SEATTLE — Jinny and Jason Koh just brought a bit of Hawaii to downtown Seattle.
"We thought, man, Seattle was really missing this type of food, this type of specialty. So we thought, well, no one else is going to do it. Why not us? Why not us?” said Jason. He and his wife also own the popular fusion sushi spot Japonessa.
Their new restaurant Musubi Kai makes a snack you can find anywhere in the Islands - but it's not common in the Pacific Northwest: Musubi.
"It's basically just a rice ball with some kind of topping wrapped with nori or seaweed,” Jason said.
Savory, filling, and easy to eat by hand. Also spam is a standard ingredient. Spam musubi is the bestseller here. Not a Spam Fan? They make 12 different types of musubi - including a spam-free shrimp katsu, and a vegan musubi with tofu and avocado. Yes, there's even eel. There's a musubi for everyone, and every budget - none are over 5 dollars.
They also serve poke bowls with fresh salmon and tuna, and a loco moco that tastes as good as it looks.
"It's eggs and hamburger and rice and gravy and it's good. They make it really good here,” said Eric Randall, a regular customer.
Hawaiian snacks and Maui Brewing Co. beers bring even more Island flavor.
"And there's actually been quite a few Hawaii locals that come through as well, and they love our food. They talk about how it reminds them of auntie-so-and -so's musubi back home,” Jason said.
"And they just really appreciate us opening this spot. So just hearing that from our customers is just amazing.” Jinny added.
Fill up on musubis and aloha, no plane ticket required.
"It's a little taste of Hawaii,” customer Paisley Lieske said.
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