Aja Sushi & Bento

I got the brown rice and salmon bento for $ 6.49 or so. I was unimpressed by the dish because of how overcooked and dry some pieces of the salmon were. The salmon was bland, and had just a hint of salt, which resulted in little flavor. Some parts of the salmon were overcooked to the point that I deduced they never watched how long the salmon was being baked, pan-​fried, or cooked because all of the fatty and natural oils were removed.
There was one salmon piece that wasn’t overcooked, but still lacked flavor. The salmon to rice ratio seemed fair, but the brown rice was just bland. There was no flavor or toppings to help the dish stand out. The broccoli which was placed on the side was raw and slightly cooked. The side of spinach sauteed in sesame oil was okay, but tasted predominantly like sesame oil.
I gave a low rating to Aja Sushi and Bento to the unsanitary find of a white thin piece of plastic found in my dish. I understand that people make mistakes, but please do not leave plastic in food dishes, it’s just not something customers should be eating.

UH Campus Center Dining is the closest food area for me (well Ba Le may be closer but I digress) so I regularly come here 2 – 3 times a week. The choices Aja has are decent but nothing too blow away. They have their assortment of Korean kim bap; curry katsu, garlic chicken, and other bentos; ahi bowls and the like. It’s decent but not great. The poke bowl down over at Stir Fresh downstairs is much better. What is good is that the food is predictable and that cuts both ways. You know what you’re getting but on the flip side, that means boring. They also have a selection of spam, fish and ume (I think) musubis as well. Again, it will get you through lunch but you won’t be thinking about it all day or anything, unless you have to write a Unilocal review about it.

When dining at Campus Center (CC), I usually choose Aja because of the sheer convience of the already-​packed food AKA bentos. Bentos are über convenient, especially during the peak lunch hour when lines are long everywhere.
And Aja displays a decent selection of bentos (i.e., katsu, meat jun, mandoo, salmon, orange chicken, garlic chicken, etc.).
I found it surprising (–ly awesome) that they use brown rice in their Bi Bim Bap (BBB). Brown rice = a step towards healthier eating. Very thoughtful. I just wish they provided more gochuchang (kochuchang) bc I found the BBB to be rather mild in overall flavor. #burnmysphincter #imkorean
I’d probably buy this «healthier» BBB while at CC again… But it’s not like I’m in a rush.
#convenient #campuscenterneedsmorecashiers

my asian-​ness cannot resist a bento. it’s like it is in my DNA to be drawn to bento box food…
my favorites are their breakfast bentos, which consist of a bed of white or brown rice, and a selection of different meats like lil smokies, Portuguese sausage, bacon, and/​or breakfast sausage… depending on which bento you grab. this also comes with scrambled eggs. for breakfast, they also serve fried rice, or kimchee fried rice bentos. their croissant breakfast sandwiches are good too, with various meats as fillings.
they also have quick grab spam musubi, hot dog musubi, and ume musubi.
lunch time, you still hungry? they have a fairly decent assortment of bentos with chicken katsu, gyoza, bbq meat, meat jun, and all kinds of other things, with different sized bento for different sized appetites.
also, they now have bowls with various korean flavors (bi bim bap, etc.), and katsu curry with a separate compartment to keep the kastu crunchy, and the curry on the side (think like Co Co Curry House take-​out containers).
one of my favorite lunch time «bento» is the fried spicy garlic chicken with rice and green salad… this is only about $ 7… i say «only» b/​c this is actually a pretty big portion of food, good enough for 2 meals for me (unless i’m super hungry).
AND if you go towards the end of the day (around 2ish…) they discount their bentos!
if you’re cruising around the UH campus, they’re one of the better, and faster places to grab food.

There’s a lot of variety, but the portions are too small to fill me up because I’m used to getting a full meal for six or seven dollars. The food was decent though.

This is my favorite place to eat on campus! The food is delicious and there are a lot of healthy choices. The only downside is that the portions are on the small side, getting a bento may not fill you up. I don’t have a very large appetite, so it’s enough food for me.

Although I didn’t attend school at the University of Hawaii, I like eat here when my company participates in the job fairs or I’m attending a special event at UH. Aja is located on the second floor of Campus Center in the food court. They are open from 7am — 4pm Monday through Friday.
Aja has a nice selection of Japanese and Korean dishes at very reasonable prices. On my most recent visit, I got a bento with meat jun, orange chicken, mandoo and brown rice for $ 7.74 after taxes. The portion size was average, but I was satisfied after eating. I would say that the taste is better than average. I brought a coworker to try it for his first time and he enjoyed the food as well. We went at peak lunch time (11:30) so weren’t able to find seats inside. I like their mandoo. You can get 5 pieces for under $ 5. I have bought just the mandoo on a couple occasions to bring home and eat with my dinner.
If you happen to be on campus during the weekday, give this place a try if you need lunch or a snack

I came here because we had an event at the Stan Sheriff center for FRC (First Robotics Competition) and a co-​worker tried it before and he liked it. They have a huge selection of Korean and Japanese food. They have things like donburi and a variety of bento boxes. I had the meat jun, mandoo, and garlic chicken bento. They gave a ton of food for the price and I was full. The taste was very good for being so cheap; I guess it’s due to the average college student who’s on a budget.

Located in the second floor food court at the Campus Center, AJA offers fantastic menu options if you happen to be on campus for lunch or dinner. They offer a great selection of bento options such as grilled salmon, teriyaki chicken, and a great garlic chicken. All are served with an assortment of Korean-​style vegetables and you can always mix/​match or add some gyoza as well!
Service is efficient but not mind blowing good. It is a grab and go establishment and once you have picked out your selection (s), proceed to the main cashier where you have to keep an eye out to make sure you aren’t in a campus card only line.
Definitely worth the visit if you are in the mood for some local food!