New or Noteworthy 9-17-2008
Cafe & Deli
Mix Cafe
– Kawehi Haug (10/17/07)
The bustle and din at Mix Cafe belies its smallness. Six tables for two and one table for six turn the long narrow space into a cafe that seats fewer diners than most people here have family members. The full staff–warm, friendly and charming–is always at your beck and call. Order the sandwiches with a side of country salad, potatoes and roasted veggies tossed with oil, vinegar and salt and pepper and you won’t miss the fried starch that we normally pair with our sandwiches. These aren’t your typical New York-style sammies. These are simpler and purer. Bread, meat, cheese and maybe a few veggies. Choose from three homemade sauces: spicy crab, creamy Portobello or sausage. Its breakfast menu is also certainly worth waking up for. The amazing waffles are in good company with Bruno’s signature omelette, a fritatta-like dish that’s chock-full of fresh veggies and the most surprising breakfast sandwiches that threaten to make an addict out of anyone who discovers them.
35. S. Beretania St. (537-1191). Mon.–Fri. 7am–7pm. Entree: From $4.75–$8.90. AmEx, Disc, MC, V.
Chinese
Aloha Bistro
–Rachel Brown (5/7/08)
Along with the chopsticks and handle-less tea mugs, the restaurant offers few entrees over $20 and excellent service. The bus boy will zip over and exchange a half-full teapot for a fresh one, just to ensure piping hot tea throughout your meal. Presentation figures big into the bistro’s specialty dishes, the Seafood Taro Bowl: a medley of fish, squid and vegetables which comes in a delicate bowl of violet taro that soaks up the garlic sauce as you eat. Chinese tourists and islanders alike can find something familiar and comforting at Aloha Bistro: Good food, good prices and a staff that shouts in Cantonese.
444 Kanekapolei St. (926-8288). Mon.–Sun. Lunch:11am–2:30pm, Dinner: 5pm–9:30pm, Entree: From $12.95–$19.95. Disc, JCB, MC, V.
Japanese & Okinawan
Chiba-ken
– Rachel Brown (5/21/08)
Chiba-ken is a quiet garden in Dante’s dark wood of outer Waikiki, just over the bridge and the crawling Ala Wai canal. Their outdoor seating even includes a proper lava rock wall to shield you from the sidewalk traffic and really makes you feel like you’re in Hawai’i. While they offer Western-style drinks, the true star is the sake. They have over a dozen selections ranging from very sweet to very dry. And the sushi? Chiba-ken makes it as it’s supposed to be made: perfectly bite-sized with just a tiny mouthful of rice under a slice of fish you don’t have to gnaw in half. Reasonably priced delicious sushi in a great location with a spectacularly helpful staff, Chiba-ken promises a perfect evening before you can say “banzai!”
468 ‘Ena Rd., (941-2800). Sun.-Thu. 5:30pm–11:30pm, Fri.–Sat. 5:30pm–1:30am. Entrees: $8.50–$17.50.
Gaku Sushi Izakaya
– Napua Leong (4/4/07)
The staff is exceptionally knowledgeable about the menu, even though a good portion of it changes daily. Izakaya-style specialties include baked king crab, ribeye steak with garlic or ponzu and asari clams either sauteed in garlic butter or steeped in sake. Among the cooked specials, there was beef tongue wrapped in shiitake mushroom and grilled green mussels. A hand-lettered and photocopied menu insert of the day’s specials showcases what Kikuchi picked out that morning at the fish market.
1329 S. King St., (589-1329). Mon.–Sat. 5pm–11pm, Closed Sun. Entrees: $7.50–$40. Disc, JCB, MC, V.
Hinone Mizunone
– Margot Seeto (7/16/08)
Hinone Mizunone joins the ranks of family-oriented Japanese restaurants that offer a fair amount of food for a fair price in an atmosphere that can accommodate larger parties. The staff is nice, the interior welcoming and the food satisfying, filling and reasonably priced. Teishoku with tonkatsu offers the Hinone original sauce–tart and not as sweet or thick as the typical katsu sauce. If you’re hankering for Japanese comfort food in a convenient location, Hinone Mizunone is worth a visit.
1345 S. King St (942-4848). Mon.–Sat. 11am–9pm. Entrees: $5.50–$14.75. AmEx, Disc, JCB, MC, V.
Kyoto Ohsho
– Ryan Senaga (2/27/08)
The new sit-down-and-order dining format is not a bad thing. The teishokus (set meals) are very affordable. The grilled misoyaki butterfish is tender, sweet and juicy, just like grandma used to make. More options for teishokus include hamburger steak, grilled yellow tail kama, chicken cutlet, beef teriyaki, sweet & sour pork, the giggle-inducing grilled horse mackerel and other favorites. All come with miso soup, assorted vegetables and chawanmushi–egg custard steamed in a cup. Expect friendly service and the frequent bussing of superfluous plates.
