As reported last week, former Top Chef finalist Sheldon Simeon opened a new restaurant in Kahului – the Tin Roof. This restaurant is tiny – with bar seating for four or five people along the window, it’s a take-out place. I have heard great things about it, and have been anxious to give it a try.
As it’s a brand new restaurant, they are still figuring out some of the details. The first week of being open, they had lines out the door. Then on Facebook they asked diners to call in their orders. This week they’ve gotten techy and you can order and pay online. It was really easy ~ 
last night I ordered my lunch from their menu (mochiko chicken), added a side (kale salad – $7 for the mochiko chicken, I wasn’t sure how large the serving would be), selected a pick-up time and paid online. This morning I drove into town, pulled in, and there it was, waiting for me. I also got an email at 10:57 informing me lunch was ready. The portion was a lot larger than I thought it would be! Ah well – more food for me!
We grabbed our orders, checked out Rachel’s U’i Gallery next door and then headed for Queen Kaahumanu Center to eat in their food court.
What is Mochiko Chicken? My non-foodie explanation is this: it’s breaded chicken pieces (moist) with some steamed cabbage on the side (the green leafs). I had mine over hapa rice – (half brown half white – which was a little sweet) and a spicy mayo sauce (unsure of name) drizzled over it. It was amazing!
As a side I ordered the kale salad, my friend had the beet box – both delicious!
Tin Roof is located at 360 Papa Place in Kahului. There is currently no sign. It is tucked in between U’i Gallery and Money Mart. Marco’s Grill, Pinata’s Mexican and Fedex are all in this strip mall.
