Located within Lovejoy’s Below by Botanist, Hapa Barkada is a collaboration between chef Melvin Trinidad and Hapa Howie’s owner Kiaha Kurek, offering a menu of Filipino and Hawaiian plates and bar snacks. Trinidad marinates chicken in adobo before giving it a deep fry, while Kurek stuffs inari with tuna poke. The best sampling of both chefs’ work is via the rice plates, which come with a choice of protein (kalua pig, tofu sisig, pork belly adobo), a choice of rice (herby chimichurri rice, garlic rice), a light cabbage slaw, and a scoop of mac salad.
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