'Ono Kine Grindz

Makino Chaya

I'm not really a fan of Japanese buffets, but this one's not too bad.  Instead of serving pre-prepared food like at Todai or Hanaki, dishes are ordered off the menu.

Makino Chaya
1936 South King Street
Telephone: 808.955.5966

Kat's Sushi

I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Kat's Sushi
715 South King Street Suite 105
Telephone: 808.526.1268

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

Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant

Within the last couple of years, the area around Ward Warehouse and Ward Centre has been a flurry of activity.  New condos are coming up as well as stores and restaurants.  The first of these to be completed was the small building which houses a new Starbucks, Jamba Juice and the Wahoo's Fish Tacos place.  Meanwhile, work begins on the site that will house a new Whole Foods store and I believe construction has already begun on the PF Changs that will also be located in the same area.  The activity is not only confined to currently empty spaces though.  Ward Centre has also gotten some new tenants in where the old Scoozies was.  Besides Red Pineapple, which opened before the 2005 holiday season, there is this place, Goma Tei, which only opened about a week ago.

Upon entering the restaurant you'll notice the blond wood tables and counter as well as the black wood stained chairs.  The restaurant is clean and modern, and was fairly empty at dinner time, with only two seats at the counter and one table being occupied.  Perhaps word hasn't gotten out about this place yet.

After looking over the menu, I made an inquiry with the waitress.  It seemed as though the restaurant specialized in tan tan ramen, which, according to the menu, is a "Japanese style soup broth with spicy sesame flavor".

So I ordered #5, chicken tan tan ramen (US$7.50).

On the menu, it said that this was made with the restaurant's ban ban ji chicken and veg. garnishes.  When the bowl arrived, there was a pile of choy sum on one end of the bowl, and a pile of sliced white meat chicken on the other.  Well, I don't quite remember what the ban ban ji chicken was (I should have taken better notes), but I'm sure it didn't mean dry and flavorless -- which is exactly how I found this chicken.  The soup, however, was thick and flavorful, with only a hint of spiciness.

To go along with the ramen I also ordered a side of gyoza (5 pieces, US$4.95).

The gyoza took way too long to come out of the kitchen and when the plate arrived at the table, they were already starting to get cold.  There was just enough filling inside the wrapper, but if you ask me, these seemed a lot like the gyoza that's found in the frozen section of the supermarket.  Average.

On another visit, I decided to try the tonkatsu tan tan ramen (US$8.95).

The broth was the same as the first time (how I wished it were spicier) and the ramen was garnished with both choy sum and chopped leeks.  The piece of tonkatsu was quite big, filling up almost the entire surface of the bowl.  It was still crunchy when the ramen arrived, but I felt it could have been tenderized a bit more -- it was a bit tough when I bit into it.

Being that Goma Tei has only been open for about a week, I feel that they still have time to improve.  If the food stays on course, then they could be in for some real trouble.  While the ramen was quite good (the broth could use a bit more spice), it's the toppings that need a bit of work.  The service was good, but it could have been because it wasn't too busy.  The ramen is a bit expensive though, so I'm still a bit unsure if my initial impression warrants a return visit.

Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant
Ward Centre
1200 Ala Moana Boulevard
Telephone:  808.591.9188

Bistro A Un

For several years now, I've passed by Bistro A Un on my way to CoCo Ichibanya, never giving a second thought to the restaurant that used "shower curtains" as window dressings.  Several weeks ago, however, my curiosity finally got the best of me.  I was walking by with a friend on my way to eat curry, when I decided to stop and read the menu board outside.  There were a number of interesteing, reasonably priced dishes on the menu, so we decided to give this place a chance.

Entering the restaurant, I discovered the place to be empty.  On one side of the room was a bar, on the other, were five or six tables situated along a wall of banquette type seating.  The soft, dim lighting made the inside of the restaurant feel quite relaxing and created the perfect atmosphere for a quiet night out.

Since we had already looked over the menu outside, there were a couple of dishes that we ordered right away.  The first to be ordered, and to arrive at the table, was the omurice with pork cutlet (US$8.75).

