Aloha Oahu Part I: Kings of Hawaiian Fusion

Waikiki Beach, Oahu

In the middle of the Waikiki hotel strip, reminiscent of Miami South Beach, I was not sure if I was to order a Mojito or a Mai Tai. But once you are surrounded by Hawaiian shirts, then you start to realize that the second language here is not Spanish, but an aggregate of Hawaiian, Japanese, and Chinese. I had a chance to taste some great food here. Honolulu is an urban city with great world-class restaurants. Regional fusion is the vision for Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong and Hiroshi Euroasian Tapas. If traditional food is what you are looking for...turn around and go back to the main land!

Roy Yamaguchi' s bar seating is a great people watching location with the nice weather as a norm. The dinning area is inside and separated from the outdoor crowd with the view of the kitchen 180 degrees. The signature drink at Roy's is a pineapple martini with preserved pineapple. This drink can run right through your head after one...strong stuff. 

Roy's Beef Carpaccio

Roy's appetizer was the winner for me. Carpaccio of the local beef, sprinkled with watermelon, pickled onion, micro greens and citrus dressing. A Beautiful presentation, the flavor was playful on the tongue and a perfect portion. Another signature dish is a Misoyaki Style Butterfish (Black Cod) with Sweet Ginger Wasabi Sauce and Forbidden Rice that is to die for. The Butterfish is not local to this water, but from Alaska.  You will often see it on the menu.  It is a local favorite. The preparation was a sweet melt in your mouth, lightly seasoned, but rich on your tongue. 

Roy's Misoyaki Butterfish

On the other hand, my husband had the bacon wrapped scallops which he said were dry and tasteless, a dish that you would expect from a catering function in the 80s.

Bacon Wrapped Scallop at Roy's

At Alan Wong's, located on the 3rd floor of a building, the restaurant has a view of Honolulu and the mountain beyond. Further into a questionable Honolulu neighborhood, it is the luck of the draw at Alan Wong's seating arrangement, for 2 of us. I felt like we were sitting in the middle of the traffic streams, with 4 doors opened on both side of us. Who designed this place? Without a careful thought out plan, I must say, I felt unwelcome and the food had not even arrived yet. With all that fuss, the restaurant can't always choose the right hostess or the right architect. The best Mai Tai in Hawaii is here.  I need to warn you. All of the ingredients are produced locally on the island. The simple syrup is infused with ginger and orange with a hint of vanilla. The local rum, pineapple and lime are a decadent combination, no need for an umbrella nor a Tiki vessel.

Alan Wong's Loco Moco

My husband's favorite appetizer was at Alan Wong's, Mini Loco Moco with Unagi and quail egg. Traditional Loco Moco is a Hawaiian lunch plate. It is composed of rice, hamburger patties, brown gravy and fried eggs. Here, the patties were made with grilled eel topped with fried quail eggs and thick sweet sauce.

Alan Wong's Poke

I had spicy Poke Ahi with avocado and crunchy noodles. Poke is similar to Tuna tartar, but traditionally prepared with Ku Kui nut and seaweed. It was a bit on spicier side for the Tuna (a spicy comment coming from me is rare) and almost a dinner portion for me. The texture was great though, cold spicy raw tuna with sweet, luscious avocado and the crunchiness of fried wonton noodles. I just could not taste the Ahi.

Alan Wong's Onaga

For the main course, I had Ginger and Panko crusted Onaga (Hawaiian long tail red snapper) on a bed of creamed corn and drizzled with black sesame seeds. The fish was cook well, but I am not sure about the crust. The grainy texture of ginger sprinkled with Panko on the fish did not do it for me. Ginger ought to be infused or eaten young. The fish was bland. The cream of corn reminded me of corn chowder. Maybe I had too high expectations. He is after all, supposed to be the Top Chef of Hawaii.
Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas was the most fun for me. We had little plates of awesome fusion food. The place has a great selection of wines that are paired very well with Asian food. There were foi gras sushi, Carpaccio of Hamachi, tofu salad, sous vide Kona lobster, stewed pork belly, and a sweet ending with Hawaiian vanilla bean panna cotta dessert. Everything was prepared to perfection.

Himachi Carpaccio

Foi Gra Sushi

Kona Lobster

Pork Belly

Tofu Salad

Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Maybe Honolulu feels like it is not far from South Beach Miami or Venice Beach of LA, but one thing for sure, the food has its own unique style and flavor. How could it not? It is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It can reach one arm to the abundance of Alaska and California and another arm to the exotics of Asia. It is truly a gate that filters the far east before reaching the mainland. Most of all, it learns to absorb the rawness of influx, one wave after another...Can you imagine when these islands become the destination of the best tasting seafood cuisine in the Pacific? I, for one, cannot wait...

Cheers,
Teera