A Fondness for Fond in Maui
Mr. Sweet, Chef Jojo and me at Fond Restaurant in Maui
It was our first night in the magical island of Maui and what better way to celebrate dedicated time away from the grind than eating at Fond, a Filipino and Asian-fusion restaurant?
Growing up in San Diego, Filipino food was served at home, family parties or small mom-and-pop shop restaurants but in Maui, Filipino food is part of everyday island life and an essential part of restaurant menus. So imagine my delight when I saw how plenty of Maui restaurants, like Fond, serve Filipino food as if that’s to be expected. Since so much of the food in Maui is influenced by an array of Asian immigrant communities, everything I ate at Fond was a multicultural dance on my plate and I couldn’t help but have yes, a fondness for it all!
You can find Fond in the corner of Napili Plaza in Lahaina, the resort side that sits along the westside of Maui. The restaurant is no stranger to accommodating tourists yet it still extends an Aloha welcome to all.
When my life-long travel partner Mr. Sweet and I arrived at the restaurant, restaurant owner Chef Jojo greeted us at the host stand. The chef was out of the kitchen but seemed to play multiple roles that night by weaving around seating guests, taking orders and serving food and drinks. It was a Wednesday night and the restaurant was filled just enough to make you believe you indeed chose a good spot for dinner.
By the looks of the women wearing sundresses around us, the other diners were also on vacation. Before us was an intergenerational family. The parents and grandparents in the group got up every now and then to play with their restless toddlers. Maui is family friendly and so is Fond. The intimacy is also still there for couples finding reprieve in the island. This is probably why the restaurant describes itself as “a neighborhood eatery.” There are options for the health-conscious and those wanting to not hold back.
With Chef Jojo as our server, we were fortunate to have his very best recommendations. You see, that’s how friendly Maui is—even the head chef of a restaurant is right there eager to serve you.
To kick things off, we had the calamansi and POG (passion fruit, orange, guava) cocktail. Both are made with a simple syrup, their respective juices and vodka. I took one sip but felt my POG drink was too sweet, but according to Mr. Sweet who had to finish both drinks because I can’t handle too much citrus, they actually were well balanced.
For appetizers, we went with the chef’s suggestion of Poke Nachos ($14). The starter was topped with basil the restaurant grows on their own. I’ve never been one to drool over ahi tuna before but after tasting how fresh ahi tastes in Maui, I’m a dedicated fan but probably only when in Hawaii. The chips were deep fried yet light and airy.
Then came our main courses. Given my intolerance for dairy I was hesitant to go for the Garlic Shrimp Bento Box ($18) but I went for it anyway because who can resist large shrimp bathed in butter garlic sauce with a side of steamed rice, Asian Slaw and an Umami Egg? Yup, didn’t think so! I ate slow and steady to be on the safe side. Maybe it’s the healing nature of white rice trickling and settling in your belly, but I was a-okay in the end. In fact, I swirled each shrimp and bite of the egg in the butter garlic sauce and left little, if any, lick behind. You see, when you’re on vacation, you take your chances with what could be and you don’t worry about calories!
Time has gone by since we said see you later to Maui, but I still think about that shrimp dish bathed in all of its buttery garlicy glory—fondly.
Chef Jojo noted they keep it simple with their dessert options and I don’t disagree. Between the Basque Cheesecake, cookie sundae and vanilla ice cream, I thought opting for a plain chocolate chip cookie would be the most gentle on my digestion. I was left without a rumbling stomach in the end (yay!). Still, I would have preferred my cookie to have a softer bite and be right-out-of the-oven warm. Our cookies were on the harder side, probably baked for a minute or two too long.
It was only our first night in Maui. So much more was to come if our meal at Fond was done with such a fondness for flavorful, local and quality ingredients.
Once you experience the hospitality of the locals and get hit with the Aloha spirit, every place you go to on “The Valley Isle” has an element of magic to it. Stepping foot in Fond, sitting back and enjoying the spice-driven, saucy Filipino and multicultural inspired food before you makes you realize that when you’re in Maui, there’s no other place you’d rather be.
Check out Fond
5095 Napilihau St. Ste 115A, Lahaina, HI 96761
This is Part 1 of Maui Magic. Check out Part 2 with other Maui restaurants. Part 3 is coming soon!