Tag Archive | Japanese Food

Amaterasu Sushi – Honolulu, HI

Mar10

Yes yes, another sushi restaurant! We had a few celebrations in the past few months but this one was special. This was our first visit to Amaterasu Sushi and it was for Chan’s birthday! Very small sushi restaurant and it is $150 per head for the omakase. They opened recently in Ala Moana Shopping Center, they are located in the former Jack in the Box/Arby’s location…so it’s a bit hard to find if you don’t know. I tried my best to take notes but you might just be looking at a lot of pictures of good sushi!

Maine Lobster, Blue Crab with Kani Miso and Amaebi (Chan’s)

Maine Lobster, Blue Crab with Kani Miso and Chutoro (Mine!)

As you know, I have an allergy to raw shrimp so I couldn’t partake in the amaebi but thankfully they are always willing to substitute for me. Lobster, good. Blue crab and kani miso, oh my god yes. Chutoro, very nice slice of fish.

Striped Jack (Shima-aji) brushed with a star anise sauce

I really enjoyed the addition of star anise in the sauce, it gives it that spice kick that I enjoy.

Not pictured – Tai Snapper (Red Seabream)
Not picture – Chutoro Tuna (I forgot to take pic!)

Flounder Fin with Shiso

Hands down, my favorite dish of the night. Who knew flounder could be so good? Flounder fin meat specifically. In fact, here is two pics because I ordered it one more time! So good, I like the flavor torching brings. Just a perfect dish!

Kisu (Japanese Whiting) Tempura with Mojo(?) Salt and Lemon

Fried light and crispy – beautiful piece of fish fried to perfection. Loved the sprinkling of salt and lemon on top.

Chawan Mushi
shiitake, shrimp, ikura, crab

I love chawan mushi! And my goodness, how can you go wrong when it’s filled with all this? It tasted wonderful. It was made with love by a mama-chan in the back kitchen.

Hokkaido Scallop with Yuzu Salt

The sweet and soft flesh of the scallop is offset by a punch of yuzu and dash of salt. It all works so well to offset one another!

Not pictured – Blue Fin Maguro with Jalapeno (I forgot!)

Otoro Fatty Tuna

I don’t have much comments on the taste of this, it was good! And he sliced it in an interesting pattern and it was seared.

Hokkaido Uni

You know it’s good quality uni when it’s rich and sweet. I’ve had uni that is bitter and that ain’t it! They serve the good stuff.

Kauai Shrimp with Uni Garlic Sauce

One of the favorites of the night. Love shrimp and uni garlic sauce? Where do I sign up?? It was great.

Negitoro with Daikon Handroll

Loved the negitoro and he diced up the daikon small within the roll which added a nice crunch. They use the best nori so it’s super crispy when you bite into it!

Anago

Miso Soup

Yummy miso soup to end the meal with the Kauai Shrimp head, no can lose!

Chan’s Ala Carte Order – I forget what it was lol

All in all, it was a great dining experience. A bit expensive especially for drinks. You might as well bring your own bottle, because it’s a $35 corkage fee while the alcohol on their menu are sold by the bottle so they’re all $100+. Unless you’re okay with beer, the price of that isn’t too bad and it’s on tap. They have a wonderful green tea which I chose, it is brewed fresh and there is no additional fee for the green tea!

Funny story, we were dining next to a couple who were a bit obnoxious. The male was just a very flashy talkative and LOUD Chinese guy. The first fauxpas? He asked for wasabi and shoyu right off the bat. Then during the whole entire meal, he kept requesting for more and more wasabi and shoyu. It was insane, at one point, his shoyu plate just looked like wasabi paste and I swear he was just eating the wasabi by itself. I didn’t realize until deep into the meal that the wasabi was actually fresh wasabi the taisho was grating for him and I felt even more awful! That is so expensive! The guy at one point says, I love wasabi and the chef says, I can tell. I think he was too polite to say no but I think he should have charged him extra! That’s so awful to take advantage. Anyway, other than the wasabi eating champion ruining the ambience, it was a nice meal!

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Tonkatsu Tamafuji – Kapahulu

Mar5

Yup! Back again at Tonkatsu Tamafuji – we were lucky enough to join in a friend’s reservation! It was still a 4:00 PM dinner lol. They changed their reservation system a bit, I heard that they now only take 2 months ahead of time – not sure when they open the times. Previous Tamafuji posts here and here.

