Kona's

Where two tropical islands meet, and everyone comes home happy

By Roane Beard

There are certain amenities that should accompany life in the tropics. All it takes is a cool ocean breeze, an abundance of hammocks, and grass-skirted island women to bring refreshing, frosty beverages, preferably topped with maraschino cherries and tiny umbrellas, to make the seemingly unbearable heat a minor inconvenience and island life something to revel in.

Perhaps this was the image that led The Bounty's crew to mutiny, like a pack of disgruntled bu xi ban teachers who had taught their last "r" sound. Perhaps that's why Robinson Crusoe built such a bitchin' place for himself, in the Disney version, anyway.

Or perhaps not. But memories of life in Hawaii have made Kaohsiung a little closer to the idyllic tropical ideal, in the form of Kona's.

The dining experience at Kona's is a blend of tropical island sensibilities and genuine southwestern US Tex-Mex style cooking. It's an eclectic combo, but David Cox, the owner, pulls it off with some of the best affordably priced western food in Kaohsiung. He moved to Kaohsiung after living in Hawaii for years, and gave in to the compulsion to make a mark on the Kaohsiung restaurant scene.

"I like restaurants. I like to cook, and I saw a real need for it here," he said. "After teaching in Kaohsiung for a year, and not being able to find the food I like to eat, I thought I'd go for it."

Born in Idaho, David has lived all over the United States. He went to school in New Mexico and San Diego, acquiring a taste for Tex-Mex, and learning how to do it right. After a while, he left San Diego for Hawaii, where he lived for years teaching science and enjoying the tropical lifestyle. When he moved to Kaohsiung a year and a half ago, his love for food and an eye for opportunity compelled him to take action. Kona's was the result, which he opened with his wife Amanda, a Taoyuan native, naming the place after their cat.

"The restaurants that serve really good western food here are expensive," David said, explaining his motivations for opening Kona's. "You can only go there infrequently. We wanted to be a place where the customer could come several times a month, and it's worked. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't get a new customer. It's really encouraging."

A reflection of David himself, Kona's shows evidence of influence from all over the western world. The décor is strictly Hawaiian. The counter is done thatch hut style, topped with a coconut tip-jar carved into the likeness of a monkey. Posters of reef life and the Kahanamaku brothers, kings of the Hawaiian surfers, cover tropical fish wallpaper, while hula dolls, idols of Hawaiian gods, and other knickknacks from David's collection of tropical kitsch are scattered around the place.

The menu, however, isn't limited to the Pacific. Mediterranean influences are felt in the form of Greek salads, pasta, pizza, and focaccia, while the American southwest makes a strong impression in the form of a wide range of BBQ dishes. And of course, there's Tex-Mex, one of Kona's main attractions.

Almost everything on the menu is below NT$200. Salads and sandwiches run from NT$50 to NT$120. Appetizers like quesidillas, chicken wings, and focaccia are all NT$100 or less, and pasta dishes with salad and garlic bread run from NT$120 to NT$140. The pizza is a little higher, from a low of NT$230 for a small cheese to a high of NT$530 for a large Hawaiian, but all the pizza's are 10% off with the Rickshaw Kaohsiung VIP Card. The Mexican food is all below NT$250, with a bean and cheese burrito at only NT$75.

"The enchiladas are probably the favorite with our customers, but all our Mexican food is really popular. Our customers can tell it's genuine. Almost everything that we offer is made from scratch," said David. "I'd say about 70%. All of our breads, all of our sauces are homemade. Stuff that you wouldn't expect to find. It would be a lot easier to buy a can of refried beans, or pizza sauce, but it just wouldn't taste as good. I think that's what makes us really stand out-we put a lot of time and effort into the products."

That includes the desserts, which includes homemade chocolate cheesecake, among other cakes, pies and giant cookies. He makes the cheesecakes with chunks of chocolate baked in, topped with a chocolate glaze, and cooked in a chewy chocolate crust. The chocolate is first rate; so is the cheese. The two together make for a rich, delicious cake. Very rich. It's more of a chocolate lover's dessert that a hard-core cheesecake fan's. Make sure to try it, though, because it's the best cheesecake around.

Kona's is located down the street from Top Plaza in Kaohsiung's Sanmin District, at 377 Dafeng 2nd Road. They're open 12:00~11:00, Tuesday to Sunday. Call David or Amanda at (07) 3879342 for more info.