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L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is a chain of 200+ restaurants, 14 states and Japan and at this writing is the company based in Hawaii that has expanded to cover a good portion of the United States, including Roseville, CA! The restaurant offers Hawaiian plate lunches, which is traditional Hawaiian cuisine; a fusion of American and Asian cuisine. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's right at the 11:00 o'clock morning opening time, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, and I've arrived at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, located on Fairway Drive in Roseville, CA, to enjoy an authentic Hawaiian barbecue lunch.
Photo: The restaurant is rather spartan inside, but it's clean, comfortable and works well. Most diners seem to prefer to-go orders, so call me "old school" as I prefer to enjoy my meal in a dining room. The format is similar to a fast food restaurant, in that the menu is posted above the order counter; you make your choice, pay for it, receive a receipt, and when your order is ready, your name will be called and you pick it up at the counter. As you wait for your order - mine arrive in about 5 minutes - you can enjoy the self-service soda fountain and treat yourself to an unlimited number of refills. On this scorching 102 degree+ day, I'm not sure how much Pepsi I drank, but I refilled my cup many times... Of course you sit yourself at any open table...
Photo: A portion of the "Traditional Plates" menu, showing beef, pork, saimin along with burgers and sandwiches. Since Spam is a staple in the State of Hawaii, I went with "Spam and Eggs" from the "Pork Plates" section of the menu.
Photo: One of the many posters mounted on the wall that highlight the fine cuisine the restaurant has to offer.
Photo: Meet Carlos, the super friendly counter guy, who called my name and presented my "Spam and Eggs" with a smile. My order was ready in about five minutes, which is super F-A-S-T any way you look at it!
Photo: I'm a happy guy as today I didn't have to hop on a plane and fly to Hawaii to enjoy a delicious Hawaiian lunch.
Photo: Spam is often referred to as "The Hawaiian Steak," so I went with a "Traditional Plate," of Spam, eggs, rice and macaroni salad. This is authentic Hawaiian as cuisine can get! Eggs are friend as per your request, and I ordered my eggs fried sunnyside up. I went with the "Regular" plate rather than the "Mini," as the larger plate includes an extra side of rice for a nominal extra cost. As in typical Hawaiian style, most of the Spam was tucked under the eggs, as in Hawaii the eggs almost always are placed on top of the meat. Speaking of the Spam - my entree of choice - the plate included four slices of perfectly grilled Spam, complete with attractive grill marks. As an aside, did you know Hawaii consumes more Spam, per capita than any other U.S. State? Essentially, Spam is the quintessential "state" dish of Hawaii... My plate included two large scoops of steamed white rice, a large scoop of chilled macaroni salad, and two eggs, fried sunnyside up. This lunch certainly could have worked for breakfast! The Spam slices were perfectly grilled, tender and tasted exactly as you'd suspect... like Spam. The warm rice added for a great side, which contrasted with the chilled macaroni salad. The macaroni salad wasn't anything special, as it tasted like it was purchased at your local supermarket, but it was good, and the chill of the salad made a great contrast to the warm rice, Spam and eggs. I wasn't really fond of the eggs, as they were undercooked and runny, but I mixed them with the rice, it all worked out great. Another nit to pick - and a small one - was my dine-in order was served in a to-go box. Alright, I get it that L&L Hawaiian Barbecue does a lot of take-out, as many diners seem to prefer their orders to-go, and it makes sense from a business standpoint to standardise all orders for economics and efficiency. But I truly missed the "comfort" of a real plate rather than a to-go box!
Photo: I pulled out slices of Spam that were tucked under the eggs, to show all of goodness this amazing dish has to offer. "Traditional Plates," are a Hawaiian staple, and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has built it's reputation of serving a great plate, with lots of good food, you'll never leave hungry. When you're craving authentic Hawaiian cuisine, you don't need to hop on an airplane and take the 5-hour flight to Hawaii... all you need to do is to visit L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, located on Fairway Drive, in Roseville, CA. L&L Hawaiian Barbecue Copyright(c) 2024 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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