Left: Clam & Green Onions Miso Soup, Right: Red Miso Soup

Hokkaido brand Nanatsuboshi with gloss and sweetness of rice

Jyukusei Pork Loin Katsu Set (300g) | $33.50

Oyster Katsu (3pc) & Pork Tender Loin Katsu (2pc) Set | $31.50

This was my dish and boy did I enjoy it. It was SO good. What do you think that white thing on the right side of the plate is? Silly me, I thought upon first glance that it was like some kind of fried fish cake and got excited. It’s just the empty oyster shell (ha!). The oysters were cooked perfectly, nice and fresh and I love tartar sauce so it was perfect with the oysters. The smaller pieces of pork tender loin katsu was so juicy and tender – I really enjoyed it. I just did my post on Tonkatsu Kuro yesterday and I think both are great, Tamafuji edges out in taste just by a little. But the reservation system and parking for Kuro is much better and I don’t have to eat dinner at 4PM. But hey, if I can jump on someone’s reservation for Tamafuji – I’m down! Excellent meals at both restaurants.

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Tonkatsu Kuro – Ward Village, HI

Mar3

At this time of writing, Tonkatsu Kuro is having their soft opening. Yet another new restaurant in the new Ward condo village. They are right next door to Nori Bar for those who know. I liked that they have reservations on Open Table so we made our reservation before it got super busy. They are currently only open for dinner but I’m sure they would expand later as they settle in, and I certainly hope they also expand their menu soon too!

Love the aesthetic interior! Very modern and sleek.

Salt, Katsu Sauce, Goma (Sesame) Dressing, Ponzu Sauce

iPad Ordering System! There are a lot of wait staff around who are very attentive. If you’ve seen the videos, you’ve always seen the robots “serving” food. Well, all they do is load the robots up and then the waiter comes and unloads the food onto your table. I was wondering how it would work!

Tiny Mortar and Pestle with Sesame Seeds. I say tiny because it is very small compared to Tamafuji lol.

Kuro Soba & Half Katsu | $25.00

Kuro Soba
chilled buckwheat noodles in a cold tsuyu broth

The soba noodles are perfectly cooked, small bit of bite in it. Perfect texture and perfectly seasoned tsuyu broth. I loved it! They do have katsu sets with rice but I really love noodles. I love this option – Tamafuji does not have a noodle option.

Half Katsu
tenderloin (60g) & shrimp (1 pcs)

This was so good! The set was actually very filling. The tenderloin was…well…tender! Juicy and perfectly cooked. The panko crust is crispy but not too thick. The shrimp is great. Big plump shrimp, also fried to perfection. They serve the shrimp katsu with a garlic aioli type sauce, not tartar sauce which was a surprise but a good surprise!! The entire set was delicious.

Free Cabbage Refill

They allow you to order two free cabbage refills – love the cabbage with the goma dressing. All in all, it was a great experience. The wait staff were attentive and the food came out quickly – all perfectly cooked. They did very well in soft opening – will definitely return!

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Gyotaku Restaurant – Honolulu, HI

Feb26

Yes, I am back again lol. I treated my cousin for her birthday and she chose Gyotaku Japanese Restaurant – what you like me do? We also had the buy one get one entree half off coupon so Chinese people win again haha! This post really is just more of the same…

Hamachi Carpaccio | $17.75

This was the biggest bummer of the night. I love hamachi and I love carpaccio so how did it go all wrong? The preparation. They serve it with like a chinese steamed fish style soy sauce (imagine a scallion oil soy sauce combo) – I expected the usual ponzu type sauce so it was very shocking when I tried this. And I gotta say, that style sauce does NOT work with raw fish. It made the hamachi taste fishy in a bad way and slimy. DO NOT GET THIS DISH.

Miso Soup and Small Salad

Assorted Poke Don & Tenpura Set | $33.45

This is the only dish I get and it’s the only dish for a reason. It’s GOOD. Didn’t disappoint yet again. We both got the same dish lol. It’s just the perfect mix of different types of seafood that makes a beautiful taste sensation.

