Maui: Aloha Mixed Plate

Aloha Mixed Plate had been recommended by several people I know. The bad part is, that all those who recommended AMP had really not had a "good" plate lunch before. On the positive side, if it tastes good and is well prepared, it's still ono, right?

Aloha Mixed Plate is located right behind the Maui Cannery Mall on Front Street. At first we thought we'd grab a couple of Banh Mi at Ba-Le in the mall, but I must admit I kinda freaked out....Banh Mi was going for four bucks, each! Ouch. So we decided to give AMP a try.

After walking up the stairs to the dining area and having a seat...we waited, and waited...finally deciding that perhaps we should get a take-out order. We placed our order and after a short wait drove back to the condo.

The Furikake Garlic Fries($3.50):

These weren't bad, but fell short on flavor. I had thought this would be a really good combination, and I'm still sure it could be, but it would need to have more furikake and garlic.

The Missus ordered the "Chinese" Roast Duck(say what!!! - $6.95):

To be honest this is about "Chinese" (the menu didn't say Chinese-style or Local style Chinese, but Chinese) as anything that Paul Fleming "Chang" would cook up, with very little five spice flavoring. The duck was not bad, though. The portion size was pretty good, and the meat while a bit tough, had a decent duck flavor.

The "Alii" Plate($12.95), had Kalua Pork & Cabbage, Lau Lau......

Lomi Salmon, Poi, and Haupia:

First off the Kalua Pork was terrible...dry with no flavor. You can tell by the color, it was very bland. Tasted like boiled pork.

The Lau Lau on the other hand was not bad, even though it looked like it was steamed in foil. The pork had absorbed the flavor from the luau leaves, and was moist. No butterfish or salted fish in this version, and especially no piece of fatty pork, I think the Lau Lau was kept tame to not freak out any tourists.

The Lomi Lomi Salmon was not very good, much too fishy. Too much tomato, not enough onion, and lousy fish.

The poi was runny, and weak, but the Haupia, even though it really had a more pudding like texture tasted pretty good.

The one and only Aloha Mixed Plate($8.75), had Shoyu Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, and Grilled Mahi Mahi:

The Shoyu Chicken had a nice flavor, but was tough and very dry, same with the Beef. You could tell it was marinated with local-style teriyaki...not as sweet, and with hints of ginger. Much to my surprise, the Mahi Mahi(Dolphin-Fish/Dorado) was pretty good, with a nicely grilled crust, and very moist, and not hint of any off putting fishy flavor.

By Lahaina standards, the prices at AMP are pretty reasonable, though in our opinion not as good in taste and quality(it's cheaper, though) as Honokowai Okazuya & Deli .

Aloha Mixed Plate
1285 Front St
Lahaina, HI 96761

Comments

[liver]

we were quite disappointed with AMP's food and enjoyed Honokowai Okazuya & Deli much more. But what made it tolerable was listening to and catching glimpses of the old lahaina luau from AMP's patio. 8)

[Kirk]

Hi Liver - I understand that the guys who run the Old Lahaina Luau also run AMP.

[Jack]

Sounds exactly like my experience at AMP. Great location though, especially when there is a swell.

[Joe in Del Mar]

I'm just jealous that you're in Maui right now.... just got an email frm Hawaiian Airlines about R/T seats from SD to Maui for $348... maybe I'll join you.

[Pam]

wow, i can't believe there was one restaurant we BOTH went to on our maui trips! LOL! i thought the food was allright...fortunately, i had a better experience w/ my kalua pork than you did, but we also ordered a kalbi and it was pretty yucky. what i like more than the food about AMP is the atmosphere and the prices!

[Kirk]

Hi Jack - Yes, the food was rather mediocre....

Hi Joe - Hope you have a great time!

Hi Pam - Ha, we actually both went to the same restaurant! Finally.... LOL!

[Chubbypanda]

Even mediocre, it looks better than most of the places I've tried here on the mainland.

- Chubbypanda

[Kirk]

Hi CP - But just average overall....

[Fortunate Fool]

I'll be there in a few weeks, and was wondering if you'd be kind enough to make some recommendations. I was all excited about hitting aloha mixed grill for some laulaus, but based on your post, I think I will look somewhere else!

[Carol]

The Mister and I popped over for lunch when we were in Maui in Oct. 2006 and have to agree that the food was just average. I had the kalbi (what else?) and the Mister had the chilli spaghetti special (he liked it, I was so-so on it). The one thing I really liked was the kimchee that came with the kalbi. It had a light vinegarette with cucumbers. A nice little touch I thought.

But overall, I thought the food was over rated on some of the review sites.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - what really had me freaked was how much the Banh Mi at BaLe cost in the food court across the street!

[kevin p]

The Aloha Mixed Grillplate was recommended by the Papakea resort tour guide. It was possibly the worst dining experience we have ever had. The wait was long and the seating order seemed totally random. We were a party of 6 and watched as a table for six sat empty for 20 minutes while 4 or 5 groups who came in after us were seated. When we finally were seated (at the table for 6) the service was fair but the food was terrible. Everyone's meals were cold. I had the mixed grill...the chicken was fatty and almost inedible, the beef had no taste and I am sure had been cooked long before we ordered it, the rice was cold and tasteless. The only meal that was decent was the coconut shrimp my wife order. Good thing they have an ocean front location or they would have been out of business long ago.

[Sarah]

I visited Aloha Mixed Plate last year (2007) and the shoyu chicken was moist & very tender! The staff was friendly and the prices were good compared to the rest of Maui.