Downtown Eats: Brasserie Du Vin

Joining us again today is guest blogger Tony Kawaguchi, a Honolulu resident who usually blogs about Hawaii Real Estate at www.AlohaTony.com.

Brasserie Du Vin
By Tony Kawaguchi

“The French know a thing or two about food.”  That’s what my British friend said when I suggested French food for our next “foodie” outing.  I feel sorry for people who aren’t foodies, usually limiting their dining to a few very simple staple dishes, never venturing into the daring and new as we would at Du Vin on Bethel St last night.  Never enjoying so many of the great tasting things God created for us to combine and explore, they have a somewhat uninteresting culinary life.

You would hardly know there is a great French Brasserie in Downtown Honolulu, and we hardly found it, with the almost invisible sign and the dimly lit dining room with no host to greet us, and nearly no parking nearby.  Maybe that’s why it was kind of empty, or maybe it’s because it was a Monday night.

Du Vin isn’t showy, doesn’t feel very five-star, and doesn’t try too hard, which is the feel they are going for with no table cloths and very simple wooden tables that are kind of rickety.  The simple French-ish décor isn’t impressive, but it’s French.  The food though, was definitely was impressive.

If you’ve never heard or spoken any French, the menu is by nature, foreign in parts, which is always exciting for a foodie.  They’re not French fries, they’re “Pommes frites,” and they aren’t mussels, they’re “Moules.”  The entire menu is full of items that you don’t see a lot in Hawaii.  How about some escargot?

We chose both – the Escargot in herbed garlic green butter for $12, and the Moules frites – Salt spring mussels steamed in white wine, garlic and herbs, topped with pommes frites for $15.

The Escargot came in this nice 6 serving dish with a tasty green herb that we couldn’t place.  The sauce was so good that we asked for more bread to soak it all up. Tender, juicy, full of flavor but not overwhelmed by the sauce as some escargot are.

By far my favorite dish of the evening was the mussels.  In the past I’ve had mussels with too much sauce or mayo or whatever they want to put on it, so that you lose the flavor of the mussel for all the sauce.  This wonderful creation had just enough white wine and garlic to enhance the flavor, but not so much that you lost anything of the actual meat.  I’ve had mussels maybe 20-30 times in my life, and this was the best I’ve ever had, hands down.

This sauce also got sopped up with even more bread. Two great dishes with two great sauces.  I ate one herbed frites after each mussel for a great contrast between the flavors.  The mussels were as tender as a warm marshmallow, while the fries were crisp and hot.  I love the combination of textures and flavors in this dish.

Our wine was a red Argentinean Malbec full bodied with a nice lingering finish.  I’m always amazed at how unique every single wine is, no matter how many I’ve tried.

Our first entrée was thoroughly French.  Grilled Quail served with fresh oranges, fennel, mixed greens and an almond-mint reduction for $18.  My friend informed me that oranges and fennel is a classic French combination, one that I had never tried before.

Quail is a tiny bird, so small you feel like you could eat three of four of them.  It isn’t like chicken at all if you’re wondering.  The meat had a more firm texture, and the grilling made it crispy on the outside for another nice combination of textures.

As my pallet has matured over the years I’ve grown to love the contrast of tangy, savory and sweet that comes from adding some fruit to a dish like this.  There are a half dozen completely different flavors and textures in this dish, which is what makes it such a foodie’s delight.

Our second entrée was a grilled flat iron steak with roasted shallot aioli and pommes frites.  Since none of us (including the server) were sure which cut “flat iron” referred to, we had low expectations when we ordered it.  But as my wife had just run the half marathon this weekend, she was eager to eat some red meat.

The steak, as it turned out, was as tender as you could hope for, perfectly prepared to a medium rare finish, pink throughout.  A perfect steak is evenly finished like this, not having very rare and very well done parts in the same cut.  Just enough spices to highlight the meat, but not too much that it was unbalanced.  The greens weren’t that interesting, and we were getting tired of the fries by this point.  But that was our mistake for ordering two dishes with fries.  Oops, I mean frites.

By now we had been in this dark brasserie for over 2 hours, which is normal for a French dinner I suppose, but somehow we still had room for dessert.  We chose this Crème Brulee, which we all enjoyed thoroughly.  Sometimes this dish can be too soft or too firm, but not tonight.  Another perfect blend of textures, with the firm crack of the torched sugar over crème. It was everything you could hope for in a great Crème Brulee.

I thought for sure we were done at this point, but my gaming (and still not full) companion ordered the Chef’s selection plate of cheeses, which of course is a very French finish.  This fantastic sampling consisted of Manchego, Taleggio, Gouda, Gorgonzola & Genoa Salami for $18, served with crackers, mustard, cranberries, walnuts, and some pickled veggies.

With this final plate, we were combining flavors that created the most amazing blend of taste bud pleasure.  A piece of hard sharp cheese with a sweet, moist cranberry?  Wow.  Spicy salami, a walnut, and mustard?  I think I might come back here just for cheese and drinks.  My friend was right, French people do know a few things about food!

Our bill added up to about $120, not too bad for a party of 4 celebrating my wife’s big accomplishment. I’ll definitely return to Du Vin, and probably between 4-6pm when Happy Hour provides many of these items at half price.

