It comes as no surprise to find a Hawaiian-style place in the heart of Japan. Considering Japanese tourists account for their largest foreign market, it was bound to happen that they would set up shop locally. On my day trip to Yokohama, I stopped by the Yokohama Bay Quarter to have lunch and I had my choice of places to check out. I chose Kua’aina because was quite busy — always a good sign. Easy enough to have some simple fare: a Teri-burger (adorned w/ teriyaki sauce), fries and guava juice (960 yen). Of course, they had all the regular burgers and you could adorn them with extras like pineapple or pickles — no pickles do not come by default.
The burger was fresh made, cooked quite well and moderately juicy. The teriyaki flavor was lighter than anticipated, but it didn’t feel like a complete loss of flavor. The fries were definitely soaked then fried, the ultra crispy and light texture really doing wonders in the mouth. While I’m sure the guava juice was not fresh-squeezed, it was definitely made to the Japanese palate with a toned down version of some extensively sweeter ones I’ve had in the past.
Most importantly, it was filling! Don’t let the seemingly “small” size fool you. All in all, a mighty fine showing from the Hawaiian franchise.