I've stuffed more sushi down my gullet in a faster period of time than any human should have thanks to Ivan Pahk. Pahk is the executive chef at the Sansei Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Kapalua. It's probably the lest pretentious and most fun joint in Kapalua, a lovely yet seriously tony resort community on the stunning Northwest corner of Maui. Sansei was founded and is still owned by Hawaii restaurant legend D.K. Kodama. A while back, when the restaurant was really fresh, it won awards from Travel & Leisure and Bon Appetite, among others. It's still great. I talked to Ivan about where he goes to eat on Maui when he's not cooking. Here are three faves.
* Restaurant Matsu: "This is a little place that mostly locals go to. It's a hidden place. I love it. They serve sushi, noodles, and plate lunches. I love the plain ramen. The texture, the broth itself, the simplicity of the whole thing -- it's so comforting, like a grandma thing. It's nice and clean with clarified broth. The noodles are cooked perfect. I love my noodles cooked halfway. You get your char siu and miso on it. The sushi is super fresh. True World Food's warehouse (a prominent fish purveyor on Maui) is right in back of them. I don't know what he does with his rice but he cooks it unreal. It's really good. I could eat the sushi rice alone. I think its what they call Kyoto-style -- it has a sweet base rather than tangy. I always get unagi -- it's a childhood favorite." Map and Reviews
* Roy's Kahana Bar & Grill: "We go there and they send out stuff because they know us. I crave something and they send six different things. It could be polenta with local wild mushroooms or hapu'u with some Their slow-roasted short ribs are pretty good and whatever is seasonal is usually awesome. Chef Joey does this Filipino fermented fish that's just unreal. And you gotta have the chocolate souffle. They sell 80 a night. It's gotta be good." Map and Reviews
* Pho Mai: "I love eating Vietnamese food. And I love noodles. So I eat a lot of pho. Their pho is really good, with just the right flavorings in the broth and the noodles are never over done. I put three tablespoons of Sriracha sauce in every bowl, though. I don't like the chicken pho as much there -- I stick to beef. They make an unreal whole fried fish. Usually its a snapper. They use lots of Vietnamese lime and cilantro in the sauce. It's got a little cornstarch, sour cilantro sauce, very thick -- coats the fisth nicely." Map">(map)
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