4 Spam Musubi rating! ::

Brasserie Du Vin
1115 Bethel St
Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel. 545-1115
www.brasserieduvin.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• Brasserie Du Vin – Yelp user reviews
• A downtown dining world of its own – Midweek
• First Look at Du Vin – Hawaii Diner

Maru Persimmons & Home-Made Guri-Guri

(Kula, Maui) Matsui Farms’ Maru Persimmons – 2009 season

Here we have several Maru Persimmons from Matsui Farms in Kula, Maui. According to the grower, this year’s Persimmons season in Maui, which lasts from September through December, was more ideal for the Maru variety than the Fuyu.

While the more yellow-colored Maru Persimmon isn’t as appealing in appearance as the reddish-orange Fuyu, it’s said to be much sweeter.

(Kula, Maui) Matsui Farms’ Maru Persimmons – 2009 season

Before even busting out the “Google-fu”, I thought of some culinary applications Persimmons might be good for, from pie, to ice cream, to salads, and not surprisingly, it turns out it’s just about all been done before.

In fact, Hashimoto Farms, another Persimmons grower in Kula, Maui has their own line of Persimmon-based products, including salad dressing, butter, jam and scone mix. That Persimmon scone mix sure sounds good!

Here’s the Fuyu Persimmons “Maui Mom” brought for us several seasons ago…

Fuyu Persimmons from Kula, Maui

Just like the Fuyu variety, these Maru Persimmons have the flavor and texture similar to a combination of a cantaloupe, a pear and an apple, with a firm flesh and thin, edible, yet slightly tough skin. Most of the flesh is edible, and there aren’t any seeds, except for thin tough membrane in the center, which I prefer to cut out. These Maru variety are indeed, as far as I can remember, much sweeter than the Fuyu variety. Like candy sweet.

Mahalo once again to “Maui Mom” for the Matsui Farms’ Maru Persimmons!

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Speaking of specialties from Maui, Diner A’s wife whipped up a batch of home-made Guri-Guri this past weekend for a family gathering.

As you know, Guri-Guri is that delicious plantation-style “sherbert” made famous by Maui’s own Tasaka Guri-Guri shop in Kahului in the Maui Mall.

Here’s how their home-made Guri-Guri turned out…

Diner CY’s ono home-made Strawberry Guri-Guri.  Photo courtesy of Diner A’s iPhone.

Looks good!

There’s a number of home-made Guri-Guri recipes floating around the web, all using pretty much the same or similar ingredients in varying ratios.

Reid over at Ono Kine suggests using two 12 oz. cans strawberry guava juice, one 12 oz. can 7 UP and one 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk.

While one guy on YouTube makes Guri-Guri using one 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, one 12 oz. can of sprite (or 7 UP), and just one 12 oz. serving of your favorite juice; where in his demo’, he used POG (Passion Orange Guava juice).

Of course, the condensed milk is the key ingredient in what makes this frozen dessert unique and oh so good.

Here’s Diner A’s wife’s recipe:

Home-made Guri-Guri
One 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
One 12 oz. can 7 Up (highly recommended; don’t use diet 7 Up or Sprite)
Two 12 oz. cans Strawberry Soda (any brand; note, she INSISTS on using Strawberry and no other flavor)

Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a sturdy mixing bowl that will fit in your freezer. Place in freezer for approx. 2-3 hours, or however long it takes to reach the point that it’s semi-frozen. Remove, stir thoroughly, then place back in freezer overnight. Remove and stir again until Guri-Guri reaches a “scoopable” consistency. Place back in freezer until ready for service.

Diner CY’s ono home-made Strawberry Guri-Guri.  Photo courtesy of Diner A’s iPhone.

I have tasted Diner A’s wife’s home-made Guri-Guri before and have to say, while not exactly like the original Tasaka Guri-Guri, it’s pretty darned close and really ono. Certainly passable for being home-made, with a very similar type of creamy/icy texture and also creamy-fruity, strawberry-good flavor.

Diner A noted that everytime they bring this to their family gatherings, the kids as well the adults quickly wipe the entire bowl out. So there you go, a guaranteed pot lock favorite right here with this home-made Guri-Guri.

Reid of Ono Kine Grindz suggested in his notes that an automatic ice cream maker could be used to prepare home-made Guri-Guri, which I think is a really good idea!

If you look at Tasaka’s original Guri-Guri, you see how airy and ice cream-meets-sorbet-smooth the texture is …

Tasaka Guri-Guri

Tasaka Guri-Guri

I’m quite confident an automatic ice cream maker (churner) will yield the same ideal texture as Tasaka’s using those same ingredients in the recipes listed above.

Well, looks like I’ll soon be hunting for an automatic ice cream maker to test out my Guri-Guri theory. 🙂

Ah Fook's No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage

Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage

Pop an extra blood pressure and/or statin pill, because it’s that time again to review yet another brand of island style Portuguese Sausage. This time from the valley isle of Maui, we have Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage.

I picked these up directly from Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului…

…which I believe is the only place you can get them. I didn’t see them in any of the Maui Foodland or Star Market locations.

As you see, they have both HOT and MILD. Here’s how they look uncooked out of the package…

Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage: Hot on the left, mild on the right

I notice the neighbor island manufacturers make their sausages in this U-shape rack-hanging style, while most of the Oahu manufacturers make their sausages in a straight tube shape. See my infamous Great Portuguese Sausage Shootout to see what I’m talking about.

