Bamboo Hut has managed to carve out a unique niche in the crowded market — at least in Utah — for Polynesian and Polynesian-inspired food.

This clean and bright eatery, with locations in Provo and Salt Lake City, serves up traditional Hawaiian plate lunches in several incarnations, but its menu is more streamlined and focused than many of its competitors.

You won't find every Hawaiian favorite on the menu at Bamboo Hut, but what you do find, you'll probably like.

I took my friend, Kay, and her oldest daughter, Seriah, with me to Bamboo Hut, along with a couple of our younger kids. As I've said before, Hawaiian is an exceedingly kid-friendly kind of food, with lots of noodles and rice, plus meat cut into bite-size pieces.

Both of the little kids had meals of barbecue chicken and fried rice, amply portioned with fresh and mild rice that was a nice foil for the moist, intensely flavored meat.

Kay had a plate lunch of breaded, sesame-studded ono chicken and lean, chewy teriyaki steak, with gently flavored veggie noodles on the side.

Seriah had a plate lunch, as well, with ono chicken and chicken teriyaki, plus rice.

I tried the Big Kalua, a huge sandwich of Kalua pork lightly dressed with sweet pineapple barbecue sauce.

The pork and sauce would have been tasty enough on a regular bun, but this sandwich came on a golden, lightly sweet "coconut roll" that made it even better.

One caveat: When they say "Big Kalua," they mean it. I had to take more than half of this monster home to eat later. With it I had the traditional mildly flavored macaroni salad with plenty of shredded carrot, plus a generously sized and freshly sliced pineapple spear.

I missed a few things at Bamboo Hut. For instance, the Hawaiian classic musubi, sort of a Spam sushi, was listed on the menu but taped over, and when we asked for malasadas, hole-less Hawaiian donuts rolled in sugar, we were told they were out.

But it was hard to be too sad as we forked into huge slices of haupia chocolate cake, a rich confection of chocolate cake layered with haupia, a firm coconut custard, and chocolate mousse. There's also a selection of macadamia-nut chocolates, Hawaiian macaroons, smoothies and even haupia mix that you can take home and make yourself.

Salads $7.49, sandwiches $4.69-$4.99 (adding a plate lunch combo $2.49 extra), plate lunches $5.99-$6.99 (double meat $1.99 extra), Kalua pork nachos $6.49, sides 99 cents-$3.99, kids' meals $4.59, desserts $1.29-$2.39, smoothies $4.49-$4.79.

If you go

Rating: ★★★

Where: 335 W. 1830 South (also at 2304 University Parkway, Provo)

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Friday

Closed Sundays

Payment: Major credit cards accepted

Phone: 801-746-0660

Wheelchair access: Easy

Web: www.thebamboohut.com

Also: Catering available

Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret News.

e-mail: skratz@desnews.com