This past Wednesday I checked out this “Japanese Hawaiian” food place, Ono Grill. It’s on 3rd Ave in downtown San Mateo, about a block or two down the same street as L&L.

Anyhow, this jont serves up a kind of mainlandified Hawaiian plate lunch food with some japanese thrown in, as there are a lot of “bowls” meaning a bowl with rice and some kind of curry or grilled meat on top. They have some standard Hawaiian plates like loco moco, portuguese sausage and eggs, and saimin, along with Japanese dishes like udon, katsu, and tempura. Pretty awesome variety.

I ordered a curry chicken bowl and it was surprisingly large and tasty. The curry wasn’t watered down and the rice properly cooked. The portion size was actually rather brutal; I had a hard time finishing the thing. I’m curious to go back and try some of their other meals.

The only downsides to Ono Grill are the prices, I think they’re kind of high for what is supposed to be a casual meal (seems like about 6 to 9 bucks on average). Second, it’s not really plate lunch food as I know it. The whole California idea of what Hawaii is can be a bit confusing (I’ve noticed that Trader Joe’s has a Hawaiian theme going on, which is more inspired by tiki bars and Waikiki than anything else). I’m pretty much a mac salad, two scoops rice, kim chee in a styrofoam container kind of guy when it comes to the plate lunch.

The last point I’d mention is I was pretty much the only person in the Ono Grill, meanwhile as I walked by L&L the place was packed with a few people waiting outside. Interpret that however you like.

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