Sorry for the sudden break in blogging! I finally got to go on a trip and headed up to Seattle and then we drove up to Richmond, BC and then Whistler, BC. It was such a wonderful trip, I had a great time! I would say that Whistler was probably my favorite part of the trip, really enjoyed the small village feel, cold weather and of course my time with my travel companion.

Kamonegi is a restaurant I’ve wanted to try for years and years and years. I think when they first opened, there was an interview with the owner who talked about making their own soba that intrigued me. So anyway, I followed them on Facebook since way back when and when I finally got a chance to return to Seattle…I made the reservation! You have to pay $50 to hold the reservation but they refund the $50 back when you dine in.

They have NO parking but my bf was able to secure parking at a close by motel (lol) so we still had to walk but hey, we got parking right? Well even though the weather is cool, walking in the sun is still hot. My biggest disappointment was that this restaurant had no AC and I don’t think the fans were on. In other words, it was HAWT.

The restaurant is pretty small, we had a tiny two-top for ourselves. Here you see their little soba bar where you get to watch the kitchen at work!

Complimentary Radish Appetizer – yum!

Housemade Soda

Gosh, I should have saved their menu. They change it monthly and apparently the drinks get changed too. Bummer! Well I didn’t like it too much so we’re good. You know what I did like?? This jalapeno umeshu shot they were serving! Oh my, I don’t usually drink but I really liked it when I tried it. The spiciness and vinegary taste of the jalapeno was so good. Where can I find a drink like that here in Hawaii?

Uni Shiso Bomb | $18 for 2pc
fresh uni* from Santa Barbara, served on shiso leaf tempura with uni salt, ikura, wasabi

Pricey but good. Delicious. Would get again! Nice, light and crisp!

Shrimp Tempura | $11 for 2pc
shrimp tempura, daikon oroshi, tempura sauce

Good. Nothing special, would probably skip next time to try another dish.

Broccolini Tempura | $14.00
tempura fried broccolini, spicy cod roe aioli

Probably my favorite dish of the night. I don’t know what to tell you, I love me a good broccolini. And the spicy cod roe aioli? That just made it even better. I would definitely order this again!

Lamb Tartare | $18.00
lamb strip loin from new zealand, iburigakko, caper, chive mayo, nori chips

Oh man, this dish came out so late that it kind of was just not enjoyed as much you know? I had to remind them that we didn’t receive it yet. The lamb tartare itself was just okay, you can’t taste that it’s lamb (no gamey taste) but also I felt like the capers and pickled aspect of the dish was overpowering everything. And nori chips? No. It’s just cut up nori, nori chips are battered and deep fried no? I wouldn’t get this again.

Kamonegi Seiro | $24.00
duck breast, duck tsukune meatball, leek, yuzu zest

I wanted to try one of their signature dishes. Okay, I should have gone for a bukkake dish since it was hot in the restaurant but the bukkake dishes don’t come with duck! Disappointing. How was the duck? Ehh…well since it’s either ground into a meatball or a super thin slice – it’s not like you can tell it’s duck. The dish was okay but not great.

All in all, I am glad I tried the restaurant! Would I return? Not sure yet, maybe. I wouldn’t mind trying the other soba dishes!