New Burmese take on Indian for cheap in Maui

For $13, I enjoyed a tasty take on Indian by Burmese chef Ba Aye at his new restaurant in Haiku, Maui called Spice & Rice. Ba Aye and his wife Sherry opened the cafe three weeks ago in the old plantation house behind on the power substation off Haiku Road. The vibe is friendly, airy and all about the neighborhood.

Chicken thali plate at Spice & Rice

Papadum (fried lentil crackers) arrived right after we sat down, and they were disappointingly oily. I ordered the fresh-squeezed watermelon juice to wash it down, and it cooled my internal temperature to downright comfortable on a hot, steamy night without Tradewinds.

The menu options are limited, so I went the with chicken thali plate for $9. There is also a vegetarian option with paneer (fresh farmer’s cheese) and a vegan option.

A metal cafeteria tray arrived, heaped with aromatic food: lentil stew, chicken curry, veggie coconut curry, basmati rice, more papadum, raita, mango salad, and two homemade chutneys (jalapeno pineapple and mango). Homestyle curry flavors were familiar enough to signal “Indian” in my brain, but Ba Aye prepared them with a twist of unexpected local ingredients: coconut milk and mango. Turns out Burma has a climate similar to Hawaii, so these ingredients translate well.

It was a chicken thali plate

My dining companion and I cleaned our trays and found room for desert, an egg-inspired creme caramel, that was prepared by one of the waitresses, who doubles as pastry chef.

As we sauntered back out into the steamy night, the beginnings of a breeze swirled in the air. We strolled home, satisfied with our meal and delighted we didn’t have to drive to Kihei for Indian.