Sandwich Islands Deli

Friends of mine have been telling me about the lunch time eats at this place for a while now. Since it's a bit far from my office and because most of the food is gone by the time I go to lunch (usually at about 1:30 pm), I never made it here...until now. 

A friend wanted to meet for an early lunch (11:30 am) and suggested that we meet here at Sandwich Islands Deli.  This shop serves sandwiches, salads and hot entreés for the downtown lunch crowd.

I'm told that normally, if you arrive after 12:30 pm or so, there is hardly anything selection of hot entrees.  I guess that says something about the popularity of this place.  When we arrived a little after 11:30 am, the place was already starting to attract a crowd.

This place is just a counter, a drink machine and a few employees serving the food.  No seating is provided inside this small sized shop, however, they do offer outdoor seating in the courtyard...and lots of it.

It was a nice day so I didn't mind sitting outside.  Only a few of the tables were occupied.  I guess most people buy their lunch and eat in the comfort of their air conditioned offices. 

For today's lunch, I ordered a one choice plate lunch (US$4.75).  You have your choice of about 10 or so entreés which can change daily, I chose the baked mahi mahi.  Each plate comes with your choice of rice (white or brown) and salad (tossed or macaroni).  Since I've been trying to eat a little healthier, I chose the brown rice and tossed salad with no dressing.

The mahi mahi was coated with some type of sauce (sorry, I couldn't make out what it was) before being baked.  The moist, flakey pieces of fish were then topped with green onions and croutons (!).  The croutons were a first.  Creativity aside, the cruchiness of the croutons proved to be the perfect compliment for the fish, which was fresh and delicious. 

My friend also ordered a one choice plate lunch.  His choice?  The hamburger steak.

The hamburger steak was homemade.  Thick and juicy, the hamburger steak was  smothered in brown gravy and topped with some sautéed onions.  This sure looked good. 

The food here was tasty, the portions were huge, and by my standards, lunch here was a great value.  The staff was friendly and provided efficient service.  I also liked the fact that there was lots of outdoor seating.  That's always a plus, especially when the weather's nice.  Am I coming here again?  I'll be back tomorrow to try that yummy looking hamburger steak!

Sandwich Islands Deli
345 Queen Street
Telephone:  808.521.8820

Comments

[santos]

an aunt of mine makes a really nice baked mahi fish fillet--it's moist, and flavourful, really light, seemingly without any sauce outside of the natural juices. i asked her what her secret was and she said she coats the mahi with salt and pepper mixed in with a little mayo before baking--the mayo gets absorbed into the fish and it tastes a little creamy but it doesn't look it. any chance it just might be baked in mayonnaise?

[jupiter]

This place looks good. I love hamburger steak. I have to visit this place but I hate going to downtown because of parking. I hope you don't mind but I linked your article off my site.

jupiter @ http://nattokun.blogspot.com/

[julia]

No wonder the hot entrees sell out fast. They look so delicious, and yet are great value-for money. Yes, the croutons are indeed a surprising yet creative touch to the fish.

[fish fish]

Gee... mahi mahi... wat fish is tat? Yah~ u r rite, the crouton even looks so yummy from the pic. I like this review, if I'm in Hawaii, I would go to try this place. ;) Coz fish fish like eating good food in an open space.

[MrsT]

Food looks good.. :) Envy yet again..!!

[FatMan Seoul]

Love the outdoor setting. The food looks great too, both of them.

I believe mahi mahi is dolphin fish, or sometimes referred to as dorado. Not to be confused with dolphin though. "mahi" is Hawaiian for "strong".

[Reid]

Hi Santos,

It could very well be mayo...in fact, now that you mention it, I think it is. I'll ask the next time I go. This fish was really good. I need to try and recreate this at home!

Hi jupiter,

This was my first time here, but I can see myself coming back often. The food is good and reasonably priced. Since I work in the downtown area, it's quite convenient for me....and no, I don't mind you linking this post! =)

Hi Julia,

Nice to hear from you again! =)

What really makes this place special is the variety. I've been told that almost everything is good here. Friends of mine having nothing bad to say about this place at all. I'm going to try and eat my way through the menu...if it's at all possible! =)

Hi fish fish,

Mahi mahi is also known as dorado or dolphin fish. Here's a link to a picture of one:

http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/cards/3mahi_mahi.jpg

The flesh is firm and white. The flavor is quite delicate. You can eat this grilled, pan fried, deep fried or baked. In fact, it's quite versatile. It's one of the more common seafood items on a restaurant menu here in Hawaii.

Hi MrsT,

The food is good. You don't have to be envious. Why don't you come to Hawaii for a visit? =)

Hi FatMan,

It's a nice place to sit and eat, especially when the weather is nice. It's been a bit cool and breezy during the day (about 78°F). The food is definitely good here. So good that I'm going to make this part of my Friday lunch rotation.

You are absolutely correct about the mahi mahi being the same as the dolphin fish/dorado...and correct about the name too.

[MrsT]

I wish.. !! I could use a break.. hehe!!

[MBS]

Hey, where exactly is this place on queen? The building doesn't look familiar.

[paprika]

I read that Mahi Mahi is better consumed one meal a week due to the polution or/and mercury problem. Here is the link (PDF file) I found at eatingwell.com website. Page 6 has a chart.

http://eatingwell.com/articles_recipes/nutrition_images/catchoftheday.pdf

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

I bet you could use one. We had our first "official" cold day of winter. It was 67°F. =) I'm sure it's freezing where you are!

Hi MBS,

This is located on Queen between Richards and Mililani. It's right behind the Richards Street Post Office.

Hi paprika,

Thanks for the information. I had no idea.

[MrsT]

Nah.. we are far from freezing YET..!! hahah!! Wait till it really gets cold later.. haahhaha!! I am kinda canadianised .. hahahha!!!

[fish fish]

Gee... Reid, thanks for the info. Yah... the fish head does look like a dolphin ar~