I have wanted to try Sistah and La Birria for some time now, but those long lines at their food trucks scared me! Good thing I have a friend that is a genius because she suggested we meet up at Beer Lab HI Pearlridge on a Tuesday when Sistah and La Birria split the kitchen for the day. Seating at Beer Lab is first come first serve and you order your drinks from the bar. They offer 10 beers on tap and can fill growlers and crowlers for beer to-go. I had the Pineapple Cruzer from Paradise Ciders which is a cider brewed with Hawaiian Gold pineapple and my friend, Malia, had the Ice Shave, an ale with strawberry, orange, and li hing mui. It was a nice way to end the work day.
Malia is a huge fan of Sistah's Chicken Katsu so we started with that and the Mexican Carne Asada fries. The chicken katsu was exceptionally crispy and served with either katsu sauce or a white mushroom gravy. We opted for the gravy and it was so delicious! I can see why it is her all time favorite katsu! The Sistahs style carne asada fries with streak is topped with cheddar, Mexican cheese and fresh homemade pico de gallo. The huge serving of yummy fries is perfect for sharing.
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| Chicken Katsu |
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| Mexican Carne Asada Fries |
As anticipated, the menu for La Birria goes online at 5pm on Tuesdays. Food orders are placed online and picked up at the take out counter. We started with the Birria saimin and followed that up with the Birria tacos: birria queso for Malia and Hell Fire for me. It was my first time trying birria saimin and tacos. The saimin comes with flavorful birria beef, cilantro, and onions. You receive the consomme in a separate container that you pour over the saimin. It is delicious and perfect for the recent cold weather. I was getting super full, but I just had to try the spicy Hell Fire tacos. Malia warned me to have my drink ready, but I thought, it'll be fine, I like spicy! After the first bite, I thought, wow, this is amazing! Then I took a second and third bite and the heat started kicking in and I ran to the bar in desperation of water as I had finished my beer. True story. That taco was awesome.
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| Birria Saimin |
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| Birria Queso Tacos |
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| Hell Fire Tacos with homemade pickled jalepenos. |
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| Birria Quesadilla |
The concept at Beer Lab HI is to feature a rotating array of independent local chefs creating new and exciting dishes to pair with their changing beer menu. Currently in addition to Sistah and La Birria, Flyin' Ahi is also scheduled for kitchen duty. Check out the calendar here for the rotating kitchen schedule.
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