Shave Ice Special (Watermelon) | $5.25

We both shared this dessert to end the night. It was okay, nothing spectacular but it was a nice sweet treat to refresh ourselves after dinner.

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Sushi Que – Honolulu, HI

Feb19

We were fortunate to be invited by friends to dine at Sushi Que. Sushi Que is a newish-still sushi joint, very small mom and pop run shop on King Street. They are located near Golden Pork Tonkotsu Ramen Bar. Parking is obviously very limited so we actually caught an Uber over. This is a very small shop so you definitely should not show up as a walk-in. And it also seems like their reservations are booked out months in advance so keep that in mind when you plan your trip. For an omakase restaurant, it’s about $100 which is very cheap compared to the other omakase restaurants (where it’s usually $150 minimum). Even though it’s a cheaper price, they do not skimp on quality or service. It’s BYOB but no corkage fee, wow! That’s a super rare find, just make sure you offer up some drinks to the Taisho and staff! 🙂 This is going to be a long post, strap in.

Seafood Bouillabase Soup Starter

Deeply rich in seafood flavor, you can taste every layer. Rich flavor in a light broth.

Ankimo (Monkfish Liver)
monkfish liver, cucumbers, wakame, daikon and goma served with a sweet ponzu sauce

Ankimo is one of my favorite dishes in any Japanese restaurant. This was no exception, so creamy with a clean taste – no fishiness at all. Delicious!

Himalayan Pink Salt

I have never seen this before! They served each dinner your own slab of himaylan pink salt that you can add a squeeze of lime to (I think it was lime). This goes with the sashimi slices coming up in the next picture.

Sashimi
Hamachi, Red Snapper, Salmon, Octopus (2 pcs), and Snapper Belly (for me, amaebi for everyone else)

They were very nice in accommodating my raw shrimp allergy and the red snapper belly was amazing. The octopus pieces actually contains a sucker, very interesting texture – crunchy and fresh. A bit chewy but not tough. So yes, you can use the himalayan salt slab to dip the sashimi into if you want! No soy sauce. It was wonderful.

Fresh Washington Oyster
served with sea grapes and ikura

I love oysters so much and these were so fresh and delicious. Clean ocean taste, the crunchiness of the sea grapes and the richness of the ikura only help to accentuate the fresh taste of the oyster.

South African Lobster Tail

This was the same lobster used to make the bouillabase soup. Very light on the seasoning for this lobster which was good because it allowed the tasty and fleshy piece of lobster’s taste shine through!

Otoro

Do I really need to say more? Can you get much better than Otoro? No. It was everything you could hope for. Melt in your mouth goodness. Love the tare he brushes on, nice dashi taste.

Flounder Fin with Ume Shiso Leaf

Ding ding ding. I don’t know if I have ever had flounder before this night and now I will never forget it. This was probably my favorite dish of the night. I loved it. Soft and tender piece of flounder with a light punch of ume and shiso – they blend so well together.

Hotate Scallop (not pictured, oops – got too excited to eat)
served with yuzu pepper, fresh, tender and sweet.

Caledonia Shrimp

Best shrimp I have ever tasted. Simple preparation and seasoning, nothing to overpower the natural taste of the shrimp. So good. This one is cooked so I was able to partake!

Ikura Nigiri

Another miso soup? Gosh I’m getting confused with the order of my photos!

Uni Wrap

Fresh uni from Japan wrapped with a crunchy piece of nori. Oh gosh, you know this is good uni because there is absolutely no bitterness to it, just sweet creamy goodness.

Otoro with Takuan Hand Roll

Omakases usually end with a nice handroll and this was great. Nice negitoro with otoro meat and the minced daikon adds a nice sweet crunch.

End of the omakase brings out the ala carte menu in case you want to order any extras or maybe a dish that wasn’t part of the omakase!

I ordered another flounder fin sushi – it was that good.

Shirako | $9.00

IYKYK what this is…was excited we could order it! Super creamy so I know it was fresh and good quality. They warmed the dish up in a broth and it was so nice.

Saba

Egg Omelet? I don’t even remember getting this??

Sujiko Hand Roll

Another order of Otoro!

