Chef Jeremy Galapon's menu has influences of Polynesia, as well as Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, the U.S., Mexico and beyond
This city is home to one of the nation’s oldest tiki restaurants, the 71-year-old Bali Hai on Shelter Island, and we’ve got the Pacific Ocean at our doorstep, the warm weather, the palm trees and a half-dozen or so other tiki bars around town.
Last month, yet another tiki spot entered the mix: Lime in the Coconut on Chula Vista’s Third Avenue. Owned by Kevin Rhodes and Christianne Penunuri — the married co-founders of Groundswell Brewing, just a few doors down the avenue — it’s a tropically themed restaurant, with a cocktail bar and a hidden tiki speakeasy named X in the back.But what makes Lime in the Coconut different from the other tiki drinkeries around town is the geographically diverse menu created by executive chef Jeremy Galapon. While the Lime menu includes the typical tiki favorites you’d expect — coconut shrimp, loco moco, shoyu ahi poke, huli-huli chicken and kalua pork — Galapon has given these traditional dishes a twist and has expanded the menu to encompass the Pacific Basin. Dishes include Vietnamese banh mi, Tahitian poisson cru, Filipino rice bowls, Japanese musubi, Chinese yakisoba and American-style buffalo chicken wings spiced with U.S.-made Sriracha sauce. Penunuri said Galapon’s creative blending of diverse Pacific cuisines has been a hit with her customers. A good example of this fusion of flavors is the Mexican-inspired nachos starter that begins with fresh-fried wonton chips topped with Hawaiian poke or kalua pork tossed in a sweet soy and ginger aioli, then sprinkled with Japanese furikake seasoning.Galapon has worked in San Diego restaurants for a dozen years, including serving as sous chef at Bali Hai and other kitchen roles at George’s at the Cove, Common Theory, StreetCar Merchants and the now-shuttered Sabuku Sushi, Galaxy Tacos and Kitchen 1540. On a recent visit I tried a variety of Galapon’s dishes and found large portions, bright flavors and some standout plates.The chilled poisson cru, made with citrus-cured salmon in coconut-lime broth, vegetables and chiles, had a nice balance of tart, spice and sweetness. The wonton nachos with kalua pork were filling without feeling too heavy or greasy. And the oversize Hawaiian loco moco — which could be split between two people — was reimagined with some flavorful twists. The usual burger patty was replaced with a panko-fried beef cutlet, the typically plain white rice was spiced with garlic, a tasty mushroom gravy replaced the usual brown gravy, and the two fried eggs on top had a pleasantly runny yolk.The restaurant’s tropical cocktail menu was developed by Snake Oil Cocktail Co. and includes a house mai tai, 10 other rum-based drinks, and the fruity tequila-based Eye of the Tiger. The eponymous Lime in the Coconut cocktail combines Flor de Caña white rum with coconut cream and pineapple juice in a coconut-shaped mug that is set aflame at tableside. The charming X speakeasy, which is entered through a door in the alley behind the restaurant, has a 1950s-style retro tiki bar vibe, with woven palm mats on the walls, antique Hawaiian decorations, and its own cocktail and bites menus. Due to its petite size, X can be visited only by reservation.5 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 4 p.m. to midnight Fridays; noon to midnight Saturdays; noon to 10 p.m. Sundays248 Third Ave., Chula Vista
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