Mama Guava is Chinatown’s new Filipino-inspired pop-up

Chef/owner Monique Cadavona of Mama Guava — the new pop-up operating in the former space of The Pig & The Lady in Chinatown — says her nickname came from two different situations.

“Guava” because she would go to Andy’s Sandwiches & Smoothies in Mānoa.

“I went almost every day in high school to get a guava cream smoothie that fixed all my problems," she says. “My Instagram (account) was always @theguavastory, the story of my career."

“Mama” pays homage to Cadavona’s time living in New York City.

“I started feeding people during the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City,” she says. “Everyone missed their mom’s cooking; feeling safe, loved and nurtured. I called myself ‘Mama Guava’ to provide that care for myself and the community around me.”

Mama Guava’s pop-up launches the first week of October. It will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays for the next five to six months. Takeout will also be available, and Cadavona plans to accept catering orders.

Cadavona, who was working in New York for the past six years — and went back and forth from the East Coast to Hawaiʻi this year for private chef gigs and events — officially moved back to Oʻahu last month to prepare for the pop-up. She says she was “born into” cooking, since her entire family cooks, and started out in the food industry by helping with her mom’s banana lumpia side business.

“I went to Cinnabon’s at age 15; I stayed around food, moving onto Zippy’s, Nobu, The Pig & The Lady, and MW Restaurant before moving to New York City,” she says. This is happening because one day, I asked Andrew (Le), ‘Can I do a pop-up dinner one night in September?’ and he said, ‘How about six months?’

“Andrew (from The Pig & The Lady) has been a huge influence on my career as a chef,” she adds. “I worked here 10 years ago when I was a kid. He really shaped my palate and work ethic, so I’m really happy and grateful to be in this space.”

Cadavona started doing pop-ups in New York City because she wanted the community to experience the heart behind Hawaiʻi cuisine.

“I couldn’t get away from Hawaiʻi food,” she says. “I wanted them to taste the love that comes from our food, because I was missing it bad and I knew how it made me feel. I wanted them to feel the same way.

“My food (for the pop-up) is Filipino-inspired, but it’s mostly everything that I like to eat and that I enjoy cooking myself, with some influences of New York City,” she adds.

We got a preview of the pop-up’s menu during a recent media event.

The guava tea — green tea with calamansi, guava and mint — is a refreshing option on a hot afternoon. The citrusy calamansi flavor is nicely balanced by the sweeter guava.

Meanwhile, the banana turon matcha latte is like a banana lumpia in drink form. Served cold, it’s thicker and on the sweeter side, as far as matcha lattes go, but we enjoyed the flavor, which is reminiscent of the popular Filipino street food.  

Lunch began with a watermelon salad, comprising cherry tomatoes and mint tea vinaigrette. While the cubed watermelon was refreshing, the dish featured a strong vinegary flavor, due to the plentiful vinaigrette.

Banh xeo is a popular savory Vietnamese dish that typically features a thin crepe filled with a protein (like pork) and veggies, and is served with fresh lettuce. This unique version features a Filipino twist, as the annatto (reddish-orange hued) crepe is filled with longanisa and egg, and served with a chili vinegar. Cadavona notes that she likes longanisa and mung beans. The crispy crepe delivers a satisfying crunch, while the fresh herbs complement its savory filling.

“I cooked Vietnamese food for one third of my career — here at The Pig and The Lady, and in New York,” Cadavona says.

The tako poke comes on a bed of rice with a side of salt and vinegar chicken skin “chips.” Tako sometimes has a rubbery texture; not so with this version. The salt and vinegar chicken skin “chips” had us swooning because of their delicate, ultra-crispy texture.

Of the dishes we tried, the curry fried fish was my favorite. The fried fish is served with dill yogurt, coleslaw, pickled onions, fresh dill and mint atop roti bread. The roti bread pays homage to Cadavona’s love for Indian and Singaporean cuisine.

“I was going to do a curry dip, but I thought it would be more fun to dust the curry fresh on top (of the fried fish), so you get the aroma with the fresh herbs,” she explains. “You cut it down the middle and eat it like a taco.”

This pancit “pad see ew” features the wide noodles characteristic of the Thai stir-fried dish, but with ingredients you’d normally find in pancit.

“We are using local veal, so it’s more tender and a lot leaner,” Cadavona says. “It has everything a pancit would have — celery, all the vegetables — and I added bean sprouts for texture. There are fried shallots, fresh scallions and a hint of calamansi.”

Flavorful and comforting, Mo’s hot pot broth is inspired by what Cadavona eats when she’s craving hot pot. For the pop-up, the broth will be served with sliced pork belly, blanched watercress, fish sauce, fresh cilantro stems, scallions and cracked black pepper.

“I really like making soups, and I needed a soup on the menu,” she says.

Cadavona’s specialty dessert is banana lumpia, a fitting tribute to her days of helping her mom’s business.

“Ever since I was a kid, I have been making banana lumpia,” she says. “We would get thousands of orders. It’s going to be my opening dessert, until we bring in more and we have the bandwidth.”

Once the pop-up starts, Cadavona says customers can look forward to breakfast/brunch in the near future.

“I truly believe in simple food done well,” she says.

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CONTACT
Mama Guava
83 N. King St, Honolulu
mamaguavahnl.com
Instagram: @mamaguavahnl
Open 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, starting in October  

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.