Morimoto Waikiki

Best for: Modern Japanese, Dessert, A peaceful meal in Waikiki
Location: The Modern Honolulu
Foodgasmic dish: Black cod, Tofu cheesecake, Traditional breakfast

The most beautiful restaurant in Honolulu?

Breakfast, lunch, and dessert have now been taken care of - dinner is the only meal left to try. Morimoto is, hands down, my favorite lunch place in Hawaii. Ironically, lunch time is when my expert friends advise me not to go, probably because the menu is much more limited and the lunch crowd is somewhat boring compared to the lively dinner crowd. However, I happen to enjoy the peace and quiet of this beautiful restaurant -- perhaps the most beautiful restaurant in Hawaii? -- and continue to bring out-of-town guests here for a $40 lunch that's worth every penny.



For those of you who do not watch the Food Network obsessively, this restaurant is owned by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Ah yes, that explains why the dishes are (relatively) innovative and absolutely delicious. People have their own opinions about this whole celebrity chef phase which America seems to be going through, but I happen to approve, despite Anthony Bourdain's deep criticisms of it. Come on, people, it means more restaurants, more cooking shows, more food, which are always good things! By the way, I think Mario Batali should open a restaurant in Hawaii too. Please?

During lunch, I always order the iced tea. In my pre-Morimoto life, I was never a fan of iced tea. I thought it was a disgrace to Chinese oolong and Indian chai. However, I reluctantly copied Michelle's order of iced tea when I first dined at Morimoto and now can't digest a lunch set without it. Must be the fancy pitcher and the addition of the perfect amount of agave syrup.

Iced tea: $7

The lunch sets are the best deal. For a mere $22, each lunch set comes with miso soup, 3 pieces of maki sushi, 2 pieces of nigiri sushi, and salad. So far, the black cod is my favorite. Braised black cod in ginger-soy reduction, pickled bell peppers, and budo mame - all laid on top of congee (rice soup). I get hungry just thinking about this. The angry chicken and pork belly are also good.

Black cod lunch set: $22

Pork belly lunch set: $22

I always end lunch with dessert, of course. For my birthday, a group of us came to Morimoto for dessert on Friday night. The atmosphere is completely different, and it's easy to see why this place is considered one of the hot spots in Hawaii. The six of us were taken through the vibrant dining room and seated at a large circular table. The dessert menu during dinnertime is slightly larger, but we ended up ordering two orders of three dishes because apparently we were all in a chocolate mood that day. Quite fitting, considering it was my birthday.



My friend who happened to be working that night served us an adorable pink bottle of sake. Best sake I've had - she knows me too well! As for desserts, the tofu cheesecake is still my favorite. It sounds kind of disgusting, but, in fact, tofu cheesecake just tastes light and airy, and is served with molasses ice cream, kuromitsu (Japanese black honey), kinako (roasted soybean powder), and adzuki (azuki bean). The flavors and textures work together marvelously.

Tofu cheesecake: $12

Peanut butter fondant: $12

A few days ago, I finally tried Morimoto for breakfast, and it's now my favorite time to come. Chloe and I were seated outside (my first time outside!) and ordered the yose dofu and traditional breakfast. The yose dofu (house made warm tofu) comes with grilled miso cod, kim chee sauce, dashi broth, pickled vegetables, and onsen tamago. You spoon the desired amount of kim chee sauce and dashi broth onto the large pot of tofu.



The traditional breakfast comes with grilled miso cod, sashimi, miso soup, pickled vegetables, onsen tamago, rice, and tsukemono. Delicious! I was glad to see that both dishes came with the miso cod; Morimoto knows what people like.

Yose dofu ($29)

Traditional breakfast ($30)

I'll be dragging someone to breakfast with me again soon because I kind of want to try his ume shiso mary. I've never been a fan of bloody marys, but this one, made with muddled shiso and ume, and served with a wasabi-salt rim (wasabi-salt!! omg), sounds absolutley tantalizing.

Little Saigon

Best for: Vietnamese
Location: Kaneohe



I go to Kaneohe for two things: to visit my friend Lauren, and to go the cemetery with my family. When I'm there for the latter, we usually end up having dim sum at Joyful Garden, a decent Chinese restaurant in one of the many strip malls in the neighborhood. Joyful Garden can't compare to Jade or Kirin, but it's the best on that side of the island, and I'm always down for dim sum after staring at graves.

Last weekend we had planned to do another round of dim sum after visiting my grandparents, but - what the hell - Joyful Garden was closed! What kind of Chinese restaurant is this?? Another family parking their car saw our distraught faces and explained that someone had committed arson at the restaurant. Poor Joyful Garden! I'm sorry I called you "decent" earlier!

Look at all that sriracha!