Under the egg "omlette" was a pile of fried rice that had been seasoned with ketchup and onions.  A lot of ketchup was also poured on top of the rice, giving it a lot of sweetness.  The tonkatsu (pork cutlet) was crisp and well fried.  Lacking the usual oiliness, the pieces of tonkatsu were also quite tender.

Next to arrive were the crabmeat croquettes (US$4.75).

Crunchy and golden brown, the croquettes arrived in a pool of sauce.  Hot out of the fryer, the creamy insides spilled out after I took my first bite.  Along with the chunks of crab, these were sinful and quite tasty.

Following the croquettes was the eggplant gratin (US$5.50).

Thick pieces of eggplant were first topped with a tomato based sauce and lots of cheese.  The eggplant was baked, resulting in a tender eggplant dish that was savory, gooey (from the melted cheese) and satisfying.

Shortly thereafter, the sautéed spinach with bacon (US$4.75) was brought to the table.

Fresh spinach was sautéed until tender with pieces of bacon.  This dish was a bit oily because it was probably sautéed in the bacon grease, but the spinach was also tender and smokey, just like the bacon.

Shortly after the spinach arrived, came the tofu leaf spring roll with shrimp (US$4.95).

When I saw this coming, I was actually disappointed.  I actually ordered this because I was curious to see what tofu leaf actually meant (it meant yuba).  The crisp and crunchy spring rolls were filled with cabbage and tiny pieces of shrimp.  The rolls were good, but not exceptional.

And finally, our last dish arrived,, the deep fried yakisoba (US$8.95).

I was actually quite interested in seeing how this was going to turn out.  To my eye, it reminded me of cake noodles that we get here.  Pan fried noodles topped with gravy, vegetables and meat.  Ordinary and my least favorite dish.

The food here at Bistro A Un is a bit eclectic, and that's not really a bad thing.  You can enjoy standards, like the omurice with tonkatsu here, or you can enjoy something fusion, like the eggplant gratin.  There really is something for everyone here, and most often, the food is good to better than average.  Although the serving sizes are a bit small, I found the prices to be quite reasonable.  Besides, we like to share, right?  The service is great and the staff is helpful in providing recommendations.  I definitely look forward to visiting Bistro A Un again sometime soon.

Bistro A Un
McCully Shopping Center
1960 Kapiolani Boulevard Suite 107
Telephone:  808.947.4914

Hakkei

Originally scheduled for an August 2005 opening, permitting delays pushed the grand opening of Hakkei out by 5 months.  I am happy to report that after 5 months of waiting, Hakkei is now open -- the first meal was served on Sunday evening.  Let's just say it was well worth the wait.  I will definitely be back!

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Located on Young Street, near the old main police station, Hakkei occupies the space formerly occupied by Restaurant Kariyushi and more recently by Okinawan restaurant, Hatsune-ya.  Unless you are looking for it, Hakkei will probably be quite difficult to find as it's not really visible from the street.

According to the owner, whom I chatted with briefly, the original Hakkei is located in Okayama, Japan and is actually an onsen ryokan (a hot spring inn).

When I arrived, with a friend in tow, we found the restaurant to be packed full of people.  It's a good thing I decided to make reservations.  Upon providing my name to the gentleman at the door, he quickly led me to the table that was waiting for our arrival.

Since we had reviewed the menu prior to coming here, we already knew what we would be ordering, the "A Course" dinner menu (US$35.00 per person).  Within minutes, the appetizer "set" arrived at our table.

The "set" consisted of three items set on a black lacquer tray.  The dishes were beautiful to look at and even more of a pleasure to eat.  I do not remember the names of these dishes, but I will do my best to provide you with a description.

This first appetizer dish was some boiled vegetables that had been mixed with some fresh tofu (I believe).  The tender vegetables tasted wonderfully when combined with the cheese-like texture of the tofu.

This next appetizer reminded me of chawan mushi.  It was thick and custard-like, as well as smooth and ultra-creamy. 

And finally, some thin strips of gobo (burdock root) and carrots.

