The Divine Dish

Dinner at Mama’s Fish House, Maui

Posted on Dec 03, 2010 under Archives | No Comment

I heard raves from about Mama’s Fish House for weeks before setting off to Maui, so I had to include it in my itinerary.  It fit perfectly in at the end of a day exploring Maui’s upcountry.

The retro-Polynesian fantasy version of a Hawaiian restaurant lies just beyond the cute small town of Paia.  Opened in 1973, it is one of the first restaurants on the island of Maui.  The restaurant, actually a converted beach house, opens to a crescent shaped beach lined with palm trees, offering up the perfect view for the island’s stunning sunsets.

If you plan your dinner before sunset, you can take a few minutes to walk around the beach and enjoy the view.   Inside houses candlelit tables covered with island print cloths, walls covered with Maui memorabilia and dozens of amazing flower displays (pics later in this blog).

Here is what we enjoyed:

The view, the view, the view…. We were lucky enough to get a front row seat for the sunset.  Won best view for dinner out of the restaurants on my trip.

I  had to get the Mai Tai, as I promised I would have one tropical fruity with the umbrella drink while in Maui.  It was huge, a fishbowl size, and boy was it strong.  I only drank a third of it as I had a long drive back to Makena.

My friend Tina had the sashimi salad, with crispy won ton strips, Hana pohole fern, wasabi goat cheese and tuna sashimi.  Yum.

I had the lobster guacamole because …. it was lobster in guacamole!  I knew it had to taste delicious, and it did.  Fresh and buttery lobster.

What’s unique and wonderful about Mama’s Fish House is that the menu, which changes daily, is quite simple, there is a long line of fresh (meaning probably that it was caught that morning) fish that includes the details of who caught it, where, and how it was prepared.  We sampled just how fresh the fish is when the chef sent out some big local shrimp, perfectly grilled, for us to sample.  Theses were fantastic.

I had to order the house special, mahi-mahi stuffed with crab and sage, with a side of local rice and asparagus.

Tina had the fresh grilled ono with onions, carrots and avocado relish.  Both were perfectly cooked and the freshest fish I had on the island.

For dessert, we split the banana crisp topped with locally made ice cream and a chocolate turtle wafer.  A great way to end a fabulous meal.

I had to take pictures of the beautiful flowers that surrounded the tables.  Don’t bother driving to the botanical garden, just come to Mama’s for dinner for an up close view of tropical flowers.  We were lucky enough to also get to sneak into the offices and I snapped some shots of bouquet arrangements there as well, here are the flower pics:

We also got to tour some of the rental cabanas.  These are great alternatives to staying in a resort – as you can get cozy accommodations perfect for a romantic couple getaway or larger ones with kitchens for families.  Here are some pics:

As an additional bonus, if you stay at one of the cottages you get a “kamaaina rate,” or local discount of 20 percent on meals at the restaurant.  I highly recommend dining (and staying if you have enough time on your holiday) at Mama’s Fish House, 799 Kaiholo Place, Paia, reservations strongly recommended, 808/579-9762.