While I pondered why someone would torch a restaurant, my famished parents quickly led the way to the next door restaurant called Little Saigon. Fortunately, I can easily prepare my stomach for spring rolls and pho.

Spring rolls ($3.75)

Green papaya salad ($6.75): freshly shredded green papaya, boiled pork, shrimps, mint

We shared spring rolls, and I ordered a banh xeo. Both were pretty good; I've had much better at Super Pho, and I think the rest of my party agreed, with their own dishes. The best dish was my mother's (why does she always order the best thing?): a lemon beef salad, which consists of eye round steak slices cooked medium-rare, onion flakes, and shredded white cabbage, tossed in lemon savory salad dressing. It was refreshing and exactly how a salad should taste (meaty!).

Lemon beef salad ($7.50)

Banh xeo

The prices were cheap, as Vietnamese food always is since it hasn't become ultra hip yet like Thai and Japanese food. Fine with me. 

 

The Counter

Best for: Burgers
Location: Kahala

1/3-lb burger with sauteéd mushrooms ($10.50)

I get the same thing every time I come to the Counter: a 1/3-lb beef burger on a multigrain bun, with gruyére, grilled onions and sauteéd mushrooms. I think the only ingredient I've altered is the type of sauce, which is selected from a list of almost 30 different sauces by filling in the bubble (my favorite type of multiple choice test!) on one of the disposable paper menus attached to a clipboard.



These types of endless, excessive options are somewhat wasted on people like me but are exactly what [supposedly] make America so great. Lettuce blend or organic mixed greens? Roasted green chilis or roasted red peppers? We are very particular because we can be. Choice makes humans happy...right?



Last night Anthony and I had dinner at the Counter because I had a "buy one get one free" coupon (crazy, right?) which had been mailed to my father a few days that I knew would go to waste if I didn't use it. I tried the chipotle aioli sauce with my gruyére-onion-mushroom burger. Absolutely delicious - although, I suppose that's not difficult to do with those ingredients. Anthony and I shared some fries, which were nice and thin, but I really miss Kua'aina's old french fries, which were crispy and sprinkled with parsley.

Now that's what I call medium rare

a legit old fashioned

Anthony's a snob about old fashioneds, so we were relieved when his cocktail came with all the proper components. Good job, Counter, you have now joined the ranks of Lobby Bar and Ruby Tuesday's. Apparently Anthony was in a Greek mood because he ordered his 2/3-lb burger with feta cheese and tzatziki sauce. I suppose this is a legitimate reason for having too many options - we can now cater to our every cultural craving at any moment. We both left stuffed and brought home almost half of our meal.

 

The following day, I pan fried my leftover burger and fries on low heat without oil and chopped some parsley for the fries. The bun now had a nice crisp to it, the cheese was even more melted, and the fries were properly seasoned. I've always been a fan of bringing home leftovers because 1) I hardly ever finish my meal in its entirety, and 2) I feel like a saint - it's like recycling, but tastier! But who knew leftovers could surpass the original?

my kahala plantation tea

Mac 24-7

Best for: Late-nite
Location: Hilton Waikiki Beach



Why oh why did it take me so long to try Mac 24-7? I blame the unappealing name. And perhaps the fact that it's located on Kuhio, a street I tend to avoid particularly when I need a place exactly like Mac 24-7, i.e., to sober up. However, if I had known that Mac 24-7 was located in a decent hotel, had purple walls, and was more than just abhorrent pancake challenges (thanks, Man vs. Food), I would have ditched all those late nights at Wailana for this place in a heartbeat.

Don't get me wrong. I still love Wailana. And, to tell you the truth, the two can't really be compared. Wailana is the epitome of a diner and costs about half as much as Mac 24-7, whereas the chic decor and music fit for a lounge put Mac 24-7 in a somewhat different category. Lesson to be learned: just because it's 24-hours doesn't mean it has to be trashy. I know, Portland, this blows your mind.




Anthony and I had come after being drenched by a torrential downpour while attempting to view the Christmas lights in downtown. We were cold and hungry, so we went where any other person at midnight would go: Waikiki. We sat at the bar, which was fine for that night, but I definitely want to try a table in the other room next time. I convinced Anthony that he wanted to share a smoked salmon benedict (not that I really need to convince anyone that they want a smoked salmon benedict) with me and ordered a coffee. I guess I'm used to the dainty portions at Orchid's and the Beachhouse, because I was overwhelmed by the epic benedict here. That English muffin must have been colossal.

smoked salmon benedict ($17)

This was my first time having a smoked salmon benedict, and, while it wasn't life-altering (I don't even remember what the smoked salmon tasted like), and the breakfast potatoes could have been crispier, the benedict hit the spot.



I'll definitely be back sometime (I just have to get drunk first so I can properly justify sobering up here), as I'm sure that guy from LOST will be, too.

