Tiki bar in Seattle? The Islander? - General Tiki

D dogbytes Tiki Socialite seattle, wa Joined: Mar 24, 2002 Posts: 2243	D dogbytes Posted posted on Mon, Jun 28, 2004 6:01 PM We received a $15 gift certificate (postcard) for The Islander in a bunch of junk mail. I had remembered this thread and the local papers' reviews ~ but decided to go nonetheless. I’m not one to pass up on the opportunity to see tropical/tiki décor! and I’m glad we did! ~ the menu has changed a lot from the one on their website. Innovative with lots of choices. We arrived well before any crowds, at 5:00 ~ somehow, it still took a while for our waitress to find us in the empty room. But that’s ok, we were soaking in the décor, an eclectic mix of things perhaps my Dad would think of as “tiki”. Japanese, Indonesian, African masks, coconut monkeys, vintage lamps, painted Tikis and hand carved ones too. A nice environment with Hawaiian music playing gently in the background. Todd ordered a Dark and Stormy ~ a fizzy ginger ale, pineapple juice and rum drink with shavings of fresh ginger, served frosty cold over ice. Incredibly refreshing. I had several sips (a rarity for me) I, the nondrinker, had a banana-coconut virgin drink: very fruity and beautifully garnished with a toasted coconut rim, fresh pineapple and the customary maraschino cherry. Todd had the Hawaiian Fried Chicken, smothered in country type gravy, served with well-crafted stir-fried vegetables and the most amazing purple mound of Okinawa sweet potato mash. The chicken breast and wing portion was coated in a crispy crust, the gravy didn’t overpower the dish, and the bits of red,green,yellow bell peppers and celery squares was a tasty garnish. I had the Fisherman’s Plate with fried halibut, scallops and shrimp served with a huge scoop of sweet potato fries tucked into a ti leaf cone. Oh the aoli dipping sauce and the super-charged tartar sauce were good enough to eat all by themselves! This tempura is the I’ve set lips upon. The batter was a little bit thick, with flakes of (perhaps) furikake or other seaweed. No rolls were served. Dunno why but I sort of expect bread with dinner (not that we always eat it, but I do enjoy a crusty loaf of sourdough, or a Hawaiian sweetbread. Oh and as if we weren’t already stuffed to the gills, we ordered the mud pie. Again, the garnishes just brought an already outstanding dish over the top. Fluffy mounds of whipped cream, drizzled in caramel sauce and dusted with toasted almonds and macadamia nuts surrounded an upturned piece of ice-cream pie. You can really taste the quality of the ingredients used at The Islands, and your eye is treated to a fantastic presentation. I particularly like that the food is not stacked up high for that illusion of plentitude. You are actually getting a big amount of food! We’re going back, discount or no! Hopefully there'll be a wait for a table, so we have a reason to hang out in the bar for a while.. elicia [ Edited by: dogbytes on 2004-06-28 18:03 ]

We received a $15 gift certificate (postcard) for The Islander in a bunch of junk mail. I had remembered this thread and the local papers' reviews ~ but decided to go nonetheless. I’m not one to pass up on the opportunity to see tropical/tiki décor!

and I’m glad we did! ~ the menu has changed a lot from the one on their website. Innovative with lots of choices.

We arrived well before any crowds, at 5:00 ~ somehow, it still took a while for our waitress to find us in the empty room. But that’s ok, we were soaking in the décor, an eclectic mix of things perhaps my Dad would think of as “tiki”. Japanese, Indonesian, African masks, coconut monkeys, vintage lamps, painted Tikis and hand carved ones too. A nice environment with Hawaiian music playing gently in the background.

Todd ordered a Dark and Stormy ~ a fizzy ginger ale, pineapple juice and rum drink with shavings of fresh ginger, served frosty cold over ice. Incredibly refreshing. I had several sips (a rarity for me) I, the nondrinker, had a banana-coconut virgin drink: very fruity and beautifully garnished with a toasted coconut rim, fresh pineapple and the customary maraschino cherry.

Todd had the Hawaiian Fried Chicken, smothered in country type gravy, served with well-crafted stir-fried vegetables and the most amazing purple mound of Okinawa sweet potato mash. The chicken breast and wing portion was coated in a crispy crust, the gravy didn’t overpower the dish, and the bits of red,green,yellow bell peppers and celery squares was a tasty garnish.

I had the Fisherman’s Plate with fried halibut, scallops and shrimp served with a huge scoop of sweet potato fries tucked into a ti leaf cone. Oh the aoli dipping sauce and the super-charged tartar sauce were good enough to eat all by themselves! This tempura is the I’ve set lips upon. The batter was a little bit thick, with flakes of (perhaps) furikake or other seaweed.

No rolls were served. Dunno why but I sort of expect bread with dinner (not that we always eat it, but I do enjoy a crusty loaf of sourdough, or a Hawaiian sweetbread.

Oh and as if we weren’t already stuffed to the gills, we ordered the mud pie. Again, the garnishes just brought an already outstanding dish over the top. Fluffy mounds of whipped cream, drizzled in caramel sauce and dusted with toasted almonds and macadamia nuts surrounded an upturned piece of ice-cream pie.

You can really taste the quality of the ingredients used at The Islands, and your eye is treated to a fantastic presentation. I particularly like that the food is not stacked up high for that illusion of plentitude. You are actually getting a big amount of food!

We’re going back, discount or no! Hopefully there'll be a wait for a table, so we have a reason to hang out in the bar for a while..

elicia

[ Edited by: dogbytes on 2004-06-28 18:03 ]

Post #98945 by dogbytes on Mon, Jun 28, 2004 6:01 PM