Here they are uncooked and sliced so you can see the marbling…

Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage: Hot on the left, mild on the right

Fry ’em up in a little bit of oil and serve…

Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage: Hot on the left, mild on the right, with an Ume Nori Musubi and a slice of Maui’s Uradomo Farms Spiced Takuan

An Ume Nori Musubi works perfectly as an accompaniment to the salty, spicy, meaty sausage. Notice I also include my usual Takuan, which matches beautifully with the Portuguese Sausage – a trick I learned from the mama sans at the late Tropic Fish & Vegatable Center in Ward Farmers Market.

First let’s try the mild…

Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Mild Portuguese Sausage

Considerably salty in a good way. Although the ingredients list sugar in it, I couldn’t quite detect any sweet going on. At least, not nearly as much as my other favorite, Purity brand. Certainly smokey, but not overpowering. Kinda’ “beefy” even though there’s no beef in it, probaby due to the smoke accent. The pork seems to be more in whole chunks than ground up. Plenty of fat marbling for that all-important flavor punch. The casing also seems natural, not the collagen stuff, although I’m not sure, as it doesn’t specify on the ingredients listing.

To sum it up, it tastes more like home-made Portuguese Sausage; da’ ‘kine your uncle with the smoke house on the Big Island would send you every Christmas as a gift. It has that kind of backyard style flavor.

Do I like it? I LOVE IT. Easily at the top, sharing that spot with my other favorite, Purity, and Franks from the Big Island. Solid 5 SPAM Musubi for Ah Fook’s Mild Portuguese Sausage.

Now let’s sample da’ HOT ones…

Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Hot Portuguese Sausage

Ooh man, it’s certainly HOT. Although not quite “Hurry! Get me a glass of water NOW!” hot,  it’s definitely got some kick. Other than that, it has all the same attributes I described of the mild version. Which means this one also gets a solid 5 SPAM Musubi rating.

So next time you visit Maui, make sure to stop by Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului and pick up a few packages of their No-Ka-Oi Brand Portuguese Sausage to bring home. In the now crowded arena of island style Portuguese Sausages , theirs is “no ka oi” (number one best) indeed!

What? Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand Hot and Mild Portuguese Sausage
Where did you buy it and how much did it cost? Ah Fook’s Supermarket in Kahului, Maui. $2.49 per 7 oz. package
Big Shaka to: Perfect blend of salt and other seasonings. Perfect accent of smoke flavor. Perfect amount of pork fat marbling. Solid chunks of seasoned pork. Casing has a pleasing, natural texture.  AMAZING with Maui’s Uradomo Farms’ Takuan.
No shaka to: Currently not available at Oahu retailers (to the best of my knowledge)
The Tasty Island rating: 5 SPAM Musubi

Related links:
• The Great Portuguese Sausage Shootout – The Tasty Island

P.S. While I was at it, I tried making Kinpira Gobo with Portuguese Sausage from Jean Hee’s most excellent local cook book series titled ‘Best of the Best Hawaii Recipes’.

Here’s how it turned out….

Kinpira Gobo with Portuguese Sausage, featuring Ah Fook’s No-Ka-Oi Brand, served with Takuan and an Ume Nori Musubi

Here’s the recipe:

Kinpira Gobo with Portuguese Sausage
• 1/2 pound gobo, scraped clean, slivered and soaked in water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp, minced
• 1/2 cup Portuguese sausage, cubed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• dash pepper

Heat oil and saute shrimp. Drain gobo and add shrimp; stir-fry 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking over medium heat until sauce is absorbed.

Variation: Slivered carrots may be added for color.

So I followed this recipe to the “T” (except I used the frozen packaged, precut Gobo and Carrots) and it turned out pretty good, but I think it calls for too much shoyu (1/4 cup), as it was kinda’ salty and over-marinaded with that flavor. At least with the Yamasa brand shoyu I used. If you make this, I’d recommend using less shoyu – like say about 1/8 cup – or perhaps using a more mild shoyu like Aloha’s low sodium stuff. Other than that, the Portuguese Sausage certainly brings plenty of complimentary flavor to the Kinpira Gobo party, as does the subtle accent of the minced dried shrimp (Opai).

Hawaiian Eats: People's Cafe

People’s Cafe: Kalua Pig/Laulau Combination Plate – Kalua Pig, Laulau, Lomi Salmon, Chicken Luau and Poi

Have you ever been to a restaurant that was so good, you felt like smacking yourself for having not “discovered” it sooner in your life? Well, that’s exactly how I felt after indulging in the ono grinds at People’s Cafe. What rock have I been living under? I mean, duh? This is like one of the best places for Hawaiian food on the island and I haven’t heard of them before?

Thankfully someone finally brought the People’s Cafe to my attention, and that would be Diner AC, c/o Diner E…

People’s Cafe is located on the street level of a business building next door on the Makai side of Pali Longs Drugs and Safeway. It’s certainly another one of those hole-in-the-wall gems that you could easily pass if not knowing about it while driving into Bishop street, which they’re just a block up from.

Here you see the dining room, filled entirely with locals “in the know” of the ono ‘kine Hawaiian grinds at People’s Cafe…

My sister’s ex-husband used to work on this Aku Boat…

Kula Kai Aku Boat painting

Let’s check out da’ menu…

Notice there’s Filipino dishes on there as well. Turns out the new owner is Tomas Ventura (Filipino), who runs the place along with his sister Judy. The place used to be owned by a local Japanese family, which Judy says the orginal recipes continue to be used under her brother’s command.

