The History

SERVING THE MONTEREY PENINSULA AND SALINAS VALLEY

MONTEREY COUNTY
THE HERALD

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2004
Cultural fusion

THAIWAIIAN BISTRO IN PACIFIC GROVE COMBINES OWNERS' BACKGROUNDS
AND LOVE FOR HAWAIIAN AND THAI CUISINE

A friendly culture clash simmers inside the home of James "Kimo" Watari and his wife Venus.

Kimo hails from Hawaii, and Venus has deep roots in Thailand. When they met, each had a love of cooking, and the kitchen became a natural background.

"I never had Thai food before, so she cooked it for me," says Kimo, who has more than 30 years experience in restaurants and nightclub management. "I tasted it and said, 'Well try my stuff.' And we'd go back and forth, competing."

It wasn’t long before a natural fusion occurred, and the delicious results began to wow their friends and family.

After selling their unique blend of bold spicy Thai and sweet, subtle Polynesian from a booth at the Marina Farmers Market, the couple took the next step -- opening Thaiwaiian Bistro in Pacific Grove.

Tucked inside Forest Hill Plaza among a handful of other restaurants, Thaiwaiian stands out in several respects, starting with the upright colorful surfboard outside the door that announces specials from the Peninsula's most unique menu.

Some dishes are uniquely Thai, such as the traditional Phuket duct. Others are Pacific Island specialties, such as the Kalua pork or the Spam musubi (yes that Spam).

And the wonderful fusion exists in the salmon Thaiwaiian or the Pulehu steak and prawns. Other ethnicities include Korean (Kim chee), Japanese (chicken katsu) and Chinese (chow fun).

Kimo started cooking the Hawaiian dishes, while Venus ' cousin, a former chef in Thailand, handled that end. Now, Venus handles the kitchen prep duties and does 99.9% of the cooking, both Pacific Island dishes as well as her homeland sensations.

The "room" is by no means roomy, but it's cozy nonetheless. Seating only 24, the bright airy space still affords plenty of elbow room, but is almost always full.

"I had no idea it would be this much business," says Kimo, who works seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day. "But we're loving every minute of it."

Using his nightclub experience, Kimo has entertainment on Sundays, with local guitar player Kaipo Hanakeawe tucked in the corner from 7-9 p.m.

Beverages include a wide assortment of beers from both cultures and an impressive annotated wine list with just above retail prices. HE SAID

I'll give you the bottom line first -- we had a thoroughly enjoyable, delicious, gut-busting, yet seemingly healthy meal (along with three Thai beers) for 50 bucks.

One visit and Thaiwaiian Bistro has vaulted into my personal Top 10. And it's only been open a month

we arrived on a Monday evening and the place was packed. We were greeted immediately, and I used my special sigh language, pointing to the Singha Thai beer sign and showing two fingers. A spot opened up at the food bar, and we sat and sipped while we waited for our table.

We sat a few minutes later and perused an unintimidating menu. It's annotated, and has clear descriptions.

We settled on an appetizer, a soup, a salad, a noodle dish and an entree -- all designed to share.

Appetizers are divided into pu-pus (Island) and Kongvang (appetizer in Thai). We chose the latter, ordering stuffed chicken wings

two overstuffed, boneless "wings" were breaded and fried, chock-full of ground chicken, water chestnuts and Thai seasonings. Unique and delicious.

At once crispy, juicy, sweet and savory. And the accompanying sweet and spicy dipping sauce gave it a unique finish

The Thai pumpkin and coconut soup was the evening's biggest surprise for me. I dislike the heavy coconut-milk flavor of Thai soups, but this was well-balanced, using lemon grass, lime, chilies, slices of squash, shiitake mushrooms and prawns to round out the flavors.

The papaya salad with pawns was the evening's lone disappointment. The dressing was wimpy and the lime juice "cooked" the prawns into submission.

If you're wondering about the Spam dish, it seems Hawaii eats more of the curious meat than any other state (more than 6.9 million cans a years).

It became popular during World War II and now it's found in many local dishes in Hawaii the McDonald's franchise event offers a Spam McGriddle on the island.

We declined, electing instead to try pad Thai (my’ personal measuring stick at Thai restaurants) and spicy sweet basil with chicken and prawns.