Salmon with Nira Sauce

Konbu Roll with Fresh Wasabi and Daikon Cubes

I don’t remember lol

Fresh Fruit

It was a wonderful perfect night of great company and food. The folks who run this place are SO nice and down to earth. It’s a nice restaurant but the humble atmosphere makes for a very relaxing experience. All the diners seem to talk story with one another and the Taisho, his wife and the staff. Lots of drinking (not me lol). We super enjoyed this experience and are looking forward to our next experience. In fact, one couple flies out from Maui to eat here. I wanna have that kine money (lol!). Would definitely recommend this restaurant!

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Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar – Manoa, HI

Feb3

Decided to give Tanto Gyoza and Ramen Bar another try! It’s close to my work and yeah I did get tummy ache before but I think that’s just me and not their food. They are known for the gyoza but the ramen is good too! I’ll admit that I still like Wagaya better but this place is good too! And they are pretty fast at whipping out the gyoza and ramen! Tanto is located in the same lot as Nijiya Market in Manoa, free one hour parking. This is yet another restaurant where we went over the hour by like five minutes. I had to pay by machine again!!! This time it was $3.00.

Tanto Gyoza Hamamatsu Style (16 pcs) | $15.75

From top to bottom: Magic Gyoza Salt, Garlic Chili Sauce, Gyoza Sweet Ponzu Sauce

We got the gyoza to share as a table! Delicious gyoza. It was kind of funny, they brought out the gyoza and apologized that it was missing one piece and that it was coming out soon. Well, they then brought out three more so I guess we got a few for free! Score!

Mix Black Mazesoba | $17.75
tonkotsu shoyu & miso sauce with black garlic oil
mazesoba is a type of brothless ramen made with thick ramen noodles topped with spicy minced meat that has been stir fried with soy sauce, chili and garlic, and freshly chopped chives/spring onions and a poached egg

Tanto Creamy Goma (Chicken Broth) | $17.75
sesame paste/peanuts/meat miso/green onion/spinach/red onion

Tanto Tonkotsu Black (Tonkotsu & Chicken Broth) | $17.75
black-garlic/char siu kikurage/green onion/red pickled ginger/ajitama

My ramen! Yummy, I love black garlic oil. And I was hangry so I ordered kaedama (extra noodle) too which was $2.50 extra. I didn’t need that kaedama but I ordered when I was hangry so there we are. Very good ramen! We all enjoyed our dishes! I would recommend!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Jan24

Baked Charsiu Manapua (U-Choice In) | $3.25 each

I have resisted going to U-Choice In for many many years. For one, I hate the name of it. U-Choice In, what?? I would let them get away with Ur-Choice In but here we are. Chan’s coworker talked about how much she liked U-Choice In so we decided to give it a try during one of our Don Quijote runs. Well, I hate to admit this but this is probably the best baked manapua on the island right now. I do not like the Royal Kitchen one but this one…it’s perfect. They give choke meat inside and the bun is perfectly baked. Small kine cripsy on top but also super soft. It’s a bit pricey for one but you’re getting a pretty big one! I think it’s worth it. I’ve tried their white rice cake and pork hash too and those are good too! Don’t pay too much attention to the Yelp haters – try it for yourself! If you like baked manapua, you won’t be disappointed.

Ain’t no party like a tako party! Takoyaki party that is. Chan provided this wonderful treat for Christmas Eve! He has the fancy pan that we put on top of camper stove (is that the name of it?). He even bought all the toppings…and made yakisoba like I requested…

Doesn’t that look great?? All professional with the sauce, mayo, bonito flakes and even the nori topping! It was so good!

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MW Restaurant – Honolulu, HI

Jan22

We had a gift card for MW Restaurant so we came for a little holiday dinner. What a nice treat! We enjoyed ourselves very much and the food was ono!

Lilikoi Yuzunade | $10.00

My non-alcoholic drink! Chan drank beer, you can see it in the background. I enjoyed the drink even though I’m not usually a fan of yuzu!

Brandt Brand Beef Tartare | $22.00
OK Farm Egg, Baguette

I know raw beef is not everyone’s thing. It’s my thing and I love it! Thankfully Chan is also an adventurous eater so we can share in all the goodies. Very good dish.

Crab Cakes | $27.00
Wasabi Koji Sauce, Corn Relish

Another great appetizer! Push aside those weeds and go for it (lol). Tasted great.

