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Pah Ke's Chinese Restaurant
By Cyndi Rook
Whether you need meatless Chinese for two or two hundred, call ahead to Pah ke’s in Kaneohe for the most personalized Chinese restaurant meal on the island. Although there are few strictly meatless items on the menu, Pah ke’s will do everything possible to satisfy your requests whether you dine in or take out. In his five years at this location, the owner Raymond Siu has developed such a large and loyal clientele that the spacious dining room is filled to capacity most every evening, and his catering and take-out businesses are booming. Raymond oversees every aspect of the business from the cooking to cosseting the customers. In the process he has established a strong relationship with the local community, including local farmers from whom he buys much of his produce.
I was treated to a fresh, and unfortunately seasonal, mango salad which included wonderful Waimanalo greens and an excellent sweet-tart dressing of pureed mango, ginger juice, and rice vinegar. Shredded carrots and toasted slivered almonds, for an added savory crunch, topped this gorgeous and refreshing salad. This salad will disappear from the menu very shortly, but there are two additional salads that are House Specialties. So if you miss the mango salad try Pah ke’s Fresh Spinach Salad with Ka’u orange Vinaigrette Dressing or the Spicy Julienne Won Bok Asian Herbs Salad with Chinese Shoyu Vinaigrette Dressing instead.
Pah ke’s only vegetarian soup is the Rainbow Tofu Soup, which is essentially an egg drop soup made with vegetable broth. It is filled with small blocks of soft tofu, bright green peas, carrots, and fresh tomatoes. Pah ke’s always has vegetable broth available, so a vegetarian soup can be “custom-made” if you prefer something without eggs.
The menu does list two excellent meatless items. The Braised Black Mushrooms with Vegetables is superb for the mushroom devotee. The mushrooms are savory and meaty with a flavor somewhat reminiscent of red wine. Depending on availability, the vegetables might include fresh Chinese greens, or a mix of greens, snow peas, carrots, and water chestnuts. The sauce is brothy with a clean, slightly salty edge. While I admit to a newly acquired weakness for cake noodle, this dish or any other can be served with white or brown rice. Vegetarian Fried Rice is also available.
The Fresh Spinach with Garlic Sauce is an excellent choice for garlic-lovers. The garlic is pronounced but not harsh or pungent. The perfectly sautéed fresh spinach also moderates the garlic flavor. Ask that tofu, and mushrooms if you wish, be added to this entrée in order to stoke up its nutritional value. Pah ke’s servings are quite generous so, if you would like to try both of these dishes and you aren’t sharing, half-orders are always an option.
Although not 100% vegetarian, Pah ke’s is a health-conscious establishment and particularly in tune to the needs of these customers. No MSG is used, and vegans and the merely meatless will be pleased by the attention to detail and accommodating attitude. Because all entrée items are made-to-order, most can be prepared meatless on request.
Pah ke’s boasts a surprisingly gourmet dessert menu. Still, all items, in their standard forms, contain dairy or eggs. However, with a few days notice, the Vanilla Soymilk Custard, usually prepared with gelatin, can be prepared with agar agar instead. While the texture of the dessert will be altered, the clean fresh, vanilla taste is still quite pleasing. This snow white “custard” is dotted with vanilla bean, striped with mango and raspberry sauces, surrounded by fresh seasonal fruits and topped with authentic mango sorbet (no eggs or dairy). If you are unable to call ahead for the “custard,” order the sorbet alone.
As the numbers of Pah ke’s regular customers will attest, the restaurant has reached landmark status in Kaneohe. The food is good, the prices, at an average $7.00 per entrée, are very reasonable, and the service is excellent. Because Raymond Siu strives to provide personalized service to all of his customers, his reputation, island-wide, is certain to grow. The meatless among us on the windward side will continue to frequent Pah ke’s with the hope that someday, Raymond will add an all-vegetarian menu.
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