Hoku's

Address: 5000 Kahala Ave Honolulu, Hawaii

http://www.kahalaresort.com/dining/hoku.cfm

Phone: 808-739-8780

To me, Hoku’s at The Kahala Hotel & Resort in Oahu is one of those fusion restaurants that sound promising, but failed to really impress. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good and the restaurant serves a good mix of local Hawaiian dishes with touches of Asian and European ingredients and techniques. But for the price they charge and the best restaurant in Hawaii awards they received over the years, I expected more than what was presented.

There are a couple of memorable dishes though. We thought the tandoori bread (the restaurant has its own tandoori oven) was fantastic especially with the ahi tuna dipping sauce, and the soy glazed pork belly appetizer was one of the best we have tasted. On the other hand, entrées we ordered- the sous vide lamb and eastern black cod were average and not inspiring.

To be fair, maybe we didn't enjoy the dinner at Hoku's as much because of our jet lag. We arrived in Oahu just a few hours before the dinner and we have chosen this restaurant because it is located at the hotel where we were staying. But even with that, I feel that this may be a good restaurant to go to for its wonderful panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean (from every table) and probably not so much for its food.

Tandoori bread with butter or ahi tuna dipping sauce. The Ahi tuna dipping sauce was something new for us and it was very good.

Here's me eating my 2nd tandoori bread (or was it the 3rd?)

Ahi Tuna sushi appetizer

Foie Gras and Duck appetizer - Duck Breast, Tatsoi, Ka'u Orange Marmalade and Reduction, Hawaiian Sweet Bread

Sushi and Sashimi platter - Ahi and Hamachi sashimi, Unagi, Ahi and Shrimp Nigri sushi, Spicy Tuna and California Roll

Soy Glazed Pork Bellywith Beluga Lentils, Tomato Salad, Asian Gremolata. The pork belly was crispy on the outside and tender/juicy on the inside, and the beluga lentils and tomato salad goes really well with the meat

Sous Vide Lamb with Southeast Asia spiced, Pickled Vegetables, Saffron Curry, Toasted Flat Bread

Eastern Black Cod with Sesame Ginger, Swiss Chard, Cremini Mushroom & Frisee, Truffle Kabayaki Sauce