Catch the wave

Aloha Modern Kitchen

If travel to tropical climes isn’t on your agenda this year, treat yourself to the authentic flavours of Hawaii right here in Calgary at Aloha Modern Kitchen. The brainchild of chef Joel Harris (J Spot, Foreign Concept), Aloha’s concept showcases the years spent in Hawaii surfing and studying under renowned celebrity chef Sheldon Simeon. Harris says his deep connection to the people, flavours and culture of Hawaii informs every aspect of the new restaurant … and it’s paid off.

Aloha offers a fun and vibrant dining room staffed by expert and friendly staff. The cocktail menu begs for a Friday-after-work hang with friends offering all of the classics plus a custom menu of two-ounce Aloha cocktails. We loved the Cucumber Number featuring crisp cucumber with all roads heading to the beach – Hendricks, Meletti Amaro, yellow chartreuse, cucumber, mint, lemon juice.

On the dinner menu, we had the delicious problem of not being able to decide what to order. From the pupu menu, we opted for Spam Musubi and Tuna Crudo – both of which delighted. The chef sent an Aloha Poke bowl over and we’re sure glad he did! We then dipped into the Hawaiian Saimin – the island’s version of ramen – which was also fabulous. The star of the show was the Huli Huli Chicken, marinated and fried to crispy perfection, and then served under a dome of smoke to add yet another dimension. Don’t miss the house-made Fat Chow Fun noodles – we’ve never had anything like them and they’re absolutely delicious.

The charred broccolini from the sides menu was slathered in a delicious aioli that had us drooling, and the deconstructed pineapple cheesecake for dessert was the perfect cap to a delicious meal.

We’ll be back to try the miso glazed cod and other dishes we missed on our first visit.

Aloha Modern Kitchen | 100, 5920 Macleod Tr. S.W. | 403.333.3675 | Find online at opentable.com