I love each, and reacted giddily to the $1 bill. And in the words of our governor, "I'll be back." SHE SAID

when a friend sent us to Thaiwaiian Bistro, a teeny hole in the wall he's practically adopted as his personal hangout; we found the dining room buzzing with the vibe you find in a truly happening local spot.

What a find this little place is. Echoing a funky Pacific Rim-meets-other -exotic-places trend popularized on the Peninsula by Billy Quon and the Delaney brothers of Hula's Island Grill, Thaiwaiian Bistro seems to have carved a unique niche within a niche in the local dining community.

Here, for instance, imported fish like ono, ahi, mahi-mahi and opakapaka pink snapper) imported from Hawaii get a snappy Thai treatment.

At the same time, old Thai standards, which satisfy hard-core aficionados like Mike, are softened by sweet island flavors.

So you get flavors like sesame oil mixed with Hawaiian seasoned salt, shredded green papaya with hot Chile, macadamia nuts with yaki sauce,

The bistro skirts the absence of a full bar by offering party-type cocktails made from distilled rice grain.

We agree the standout dish this night was that spectacular soup. This is something I'd make a special trip to order as takeout and serve guests on a wintry night.

It is both delicate and hearty, exceedingly gourmet and healthful all at once. The enormous steaming bowl satisfied both of us, furiously slurping away, and would make a wonderful light meal in itself.
Although both were tasty, I found the pad Thai and the spicy basil dish to be too alike in flavor. The similar sauces seemed almost redundant in one meal. On the other hand, I loved the salad with its crunchy green papaya strips, lemongrass and peanut flavoring -- far from a disappointment. (And the dressing was perfect -- fresh and light.)

My only criticism is that the service, while friendly and helpful, was a bit spotty. The servers will eventually get into a groove with timing -- something we can forgive after only one month.

Monterey residents Mike Hale and Melissa Snider approach their reviews from a couple's perspective. All visits are made anonymously. Comment at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

MAUI IS A beautiful island and Thailand is on a beautiful peninsula, but the Watari are glad to make Monterey County their new home. Owners of the new Thaiwaiian Bistro, James "Kimo" and Venus Vongsrithai Watari love the mild, beautiful Monterey weather. Kimo's Poke Tower (raw ahi tuna and salmon) and Pad Thai at Thaiwaiian Bistro in Pacific Grove. "My wife was recently home visiting to Lop Buri, her home in Thailand, When she came back, she was amazed how much she missed the beautiful weather here' Kimo sad. "I miss my family and friends in Maui, but this is home to us. Opening our 'Pacific island' restaurant is like having the best of our home-style dishes but where we love the weather." The new restaurant opened its Pacific Grove doors on July 9. Marrying flavors and spices from Hawaii and Thailand is natural for this couple. Kimo has more than 30 years experience in owning and managing restaurants and nightclubs. Keeping in spirit with Hawaiian fests, the Thaiwaiian Bistro celebrates with entertainment every Sunday with local guitar player, Kaipo Hanakeawe. One only has to look for the bamboo-style decor outside the small restaurant. With seating for 24, the flavors outrank the chairs with bursts of coconut, Thai chilies, sesame oil and cilantro permeating the air. Your nose may detect sugar cane, basil leaves, lemon grass and garlic with every quiver One unique treat on the menu is the pumpkin and coconut spicy soup with pumpkin, prawns, mushrooms, lemon grass, lime juice and fresh chili. Also on the menu area few dishes with the required Hawaiian traditional choice of easy pork: Spam."I think Hawaiians like it because it is stored easily without refrigeration, and it was a common source of protein during the war years," Watari said. "Everyone in Hawaii grew up eating Loco Moco a plate lunch of beef patties or Spam, two fried eggs, macaroni salad and brown gravy over rice. A lot of our customer so far have been local Polynesians and people who grew up in Hawaii or were in the military, so they ate like the locals."Those not fond of Spam will have no trouble finding other items on the menu."I bring in fresh fish from Hawaii for our catch of the day, maybe ahi, mahi-mahi or opakapaka (pink snapper)," Kimo said. "I hope that people are curious about us and come and give us a try -- they won't be disappointed."

THAIWAIIAN BISTRO, Pacific grove, Monterey Thai and Hawaii restaurants

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