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Embarrassment aside, cubes of pork belly are slow-cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaves.
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The less time spent on that, the better, especially since it’s apparently something of a national dish there. My familiarity with this dish was based entirely on the Spanish and Portuguese varieties, while this version seems to be taken from the Philippine style that I wasn’t even aware of. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the Pork Adobo, which I finally tried on my last visit and which is easily one of my favorite items IKG serves. Hey, I fasted all day in preparation for this.
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I also added an order of Spam Musubi and a side of kimchee. I’ve only ever had the dish once before and wasn’t impressed, but the fact that this version was made with both pork AND butterfish. I went on a Friday because that’s the day IKG makes Lau Lau. On my next visit, I decided to branch out a bit from the “big three”. The big surprise of the meal for me (aside from the teriyaki glazed chicken) was the fact that rather than serving up two indifferent-seeming lumps of rice, IKG sprinkles theirs with furikake, an awesome and much-appreciated touch that I’ve never come across before. The macaroni salad wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it was still very good. The pig was flavorful, juicy but not mushy, maybe the best example of the dish that I’ve come across. Rather than grilling it and dumping teriyaki sauce on it, the chicken seemed to have been basted with the sauce and wound up more like a barbecue glaze,which I enjoyed quite a bit. The beef didn’t wow me, which isn’t to say that I didn’t like it, but it paled in comparison to the rest of the plate.
#ISLAND KINE GRINDS MAC#
The first thing I had at IKG was the “Da Grinds” Mix Plate, their version of the combo plate that every Hawaiian joint seems to serve: teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken, and kalua pig, with two scoops of steamed rice and one scoop of mac salad. I figure we might as well start at the beginning. As with most places I’ve visited multiple times, I have no specific anecdotes fresh in my memory for context, so I guess we’ll just have to talk about the food. I tend to go there roughly two or three times a month, which is how I’ve gone through so much of their menu so quickly. All of them have had highs and lows, but Island Kine Grinds is the only one that’s tempted me beyond a second visit. I’ve eaten more Hawaiian food than most people I know who have never been anywhere near Hawaii, having tried it at no fewer five places in the Boise area alone. The also have the distinction of being a regular lunch stop for me, not only because they’re five minutes from my office, but also because they’re the first Hawaiian eatery that I’ve truly enjoyed. Not to mention diverse the same strip also houses a deli, a Mexican market and bakery, a clothing store, a cell phone store, a bar, a church…well, you get the idea. I’ve mentioned that a lot of restaurants in Nampa tend to not pay much attention to their exterior appearance, but the little wooden strip mall that houses Island Kine Grinds is actually kind of cute.