the bar that also allowed me a view of the busy kitchen. Maile herself came to the table to greet the family and catch up on old times. She is the ultimate host. Truly makes you feel special to be in her establishment. After Maile left, some appetizers began to show up out of nowhere. First there was a puffed noodle with fresh herbs and a light chili sauce. Then came the Calamari. Lighted breaded and delicious. Perfectly cooked and plump pieces of squid served with a Thai red chili sauce. This dish was so good that Keli said it was like having a birthday. After the Calamari came a small round dish of golden french fries. Little sticks of flavor that were laced with Thai spices. This was a huge hit and every french fry was devoured within minutes. After all that came our original order. Spring Rolls ($9.90). Golden deep fried spring rolls stuffed with mushrooms, carrots, long rice, ground pork and spices. Served with slices of fresh cucumber, mint leaves, lettuce and house sweet and sour sauce. This is a huge portion with six good size rolls. You place the rolls in a wrap of lettuce, add some cucumber, sweet chili sauce and hot sauce. This makes a Thai Spring Roll Burrito that will have you coming back time and time again. Perfectly cooked spring rolls that are not mushy or overcooked. We followed the Spring Rolls with the Thai Rice Noodles with Bean Sprouts (Pad Thai). Served with Chicken for ($10.90). Again a huge portion that easily feeds 3-4 people. I loved the Pad Thai. Probably one of the best in the city. Noodles were cooked perfectly and lots of flavor and spice. Next came the Seafood Mixed Vegetable (Pad Pak Hom Mid). This dish was ($15.90). A combination of fresh ocean shrimp, scallop, and calamari sauteed with broth, young corn, cabbage, long bean, straw mushroom and a house special sauce. First of all the seafood was cooked perfectly with the scallops being moist and not tough. The fresh local vegetables and sauce were delicious. Serve this over the Thai Sticky Rice and you have a new favorite. There are so many good looking dishes on the menu here. I can't wait to go back and try them all. This is a great place to eat. The staff is courteous, professional and just plain nice. Smiles all over the place. What a great feeling to dine in this atmosphere for a change. 

TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITE.

Click below to see updated post on Maile's Thai Bistro

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2013/12/mailes-thai-bistro-revisited.html
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2011/06/mailes-thai-bistro.html

MAILES THAI BISTRO MIXED SEAFOOD

MAILE'S THAI BISTRO, HAWAII KAI