Ala Moana Center Ho’okipa Terrace (949-0040). Daily 11:30am–10pm. Entrees: $11.50–$13.50.
Matsugen
– Napua Leong (2/30/07)
The handwritten, photocopied menu reflects the artisan allure of hand-crafted soba. The fresh soba noodles are perhaps best enjoyed mori style, served simply boiled and chilled and reverently laid atop a lacquer tray alongside a carafe of tsuyu dipping sauce to pour into a broader dipping dish along with a clump of fresh wasabi and sliced scallion whites. There are izaka-style appetizers whose origins are primarily confined to the maw of sea creatures. There’s no sushi here, but you can get assorted seasonal sashimi and traditional “Edo” style poke.
255 Beach Walk (926-0255). Daily, 11:30am–1:45pm, 5–9:30pm. Entrees: $7.80-$35.50.
Miyo’s
– Leanne Trapedo Sims (7/23/08)
The biggest attraction of Miyo’s is Miyo herself. A woman who is distinctly Japanese and non-Japanese–is what defines Miyo. With top-quality food and a harmonious buzz from the customers hanging out on the stairs or “living room,” as Miyo likes to call her home-style restaurant, Miyo’s has become more than just a restaurant. Although the signature of Miyo’s culinary odyssey is her open-air kitchen, the truly essential ingredient is aloha.
400 Hualani St., Ste. 19A, Hilo (935-2273)
Nobu Waikiki
– Ryan Senaga (6/13/07)
Dinner at Nobu’s is divided into two sections on the menu, cold dishes and hot dishes, with entrees, sushi and sashimi. It doesn’t take a savvy palate to recognize that Nobu really likes ponzu. It seems to be on everything. What was fascinating, different and exciting was the duck breast with wasabi salsa. The space itself is breath taking and almost alive with a subdued swirling chic attitude. It’s a restaurant that you bring a date to, with the expectation of getting laid after dessert–or after the chu-toro, for that matter. To that end, Nobu is a stomach-driven aphrodisiac in a whole new style for Honolulu.
2233 Helumoa Rd. (237-6999) Lunch Mon.–Fri. 11:30am–2pm, Dinner Daily 5:30am–2pm. Entree: From $11–$24. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
Rokkaku
– Eugenie Goodman (1/23/08)
Rokkaku offers an extensive menu with plenty of seasonal specials and is a great place to try the unusual. With the tastefully minimalist setting and handmade serving pieces it is easy to believe that you are in an elegant Tokyo bistro. For those who appreciate the Japanese concept of exquisite morsels savored slowly, Rokkaku is the perfect dining out excursion. Their signature dish is kamameshi, rice cooked in a ceramic pot with a choice of goodies, such as unagi, ikura and shiso. The grilled dishes or sumiyaki are another of the menu’s featured attraction. All dishes are suitable for sharing and savoring.
Ala Moana Center #2056, (946-3355), Daily 11:30am–1:30pm, 5:30am–9pm. Entree: From $12–$38. AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V.
Wasabi & Nadaman
–Ryan Senaga (10/24/07)
With the environment of a fine-dining classy affair, fresh flowers and pleasantly scented pillar candles accent the tables with larger orchid arrangements to denote key areas of the restaurant. The option to order dishes izakaya-style is there, so if you’re in the mood to scarf, by all means this is the better option with which to dine in style. But food snobs will not be disappointed by the kaiseki menu. Food snobs with smaller stomachs, that is.
1006 Kapahulu Ave. (735-2800). Lunch Mon.–Fri. 11:30am–2pm, Dinner Daily 5:30–10pm. Entrees: $13–$80. AmEx, MC, V.
Yohei Sushi Restaurant
– Walter Rhee (3/26/08)
The food at Yohei Sushi exceeds expectations. Tamago sushi, the traditional litmus test to check out the cooking skills of the chef and/or his recipe was superb, definitely an in-house production by an experienced hand. The Shokado, the most expensive item on the prix fix dinner other than the market price sushi combo, is a colorful assortment of more than 11 dishes on a large laquer tray. For true traditional Japanese dining, you don’t need to go to Japan. The delightful mini-dishes range from kazunoko and ikura in a bonita broth transitioning to mini-sashimi platter of tuna, tuna tataki, hamachi and flounder. The word to describe the food at Yohei’s is “Whoa!”