For a Hawaiian and local food restaurant, I’m surprised no’ mo’ Chili Pepper Water on the table as a standard condiment…

After  placing our order, it didn’t take more than 5 minutes and our dishes were already arriving at the table. Talk about quick service! And the place was pretty busy. Amazing!

So Diner A chose the Kalua Plate…

Peoples Cafe: Kalua Plate – Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon, Pipikaula, Chicken Luau and Rice. $9.20

Diner E went Japanese-meets-Hawaiian “fusion” on us, opting for the Teriyaki Short Rib Plate…

People’s Cafe: Teriyaki Short Rib Plate – Teriyaki Short Rib, Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon, Kim Chee and Rice. $9.50

Finally, yours truly went for the Kalua Pig/Lau Lau Combination Plate…

People’s Cafe: Kalua Pig/Lau Lau Combination Plate – Kalua Pig, Laulau, Lomi Salmon, Chicken Luau and Poi. $11.25

What was kinda’ frustrating is that they didn’t have a combination plate that had a little of EVERYTHING. Each combo has either this or that, but I wanted to try it all, dammm it! lol

I’m especially interested in going back for their Salt Meat with Watercress. I used to LOVE that stuff with poi. Haven’t had it in ages. My grandma used to make that for us. I also wanna’ try the ‘Lava Rock’ plate, which is basically a Laulau smothered with Hawaiian style beef stew gravy (just the gravy, not the meat and vegetables), with Lomi Salmon on the side. Diner C tried that and she said it was DELICIOUS. Beef stew gravy on a laulau eh? Sounds weird, but she said it’s ono, so I’ll buy it.

Let’s take a closer look at each dish, starting with Diner A’s Pipikaula…

People’s Cafe: Pipikaula (Hawaiian sytle cured beef)

It looks more like pieces of fried steak, but Diner A said it was indeed on the salty side. He really, really liked it, only complaining there wasn’t enough. He wanted more!

Now Diner E’s Teriyaki Beef Short Ribs..

People’s Cafe – Teriyaki Short Ribs

Diner E commented that they were well-marinated with a tasty Teriyaki Sauce, while the beef was very tender, only wishing it was more koge (charred) on the edges. Still, a thumbs up.

Of course with Short Ribs, gotta’ get da’ Kim Chee…

People’s Cafe: Kim Chee

Now check out the Kalua Pig…

People’s Cafe: Kalua Pig

OMG, this is one the best Kalua Pig I’ve had from a restaurant yet. Seasoned with just the right amount of Hawaiian Salt, with that “just like from da’ Imu” smoky accent and tender and moist, moist, moist. Also get bits of fat here and there for added flavor. So ono. 5 SPAM Musubi on their Kalua Pig.

Whack da’ Kalua Pig wit’ da’ Poi… buggah broke da’ mout’!

Now let’s sample da’ Chicken Luau…

People’s Cafe: Chicken Luau

OMG, again! Winnah, winnah, Chicken Luau Dinnah! Perfect amount of coconut milk, all taro leaves, no spinach leaves here, with chunks of tender chicken in every bite. Both Diner A and myself only thought it was a little too sweet. They need hold back on the sugar a bit. Still, an EXCELLENT Chicken Luau.

Chicken Luau

I think they use Chicken so that kids will eat. Try getting kids to eat SQUID LUAU and most will gross out just by the sound of it and not even touch it. Can’t be cost, because Calamari is just as cheap as chicken.

Anyhow, 4 SPAM Musubi for the Chicken Luau. Scale back the sweetness and I’ll give it a 5.

Now let’s sample some Lomi Salmon…

People’s Cafe: Lomi Salmon

That’s Lomi Salmon alright, not no “Lomi Tomato”.  Get plenty chunks of salted salmon in it.  Tastes perfect. Not too salty, not too  subtle, jusssss’ right. Eat some Kalua Pig, a spoonful of Chicken Luau, then some of this, followed by the Poi and al-right! Winnahz! I give their Lomi Salmon 5 SPAM Musubi. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

Finally da’ laulau…

People’s Cafe: Pork Laulau (with just a small piece of butterfish)

My only wish is that they serve the Laulau still wrapped in the Ti Leaves, which not only keeps it hot, but imparts more flavor. Let’s cut it open and see what’s in it…

It has the prefect ratio of pork to luau leaves (luau leaves are Hawaiian Taro leaves). Our server said there’s also a little piece of butterfish in it for flavor, but I thought it really needed more of that. Of course butterfish is an expensive ingredient which is why they only use it sparingly. Personally I’d rather pay more and have more of it in there. It’s worth it. At least the generous amount of pork in it was seasoned right and wondefully moist, tender and flavorful.

The luau leaves were cooked thoroughly not giving me any itchy throat, a problem I’ve heard Young’s Fish Market is having lately with their laulau. The leaves were soft and fork tender, with my only complaint is that they weren’t salted enough, being rather plain in flavor. Not to fret though, as I asked for a dish of Hawaiian Salt, to which our server gave me this…

People’s Cafe: Hawaiian Salt and sliced raw Onion

Now THAT’s how you serve Hawaiian Salt my friends. Gotta’ get da’ raw onion wit’ em. See, this is like a side dish in itself. You whack da’ oddah stuffs, den’ you take a slice of the onion, dip ’em in da’ Hawaiian Salt, whack dat, den’ chase ’em wit’ da’ poi. Whoooo, da’ buggah winnahz!

