A number of friends had recommended to me Kelvin Ro's Diamond Head Market & Grill to us when it opened in 2004 so we ponied up for a couple of plate lunches -- and were disappointed. The flavors had no pop. The fish was fishy. The mac salad uninspired. And for a premium plate lunch price of nearly $12, we were put off. Caveat -- the baked goods and the prepared foods at the deli section of this joint totally rocked. Think Dean & Deluca with local flair. So we restricted ourselves to prepared foods and sweet fare for semi-frequent picnics at Kapiolani Park. Flash forward to Feb. 2007.
My cousin and I decided to stop by and sample the plate lunches one more time. He's not from Hawaii and wanted a real plate lunch. We'd been surfing in Waikiki and the stop was convenient. Fortunately, this time around Kelvin's team had their A-game on. The ahi was nicely medium rare, thinly sliced and high quality. The wasabi sauce paired nicely with the quite fresh fish, tangy and twangy but not overwhelming the flavors of the king of seafood slabs. The mac salad was chunky and creamy with tiny bits of veggies -- definitely more panache than the previous incarnation. My cousin gave me one bite but that was it. I understood. Truth, its still a pricey plate lunch at $12. But we did get what we paid for this time around. Kelvin, right no. We'll be back for more.
Diamond Head Market & Grill
3158 Monsarrat / (808)732-0077 / Map
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