New Hawaii Business: Wraps & Rolls

Photo: wrapsandrollshawaii.com

Regular readers know that I am not shy when it comes to praising something I like.  I have an entire weekly feature devoted to that, Props and Slops.  I also encourage others to support local businesses.  So today, I want to tell you about Wraps & Rolls, a new eatery started by LR, my former assistant at one of my non-profit jobs. I received nothing for writing this post, except the joy of sharing it with all of you.  I did get some butter mochi, which she was giving to all the customers that stopped by that week.

Starting a business in an economic downturn is not the ideal business plan, yet that is exactly what happened when Wraps & Rolls opened about six months ago.  Yet, LR reports that business has actually been quite good.  I’m confident it’s because of all the repeat customers who think the food is delicious. LR used to bring in home-cooked foods for us all the time and I was never disappointed.  After I left that job, I had to lose some weight; not because the food was unhealthy, but because I ate too much of it.

She describes Wraps & Rolls as serving local food in a healthy and creative way.  Sure enough, one of my favorites, lumpia (crispy spring rolls) is on the menu.  But she has a creative twist, serving it all different ways, with options that include manapua, pork hash, or cheesy Tex-Mex lumpia.  The wraps are like summer rolls, with lettuce, rice noodles, and the fillings of your choice, including smoked salmon, tuna, and Korean BBQ beef.  She also serves bubble tea for a nice dessert or treat.  One feature I liked was that customers can purchase frozen fry-at-home packs of the lumpia.

We tried the smoked salmon wrap creamy crab quesadilla, a bubble tea dessert, and ordered two 10-packs of the fry-at-home lumpia.  And it all cost $20.  That’s a pretty good deal. When I made that lumpia at home, instead of frying it, I steamed it.  While it was different because it wasn’t crispy, it still tasted as ono (delicious) as I thought it would.

LR lives that balance mantra on the Wraps & Rolls logo.  Part of the reason she started Wraps & Rolls was to get physically, emotionally, and mentally balanced.  A family business to its core, her family support allowed her to start the business as her creative outlet.  And my stomach, for one, is thankful.

I know it’s odd to write a food review with no pictures of the actual food. But if you know me, that’s a good sign.  If I have time to take pictures of the food, it means I wasn’t excited to dive right in when it was served.  Remember, it took me three attempts to write about Those Famous Manago’s Pork Chops.

Ready to try the food for yourself? Pay them a visit or give them a call.  And if you do go there, please tell her Capsun sent you.

• Location:  1425 Liliha St. in the Liliha Square Shopping Center, near Times Liliha and American Savings Bank Liliha
• Hours:  Monday-Friday, 9-3; Saturday, 10-2
• Phone:  808-535-WRAP (9727)

Mahalo!

Tagged as: liliha, lumpia, rolls, wraps