I know few things about Hawaii. I do know the most famous celebrity is that Hawaiian Punch guy with that crazy hat. I also know that Hawaiian luxury resorts will kindly let you sleep for free when you go through a bad breakup (thanks Sarah Marshall). And I know that King’s Hawaiian bread is the best I’ve stuffed in my mouth since challah with its eggy pleasures.
Intrigued by the small four packs sitting harmlessly by the supermarket deli, they sat there engulfed in the smells of fried chicken and briny olives. The first time I picked them up was a lark but when the slightly sweet, rich taste seduced me, I was forever captive. I rarely leave the supermarket without buying a 4-pack of King’s Hawaiian rolls or sandwich buns.
I also have a strong penchant for fried fish sandwiches. While most gravitate towards Quarter Pounders or Big Macs, I go for the Filet-O-Fish. Even though it contains a lifeless fried rectangle with a flaky nondescript soylent green kind of protein, I love the Filet-O-Fish.
So imagine my fervor when I discovered the Arby’s King’s Hawaiian Fish Deluxe sandwich? Too many apostrophes aside, I was so excited that I immediately drove to the nearest Arby’s.
The sandwich was almost four and a half inches in diameter and the bun was similar to the King’s Hawaiian sandwich rolls. There was no mistaking that the roll made an impact visually because that slight sheen demanded that I pay fucking attention. I sank my partially brushed teeth into the softly toasted bun and into the crispy and flaky “wild caught Alaskan Pollock.” I can hear you scoffing. I am too. Regardless, if the fish was wild, I was impressed because it was not greasy.
Also, the rolls did not disappoint. They were slightly sweet, soft, and rich. They delivered, but that, surprisingly, contributed to the problem.
The sweet bread combined with the sweeter tartar sauce overwhelmed the sandwich. I couldn’t even taste the pickled chunks in the tartar sauce and it just killed the Alaskan pollock. There was too much tartar sauce on my tomato and lettuce.
The textures were pleasant enough but the slightly sweet bread on top of the sweeter sauce just shoved the fish aside like my Mom does when I try to hug her. Worse, the cheddar cheese was gloppy and lifeless. It wasn’t melted enough and it made no impression on the fish or the prized King’s Hawaiian roll.
I was a bit sad the Arby’s King’s Hawaiian Fish Deluxe didn’t live up to my expectation. Additionally, the $4.25 price tag is a bit too pricey and makes the term “Deluxe” really seem like an overstatement. The sandwich doesn’t balance as well as McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish. In fact, I’ve had government cafeteria fish sandwiches that tasted better. It’s a tolerable sandwich if you ignore that “deluxe” price, but otherwise I don’t think it’s really worth it.
(Nutrition Facts – 790 calories, 320 calories from fat, 36 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 125 milligrams of cholesterol, 1140 milligrams of sodium, 89 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 28 grams of protein.)
Item: Arby’s King’s Hawaiian Fish Deluxe Sandwich
Purchased Price: $4.25
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Arby’s
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Wild caught Alaskan Pollock was crispy and flaky. The King’s Hawaiian roll was sweet and rich.
Cons: Too much tartar sauce. The lifeless cheese slice. Deluxe price.
Christ… I don’t know what got into the writer here, but an erection joke and a reference to teenage ejaculation (two lines away from a bit about him hugging his mother, no less) do not make for pleasant food-review reading.
Agreed. I typically enjoy the reviews here but sometimes these writers try way to hard to make the review funny.
Agree 100%. Equating mayo/tartar and a boy going through puberty is about as childish/over used as it gets. Normally I really like the reviews on this site as they are well written and quite funny…..but this one was horrible.
smh tartar reminds me of that stuff wen ur doing urswlf off.. same texture and look.. nasty.. i hate it because as some tngs in life we r reminde d of it.. thats y i hate tartaar.. no thanx..
Agreed as well. I don’t want to read about body functions & fluids while reading about food. We can complain all we want, but they’ll tell us *we’re* the problem. Lose the teenage humor.
Yeah I’d guess the sweetness of the bread w/ the sweetness of the tarter sauce would be too much. This is why I’ve taken to making my own tarter sauce nowadays. The purchased stuff is overly sweetened and they often compound this sin by adding sweet relish to it. I use diced dill pickles generously, because I want tartness in my tarter sauce, not sweetness with my fish. Same, with all the horseradish sauces, they put too much sugar in it. Blech.
The reviewer (or editor) must have deleted the puzzling references some of you referred to above–thankfully. I was surprised that anyone would admit to liking a “flaky nondescript soylent green kind of protein” Filet-O-Fish in the first place (the reviewer was so bummed at having to include all the apostrophes, he/she forgot to use commas). I think Arby’s new sandwich is a cut above what any other fast food restaurant is serving up for Lent. This is a very good and tasty sandwich. I, too, like the King’s Hawaiian bread products–though I refrain from hyperbole–and have no problem with the sweetness of the bun/sauce/etc., combining. In fact, together, they create a distinct and pleasing flavor. I hope others try it.