Honolulu travel notes, 2008

Linda and I were in Honolulu from January 28 to February 3, 2008. We stayed at the Halekulani Hotel. We were there to see friends and the sights of interest to us. We are not golfers or surfers etc so there will be no tips on such things here.

Hakkei, Honolulu

On February 2, 2008, I went to Hakkei, Honolulu with Galen and Timothy. It was not an ordinary night at this country-style Japanese restaurant hidden in a parking ramp.  Seiya Masahara, recent winner of the Japanese Iron Chef contest, had come here a few days before to prepare Kaiseki dinners for those who had reserved well in advance, but, by chance, he was still in Honolulu helping prepare tonight’s meal with his student chef. So there was no menu; it was some Kaiseki, plus Oden.

The Halekulani Hotel, Waikiki

Linda and I stayed at The Halekulani Hotel from January 28 to February 3, 2008. It is right on the beach at Waikiki, surrounded by other hotels with an upscale shopping area just inland.

Furusato Sushi Bar, Waikiki

On February 1, 2008, about noon, Linda and I were walking back along the beachfront in Waikiki after visiting the aquarium. We figured that we could find an interesting restaurant for lunch among the many along this stretch. But the selection was very dismal until we saw one that looked like it belonged in Japan, incongruously niched under the Hyatt Hotel across from the public beach by the Waikiki Police Station. We had the best sushi meal we have ever enjoyed anywhere.

The Mandalay, Honolulu

On January 30, 2008, Linda, Galen and I went to The Mandalay in downtown Honolulu for a dim sum lunch. This two-year-old modern restaurant serves dim sum during the day and has a Chinese menu in the evening. There are no trolleys; one fills out a form checking off which dishes one wants from a selection of about 25 shown on a plastic photo menu. 

Dinner party at Kirin Restaurant, Honolulu

On January 31, 2008, Galen gave a dinner party for twelve in a private room at Kirin, a Chinese restaurant despite its Japanese sounding name. There were many courses served one at a time after a presentation of the platter to everyone. 

Alan Wong’s, Honolulu

In almost anyone’s ratings Alan Wong’s vies with Chef Mavro as the best restaurant in Hawaii. (Aside from the purely classic French La Mer.) While Mavro is French-Hawaiian, Wong says that his cuisine is Regional Hawaiian. So we were eager to compare the two. On January 30, 2008, the night after our fine meal at Chef Mavro, we went to Alan Wong’s with Galen and Timothy.

Chef Mavro, Honolulu

On January 29, 2007 Ian and Jeannette took us to Chef Mavro, named after George Mavrothalassitis, its Greek Marseille-born and trained chef. He calls his cuisine French-Hawaiian, which is as good a description as any. One has the choice among three, four, six or eleven course menus, each with optional wine pairings.   

Roy’s, Waikiki Beach

Roy Yamaguchi, a Tokyo native who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York at 19, opened the original Roy’s outside Honolulu twenty years ago, inventing Hawaiian fusion cuisine in the process. Now he has 35 Roy’s scattered around the US and beyond. The most recent is in the heart of tourist Hawaii opposite the Halekulani Hotel where Linda and I were staying. We dined at Roy’s, Waikiki Beach on January 28, 2008 with Galen and Timothy.