Jawaiian Irie Jerk

Best for: Jamaican
Location: Kaimuki
Foodgasmic dish: Jerk wings



town was completely booked for dinner a couple of weeks ago (how dare you, town! I really should have special privileges at that restaurant considering I'm always there and shamelessly promote them whenever I can; maybe I should have called for the reservation?), so Jon, Sarah, Anthony, and I decided to move our double date to Jawaiian Irie Jerk, a casual Jamaican restaurant that opened up about 6 months ago, just a few blocks away from town.



We brought in a bottle of pinot noir and were seated at a cozy table in the back corner. Just like Maharani, Jawaiian Irie Jerk is somewhat exotic to locals, so the restaurant basically has an obligation to Hawaii to confirm our preconceived images of a culture about which we know much too little. Hence, the bright walls and lively music.



We started off with some spicy jerk wings. They were perfect - not just because jerk wings are the perfect Jamaican cliché with which to start our meal, but because the succulent meat was grilled perfectly and fell right off the bone.

Spicy jerk wings ($6.95)

Jamaican jerk chicken ($12.95)

Apparently I couldn't get enough of that jerk chicken because I ended up ordering more as my entreé, which was marinated with Chef Cassie's jerk marinade overnight and served with rice, peas, and Italian stew. I don't remember what anyone else got (shame on me! That's what happens when I wait this long to review a place...), but I do remember that we were all happy and eager to save room for dessert. We shared the Caribbean style bread pudding and Jamaican coconut rum cream pie, both of which were served with a rich creamy rum sauce. As I'm sure you know, alcohol makes everything better - it can even make fruit edible!

Caribbean style bread pudding $5.95

Jawaiian Irie Jerk is a wonderful addition to Waialae's restaurant row. It shares a building with the Himalayan Kitchen and Bella Mia, and right across the parking lot are Happy Day, Magura-ya, and To Thai For. It's no wonder that I love this neighborhood.

Now if someone would just listen to me about our lack of Middle Eastern food...

Duk Lee

Best for: Chinese
Location: Market City Shopping Center

2-combo plate: fried rice, roast pork, and lemon chicken ($8)

My dad and I used to stop by Duk Lee to pick up a pound of char siu (and roast pork too, if my dad's feeling up to it) every Sunday after my piano lessons. Since high school, I returned for the first time with Anthony because we were both hungry, low on funds, and right around the corner from Market City.



Duk Lee is a small restaurant with one long counter of food, about eight small tables, and a huge window displaying rows of hanging meat. Yum. We shared a 2-combination plate and a side order of chow fun, for a total of $12. Not sure why we got the extra noodles; the plate was more than enough for the two of us. It came with fried rice, roast pork, and lemon chicken. The roast pork was fantastic - loaded with flavor, crispy skin, and just enough fat. The lemon chicken was good, but can't really compare to roast pork, and its sauce went perfectly with the fried rice and complimentary bean sprouts.

chow fun (under $4)

Market City is another one of those areas blessed with an assortment of cheap, reliable restaurants - just like Waialae Avenue and Kapahulu. Anthony and I have set a goal to try every single restaurant in this shopping center. We can already check off Gina's and Duk Lee; next up - G Sushi, Anytime Cafe, Kaila, a burger place, and that odd Mexican bar.

another angle of our wonderful combination plate

Lappert's

Best for: Ice cream
Location: Hilton Hawaiian Village



Anthony and Mizuki were somehow still craving ice cream after our feast at Yakiniku Don-Day a few days ago. Since we had gone to Bubbie's recently, we decided to go to our only other option: Lappert's in Waikiki. I have fond memories of this place, mainly because after ballet performances at the Hilton, Steve would buy our entire company ice cream from Lappert's. Free gourmet ice cream after a hard day's work remains one of the highlights of my rosy childhood.




I usually order the mint chip, but on this particular night, I wasn't very hungry (probably because I hadn't danced ballet right before) so I just shared a bowl with Anthony. I'm not sure which fancy flavor he chose, but I could taste creamy vanilla and chunks of fudge. Perhaps it was the Big Island Inspiration? Mizuki ordered a kona coffee waffle cone and a latte and joined us on the only bench outside.



Lappert's has some pretty interesting flavors:

• Maui Mango Madness: mango ice cream, mango sorbet and grand marnier
• Mauna Kea's Secret: white chocolate ice cream swirled with raspberry sorbet and loaded with chocolate chips and chocolate brownies
• Tutu's Anniversary: coconut ice cream with raspberry and passion fruit sorbet
• Heavenly Hana: creamy chocolate ice cream with delicate swirls of marshmallow ribboned throughout handmade chunks of white chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, dark chocolate almond chunks, chocolate bits and roasted almonds

Perfect for the Hilton tourists.