Once we had finished our appetizers, we were asked to choose the items for our oden.  On the menu, two kinds per person were included with the dinner set.  Luckily, we were asked to select three choices each.  If you do not get a set dinner, the oden selections are available individually.  Here is the list of oden items including the prices -- the items in bold are the ones we selected:

US$2.20 per piece:
konnyaku (devil's tongue jelly), firm tofu, atsuage (deep fried tofu), chikuwa (cooked fish paste), egg, daikon (Japanese radish) and potato.

US$3.20 per piece:
hirosu (deep fried tofu paste with clams, carrot, mushrooms and gobo), toridango (chicken dumplings), ebidango (shrimp dumplings), ikadango (squid dumplings), goboten (fish paste and gobo deep fried), nankin chiizu rooru kyabetsu (simmered pumpkin with cheese rolled in cabbage) and gyuusuji (beef tendon).

Combined in a beautiful pot with some dashi and vegetables (Chinese cabbage and mizuna), the oden was simmered at the table atop a portable gas burner.  As the dish cooked, the pleasant aroma of the dashi filled the air.  After what seemed like an eternity, it was ready to be eaten.  In no time flat, the contents of the pot were quickly consumed.  Each item was fresh, well prepared and so delicious.  I especially enjoyed the variety of items that we had selected.  Next time, though, I think I'll add on a few items to make this a part of the meal a bit more filling.

To finish off the broth, I normally will order rice to create zosui.  Tonight, I decided that I would sample the udon.  The udon noodles arrived on a plate and I hurriedly pushed them into the simmering broth.  After a couple of minutes, I switched off the burner and allowed them to finish cooking.  The noodles were slippery and quite tender (instead of chewy).  Were they freshly made in house?  I'll have to ask the next time I'm there.

After we had polished off the pot of udon and broth, the table was cleared and the tsukuri (chef's special appetizer of the day) was brought to the table.  The plate was topped with a single leaf of lettuce, a mound of cubed chutoro (fatty tuna) and thin slivers of red onion, daikon, carrots, cucumber, red and yellow bell peppers and some kizami nori.  The fish was definitely fresh and all of the flavors here blended wonderfully.

Finally, he last of the dishes, the nimono (or stewed vegetable), had arrived along with some tsukemono and a bowl of rice.

On the left is the tsukemono -- a few slices of kyuuri no nukazuke (salted cucumber) and some slivers of takuwan (pickled radish).  On the right, is a bowl filled with tender simmered vegetables -- a few pieces each of zucchini, carrots and eggplant.  On top is a ball of pureed kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) that has been covered in something (the name of this eludes me as I write this).

And finally, a bowl of okoge rice.  According to the waitress that delivered the bowls of rice to the table, we were quite fortunate to be able to eat this, and I wholeheartedly agree.  You see, I love okoge rice -- you know, the browned rice that you'll find at the bottom of the pot?  The flavor of the slightly burned bits of rice, combined with the subtle crunchiness and the overall stickiness of the rice makes this enjoyable.

After finishing the bowl of rice, a small flower shaped dish was brought to the table.  Inside, were three thin slices of chewy mochi, a piece of tart pineapple, and a dollop of sweetened azuki beans.  A refreshing end to a relaxing meal.

Hakkei
1436 Young Street Suite 103
Telephone: 808.944.6688

Sekiya's Restaurant & Delicatessen

Sorry, but I will be working late for the next couple of nights so I won't be able to update this post until Thursday or Friday.  But rather than leave you all hanging (especially you Clinton and Kirk)...ENJOY!

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Located across from Kaimuki High School, Sekiya's has been serving local-style homecooked favorites for almost 50 years.  Starting in 1957, generations of locals have grown up eating the food served here, and everytime I visit, I'm reminded of some of my favorite home cooked dishes -- saimin, pork tofu, beef tomato and butterfish nitsuke. 

As you enter the restaurant, the first thing you'll notice is the okazuya counter.  During the day, the warmers are filled with many different dishes that are combined to create your very own "mixed" bento box (plate lunch).  Since I almost always visit at night, this area is usually closed.

