Ballard. Tukwila. Too far to go, even with ReachNow's $5 one hour special today.
"OK, Google. Search best cheap lunch in Seattle."
Eater.com has a list. Number six is Paseo in Fremont, but they write, "There's even a second location now in Sodo." A Cuban-style sandwich sounds good. Salty pork sounds really good. But a look at their menu reveals they're not quite what I was looking for. At around $11 per sandwich, the $5 drive will make it a pricey lunch. Above that, I'm now remembering my parking rage from using ReachNow yesterday. What else comes up in the search results?
Well, there's this article from The Stranger. The very first recommendation is for a Hawaiian/fried chicken place on Capitol Hill. Hey, there's an idea: Spam. Rice and Spam would hit the spot. Salty pork. Mmmm.
"OK, Google. Find Hawaiian food near me."
Bam. Top hit: Aloha Plates. Just inside the International District area, it's an eight-minute walk. It's sunny. It's cheap. Time for lunch. I check out StreetView, see the entrance and storefront, and head out.
Don't use the entrance. Don't go in the storefront. Turns out that even though it's got a glass door with the name of the place and the hours on it, it's the entrance to the back of the kitchen. "UberEATS?" asks the cook when he sees me. No, I'm not picking up to deliver someones food. He helpfully points me to the door on the other corner of the kitchen, which leads me into the bustling Uwajimaya food court.
The cashier is ringing up customers at a feverish pace, and it's quickly my turn. I order the Freestyle Combo with teriyaki chicken, brown rice, macaroni salad, and Spam. About five minutes later, I spot an open table and grab a seat. Three minutes after that, my order's up. I pop open the clamshell tray and dig in.
What can I say about Spam? They fried the two slices up well, with light browning around the edges. The teriyaki chicken was mildly sweet, but a little stringy. The brown rice was puffy and filling -- I couldn't finish all of it. The macaroni salad was unremarkable. Overall, pretty decent, like I'd get from L&L Hawaiian BBQ. Authentic? No idea.
I'd never been in Uwajimaya before, and spotted at least five other places in the food court worth a try. That's more spots to put on my to do list, I guess.
Aloha Plates
503 S. Weller (in the Uwajimaya food court)
Spam, teriyaki chicken, rice, macaroni salad, Diet Pepsi, $11.43
Ate here again last week. I didn't see the Freestyle Combo any more, but was in the mood for Chicken Katsu anyway. Good, heavy, a lot of food, unremarkable. Would eat again.
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