Adventures in <i> Laulau </i> Land : These Hawaiian restaurants stand out like islands in the sea

At the turn of the century, waves of Portuguese and Asian immigrants came to Hawaii to work the sugar cane fields. And when the islands became a military gateway to the South Pacific, millions of American service personnel moved there. At first, each group kept to its own national cooking habits. But over the years a lot of culinary borrowing has gone on. The result is what islanders today call “local” food--a Polynesian, pan-Asian mix with elements from Portugal and New England.

Here in Los Angeles, a number of Hawaiian-owned restaurants offer “local” Hawaiian food. You won’t find leis or palm fronds decorating the walls of these simple, no-nonsense cafes--most concentrate on take-out business. These are restaurants patronized largely by Los Angeles County’s sizable Hawaiian population and some, like Harry’s Aloha Chop Suey, have been known in the community for more than 20 years.

Of all the Hawaiian restaurants I’ve tried, the following offer the best cooking and the widest selection of local Hawaiian foods.

In Hawaii, opening a lunch stand was one way Portuguese and Asian immigrants escaped working in the cane fields and pineapple canneries. Noodle shops and palm-thatched barbecue huts selling grilled skewers of teriyaki beef, thrived. And stands known as okazu-ya (in Japanese okazu means things to go with rice), offered rice-plate lunches. Gardena Okazu-Ya is such a place. You make your selections of three or more rice accompaniments from a list that includes braised beef ribs, pork tofu, beef curry, Chinese char siu pork, Hawaiian meat loaf and assorted vegetables.

From the a la carte side of the menu, you can select laulau --a Polynesian dish of pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves then again in ti leaves before being steamed. You eat the taro-wrapped bundle with plenty of rice or fresh poi and a little cup of lomi lomi salmon. It’s a perfect balance. The lomi , resembling a fresh salsa of chopped tomato with white and green onion and flecks of salt-cured salmon, livens the meat and rice. Gardena Okazu-Ya, 14902 S. Western Ave., Gardena, (213) 323-2379. Open Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The previous owner of the nondescript Paradise Okazu-Ya was Mr. Hopama, a chef who had gained a local following for his Hawaiian Portuguese sausage--not too sweet with plenty of peppery bite. The new owner is Bill Tsukamoto who, with Hopama’s recipes (including terrific lomi lomi salmon), is keeping the traditional foods of Paradise alive.

For breakfast, the Portuguese sausage comes with eggs and either rice and tsukemono (Japanese pickles) or hash browns and toast. Laulau here is wrapped in spinach leaves which many people prefer to the more bitter, but authentic, taro. And if you’ve never tried Hawaii’s national noodle dish, saimin , Paradise can give you a delectable introduction. In saimin, Chinese-style chewy wheat noodles come floating in a Japanese-inspired broth, garnished with Chinese char siu pork and Japanese fishcake. Other topping choices can include Spam, tempura or Portuguese sausage. Also, try Paradise’s won ton min ; it’s similar to saimin , but with won tons added.

Paradise Okazu-Ya, 1631 W. Carson St., Torrance, (213) 328-5345. Open Tues.-Thurs. 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat. 7 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun. 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

A common feature in Hawaiian cafes is a large steam table. You would think that such a fixture of school cafeterias would mean soggy vegetables and tired meat. But the steam table is part of the Hawaiian okazu tradition, and at Aloha Delights the food rarely languishes. Here, the vegetables are crisp and the meats still moist. And customers enjoy pondering their selections with the food in full view. There might be stewed chicken in a soy-based sauce, Filipino longaniza (rich, thumb-sized sausages), Chinese-style vegetables and pinakbet , a Filipino vegetable dish. There are also well-crafted laulau, lomi lomi and kalua pig (baked pork). No national chain can match the made-from-scratch quality of these dishes.

Aloha Delights, W. 1648 Carson St. Unit F, (Carson-Western Shopping Center) Torrance, (213) 328-9553. Open Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Seats are precious on weekends at Harry’s Aloha Chop Suey, which among Los Angeles’ Hawaiians, is an institution. On Saturday afternoons, patrons line up for one of Harry’s six tables, but few mind the wait--Harry’s customers use the time to exchange jokes and gossip.

As the restaurant name might suggest, Harry’s food has a certain nostalgic quality--chop suey has long gone out of fashion. Harry’s also is the only place I know that serves Hawaiian fried chicken. Each piece has a fresh, crunchy exterior, is moist inside, and has a flavor reminiscent of sweet soy sauce. Saimin and won ton min come steaming in huge bowls with Harry’s fine char siu pork. Besides the usual Hawaiian dishes, you can get Chinese-style braised pigs feet, kau yuke (pot roast pork), or pork and cabbage braised with shrimp sauce.