Anyways, so I took some of the Hawaiian Salt and sprinkled it on da’ Laulau and it was now seasoned PERFECT, instantly turning my 2-SPAM Musubi Laulau into a 4-SPAM Musubi Laulau. Whee! Put more Butterfish in there and I’ll give it a 5.

As you see, Diner A and E aren’t Poi fans, which is just fine with me, as that leaves more for me! lol Well, here’s my very generous sized bowl of Poi…

People’s Cafe: Poi

I was really surprise at the size of the bowl of Poi they brought to the table. At $11.25 for those delicious Hawaiian dishes, plus this much Poi is a BARGAIN! I’m pretty sure it was Taro Brand. Didn’t taste like Hanalei brand (Kauai) or the Maui Poi.

Rounding it up, Diner E gave his Teriyaki Short Rib Plate 3 SPAM Musubi, Diner A gave his Kalua Plate 4 SPAM Musubi, and I also gave my Kalua Pig/Laulau Plate 4 SPAM Musubi.

Being a good indicator that the grinds here at People’s Cafe is really, really good, you see here our mostly “polished” plates…

The only reason most of my laulau was remaining is simply because I was already full from finishing all the other dishes. I decided to keep it mostly intact so I could have it for dinner later, which I did, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

As I mentioned earlier, when I return here I’m certainly going to try the Salt Meat with Watercress, as well as the ‘Lava Rock’. Can’t wait.  After all, it must be good if it’s the “selling point” on their T-Shirts….

That would be another cool shirt to wear around the casinos in Vegas.

So if you’ve already been to Helena’s, Ono’s, Young’s, Yama’s, Masa & Joyce and/or Highway Inn, and are still on the hunt for the “Best Hawaiian Food on the Island”, check out People’s Cafe near downtown Honolulu. Supah’ Ono, broke da’ mout’ WINNAHZ!

People’s Cafe
1310 Pali highway (nextdoor on the Makai side of Pali Longs and Safeway)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Tel. 536-5789

Business Hours:
Monday – Saturday 10am to 8pm
Closed on Sunday

The Tasty Island rating:

(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)

Related links:
• People’s Cafe – Yelp user reviews

P.S. While People’s Cafe doesn’t serve dessert, they do give out post-Halloween candies (for a limited time only, while supplies last lol), in which case Diner A had an “Orange Creamsicle” flavored combination of Tootsie Rolls…

Things To Do
Honolulu

360º View at the Top of Waikiki

Top of Waikiki Restaurant at the top of the Waikiki Business Plaza

Wind back the clock to the 1970’s and 80’s in Honolulu, and you probably remember the La Ronde Revolving Restaurant – later renamed Windows of Hawaii – atop the Ala Moana Office Building.

What’s an interesting “Wikipedia fact” about La Ronde, is that it was the United States’ first revolving restaurant, and the second of its type in the world. Add to that, the fact that Ala Moana Shopping Center right below it was the United States’ largest shopping center at the time it was built, and that’s quite some compounded bragging rights for the city of Honolulu’s history.  Ala Moana still remains as the world’s largest open air shopping center.

While the La Ronde’s UFO disc-shaped structure above the building is still there today, it’s since been converted to a private office space that’s currently vacant (if you’re interested in movin’ in, give them a call!)  The panoramic view from inside is still there as well, just sans the 360º rotational floor, thanks to them unifying it by welding it to the stationary outer structure due to the mechanism being in disrepair. This according to someone representing building management who I recently spoke with.

Since La Ronde, revolving restaurants have taken off all over the world (no pun intended), including another one right here in Waikiki, aptly named Top of Waikiki, which is where we enjoyed dinner at a few evenings ago.

The Top of Waikiki’s rotating restaurant interior clocks in at a casual, barely noticeable one revolution per hour, providing a 360º panoramic view of Waikiki and the surrounding city of Honolulu from high above on the 18th >>> 21st floor of the Waikiki Business Plaza, which is located smack in the center of Waikiki off Seaside and Kalakaua avenue.

From the restaurant’s lofty vantage point, at the 6 o’clock position of the rotation (assuming 12 o’clock is facing Mauka – towards the mountains) as you look towards the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, you can see the surf roll in on Waikiki beach…

Top of Waikiki, overlooking Royal Hawaiian Hotel (in pink), with the Sheraton Waikiki on the right and Waikiki beach

At the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock position you get a birds eye view up and down bustling Kalakaua avenue…

and at 12 o’clock you get a peripheral view of manoa and the surrounding Tantalus and St. Louis Heights. When the sun sets, the city lights surrounding you provides a romantic backdrop to the low-lit, elegant ambiance inside the restaurant.

This panoramic mural on the wall in the Top of Waikiki’s entrance area gives you a good idea of the makai (seaside) view you’ll be enjoying from the restaurant’s giant windows when the sun is still up…

That’s pretty much what you’ll see from the Diamond Head to Ewa view from the Top of Waikiki, provided you arrive before sundown

Yet the Top of Waikiki isn’t just about a pretty view, but fantastic food as well.

According to Executive Chef Sean Priester, he regards his cuisine as being a fusion of Italian, Hawaiian, Thai and southern cooking. very interesting. Especially the southern part, as you soon see in one of the dishes we’ve tried.

