#govindasjuice

[backhomehi]

Recent Grinds - Kalapawai Market (Kapolei Location)

The original location in Kailua has been around since as long as I can remember (looked it up- actually since 1932), and I used to casually get baked goods and juice as one of my friends growing up lived only about 5 blocks away.  Happy to find out they’ve grown and grown and now have a new location in Kapolei- maybe 15-20 mins away from where I live now.

I was just commenting to my husband about how we’re going to have to find a new sandwich scene, since Portland was so sandwich-friendly, and I really didn’t eat many sandwiches outside of my house growing up.  This is definitely a winner on that scene- everything is fresh with good ingredients.  They have more decadent sandwiches, and also simple fresh sandwiches.

The first visit here was with my dad and I chose to go with a lunch special instead of a sandwich.  I ordered the Furikake Crusted Fresh Fish [(top) (furikake fish with sweet chili aioli, pickled ginger and green onion- Market Price)], he ordered “da Tsunami” [(2 photos 2nd row) (tuna salad, capers, cucumber, carrots, sprouts, lettuce, tomato on 12 grain- $10.00)], and of course had to have a Govinda’s juice (chose the lilikoi that time $4.00).  The fish was PERFECT.  Cooked until it was just crisp on the outside, lathered in the sweet chili aioli, pickled ginger and green onion.  Those 3 toppings on this furikake crusted fish absolutely made the dish. Had a bite of the tuna sandwich as well- delicious!  Nice to have a few added ingredients to a typical tuna sandwich- you can really taste how fresh everything is in the sandwich- quite refreshing.

The second visit here was with my husband after we were STARVING after being stuck in traffic in Nanakuli (water main breaks on 1-2 lane roads = hours of traffic) and we both opted for sandwiches.  I ordered the French Dip [(bottom 2 photos) (roast beef, provolone on garlic baguette with au jus & horseradish; opted for tossed greens- $13.00)], Rob ordered “da Skinny” [(4th row down)(kalua pork, BBQ sauce, pepper jack, coleslaw on brioche; he opted for the shoestring fries- $13.00)], and of course, again had to have a Govinda’s juice (chose guava nectar this time $4.00).  The French Dip was good, and adding both the horseradish and dipping in au jus made it great.  However, I’m not a huge French Dip person, so I’ll probably choose another sandwich next time.  That being said, everything tasted fresh and I loved that it was on a garlic baguette.  Had half of da Skinny (because we normally split-split our meals)- now that is a good sandwich.  The kalua pork was sweet with the BBQ sauce on it, and the little pickles were a nice touch.  The brioche was soft and definitely enhanced the flavor of the pork.  Shoestring fries were plentiful and deliciously crisp on the outside, but still soft and warm on the inside- pretty perfect.

Excited to have this place nearby and to eat more food!