Holokai Grill / The gradual opening of the Waikiki Beach Walk development brings us its newest eatery with Holokai Grill. As the sister restaurant of Tiki’s, Holokai Grill has the same breezily buoyant atmosphere that has come to define casual island dining in Waikiki along with Duke’s Canoe Club.

Here the theme is Polynesian voyaging, and the grandest demonstration of this motif is a 33-foot-long red New Zealand war canoe installed in front of the open kitchen. The theme continues with paintings of sailing canoes and hand-carved wall hangings. The nautical dÈcor surrounding the bar–including a prow maiden and a smaller wooden canoe suspended overhead–is a bit classier than in the dining room, where fake lava rock wall paneling, inset color-change wall lighting and fans that move to simulate paddle strokes tip the decor over the border into tropic kitsch.

The food is casual Pacific Rim merged with American classics, and while the food is good for a casual eatery, sometimes it descends into tropic kitsch, too. On the pupu menu, available at lunch and dinner, there are quesadillas, nachos made with won ton chips and blackened ahi ($11) and sliders served in pairs: ground chuck with spicy mango relish ketchup ($4), kalua pig with spicy guava sauce ($4), and crab cake with wasabi ginger aioli ($6). Of these the kalua pig and ground chuck are the best bets; the flavor and texture of the delicate crabcakes got lost between the slightly dry buns. You can also get those same crab cakes phyllo wrapped. The salt and pepper calamari comes sprinkled with furikake ($9) and the flatbread pizza features char siu chicken ($5). The coconut shrimp bottle rockets ($9) are an apt name for the bouquet of skewered fried shrimp that arrive in Red Stripe beer bottles inset into a wooden serving tray that’s shaped like the island of O’ahu.

At lunch there are Pacific Rim twists on familiar sandwiches: a salmon BLT, a Hawaiian-style club layered with char siu pork, shaved pastrami and pipi kaula aioli, a fish katsu sandwich and a steak sandwich made with shaved prime rib prepared pipi kaula style. A dining companion sampled seafood and chips, a combination of shrimp, fish and calamari in Lehua Honey Wheat beer batter made with brew that’s exclusive to the restaurant. I tried a bite of the fish that was among the most delicate and succulent I’ve had prepared this way, but the calamari pieces were too small and overcooked ($12). Rounding out lunch offerings are build-your-own salads (starting at $7) and build-your-own burgers. You could have some fun dreaming up Dr. Seussian burger combinations from unusual toppers including kim chee, fried egg, spicy guava sauce, shaved pastrami and grilled pineapple.

At dinner a variety of fresh island fish entrÈes showcase local flavors. A standout was lemongrass and ginger crusted onaga, served with a corn risotto ($25.00). An ample serving of fish was cooked perfectly, but the risotto wasn’t hot and was a little gluey. According to our server, all fish is cooked medium rare as a default. The turf options include steak, Huliyaki chicken, guava BBQ ribs. I chose the Holokai version of the lau lau, a Sterling Silver pork chop with miso-glazed fish ($20). The fish was deliciously moist and light, but when I didn’t finish my pork chop, three separate staffers noticed and asked me for my feedback; it was promptly removed from my check. (The restaurant, like Tiki’s, guarantees its food and service 100 percent). I gave each of those staffers abridged feedback, but here is my unabridged version: The menu says the dish is an ode to the lau lau, a novel idea. While the miso-glazed fish was an appropriate interpretation of the butterfish normally found in lau lau, the pork was not a good approximation of its lau lau counterpart. The menu describes the pork chop as ‘braised,’ a preparation that denotes succulence. My first clue that it wasn’t going to be very tender was the large steak knife that preceded the plate. Aside from toughness, the distinct rich flavor that comes from ti leaves was sorely missed. Had I not read the menu description, I would not have deduced it was a lau lau redone. The concept is intriguing, and the kitchen could have a real winner if it braised and smoked that pork chop to forkability.

I enjoyed my dessert of pineapple upside-down cheesecake ($5), a delicious merging of two dessert classics served ala mode. A double layer banana tart ($6) we tried was light but not a stand-out. Order a hula boat and you get a homemade brownie topped with a whole ripe banana.

The service is excellent, and a fleet of servers and staff members make sure your drinks are full, your empty plates are cleared and you’re happy. They’ve definitely got the island hospitality part down, and with some refinements to the menu, they could rule the high seas of casual-tropical dining.

Holokai Grill
Waikiki Beach Walk, 226 Lewers Street L200 (2nd Floor); 924-7245 (SAIL)
Hours: Breakfast TBA; lunch 10:30am-4pm; dinner until 10:30pm; bar menu available until midnight; drinks served until 2am
Payment: AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V
Price Range: Lunch $8-$15; dinner $15-$25
Recommended: Steak sandwich, fish dishes, pineapple upside down cheesecake

Honolulu Weekly restaurant reviewers dine anonymously, editorial integrity being our first priority. Reviewers may visit the establishment more than once, and any interviews with restaurant staff are conducted after the visits. We do not run photos of the reviewers, and the Weekly pays the tab. The reviews are not influenced by the purchase of advertising or other incentives.

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