Qinji Hawaiian BBQ & Ramen

Located at 2224 Golden Gate Drive in the Golden Gate Shopping Center in Greensboro, Qinji HawaiianBBQ and Ramen offers Hawaiian and Japanese cuisine for lunch and dinner. It is open from 11-9 Tuesday-Friday, noon-9 on Saturday, and closed Sunday. Online ordering is available.

Our group of four ended up at Qinji when the wait at Mizumi proved too long, but this proved to be the epitome of a happy accident. Cosmetically, Qinji is quite an upgrade from the previous ZC Hawaiian: the interior is tasteful and clean. The menu boasts many tantalizing options from predominantly Japanese apps to more than ten kinds of ramen to rice and noodle dishes to Hawaiian specialties. Vegetarians won’t be hard-pressed to find something here though the meat-eaters among you can take in everything from kalbi to Spam.

It was the first visit for all of us, and we got to experience a variety of dishes: calamari, Takoyaki, spam musubi, veggie roll, Hawaiian pineapple chicken, loco moco, and a combo (katsu fried shrimp and fish and grilled beef). Portions were plentiful, and, as the entrees included rice and salad (green or macaroni) for under $15, quite affordable. While the musubi and the loco moco may conjure some odd associations for anyone who grew up with Spam or Salisbury steak, the food was largely a hit. The beef was flavorful, the seafood was well-breaded without being bone dry, and the dipping sauces complemented the apps nicely. Even though the green salad was little more than lettuce with a few shredded carrots, a terrific mango dressing (bright, crisp, and citrusy) elevated it.

Qinji is nowhere close to home, and while that may preclude me from becoming a regular here, it is definitely a place I will look forward to coming back to during future excursions to northern Greensboro.

ZC Hawaiian BBQ

Located at 2224 Golden Gate Dr. in Greensboro’s Golden Gate Shopping Center, ZC Hawaiian BBQ serves Hawaiian and pan-Asian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Bulk orders, takeout carrying, and health-conscious options are available.

Sometimes, being the only game in town is both a blessing and a curse. The lack of competition grants a measure of protection, but the expectations to “get it right” are that much higher. So it goes with ZC, Greenboro’s sole Hawaiian eatery. Those who have had Hawaiian elsewhere will likely be underwhelmed, but ZC still serves a need for the area adequately if not impressively.

The Z in ZC stands for owner Benny Zeng, a Chinese restaurant veteran who opened the eatery with his family about two years ago. The staff here are friendly, and though the restaurant is more colorful than most, it still exudes a casual, Chinese takeout vibe.

The menu, on the other hand, goes far beyond typical. Saimin (Hawaiian ramen), musubi (a cooked sushi variant), rice-and-vegetable bowls with various toppings, and combination platters join about two dozen versions of the Hawaiian lunch plate. Sandwiches and sides round out the impressive list of offerings.

For a takeout order, I went with a BBQ Mix (chicken, beef, and short ribs), a Seafood Combo (fried fish, fried shrimp, and chicken katsu), and a few manapua (pork steamed buns). The food was prepared on-time and still warm by the time I made it home. So far, so good. Unfortunately, the meal itself proved to be a decidedly mixed experience. The meats were seasoned well, but they were overcooked. The chicken katsu in particular was quite chewy and dry. There were also very few accompanying vegetables. On the other hand, the sides of macaroni salad were a welcome addition, and the sauces provided complemented the dishes nicely.

While ZC’s quality is less-than-stellar, it is a great bargain. Lunch plates can be had for as little as $6, and my combination platters were both under $10 apiece. You get plenty of food for your money, too: the two platters easily yielded four meals.

Though I would be hesitant to repeat my order, given the sheer number of dishes available, I will likely give ZC another try in the future. Despite its flaws, it is cheap, abundant, and far more interesting than the average Asian takeout joint.

7.25/10

One Fish, Two Fish: A Poke Joint

Located at 370 East Main Street in Carrboro, One Fish, Two Fish offers poke bowls and other Hawaiian cuisine for lunch and dinner daily. Limited outdoor seating is available.

One Fish, Two Fish is the latest from Goose Hospitality, the group responsible for nearby The Shoppe Meatball Bar and Esperanza (formerly Calavera) Empanadas and Tequila. Though a bit more limited in some ways, One Fish, Two Fish is nevertheless another feather (pun semi-intended) in Goose’s cap.

Poke – seasoned raw fish cubes – is the star attraction here, and it is given the Chipotle treatment. You can choose from greens, noodles, and several kinds of rice as a base, from tuna, salmon, shrimp, chicken, pork, or eggplant as a scoop, and then add one of ten different sauces as well as toppings (too many to list) to your heart’s content. Of course, if this proves too daunting, you can also opt for a pre-set option (such as the Island Classic, the Spicy Tuna, or the Vegetarian Bowl) instead. Wonton chips, tuna nachos and tacos, Hawaiian shaved ices, tropical teas and sodas, and kombuchas round out the offerings. For those not into raw fish, there are still quite a few options.

During my first visit, I went with the Muliwai Bowl ($10.95): salmon, yuzu kosho sauce (apple-cilantro-mint), wasabi peas, cucumber, edamame, avocado, radish, onion, and masago on jasmine rice. They were out of salmon at the time (boo), so tuna served as its replacement. The fish was fresh (thankfully), the bowl was colorful, the accompanying wonton chips added a welcome crunch, and the flavors balanced nicely, delivering hints of spicy, salty, tangy, and sweet. That said, those flavors were definitely more subdued than anticipated. The bowl was hardly tasteless but it was not as bold as it should have been.

Fresh ingredients and a multitude of possibilities make One Fish, Two Fish well worth a repeat visit. It may take some trial-and-error to find the perfect combination of sauces and toppings, but this place’s potential merits continued experimentation.

8/10