Top of Waikiki Executive Chef Sean Priester

Before we get to the menu, let’s look around inside the restaurant, starting with the waiting area in front…

Since it was the day after Halloween on the evening of our visit, we were greeted at the door by this creepy talking butler…

This is the hallway that leads to the revolving restaurant section…

Here we are inside the revolving restaurant…

The restaurant seating is on two tier levels, so every table in the house has a view out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Here’s the tables on the second tier level…

The bar occupies the revolving center…

While the kitchen is a stairway below on the fixed part at the top of the building, behind the restaurant lobby..

Here you see where the revolving floor meets the fixed exterior of the cylinder disc-shaped structure….

You should have a good idea now how the place is laid out. So let’s eat!

Top of Waikiki draws you up to the top and excites your appetite from the moment you enter the building from Kalakaua avenue below…

These are lightbox image ads inside the elevator…

Hungry yet? Good, me too! Let’s check out the menu…

For the life of me, I missed a shot of the beef and pork page. Sorry about that. Not to fret, as you can see that part of their menu on their website here. Usually the menu on restaurant websites don’t have EVERYTHING they serve, which is why I like to get photos of the actual menu as you see here.

The following dishes are a combination of two recent visits, with one being this past Sunday, the day after Halloween, and the other dishes from a visit a few months ago.

Getting to it, our meal begins with the complimentary house bread…

If you’re wondering whether that’s butter melted on it, YES. A sweet Date Butter to be exact. Here’s how the bread looks cut apart…

OMG, this dinner bread is EXCELLENT. So good, you might be tempted to ask your server if they could pack some for you to take home. It has a firm crust, with a nice chewy, yet flaky texture as if you mixed sourdough bread with a biscuit. Decadently buttery and mildy sweet along with a mild hint of salt. YUM. Oddly, they serve it on individual plates per guest instead of being kept centrally warm in a cloth-lined basket. Anyhow, be careful with these, as you could easily fill yourself up eating this delicious bread before even getting to the first course.

Speaking of first course, we couldn’t resist the Spicy Tuna and Kona Kampachi Sashimi…

Top of Waikiki: Spicy Tuna and Kona Kampachi Sashimi with Kahuku Sea Asparagus Salad – Sweet and Sour Fennel, Wasabi Avocado Citronette, Maui Onion and Local Citrus, Sea Salt and Togarashi, $16

We also tried the Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa and Cold Soba…

Top of Waikiki: Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa and Cold Soba – Sweet Chili and Macadamia Nut Crusted Prawns served with Pineapple Reduction and Chilled Soba Noodle Salad, $11

Those were from our previous visit. On this most recent visit we ordered these two appetizers…

Top of Waikiki: Nachos – Hand-cut Tortilla Chips, Sweet Corn, Kukui Sausage Co. Chorizo, Asiago Sweet Corn Cream, Fresh Tomato and Scallions, $9

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries, $16

Going back to our previous visit, for the main course we ordered the Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze…

Top of Waikiki: Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens – ‘Berkshire, Duroc and Chester Whites’ this Blend of Breeds create an All-Natural Pork Chop of Superior Marbling and Flavors. Served  Charbroiled with Roast Cornbread, Apple Butter and Apple-Jicima Slaw. $36

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian Snapper Sous-Vide-Chinese Style with Szechuan Seafood Udon (Chef’s Choice) – Poached with Fresh Ginger, Cilantro and Scallions and Seared with Hot Sesame Oil, Served with Day Boat Scallops, Spicy Crab Udon, Lup Cheong and Shomeji Mushroom, Tokyo Negi in a Bonito Consomme. $35

Again, those were from our previous visit, with these main dishes from our most recent…

Top of Waikiki: Seafood Pasta – Crab and Ulu Ravioli, Bacon Herb Crusted Day Boat Scallops with Spaghetti Squash and Celery Cream Sauce, Pan-Roast Prawns with Lemon Gastrique Butter. $35

Top of Waikiki: 16 oz. Grilled Roasted Ribeye Steak with Maple Togarashi Bacon – Soy Balsamic Glaze, Patatas Gravas and Wasabi Aioli. $38

Two of us on the table ordered the same dish…

Top of Waikiki: 16 oz. Grilled Roasted Ribeye Steak with Maple Togarashi Bacon – Soy Balsamic Glaze, Patatas Gravas and Wasabi Aioli. $38

Surf ‘n turf…

Top of Waikik: Steak & Shrimp – Sirloin Flap Bistro Style Pan-Roasted Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace & Truffle Pommes Puree. Crispy Miso Shrimp with Wonton Pasta, Fresh Tomato & Edamame-Basil Pesto. Served Medium-Rare. $35

Back to the previous visit, we finished the meal off with these two desserts…

Top of Waikiki: Candy Bar – Flourless Chocolate Cake Layers, Candied Ginger, Toffee and Macadamia Nuts, Coated with a Crispy Ganache with Creme Anglaise, Vanilla Gelato and Caramel. $10

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian “Creamsicle” Panna Cotta with Fresh Island Fruit – Local Citrus Juices in a Cool Italian Custard & Hawaiian Honey with Papaya, Citrus & Kula Strawberries and Raspberries, $6

Then on our most recent visit, while everyone was quite full, we did make room sharing this…

Top of Waikiki: Tiramisu Cheese Cake – Chocolate, Coffee Liquor, Espresso and Rum are Marbled Throughout Our New York Cheesecake with an Ammaretti-Graham Crust. Served with Bananas Foster – Rum-Flavored Caramel Sauce with Fresh Bananas. $9

Libations included a glass of Cabernet Souvignon (I can’t remember which label) and a couple of Tropical Drinks…

Top of Waikiki: Green Flash – A Refreshing Burst of Bombay Gin, Midori, Tequila, Sweet & Sour and Sprite. $8.75. Also Cabernet Souvignon, $9

Top of Waikiki: Hale O’Mau – The Big Kahuna of Drinks! Bacardi Superior, Galiano, Peach Schnapps, Sour and Pineapple Juice, $8.75

My Lord, just the descriptions alone has me licking my chops!