Inside, there are a number of booths with can accomodate 3 or 4 dozen people.  Near the "wall of glass" at the far end of the room are a few tables that will accomodate larger parties, and right outside, is a Japanese garden.

The last time I was here, I dined with a friend who lives nearby.  For some reason, my friend had never been here and wondered how the food was.  After we looked over the menu, and place our orders, we sat and waited for the food to arrive.  First to be delivered was a pot of tea, a bowl of rice, a dish of tsukemono and a bowl of miso soup.

When eating a local Japanese restaurants, these are the things that will most accompany your meal.  The miso soup contained cubes of tofu and lots of chopped green onions.  The tsukemono (Japanese pickles) served here consists of salted Chinese cabbage.

Soon after, the hash tempura (6 pieces, US$4.50) arrived at the table, fresh out of the fryer.

Corned beef is mixed with potatoes and various seasonings before being rolled into balls, covered in batter and deep fried.  Piping hot, I took the first bite.  The first thing I tasted were the creamy, slightly sweet potatoes inside.  It was only then that I noticed the lack of actual corned beef.  It was quite surprising that these weren't as good as they usually are.

This was my friend's choice, the oyako donburi (US$7.95).

Slices of onion are cooked with pieces of dark meat chicken in some dashi before the egg is added.  The egg left a little "runny" and is served in a bowl over hot rice to create the donburi.  Here the rendition is pretty straightforward, but I believe they used just a little too much sauce.

Tonight, I decided to sample the nitsuke butterfish (US$13.25, with tofu add US$1.00).

Cubes of tofu were combined with pieces of butterfish in a classic nitsuke "sauce" (flavored with shoyu and mirin among other things).  The "sauce" was well seasoned, and neither too sweet nor too salty for my tastes.  The pieces of butterfish had a very "fishy" aroma and consisted of many small pieces full of bones.  This dish would have been much better had it been prepared using a single butterfish "steak" rather than chopped up, leftover pieces of butterfish.

In my opinion, over the years, the quality of the food at Sekiya's has slipped as the prices have increased.  It has often left me wondering if the changes in ownership has been the cause of this.  Granted, there are quite a number of dishes that remain favorites, but for a few others, there are many other places that serve food that tastes just as good, or better, and are a lot more reasonably priced.

Sekiya's Restaurant & Delicatessen
2746 Kaimuki Avenue
Telephone: 808.732.1656

Genki Sushi

I'm not really one to visit "robot" sushi places as I think I'm a little old fashioned.  You see, I like to be able to interact with the guys behind the sushi counter -- talk to them about what's fresh, and most of all, find out what they enjoy.  This was my first ever visit to Genki Sushi, and let's just say that it might not be my last.

A couple of weeks ago, after spending a few hours at the mall, I was asked if I was hungry.  When I said yes, my friends asked if I had ever been to Genki Sushi.  Well, once they discovered that I had never eaten there, they told me that I didn't know what I was missing.

When we arrived, it was about 8:15 pm, and there were a few people there.  It was strange to see the plates of sushi going round the room on a little conveyor belt. 

What I didn't know at the time was that you could actually "order" sushi off the menu.  There were quite a number of choices available here -- much like you'd find in any sushi bar, except at 1/3 to 1/2 the price!  The prices start at US$1.35 for a "gold" plate, US$1.90 for a green one, US$2.45 for a red one, US$3.60 for a silver plate, and the most expensive plates, the "black" ones, are US$4.40.  This sort of tiered pricing system can either work for you or against you.  As you can see in the picture below, the items are pictured in the corresponding "plate" section of the menu so you know what to look out for on the conveyor belt.

Tobikko (green, US$1.90).

Vegetable croquette (gold, US$1.35).

Inari (gold, US$1.35).

Ahi (tuna; red, US$2.45).

Chicken karaage (red, US$2.45).

Shishamo (river smelt; gold, US$1.35)

Ebi (shrimp; green, US$1.90).

Dragon roll (silver, US$3.60).

The photos above represented a small sample of what we actually ate.  As you can see below, we enjoyed a few more dishes that were not photographed.

