Char Hung Sut

Front and Large Sign

Menu

          One day on our trip to Hawaii, we decided to make the short trip out to Chinatown. After boosting our appetites through looking at pig heads, green frogs and fresh salmon, it was time to try some of Hawaii's Manapua. Manapua is practically Char-Siu Bao in Hawaiian, and there was one place that stood out above the rest: Char Hung Sut. Char Hung Sut has been around for over 70 years and always have been well known for their Manapua. When we walked into the "restaurant" it was obvious this wasn't a sit in eatery or an actual restaurant, and they do take out only. Luckily this Chinatown in Honolulu isn't very sketchy at all compared to Vancouver's Chinatown. There were a bunch of nice older ladies making the products, one guy steaming the items and another lady who took orders. The pork they were using looked like ground pork, and the items were premade ready for take out. I have no problems with premade food as long as it isn't too unhealthy and tastes good. One good sign was that they were still siting inside the steamers. After pointing us towards the chalkboard on the wall, she tried to get us to buy every single item on the menu. Luckily we stopped her after getting a nice assortment of items to sample. While Char Hung Sut is famous for their Char Siu Bao, they also do a few other porky and non porky items. A little variety is good, just like the prices here for everything, as we paid about $10 for everything, and filled us up as a snack. We were in and out within 3 minutes due to the quick service and lack of lineup, but I have heard that lines pick up later in the day.

       

Sui Mai/Pork Hash 80 cents

Half Moons 80 cents

     Once I picked up the box filled with all of our goodies, I went to photograph them within 5 minutes while they were still hot. Maybe putting them into a large bamboo steamer keeps them warm, or maybe we just lucked out. All that matters was that our box was hot. The wax paper that prevented the box from sticking to the food was a nice touch. The first item we tried after getting to the nearest waterfront park was the Pork Hash. At 80 cents a piece, these were pretty small, but I guess you get what you pay for. In this case, we got a mini Siu Mai, which was practically what this was. Nice and hot, these little one bites were nice and tender, not overcooked at all. The flavours were good, and were pretty juicy being steamed. They were solid, reasonably priced and met the criteria for a 3.5/5.Moving onto the half moons, which were 80 cents each. They definitely looked like half moons, and were filled with mostly water chestnut. Well, this wasn't very impressive at all, but edible. Serves me right for ordering that at a restaurant that does mostly pork items. The water chestnut was a little crunchy and the outside layer was soft, but even the people that know this dish weren't very impressed. In the end, a 2/5. 

Large Manapua $1.80

Look at The Size!

         Finally, we get to the main course, the big boys, the Manapua. And boy, were these some huge char siu bao. The picture doesn't really show you the beauty of these. Just imagine the average 2 inch or so Char Siu Bao, take 3, and put into one massive bun. That was legitimatly the size of this bun. It was a great value, for $1.70, and had a good ratio of bun to pork. It wasn't one of those places where you get a sandwich and end up with a slice of ham on 2 pieces of bread for $5. Inside the bun, the pork was stringy like Pork Floss, and looked like it had been baked in an oven. No worries though, as the shredded pork was without a doubt one of the best Manapua/Char Siu Bao I have ever eaten. There was enough pork for you to get some in each bite, and it was really juicy. You really shouldn't judge this book from it's cover. The sweet char siu flavour was just right, not overly sweet or salty and there really was no liquid inside the bun. Just pork and bread, with the bread basking in the flavour of pork, softly complimenting it perfectly. While the bun was a tiny bit dense, it didn't put off the Manapua very much. Overall, everyone liked the Manapua and came to a 4.5/5. Very good but not quite nearly perfect.In the end, if you find yourself strolling through Honolulu's Chinatown, it is well worth the short walk to get some of their famous Manapua

Bottom Line: Good Manapua, Ok Everything Else
Tip: Stay with the Manapua
Overall: 3.5/5 Total, 4.5/5 Manapua