But the proof is in the pudding, so let’s go over how everything tasted, starting with a closer look at the “Hawaiian Original” Sliders…

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

Notice the generous slice of seared Fois Gras topping the Pate-infused beef patty.

Here it is in assembled form…

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries.

Even a delicate little morsel such as this couldn’t evade the knife for a cross cut view…

Top of Waikiki: “The Original” Hawaiian Sliders – Three Mini Burgers of Fois Gras, Duck Pistachio Cognac Pate blended with Our House Ground Beef, Pear Pineapple Relish, Camembert Cheese on a Prefiterole with Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries.

How was this slider? Very, very rich, and of course, very unique. Never tasted a burger like it before for obvious reasons. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had a glass of Red Wine (I had a tropical drink) to cut the fattiness of it. I’m not a Fois Gras or liver/pate fan, so this wasn’t my personal favorite, although others on the table really enjoyed it. For me, I give it a 2 SPAM Musubi, yet others thought of more like 3 and 4. The Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries were also “interesting” and a nice side attraction, but nothing I’d order a whole plate of on its own.

The Nachos were also just OK for me, but far from the best I’ve ever had. I didn’t find the Chorizo complimented the tortilla chips as much as I had hoped, while I would have preferred the whole thing be smothered in some type of exotic melted cheese blend; not the sweet corn cream they apply. That kind of almost made it taste like I was eating a cream corn soup with tortilla chips on top. It was still delicious, don’t get me wrong, just not “Nacho-ee” if you will. With that, I’m going with 2 SPAM Musubi for their Nachos.

The Spicy Ahi and Kona Kampachi was AWESOME of course. Loved the incorporation of the Kahuku Sea Asparagus. You may remember a while ago I did a presentation of Kahuku Sea Asparagus Poke, which was dynamite as well. Anyhow, the Spicy Ahi and Kona Kampachi was as fresh and like-buttah tender as can be, while the simple seasoning of sea salt and Togarashi (japanese chili pepper flakes) brought out the flavors perfectly without overpowering it. Solid 5 SPAM Musubi for this app.

The Coconut Shrimp with the Cold Soba Noodles were great as well. I can’t remember every nuance to explain here, but I do remember raving about it as we ate it. For that I’ll give it an “IIRC” 4 SPAM Musubi. lol

Moving on to the main courses, we had that BBQ Pork Loin Chop, where you notice Chef Priester throws in his southern roots, plating it with Corn Bread as the “starch”…

Top of Waikiki: Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens – ‘Berkshire, Duroc and Chester Whites’ this Blend of Breeds create an All-Natural Pork Chop of Superior Marbling and Flavors. Served  Charbroiled with Roast Cornbread, Apple Butter and Apple-Jicima Slaw.

All I have to say is this is absolutely GENIUS! The Espresso Glazed Pork Chop matched PERFECTLY with the slightly sweet, very buttery cornbread. Just awesome.

Here we cut away at this mixed breed pork chop, finding it perfectly seared on the outside, while being wonderfully tender and juicy inside…

Top of Waikiki: Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens – ‘Berkshire, Duroc and Chester Whites’ this Blend of Breeds create an All-Natural Pork Chop of Superior Marbling and Flavors. Served  Charbroiled with Roast Cornbread, Apple Butter and Apple-Jicima Slaw.

The Apple-Jicima Slaw was also absolutely delicious, crispy and refreshing, while the collard greens really enhanced that Southern feel to the dish.

I’m tellin’ ya’, you haven’t had a Pork Chop until you come to Top of Waikiki and have Chef Sean Priester’s Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Loin Chop with Espresso Glaze and Cenica Farms Fresh Collard Greens. This is up there as being one of the best Pork Chop I’ve ever had. VERY SOLID 5 SPAM MUSUBI for this dish. Highly, highly recommended.

Then we have that Ribeye Steak…

Top of Waikiki: 16 oz. Grilled Roasted Ribeye Steak with Maple Togarashi Bacon – Soy Balsamic Glaze, Patatas Gravas and Wasabi Aioli

You can choose several side dishes to go along with your steak, including Escalivada/Mushroom Escabeche, Potatoes – Au Gratin, Puree or Sweet Fries or Grilled Asparagus.

To which here we have the Potatoes Au Gratin…

Top of Waikiki: Potatoes – Au Gratin. $6

This Potatoes Au Gratin was also AWESOME. Delicate, fork-tender layers of potato and cheese, potato and cheese, potato and cheese and seasoned wonderfully, whatever is they use. This is another very solid 5 SPAM Musubi item, and it’s just a side dish! Yet I could make a meal out of this alone in a larger portion… it’s that good. Highly recommended.

