MAUI – MAMAS FISH HOUSE

When The Fiance and I told people we were visiting Maui, the one restaurant everyone raved about was Mama’s. After spending 10 unforgettable nights on the island, I’m joining in. If I could only go to one restaurant in Maui, it would be Mama’s.

Atmosphere: To start, the location of the restaurant is stunning. Right along the beach, lit by tiki torches, looking out onto the ocean framed by palm trees, I couldn’t have imagined a more postcard setting. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated from driftwood furniture in the lobby to fresh flowers at each booth and table.

Service: Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. He provided a lot of additional information to the menu and answered our many questions. Dinner did run at a slow, relaxed pace , perfectly fitting for vacation.

Food: The pictures speak for themselves. Every dish was outstanding. The flavour of the fresh seafood stood out on each plate and was highlighted with strong Asian flavours. My mango pina colada was also to die for; creamy, rich, basically like the perfect ripe mango.

For appetizers The Fiance and I ordered the Tahitian Ceviche and fried Uku Cheek. I expected to love the ceviche (and did) but was blown away by the Uku Cheek, which was suggested by our server. The fish was tender, melt in your mouth with perfect crispy skin. There was much more meat on each piece than I was expecting as well. The soy chilli sauce and pickles served along side were refreshing and a great balance of sweet and sour.

When ordering our mains, we asked our server about the lobster on the menu was bummed to learn that they were from Maine and not local rock lobster. The reason being that the local supply would not be able to meet the demand from the restaurant. Knowing this, we stuck to fish-centered entrees. The “Island Fish” section of the menu changes daily based on what fish is available fresh from the fisherman. You can’t go wrong with any of the options. We ordered two different fish and flavour profiles. The Fiance had the stuffed Mahi Mahi with a macadamia nut crust while my Kampachi had more Asian influence with caramelized onions, tomatoes and served on a bed of black rice.

Although we were full, we left room to split an order of The Polynesian Black Pearl. The presentation of this dessert was beautiful and almost too pretty to eat, almost. The mousse was rich, airy and you could really taste the passion fruit.