1111 Dillingham Blvd. #E1A .(841-3773). Mon.–Sat. 11am–1:45pm, 5–10pm. Entrees: $5–$28.
Middle Eastern & Greek
The Fat Greek
– Ryan Senaga (2/13/08)
While the food isn’t startlingly original, the atmosphere and patrons give the place a certain collegiate, white-collar appeal. The soundtrack of the establishment is a firm mix of upbeat tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. The prices at this place really can’t be beat. Once the bourgeoisie onslaught diminishes, The Fat Greek will probably become a favorite for starving dorm students who no longer feel like heating up a Cup o’ Noodle.
3040 Wai’alae Ave. (734-0404)Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-10pm. Entree: From $7-$19.95.
Southeast Asian & Indian
Bombay Indian Restaurant
–Napua Leong (1/3/07)
One of the highlights of Indian cuisine is its wonderful treatment of vegetables, and I was thrilled to see my favorite dish on the menu: Baingan bhartha, baked and mashed eggplant cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices. The popular veggie standards are here also: Palak paneer, chana masala and dal makhni, plus lesser-known variations like bhindi masala made with okra. While some Indian desserts can be either exessively floral or clunky, the ones at Bombay are subtle and mostly pleasant.
Discovery Bay Center, 1778 Ala Moana Blvd. (942-3990). 5–10pm. Entrees: $9.95–$21.95. JCB, MC, V.
India Cafe
–Rachel Brown (4/16/08)
India Cafe, a small, homey restaurant in Kilohana Square, serves up some of the best curry-and-roti combos in town in a cozy, laid-back atmosphere. The menu is basic but varied, with six different chutneys, 11 types of bread and enough variations of curry to turn anyone’s head. It is vegetarian-friendly, with as many vegetable sambals and masalas as there are meat offerings. Of special note is the okra vegetable curry, a delicate, mild dish–the soft okra leaves room for the spices to stand out, creating a wonderfully complex mixture that starts out with a bite and goes down smooth. Spicy but not scorching, stop by India Cafe after your next Bollywood marathon and satisfy your craving for cayenne, tamarind and cinnamon.
1016 Kapahulu Ave. (737-4600). Lunch: Fri.-Sun. 11am–2:30pm, Dinner: Sun.–Thurs., 5pm–9pm. Fri.–Sat., 5pm–9:30pm. Entrees: $7.95–$16.95. MC, V.
Madras Cafe
– Carlie Singh (4/23/08)
Madras is just about your only choice for fast, cafe style Indian food at lunchtime. While ingredients change daily, the food tastes home-cooked instead of “restaurant food.” The dishes are thoughtful, well-balanced and consistent–they will satisfy your hankering for Indian food without sending you back to work exuding clouds of curry. The service is friendly and fast with enough variation in the menu to make Madras Cafe a weekly lunch spot.
2320 South King St. Suite B4. (949-4840). Mon.–Thurs., 11am–3pm. Entrees: $6.95–$7.95.
Opal Thai Food
– Napua Leong (1/10/07)
Diners who devour not Kahuku shrimp but satay and fried rice have come to Opal Thai Food for the cooking of Opel and Aoy Sirichandrha. Originally from Thailand, they are now united on the North Shore with a shared dream: To serve simple, good, honest food. What may be the best things on the menu aren’t cooked at all. The popular green papaya salad is seasoned with an authentically pounded tincture of limejuice, fresh garlic and tomato.
Across from McDonald’s, Kamehameha Hwy. Hale’iwa (381-8091). Wed.-Sun., 11am-6pm. Entrees: $6.50-$7.95. Cash only.
Pho Minh Thu
– Napua Leong (1/10/07)
The promise of hot, healthy pho helps to offset the lackluster ambience here, as does the swift and attentive, if hurried, service. The pho is a watery beef-based broth slow-cooked with hefty doses of Saigon-Cinnamon, star anise and ginger. Pho is the saving grace at Pho Minh Thu, standing alone as a lone exemplar of the soul of the Vietnamese kitchen. Pho is also a testament to the many threads of influence in Vietnamese cuisine, the noodles-in-soup being a distinctively Chinese gastronomic desire.
478 ‘Ena Rd., Waikiki (946-2299). Daily, 10am-9pm. Entrees: $7-$8.50.
Pho Viet
– Walter Rhee (5/14/08)
Pho Viet’s store window displays a sign, which reads “best soup in town.” They are not kidding. All pho houses use the same ingredients, but Pho Viet does it better. The combination of the sensuous rice noodles, different beef cuts (each with a unique texture and flavor), broth and condiments draws out different arrays o flavors with each chew. Apart from the pho, the menu mostly caters to standard local tastes in Vietnamese cuisine. With 66 delicious dishes on the menu, Pho Viet offers both good food and good service.
99-163 Moanalua Rd., (486-7688). Tue.-Sun., 10am-9pm. Entrees: $7-$8.50. MC, V.
