MANILA -- Allan Muhlach can be called an accidental food entrepreneur.

The brother of actor Nino Muhlach spent a long time in the United States away from his family. It was while working as a scuba diving instructor for the US Navy in Hawaii that he developed a taste for Hawaiian cuisine.

Armed with a just a deep love for Hawaiian, he set out to bring poke, Spam musubi, and other island specialties to Manila even without any experience in the food industry.

For Muhlach, Hawaiian food seemed a good fit for Filipinos. Since Hawaii was a tropical state, the food is apt for a tropical country.

Teaming up with his actor-brother, they put up Aloha Bowl at the recently opened at Sugil Food Park just off Maginhawa Street in Quezon City. Conceptualized before the poke bowl craze erupted in the local food scene, Aloha Bowls' edge is authenticity -- poke without the fusion and localization.

Allan stumbled upon food parks during one of his visits to the Philippines. He said he hasn't seen anything like it in the United States and that he really dig the food park culture. For him, it's about communities coming together with young couples and older dining together; affluent customers sharing tables with ordinary employees. Seeing this, the brothers decided to put up their concept in a food park.

Allan admits that they had apprehensions about serving poke. He said that he knew Filipinos are not too fond of eating raw food and he had to explain what poke is to first-time diners.

The easiest way to describe poke is marinated tuna or salmon sashimi over vinegared rice or salad. In this way, a guest chooses between salmon and tuna, between salad or rice, then specifies the level of spiciness. The end result is a colorful bowl of healthy eats. After trying poke, diners did like it and a lot have become repeat customers.

Another featured dish is the Spam masubi, which is fried Spam over rice wrapped in nori.

Nino Muhlach, a veteran in the local food scene with his popular Muhlach Ensayamada, recalled having Spam musubi when they went diving. It was perfect food to bring along since it was small, portable, tasted good and filling. Aloha Bowl’s Spam musubi comes in regular or spicy like the poke bowls.

For dessert, try the Haupia (pronounced hau-pee-ah), which is thick Hawaiian coconut pudding served in a bowl. It’s an ideal way to finish off a virtual Hawaiian culinary trip.

Going forward, the brothers have a lot of plans for Aloha Bowl. Allan wants to add more sauces to their poke, include more Hawaiian specialties to the menu, and ultimately, expand into malls.

Aloha Bowl is located at the Sugil Food Park on Malingap Street in Teachers Village East in Quezon City.