Yet it’s clear from the line of customers waiting to be seated on a balmy Sunday night that it’s not the kitschy accoutrements that draw people in but the restaurant’s menu. A fusion of Hawaiian, Japanese, and Filipino cuisine (along with more than a few references to Italian and French) makes up the establishment’s repertoire.
Take the island barbecue feasts, a selection of choice meats cooked on the grill and basted with a variety of sauces. Mess of Steaks, a combination of meltingly-tender US beef cuts, consists of yakiniku steak, rib fingers, and short plate. The Big Foot is a stick of 12 inches of juicy barbecue pork, cut thinly and then speared on a stick. Island Belly Chops are large-sized servings of pork belly. Each of these offerings is served with a selection of sidings ranging from potato salad to rice pilaf to chili beans. But it’s the basting that gives the dish its oomph. Diners are asked to choose between Adobo Rub (a soy-based marinade based on everyone’s favorite local dish), Manila Smoke (a sweet soy mix that includes molasses and ketchup), olive oil, and herbs (the chef’s recommendation for diners on a diet), and Teriyaki Adventure (the house’s bestseller). For those with a longing for the sweeter side of things, the Manila Smoke makes for a sweet yet tangy marinade that makes the meat sing with depth. Try it out with the Mess of Steaks (which is available in small, medium, and large servings) and you’ve got a full meal.
Crabs and lobsters are also Hula-Hula’s specialty, with crabs flown in daily from Roxas, and lobsters from Palawan. Made with flavorful sauces like the Crab Maritess, a house favorite of tasty crab sautéed in olive oil, garlic, chili, and white wine, chef Lando Amarillo experimented with recipes filled with references to locales with signature seafood dishes. Singapore, the undisputed crab king, gets a reference with Black Pepper, Hula-Hula’s version of Singapore’s specialty doused in five spice and cracked peppercorns. The French also get some exposure with Lobsters al Orange. The pricey sea creatures are sautéed in olive oil, simmered in rum and orange juice, and garnished with orange slices for a rich, sweet sauce.
Though Hula-Hula is ultimately a place for hearty servings of barbecue and seafood, they have some interesting starters you can’t find anywhere else. Island Pork Luau Roll is sushi with crisp pork bits. Think lechon kawali wrapped in tasty bits of sesame-flecked rice. Paella Rolls with baby shrimps consist of paella mixed with strips of chorizo bilbao, bell peppers, and dried shrimps. And then there’s bangus sisig, a healthier take on the fatty yet yummy pork sisig (which also happens to be available). Under pasta selection, Hula-Hula offers yaki udon with skewered shrimps and spicy seafood udon. Perhaps the most unusual dish could be the Island Paella in Bamboo Sisig. Paella, encased in bamboo, is topped with sisig.
If the décor at Hula-Hula may be a throwback kitschy cliché style, the food is anything but.