Miso Honey Glazed Butterfish | $49.00
Kimchee Potato Salad, Taegu, Bok Choy

My entree, a little pricey for butterfish but it was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I saw a friend eat it last time so I wanted to try it myself and it was so good! I enjoyed it a lot.

Here is the accompanying banchan for the butterfish, ehhh…they were just okay. Not my favorite. Maybe I didn’t like the taste of their kimchi…sorry!

Steak Au Poivre | $65.00
Brandt Brand Ribeye, Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Potatoes, Vegetables

Chan’s entree. It was good but SUPER peppery. Like choke whole peppercorns in the sauce. I tasted a bite and yes, you better like pepper if you get this dish.

Garlic Parmesan Gnocchi | $18.00

We got these on the side with our entrees, it was like super buttery rich tater tots. So good, we couldn’t finish it so we took it home. Tasted good reheated in the air fryer!

Strawberry Shave Ice | $17.00
Strawberry Yuzu Sorbet, Coconut Tapioca, Laie Vanilla Panna Cotta, Strawberries, Shaved Strawberries

When you go MW, gotta get dessert. We were stuffed but shared this shave ice together. It was nice and refreshing! I enjoyed it! Oh! And they gave us two free cookies to take home too. Valet parking only and it’s a bit pricey. It was a nice experience!

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Mixed Plate Friday

Jan17

Chan and I went over to a friend’s house for mochi making before the New Year. This is the first time I’ve ever been to one and wow…they have a freaking system for it! More like 4 systems, look at those mochi makers! They make a whole bunch to share with friends and family. I was a part of the assembly line to shape the mochi. They even bought a new contraption this year that also cuts the mochi down to size! What an efficient process!

Mini Garden Express Roast Duck & Chicken on Rice | $15.50

I haven’t been to Mini Garden Express in such a long time. We used to go to Ranch 99 all the time because they just had so much options for meals. Do we really need another Home Depot so close to the one in Iwilei? I don’t think so. Or could Home Depot have considered my feelings and kept the food court at the bottom and just built on top of it (lol)? Anyway, came here the other weekend to grab dinner. My god, the prices. I mean if I think about it objectively now, I guess this is actually a good price. You’re getting roast duck and shoyu chicken and roast duck is not cheap nowadays. They don’t make the best roast duck but it’s good enough. I used to get it with fried rice but I didn’t want to pay the additional $3, I’m broke right now okay? LOL.

Prime Rib

Christmas calls for a prime rib. Prime rib is so crazy expensive, I think this hunk of meat which wasn’t even that big cost me upwards of $83. It gets gobbled down so fast that I wish I just baked a chuck roast hahaha nah nah. Gotta do it up at least once a year. The cooking method is perfect as always – and because I was tired and lazy, I didn’t even do the slits with garlic inside and it still turned out good. Now I can be even lazier.

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Recipe: Japanese Miso Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Jan15

I try my best to meal prep every weekend so that I have lunch for the week. It’s not always easy but hopefully it keeps me eating a little healthier and helps me save money. I follow Haruma Recipe on YouTube and have made a few of his recipes, he makes some really good dishes – just simple Japanese dishes. This one couldn’t be simpler, I had to try it! It doesn’t even ask for minced garlic, no real chopping needed. I don’t know about you folks, but I have always bought fresh garlic and peel and mince it myself. I would never use the “jarlic” but I am seriously considering buying the pre-peeled garlic and one of those garlic crushers – I think it would make me a much happier person lol. I’ll keep you folks posted.

Junkest part is cutting up raw chicken breast and seasoning it, I don’t love handling raw chicken. He is genius, he cuts up a milk carton, cleans it and lays it flat on his cutting board to cut up the chicken. You gotta watch his video, I’ll link it below.

A simple miso sauce, broccoli and chicken breast and you’ve got a dish! So easy. I taste tested it, not bad! Nothing crazy delicious or fancy, just a good simple dish you know?

Taste of Japan: Umami-Packed Miso Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry Recipe


[Ingredients / 1-2 servings]

  • 250-300g Broccoli
  • 300g Chicken breast

[Seasoning / Miso sauce]
・25g Miso
・10g Soy sauce
・18g Cooking Sake
・12g Sugar

[Toppings etc.]
・Black pepper

Recipe Source: [Haruma Recipe]Japanese Food Recipes in English

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