Teshima's Restaurant - Kealakekua, Hawaii

Lunch at Teshima's was a difficult decision as I had also wanted to have lunch at the Aloha Angel Café.  Teshima's was a recommendation from a reader of this blog who actually lives in Honolulu, but was raised on the Kona side of the Big Island.

According to this sign on the wall in the main dining area, Teshima's started out as a general merchandise store, retailing beer and wine, in 1929.  In the years that followed, Teshima's expanded until it became a full fledged restaurant in 1940.

I arrived at the restaurant first and proceeded to stand in line.  There was a full house here at 1:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon.  As we proceeded to wait, the line of patrons behind us started to build.  After 15 minutes of waitiing, we were finally offered a seat, not in the main dining area, but in the dining area off to the side.

Looking over the menu proved to be no easy task.  There were so many things here that I really wanted to try.  In the end, I decided on one of my favorite comfort foods, pork tofu "in-a-kettle" (US$9.75).

This dish was served with rice, miso soup, tsukemono (salted vegetables), sunomono (sweetened vinegared vegetables) and some ocha (hot tea).  Here's a close up of the pork tofu.

In the pot were chunks of tofu, julienned bamboo shoots, slightly chewy shirataki (thin konnyaku noodles), some thinly sliced onions and shiitake mushrooms, chopped green onions, slippery long rice noodles and quite a bit of sliced pork.  Although most of the pork was tender, there were quite a few gristly parts in the pot as well, making this a challenge to eat.  The sauce which was flavored with shoyu, sugar and ginger, was just a little too sweet for me.

I addition to my lunch set, I also ordered the shrimp tempura appetizer (US$6.00).

Included were two pieces of shrimp, two pieces of eggplant, as well as two pieces of Okinawan sweet potato (there was something else as well, was it green beans?).  The tempura was crunchy and surprisingly, very light.  I appreciated the assortment of vegetables here and I was so happy that this wasn't oily.

Here is the "PUPU TRAY" (US$9.00).  I had planned to order it, but I wasn't quick enough.

Included in the tray was vegetable tempura, BBQ beef, and sashimi as well as a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, tsukemono, and sunomono.

Does this fish look fresh or what?

When asked if I wanted dessert, I really couldn't make up my mind one way or the other.  The waitress recommended the chocolate truffle (US$3.75), which she said was one of their more popular offerings.  Sure, why not right?

When the dessert arrived, I thought to myself is that it?  I took the spoon, scooped up some of the dessert and aimed for my mouth.

At first, the thick consistency and firm texture of the truffle reminded me of fudge.  Then, as the chocolatey goodness dissolved in my mouth, the flavor reminded me of...what else?...chocolate truffles.  Cool and smooth, this had just the right combination of bitter and sweet flavors.  Much thanks to the waitress who recommended this dessert.  It was perfect for sharing over a cup of coffee.

The food here at Teshima's was quite good, though not great.  It was flavorful and tasty, just like the food straight out of Mom's kitchen.  The prices here were quite reasonable considering the amount of food we received.  And the service?  Well, since it was really busy, I'll give them a break.  Because we weren't sitting in the main dining room, it took more than 15 minutes for someone to come by to take our orders.  Once our order was placed, the food arrived in a timely manner.  Water and coffee, however, were not refilled regularly.  I guess the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" applied to us on this particular visit.  Would I come back?  Well, if I wasn't in a hurry, and if I was in the mood for some value-priced, homestyle cooking, I just might consider it.

Teshima's Restaurant
79-7251 Mamalahoa Highway
Kealakekua, Hawaii
Telephone:  808.322.9140

Comments

[Kathy]

All of it! It all looks SO GOOD! I cannot wait to come home for winter - sashimi, local plate lunches, furikaki ahi (Nico's at Pier 38!)...gah. You make me even more homesick that I already am.:)

[Reid]

Hi Kathy,

The food here was pretty good. Kind of reminded me of Wisteria for some reason. I'm sorry that you're homesick, but think about it this way, you have a lot more options where you are. =)

[AugustusGloop]

So I'm presuming your friend managed to order the pupu tray or did you hassle a nearby diner for photos? lol

[Kirk]

Reid - Augustus took the words right out of my mouth! The tempura looks really "lacey", too bad about the Pork Tofu. Being Wisteria isn't so bad, used to be my Mothers favorite.

[Reid]

Hi AG,

Yes, she did and we couldn't order the same thing now...could we? That wouldn't be fun. Besides, I got to annoy her by asking to take photos of the food. It was something she wasn't used to.

Hi Kirk,

The tempura was good if only because it was fresh and not oily. I normally don't like that type of batter on it. And no, being Wisteria is not bad at all. To me, they made the best pork tofu around. Too bad the pork tofu here wasn't as good.

[James]

Hey Reid, good to see you got to eat at some nice places on your visit! I've ate here once, but I forget what I had since it was a while ago, but I do remember that it was pretty good and the people were really nice there. Too bad about the pork tofu, though... looks really crowded in there!

[808650foodie]

Hey Reid---

I'll take that "Pupu Tray" in a heartbeat. All that good food for only $9. Was that the lunch price or did they offer that for dinner as well? I like the presentation of the dishes. Great attention to detail in a restaurant one could classify as a place for comfort food, like Wisteria or the restaurant across the street from Kaimuki High with a name that escapes me...

[tara]

Hey Reid, I would make the trip simply for the crispy tempura and the truffle dessert. That does look perfect for an after-dinner coffee.

[keiko]

Oh no, I shouldn't have come here just before dinner! Reid, you've made me *really* homesick again...

[Reid]

Hi James,

Too bad about the pork tofu is right. In fact, now that I think about it, I should have ordered the chicken tofu.

BTW...the place was super packed. When I got there, there were about 5 people in line ahead of me. After waiting for 15 minutes, only one couple got seated. *sigh*

Hi 808650foodie,

That "PUPU TRAY" was a weekend lunch special only and it was a great value. The regular prices aren't really that much higher for the teishoku lunches/dinners. Yes, this did remind me of the Wisteria. My grandmother loved it there. This doesn't really remind me too much of Sekiya's though (that's where I think you're talking about).

Hi Tara,

The shrimp tempura were pretty good, but not outstanding. I guess it's because we have such a wide selection of Japanese restaurants here. The chocolate truffle, on the other hand, was great. I'm glad it came so highly recommended.

Hi Keiko,

Long time no hear. Sorry to make you miss home. I would miss home too if I were so far away.