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Smooth jazz in the background, the murmur of Japanese voices, tasteful minimalist setting, handmade serving pieces–surely you’re in an elegant Tokyo bistro. But step outside and, egads, you’re in the mauka parking lot of Ala Moana Center.
Between Long’s and Genki Sushi lies Rokkaku, a sliver of a restaurant serving ‘authentic Japanese cuisine.’ For us in Honolulu, who are so familiar with Japanese food, Rokkaku offers an extensive menu with plenty of seasonal specials and is a great place to try the unusual. The whole experience is a soothing retreat from the mall scene outside. Step past the noren through the sliding door and you’ll be warmly greeted and seated in a small section with a veiled view of the parking lot, in the skinny main room lined with banquettes, at the counter facing the chefs, or in a tatami room with two tables and cheater footwells.
There’s a large selection of sakes including two different sake samplers ($12) for those wanting to taste and compare, and an array of shochu, the potent distilled spirits made from sweet potato and various grains. Wine and other Western beverages are on offer too.
Order early for one of their signature dishes: kamameshi, rice cooked in a ceramic pot until crusty on the bottom with a choice of goodies. It takes 35-40 minutes to prepare and is served with pickles at meal’s end, per tradition. Our favorite is unagi gohan (rice with roasted eel, $22) though the rice with ikura (salmon roe, $20), with shiso ($12), and other choices has their fans. Looking at these prices, you’ll see that Rokkaku’s not the place for a quick family dinner, but these servings are enough for four especially if you’ve over-ordered as we inevitably do. There are so many intriguing and unusual dishes on the menu that the bill tends to mount without you noticing. In short, Rokkaku is not a place for sumotori, but for those who can appreciate the Japanese concept of exquisite morsels savored slowly.
Several specials are offered each night and an omakase, or chef’s choice, menu as well. We enjoyed a dish of delicately textured chilled udon noodles topped with fish roe one night (served first like the other cold dishes) and the grilled pork cheek and leeks marinated in wasabi ($12). A notable specialty is their uni lobster jelly gake, a small dish of steamed shrimp and sea urchin in a lobster broth jelly. The shrimp is crisp-tender, the uni rich and unctuous and the jelly, pure essence of lobster. Oishi! And worth the $16 splurge for a petite portion.
Unlike many Japanese restaurants the salads are not an afterthought. The generous green salad ($8) is offered with miso or sesame dressing and the Rokkaku salad ($15) is a blend of prawns, scallops and avocado tossed in a slightly spicy dressing. Vegetarians? There are some tofu options (deep-fried tofu w/ hot poached egg ($8), seaweed salad ($6), green veggies w/ sesame sauce ($5) and various rice ball and rice porridge melanges as well as the veggie kamemeshi offerings.
Among the menu’s featured attractions are grilled dishes or sumiyaki. These range from grilled veggies ($12) to Wagyu sirloin ($38), a delicious not-too-sweet kamo teriyaki (duck breast, $22), a delectable version of miso-marinated grilled butterfish ($12), yaki saba sushi (grilled mackerel roll sushi, $9) and the juicy and fatty kurobuta bacon ($22) served with a delectable chopped salsa of wasabi greens.
Desserts include a homemade caramel ice cream ($4) that some of us liked and others thought tasted burnt. There are several red bean variants including a rice cake with either sweet red bean topping and green tea ice cream or ‘fresh milk pudding’ ($7). We saw, but did not sample, the Rokkaku Parfait ($12), a towering creation that looked as if it belonged at Sam Choy’s.
All of these dishes are nicely presented on a hand-crafted plate and suitable for sharing. They are brought out one by one so you have time to savor each. New plates are provided with every offering and the service is thoughtful and unobtrusive. The staff cheerfully answer any questions–though with varying degrees of English competency.
Rokkaku translates as six-sided or hexagon and resembles the markings on a turtle, a symbol of luck in Japan. The Executive Chef Hiroshi Shimada began his career at a famous Kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto. After further training in Bangkok and Singapore, he was brought to Hawai’i by the owner of Azabu Yukimura in Tokyo (Where there are reportedly weeks-long waits for a table and much higher tabs). Be sure to check out their charming website with a fairly complete menu listing where you’re informed that at lunch ‘When it is possible to sell up, it ends.’
Just beware of acute culture shock when you exit Rokkaku and realize you’re not in Tokyo any more.
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