Ah, Hawaii. An island paradise perhaps not as well-known to Singaporeans as nearby haunts like Bali, but one that deserves the attention of beachgoers nonetheless. Also of note, the island’s ethnically-diverse eats, introduced by immigrants over the years. While 30-year-old Momoko Koshimizu from Tokyo isn’t one of Hawaii’s immigrant-descended inhabitants — roughly 14 percent of the island’s population has Japanese ancestry — she sorely misses time spent holidaying on the island after relocating to the United States for seven years at the age of five. She now lives in Singapore because of her job in the oil and gas industry.

Her Hawaiian-themed café Aloha Avenue in Haji Lane, a side project which opened in June, is designed as an escape from city life. Expect Hawaiian staples like poke and loco moco, as well as standard café grub such as pancakes. She’s also serving smoothies and other beverages sourced from Hawaii, including beers and Kona coffee (a type of Arabica bean cultivated on the island’s slopes in the Kona region).

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The young owner, who still holds a full-time job in the client support department, isn’t only a fan of Hawaii’s surf, sand and sun. “It’s hard to describe the feeling of life there. It just feels different,” she says. “The life, the culture, the people — it’s relaxed and welcoming. That’s what I wanted from [Aloha Avenue].” It’s a vibe that she feels people would appreciate in the hustle and bustle of Singapore – which is why she invested $60k into getting the café up and running, along with a hired cook.

Haji Lane is hipster central thanks to IG-worthy murals and grungy façades all around. Aloha Avenue on the other hand, wouldn’t look out of place in Sentosa – it’s unabashedly bright and cheery with décor that’s evocative of a beach club. There’s also al fresco seating, including a sofa.

The cosy interior, which seats about 15, has an earthy, all-natural vibe thanks to a combination of wooden furniture, wood-covered walls and potted plants, with plenty of natural light streaming in from the storefront window. The second floor of the unit is dedicated to ad-hoc rentals for dance and yoga sessions as well. Momoko says business after the recent dine-in ban was lifted hasn’t improved. “The crowd in Haji Lane is almost [nothing]. I don’t see any dine-in customers yet.”

There is Aloha Avenue-themed merch like tote bags and T-shirts for ardent fans of the café – which double up as props for photos, if the ukulele (a gift from a friend) and faux-leis aren’t enough for your IG shots.

Aloha Avenue dishes out familiar Hawaiian faves like poke, along with café fare like salmon rolls and pancakes. “I’m planning to revamp the menu with some vegan or vegetarian options,” the Japanese lady boss (who doesn’t do the cooking herself) says. “As well as some desserts - we’re thinking of shaved ice.” Expect to fork out $30 per person if you’re getting booze as well.

Loco moco is quintessentially unpretentious Hawaiian fare – a ground beef patty, fried egg and rice drenched in a brown onion-y sauce. Aloha Avenue’s version doesn’t quite hit the mark. The patty lacks the sear that’s necessary for flavour. It’s also under-seasoned toward the centre and strangely cut up into chunks instead of being left whole. The tomato-forward brown sauce, though housemade, is more sweet than savoury. However, the fried egg with runny yolk and crispy edges is good.

Though Aloha Avenue used beef when 8days.sg visited, note that Momoko plans to change the item to vegan loco moco (made with plant-based NEXT meat) soon.

Deep-fried garlic-marinated prawns served in a coconut half-shell-esque wooden bowl. Each morsel is a fragrant, crunchy bite. Simple but satisfying, though a little pricey for the portion.

There’s nothing particularly Hawaiian about what’s on the plate – a couple of reasonably fluffy pancakes, mixed fruit and sweetened whipped cream with honey to drizzle over. Pleasant enough for the affordable price, but nothing to shout about either.

“We wanted to include something that’s popular with everyone, even if it's not authentic. A bit like the California roll,” Momoko says. Another reason for including the roll – Singaporeans’ love for salmon, which has always baffled Japanese folks like herself. The sushi rice roll is bundled with salmon, sliced mango, nori and lettuce, then dressed with an aromatic mix of chilli, garlic and black pepper. Not bad.

Now this is a dish that Hawaii is known for. Raw tuna chunks marinated with sesame oil and soy sauce fare nicely against the acidity of tomatoes and sliced raw onions. It’s mellowed out somewhat by the avocado (which could be a tad riper, it’s crunchy rather than creamy), on a bed of lettuce and rice. Tangy and salty-savoury with a nutty whiff of sesame — the yummiest thing we had here.

A reasonably thick yoghurt-and-strawberry-based smoothie punctuated with tropical flavours courtesy of the pineapple and banana. We dig it — it’s a great drink to cool off on a hot day — though the banana flavour somewhat drowns out the subtler pineapple and strawberry tang.

A breezy, Instagrammable new cafe with an exotic twist. While some of the Hawaiian classics like the loco moco are middling, the poke and garlic shrimp are tasty enough picks for lunch.

Aloha Avenue is at 51 Haji Lane, S189244. Tel: 8010-1183. Open daily except Mon, noon - 10.30pm. More info via Facebook, Instagram, or website. Delivery via Grabfood.