Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar
When Shokudo opened a little more than a year ago, they opened on the premise of having this restaurant serve as a model for others to follow. Located in a spot most recently vacated by the Bank of the Orient, Shokudo is located in an office building and is a neighbor to another Japanese restaurant, Angelo Pietro.
Stepping inside, you notice the clean, modern interior that is done with red, black and cream with lots of light wood surfaces. On the left half of the restaurant, the expansive space is filled with tables for four and tiny dining nooks.
On the right, Noguchi-styled paper shades hang above tiered seating that might remind one of the tiered rice paddies found in Japan. If you're seated at the top, you get a nice view of the entire restaurant, including the bar area which is located between the two distinct areas of the restaurant.
I had actually visited Shokudo a number of times before today, and many of the dishes are hit and miss. Like most other places, there are dishes that are outstanding (like the fresh tofu), and then there are those that should immediately be forgotten. On this particular visit, I decided to sample something from the new lunch menu. But first, I decided to start with a salad that I had been wanting to try for a while -- the daikon salad (US$5.75).
Thick strips of fresh daikon were tossed with tiny dried anchovies (chirimen) and garnished with grape tomato halves and a small mountain of kizami nori (sliced dried seaweed). The crisp strips of raw daikon radish were refreshing to eat, but I would have preferred if they were julienned thinner. The thickness of the strips made it difficult for the daikon to hold any of the dressing's flavor (I couldn't tell what it was) and there weren't really enough anchovies here to make an impact on the flavor either.
After looking over all of the choices on the set lunch menu, I decided to go with the stewed beef hamburg set lunch (US$13.25).
Considering the amount of food I got, this was a bargain at $13.95 -- a bowl of miso soup, a bowl of rice, a side salad, tsukemono and "beef hamburg" which was topped with an egg and served with grilled zucchini, eggplant and tomato slices.
Red bean honey toast (US$8.75).
Two thick slices of toast were drizzled with some warmed, and slightly carmelized, honey then topped with a healthy spoonful of azuki beans and a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. The crust was crunchy and a bit buttery, while the inside of the bread had been cut into bite sized cubes that were soft and fluffy!
Shokudo Japanese Restaurant & Bar
1585 Kapiolani Boulevard
Telephone: 808.941.3701
Hi Reid....
Posted by: RONW | April 07, 2006 at 01:15 AM
Hey Reid! You buying a house also? This looks like an interesting meal here. I look forward to hearing more about it!
Posted by: Jo | April 07, 2006 at 10:53 AM
Hi Reid, I think I know what you mean by 'hit and miss' :) The red bean honey toast looks interesting, was that really huge?
Posted by: keiko | April 10, 2006 at 08:35 AM
Hi Reid - That's a pretty hefty lunch.
Posted by: Kirk | April 11, 2006 at 07:41 AM
The restaurant is kind of neat and the food looks great.
Posted by: jane | May 09, 2006 at 12:38 PM
Hi RONW,
Just stopped by to say HI?
Hi Jo,
Buying a house? Here in Hawaii? Fat chance. I hope you're enjoying yours! =)
Hi Keiko,
The honey toast was huge. It was enough for two people actually. I'm glad that I had some help with it! =)
Hi Kirk,
It is hefty, but the daikon salad and the dessert were split with someone. I wouldn't dare eat all of that myself!
Hi Jane,
Welcome to the blog.
The restaurant is tastefully done and has clean lines and a retro-modern design. The food, when good, is really good!
Posted by: Reid | May 22, 2006 at 01:18 AM
Hi Reid. So glad you're back. Sounds like you had a great time in London.
Just wanted to give a word of advice for patrons of Shokudo. We've been there a few times and enjoyed some dishes more than others. However, our last visit was in September. I charged the bill and actually kept the receipt (doesn't always work that way). When I received my credit card statement, I was charged $50 more. Upon calling the restaurant, they didn't seem too surprised. The manager said it was the practice of the "bank" to charge more than the bill to ensure payment of the tip. However, this was $50 OVER the bill and tip amount. The manager looked into and called back, apologized, saying I was overcharged and would receive a credit. Just wanted to warn others to keep an eye out, as I would have easily overlooked this and paid the extra $50.
Thanks for all the info. You are truly amazing.
Posted by: sara | October 23, 2007 at 02:32 PM