Tag Archives: Hawaii
Mala at Wailea Marriott – unexpected plant-based meal in a spectacular setting
Searching out plant-based, vegan options in Maui proved a positive and fun adventure. The biggest surprise, not listed anywhere, was the restaurant at our hotel. What a surprise! Mala has a separate Gluten-Free & Vegan Menu. Chef Mark Ellman and his business partner Shep Gordon teamed up with Top Chef Finalist Chef Sheldon Simeon (and one of Food & Wine 2014 Best New chefs) to create delicious, organic and locally sourced dishes that are an eclectic blend of Mediterranean and Hawaiian flavor profiles.
The setting is simply gorgeous. The upper level airy dining room features a clean, contemporary, teak-accented look with long, unobstructed water views. If weather permits, dine on the lanai.
On the Gluten-Free and Vegan Menu , there are four vegan starters, one salad, and a disappointing single entree. But we found that the server and chef were happy to work with us to create a second plant-based entree since we always share and prefer to taste a variety of offerings. We combined one of the starters with a few of the five vegan sides. Island Vegetables featured well seasoned cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots and baby bok choy on a bed of coconut peanut sauce ($28). We also sampled the fried local pickels ($7) and the Fried Tofu ($12).
Maui – On the Road to Hana
We decided to drive the supposedly totally off-the-beaten-track but spectacular Road to Hana along Maui’s northeast coast. The warnings were universal – take lots of water and food, gas up the car – there’s nothing along the whole route – perhaps 55+/-miles with 58 bridges (many one-lane wide) and over 250 serious curves – plus untold vistas and one-car-wide pull-offs. So the estimate is about 4 hours to get to Hana and as long to get back – with stops at the top five attractions. The warnings also advised against taking the “dotted line” road back to Wailea that would complete the circuit – so we had to come back the same way or void our car rental agreement if we were found out…
Consequently, we wasted a good hour getting prepared for this major odyssey in our little fire-engine red convertible – about half the rentals in Maui are convertibles and most of them were headed to Hana at the same time we were. Many of the warnings proved over the top or just plain wrong. Except one – there are 58 bridges, most one-lane wide – and over 250 curves – so no wine and beer on this trip. But were were happy that we had provisioned at Down to Earth – an organic, all natural market just south of the Hana Road that makes delicious plant-based sandwiches ($7.99 each) – subs and wraps – and offers a wide range of “healthy” chips, drinks and well-priced water. downtoearth.org.
Maui’s Down to Earth store just south of the road to Hana
The drive was made far more interesting because we rented a GyPSy GPS program that provided fascinating commentary on what we were passing or stopped at – along with a lot of history and anecdotes during the long stretches of gorgeous scenery.
Our experience was that there are services along the way – but maybe not year round – so check. There’s a small cluster of shops and snack bars, tiny family-run roadside stands – some offering fruit, vegs, burgers or pastries. And there is a gas station in Hana along with some basic dining options, an “historic General Store” that has seen better days, and a resort. FYI: several people told us later that the “dotted line road,” which would have made this an even more interesting drive, is just fine at this time of year and we should have taken it.
For images of the Road to Hana, please see this link to Pinterest.
Plant-Based in Maui – don’t trust the web lists
Seeking out plant-based, vegan options in Maui started out as a positive and fun adventure. With only a few days notice, I searched the web and arrived with notes from Happy Cow, Vegan in Maui, and from various tweets and blog posts. “Vegan in Maui” recommended Margaritas (lots of plant-based Tex Mex options) in Kihei, a fifteen-minute drive. It sounded like a good jet-lagged choice, so we called for a reservation. The line was busy for more than an hour. So we put the address in our GPS and started off – we couldn’t find it, asked several locals – everyone looked blank. Finally someone told us it has closed, maybe, three years ago. So much for that list.
Tired and hungry, we landed at Maui Thai – a strip mall restaurant that proved more than adequate if not exactly what we had in mind. The staff was very accommodating (and knowledgeable steering us away from some of our choices – “that is made with beef broth”). We had a delicious modified Green Papaya Salad, a lovely veg curry and a heap of brown rice. Maybe best of all, it’s BYO and there’s a beer & wine shop in the same mall.
Stay tuned for some surprising finds….
Maui Thai – Green Papaya Salad, Vegetable Curry and Brown Rice
Maui Thai Vegetable Curry
- Maui Thai Dining Room