Harry’s Aloha Chop Suey, 1721 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena (213) 324-4231. Open Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mon. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

On its menu, Maui Boy claims to serve the biggest laulau in town. I can’t confirm this, but the laulau is large and freshly made. Maui Boy wraps its pork and fish bundles with the traditional taro leaves. Hawaiians eat this with plenty of rice to cut the taro’s sharp taste. With your laulau and rice you can select poi , a scoop of macaroni salad or little dish of lomi lomi salmon. Poi and lomi are also sold separately by the half pint.

Kalua pork, another specialty, is salted and baked (as though in a pit oven) until it falls apart before you can lift your fork. On alternating weekends, Maui Boy serves beef curry stew or Yankee beef stew--it’s the New England influence.

Maui Boy, 16208 Crenshaw Blvd. Gardena (213) 327-8566. Open Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. noon-6 p.m.

When the Japanese introduced teriyaki to the islands it was a plain, sweetened soy sauce used as a grilling glaze. Hawaiian teriyaki today is a cross-cultural marinade that includes Chinese and Korean touches, and Aloha Teriyaki has the one of best I’ve found. It’s a robust sauce made right in the shop with fresh garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Then it’s brushed on the meats, either good-quality lean beef or skinless chicken. As the meat grills, the sauce caramelizes. You can also get kalua pork, taro-wrapped laulau, lomi lomi , saimin and bountiful bowls of won ton min garnished with vegetables.

Aloha Teriyaki, 4834 Rosecrans Ave., Hawthorne, (213) 644-2330. Open Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Amid the pizza and cookie stands at the gargantuan Del Amo Fashion Center, Aloha Chicken serves authentic Hawaiian foods and shaved ice cones. Lomi lomi at this modest shop is fresh and clean tasting. The teriyaki chicken is no slouch either. The rendition of laulau is fine, and Aloha Chicken offering a wonderful array of fresh fruit salads and fresh fruit blender drinks.

Aloha Chicken, 216-B Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance, (213) 542-8052. Open Mon.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sat. 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Ishigo, a tiny Japanese-Hawaiian bakery, specializes in delicate layer cakes. The best are passion fruit, guava or haupia (coconut). The cakes’ whispery light layers are filled with a mixture of fresh whipped cream, butter cream and mashed fruit. They come in various sizes, from a simple round to sheets measuring 16-by-24 inches. Another good choice is the orange chiffon with macadamia nut cake.

Ishigo Bakery, 15934 S. Western Ave., Gardena, (213) 327-6388. Open Tues.-Sat. 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Perhaps the most famous name in Hawaiian foods on the mainland is King’s, manufacturer of the Hawaiian-Portugese sweetbread sold in supermarkets. King’s recently opened a branch of its famous Hawaiian Bakery Restaurant in Torrance. The large family-style establishment has the feeling of a mid-range hotel coffee shop. The food does, too; most dishes are Hawaiian in name only. Breakfast is the most Hawaiian meal here. There is a decent Portuguese sausage omelet with Hawaiian potatoes, teriyaki steak and eggs, or Hawaiian-French toast made with the Portuguese bread and coconut syrup on the side.

In King’s huge bakery, sparkling cases are filled with exotica: macadamia nut cream pie with real whipped cream, and hukilau cake, an elaborate fruit and nut concoction rimmed with swirls of jelly-filled sponge cake. But like many items, the mandarin orange mousse had a commercially-manufactured quality. And while the Hawaiian guava and passion fruit cakes were passable, they didn’t live up to the ones at Ishigo bakery.

King’s Hawaiian Bakery Restaurant, 2808 W. Sepulveda Blvd., Torrance, (213) 530-0050. Open Sun.-Thurs. 5:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Nouvelle -Hawaiian is the desired effect at the Paradise Beach Club in the Century City Marketplace. Saimin comes in a light, tart broth topped with enoki mushrooms and a julienne of fresh vegetables. Teriyaki steak is briefly grilled, then fanned out on a bed of baby lettuce sauced with black sesame seed dressing. Huli huli chicken comes on a plater with roasted yams and crunchy vegetables. Maui onion rings are crisp. And there’s Lappert’s sorbet and ice cream, including the popular passion fruit flavor, flown in from Hawaii.

Paradise Beach Club, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City, (213) 203-0841. Open 11 a.m.-midnight, daily.