While the sushi here may not be of the best quality, the ingredients seemed fresh and some of the items sampled were just as good as any that I've had elsewhere -- the chicken karaage and the vegetable croquette come to mind.  The sushi is worth the price and now that I know about ordering from the menu, I'll be sure to visit again.

Genki Sushi
885 Kapahulu Avenue
Telephone:  808.735.7700

Yonehachi Okowa

Shirokiya, which is located at the Ala Moana Shopping Center, often brings the tastes and flavors of Japan to all of us here in Hawaii.  For the past couple of weeks, I've been enjoying okowa (steamed mochi rice) which had been mixed with various ingredients.  Five varieties of okowa were available during this particular food festival -- Christmas, sansai, gomoku,  osekihan and kuri (I think).

As you step up to the counter, you notice the flurry of activity going on behind this woman.  A man off to the side was preparing more rice, while another woman behind her was stuffing pockets of aburage with the various types of okowa.

When it was my turn, I really couldn't decide what I was having.  Since I had previously tried the Christmas and the kuri, I decided to have a combination of two flavors, since this was probably going to be the last that I would have until they arrived on our shores again.  On the left is sansai (mountain vegetable) okowa and on the right is gomoku (five ingredient) okowa (US$5.00; large US$9.00).

Slightly sweet and just a little sticky, the salty/savory dashi that was used to season the rice was perfect.  The chewy grains of rice, the crunchy slivers of bamboo shoot, the tender mushrooms and the thin slices of chicken, made this a perfectly satisfying late afternoon treat.  I can't wait for them to return.

Kohnotori

I thought that I would do this post and the one for Imanas Tei together since this restaurant is located right next door.  If this place was never mentioned to me by one of my readers, I would have never thought that it was a different restaurant.  But then again, I never really paid any attention because there are always people loitering in front of both places.

After entering the restaurant, you'll notice a counter area to the left, with a charcoal (?) grill towards the back, while straight ahead, and off to the right, were a few tables.  When I arrived, there were a couple of seats open at the counter, but I chose a table right inside the front door so that I could get a good view.  Not being too familiar with the restaurant or the items it served, when I was handed a menu, I immediately thought izakaya or yakitoriya.  Anyone know?

Being that this was my first time here, I decided to sample a few of the grilled, skewered items (kushiyaki).  Here are the ones that I ordered:

Sasami (chicken breast) with ponzu (US$1.60).

Clean and lightly seasoned, and a little dry (I guess because it was white meat), but the citrus-based ponzu sauce gave this a refreshing flavor.

Tori (chicken, US$1.20). 

Boneless pieces of dark meat chicken coated in a sweet shoyu-based glaze.  The chicken was moist and flavorful, but I would have preferred if it sat on the grill a bit longer and was a bit "charred".

Chicken back (US$1.80).

Boneless pieces of chicken seasoned lightly with just a little salt.  I somehow expected the back meat to be "different", but I enjoyed it with a light spritz of lemon.

Tsukune (US$1.40).

A ground chicken "meatball" that was lightly coated with a little of the sweet soy-based glaze and served with a dab of mustard on the side.

I wanted to order the negima (chicken and leeks), the tebasaki (chicken wings), nankotsu (chicken pieces with cartiladge) or the sunagimo (gizzards), but thought I would save those for my next visit.

Instead, I decided to order something a little more substantial -- the liver and chives (US$4.40).

Chicken livers were stir fried bean sprouts and chives, and seasoned with, what I presumed to be, a soy-based sauce.  The tender livers proved to be an interesting contrast to the crunchy beansprouts and the overall flavor was savory and slightly smoky.  I wondered to myself if this dish, or at least the livers, had been cooked on the charcoal grill as well.

After all of that, I decided to end my meal with a bowl of ramen (US$4.80).

This was a small bowl of shio ramen (salt based broth) that had been simply garnished with a square of nori, one quail egg, a piece of okra and some chopped green onions.  The broth was clear and light, with just the faintest hint of saltiness.

Kohnotori
2626 South King Street Suite 1
Telephone:  808.941.7255