Back to that massive 16 oz. (that would be ONE POUND) boneless grilled Ribeye, OMG. Another solid 5 SPAM Musubi dish. The Soy Balsamic Glaze with it’s slightly sweet, slightly acidic twang really brought out the flavor of the char-grilled, nicely marbled beef ribeye. The only thing I didn’t care for was the Wasabi Aioli or the Maple Togarashi Bacon, which I didn’t find complimented the Ribeye at all. Still, the Ribeye alone was absolutely STELLAR, making this dish still worthy of 5 SPAM Musubi.

Then there was that Seafood Pasta dish…

Top of Waikiki: Seafood Pasta – Crab and Ulu Ravioli, Bacon Herb Crusted Day Boat Scallops with Spaghetti Squash and Celery Cream Sauce, Pan-Roast Prawns with Lemon Gastrique Butter

The selling point for this dish was the mention that it had Ulu in it. That’s quite unusual. FYI, Ulu is breadfruit that’s very popular in Samoa. The prawns were very sweet and so were the day boat scallops. While the Celery Cream Sauce was on the subtle side, while I couldn’t really taste the crab in the ravioli due the sauce, even though that was subtle. Overall I’d give this one a very delicious 3 SPAM Musubi.

Then there was the Steak and Shrimp…

Top of Waikiki: Steak & Shrimp – Sirloin Flap Bistro Style Pan-Roasted Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace & Truffle Pommes Puree. Crispy Miso Shrimp with Wonton Pasta, Fresh Tomato & Edamame-Basil Pesto. Served Medium-Rare

What I’d have to say about this dish is that there’s too much going on, so your palate becomes confused. While the ingredients were all top quality and the cooking and seasoning executed perfectly, they need to simplify it a little more. I think it was the the Edamame-Basil Pesto that kinda’ clashed with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace the flap steak was prepared with…

Top of Waikiki: Steak & Shrimp – Sirloin Flap Bistro Style Pan-Roasted Steak with Red Wine Mushroom Demi Glace & Truffle Pommes Puree. Crispy Miso Shrimp with Wonton Pasta, Fresh Tomato & Edamame-Basil Pesto. Served Medium-Rare

I must say though, the flap steak was mighty tender and fantastic on its own terms. I just didn’t care for eating some of that, than following up with that pesto sauce covering the wontons and shrimp. Those alone worked alone on its own term, but didn’t work following vice versa. For that I’ll still give 2 SPAM Musubi.

Rounding out our tasting of the main courses, we had the Hawaiian Snapper and Scallops…

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian Snapper Sous-Vide-Chinese Style with Szechuan Seafood Udon (Chef’s Choice) – Poached with Fresh Ginger, Cilantro and Scallions and Seared with Hot Sesame Oil, Served with Day Boat Scallops, Spicy Crab Udon, Lup Cheong and Shomeji Mushroom, Tokyo Negi in a Bonito Consomme.

As you can see, the Snapper was cut-with-a-fork tender, moist and delicious. So were the scallops…

Since this dish was consumed a few months ago, again I can’t retell every nuance of the flavors, yet the description should give you an idea how it all came together. With that, I’ll give it another “IIRC”, very solid 4 SPAM Musubi rating.

Finally, the desserts, which I’m giving a 5 SPAM Musubi to the Hawaiian “Creamsicle” Panna Cotta…

Top of Waikiki: Hawaiian “Creamsicle” Panna Cotta with Fresh Island Fruit – Local Citrus Juices in a Cool Italian Custard & Hawaiian Honey with Papaya, Citrus & Kula Strawberries and Raspberries

The delicate Italian Custard was so delicious when combined wiht the honey and fresh fruits floating above it. YUM-OH. This dessert is highly recommended.

The Tiramisu Cheesecake with Bananas Foster was also stellar. Come on, just read the description and you know that’s GOTTA’ be scrumptious. It was. A very solid 4 SPAM Musubi.

Finally, the Candy Bar with the Vanilla Gelato and Candied Mac’ Nuts was yet another winner, garnering yet again another “IIRC” 4 SPAM Musubi.

Summing it up, Top of Waikiki is a great choice for entertaining out-of-town guests or for any special occasion. You have the novelty of it being revolving restaurant for one, and with that the spectacular view that comes with it. Marrying beautifully with that spectacular view is the wonderful Southern-meets-Italian -meets-Pacific Rim Cuisine offered by Chef Priester and staff. The service is great, and the restaurant decor is clean, classy and elegant.

On your next visit to Waikiki, put the Top of Waikiki restaurant at the top of your dining out list. Highly, highly recommended!

Top of Waikiki
A Revolution in Cuisine
Waikiki Business Plaza
2270 Kalakaua Avenue 18th Floor
923-3877
www.TopofWaikiki.com

The Tasty Island rating:

(5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)

Related links:
• Top of Waikiki – Yelp user reviews
• Chef puts longtime Waikiki restaurant back on top – Metromix

P.S. As I mentioned earlier, our most recent visit to the Top of Waikiki was this past Sunday, the day after Halloween, making Halloween fall on a Saturday this year, as you know. So I took a bunch of pictures of folks in costume walking around Waikiki this past Halloween night. Check out my photo gallery of it here…

Note: Click on the arrow(s) on the sides of each page to get to the next gallery page. There are 17 pages total.

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