Hi Life is an interesting little restaurant located in a renovated gas station. It's owned by the same restaurant group as Rondo, Gyo Gyo En, and Tamari Bar, and serves some familiar menu items shared with the other restaurants, but also some food that's only available here. The restaurant is mostly open concept with plenty of seating on the patio or inside under the shade. There are three parking spots right in front and it's located very close to the ferry holding area, so it's convenient to visit while waiting for the ferry.
Islander's Bento ($20) - The pictures make this dish look tiny, but the portion size is pretty substantial. It comes with clam chowder in the first small compartment. The chowder is actually very good, surprisingly so for a place that doesn't specialize in it. It's thick and rich, with good clean clam juice flavor. The bit of rayu on top adds a bit of spice and smokiness. Mixing it into the chowder creates a pretty unique taste that I enjoyed quite a bit.
In the other small compartment, they give their famous Area 206 curry - the same as with Tamari Bar and Rondo, and just as good as those places. Chock full of beef, making it chunky, thick, and rich, full of umami and curry flavor. It's almost like a curry bolognese! One of my favorite Japanese-style curries.
In the largest compartment, there's firstly rice, perfectly cooked medium grain as always from this restaurant group. On top, a scoop of seaweed salad that is definitely made in house. It's not nearly as salty as some others. There's sesame mixed in, and the seaweed mostly has a good rubbery crunch, but some parts seem to be a bit mushy. It's not that vinegary and instead is more sweet with a more natural kombu-like umami. There's also a bit of an oiliness but no sesame oil flavor.
There's a krab salad that's pretty typical surumi based salad. Nothing special, but good to eat on the rice. It's lightly dressed in mayo, and the flavors are balanced.
Finally, there's some poke, which unfortunately is by far my least favorite part of the dish as a whole. The fish is mixed with mayo and sesame, then topped with small fried rice balls on top, adding a crunchy texture. Why do I say "fish" generically? Because I can't actually tell what kind of fish it was. The flavor is completely covered by the copious amounts of mayo smothering the fish. All I could taste was mayo, nothing else. At least I could tell it was fresh raw fish and based on the interior redness, it seems like tuna.... A really disappointing poke. Food overall a (4/5)
Hi Life serves stellar curry and clam chowder, combined with subpar poke, at least for my tastes. Perhaps their other poke mixtures are better?
Bathrooms - They have one on the inside, and a portapotty outside around the corner. read more