“Weird Food Combo” Exhibit B Equation: 1 lb. Ahi Poke + 1 package Maebo’s One-Ton Chips = One-Ton Ahi Poke Chips

About a year ago, we were having an online discussion on the various uses for One-Ton Chips, when Gail Jennings, contributing editor at HawaiiDiner.com suggested trying One-Ton Chips with Poke. She swears to have many converted followers of this!

Since I recently posted another “Weird Food Combo” in the form of my mother’s Mayonnaise with Mango “madness”, I thought it was a good time to follow-up on that subject by putting Gail’s suggestion to the test. Besides, I LOVE One-Ton Chips, and I LOVE Ahi Poke, so this has gotta’ be good!

So I picked up a bag of Maebo’s One-Ton Chips and a pound of fresh Ahi Poke, shoyu style from Hawaii Kai Foodland in Koko Marina Center. Man, the price of those chips sure have gone up! This rather small, practically snack-size 4 oz. bag costs almost $5 bucks. The fresh Ahi Poke wasn’t bad though, being on sale for $6.99/lb.. Much better than Safeway, who was charging $12.99/lb. for the same thing. The quality of the Ahi was “melt-in-the-mouth” fresh too. Plus, the one I got came from a batch they had just made, so that buggah was almost as good as the Poke from Ono Seafood on Kapahulu.

1 pound Shoyu Ahi Poke from Foodland Hawaii Kai, $6.99/lb.

Maebo’s One-Ton Chips 4 oz. package from Foodland Hawaii Kai, $4.49

Now let’s see… da’ Ahi Poke is fresh: check, and da’ One-Ton Chips are crunchy: check. Well, let’s do this!

Fresh Ahi Poke (Shoyu style) and One-Ton Chips

I didn’t scoop it, which is what Gail suggested, but instead used chopsticks to select a slice of Poke I thought would match the size of chip it would rest it on. So here it goes…

Truthfully, at first I was slightly hesitant. Wouldn’t you be! But I gathered the courage and popped the chip with the poke on it in one fell swoop, closely evaluating the contrasting flavors and textures. I repeated this several times with various poke-to-chip ratios. Overall on each and every bite in varied ratios, it immediately hit me that the Poke overpowered the One-Ton Chip’s flavor, primarily due to the slight sesame oil flavor on it, as well as the Ahi itself. It wasn’t until the the Ahi went down did I detect the chip, as that followed with the crunch-factor, which was nice, but not an outstanding feature of it. Even my girlfriend tried a sample, and she had the same impression.

On top of that, the salt on the One-Ton chip accentuated the flavor of the Poke even further, drowning out the mildly-sweet and hearty flavor the One-Ton chips have on their own.

I really was hoping there was going to be this magical “wow, this is an amazing combo, marriage-made-in-heaven’” impression, but it wasn’t the case. Unless I did something wrong here, I’m not “converted”.

Alan Wong has a menu item called “Poke-Pines”, which are described as ” Crispy Won Ton Ahi Poke Balls on Avocado with Wasabi Sauce”. While I haven’t personally tried that yet, I imagine it has much better balance of all the elements involved.

In closing, while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. I’m glad I tried it, although I wouldn’t put these two together again. Still, based on creativity in its simplistic approach, and potential as seen by Alan Wong’s version, I’ll rate this One-Ton Poke Chips combo 1 SPAM Musubi.

If you ever try/tried this, let us know what you think!

Au (a.k.a. Kajiki or Pacific Blue Marlin) sauteed in canola oil (left side), and lard (right side)

Last week I did a post about rendering pure lard from pig’s fat, hoping to become enlightened by the said virtues of cooking with it.

As mentioned before, Diner E swears the best Akule he ever had was one his friend pan-fried simply with garlic and lard, which he claims was just awesome.

Going through various online articles and message board threads, it appears unanimous that lard is superior to commercial cooking oils and shortening not only in flavor, but also for your health,

Since fresh hooked Akule wasn’t available in the supermarket over the past week (it just was at Marukai a few weeks ago!), I went with Au (a.k.a. Kajiki or Pacific Blue Marlin) to test what this hype about lard is all about.

What I like about using Marlin for this test, is that it can be a dry fish if overcooked, so it was the perfect choice to gauge the benefits of cooking with lard.

So I prepared two dishes to sample with: Macadamia Nut Crusted Au (Marlin) with a Mango Salsa and Sauteed Au (lightly seasoned with garlic salt and cracked pepper) with Ginger-Infused Ponzu (citrus soy) Butter Sauce and Stir-Fried Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage). Note that I didn’t include a starch (like rice), as I wasn’t out to make a meal out this.

Here’s about 3/4 lb. of fresh Au Fillet…

The other set was seasoned simply with garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Here’s a spoonful of cold rendered lard…

After hitting a hot pan, it quickly melts, resembling regular cooking oil…

The other pan (not shown) had Wesson® Canola Oil for the this comparison.

So I sauteed them until golden brown and cooked through, then plated them up for the taste test.

Here’s the Mac Nut Crusted Au, served with Mango Salsa (store-bought from Costco, fantastic B-T-W!), sauteed in Canola Oil…

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above..

Mac Nut Crusted Au with Mango Salsa (Canola oil)

Here’s the Mac Nut Crusted Au with Mango Salsa, this one sauteed in lard….

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above..

Mac Nut Crusted Au with Mango Salsa (lard)

And here’s the Au with Ginger-infused Ponzu Butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy, sauteed in Canola oil…

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above…

Au with Ginger-infused Ponzu Butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy (Canola oil)

Au with ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy, this one sauteed using lard…

A close-up of a cut piece from the plate above…

Au with ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce and stir-fried Bok Choy (lard)

So what’s the difference?

First of all, the lard seemed more forgiving about NOT burning the fish while in the medium (just below medium high) heat pan. Whereas the Canola oil began to darken the macadamia nut crust on the fish much faster. Actually, the underside of the Mac Nut Crusted Au on that plate is dark brown.. almost burnt, but not quite. Of course I plated it with the good side facing up. Even if you look at the non-crusted Au in the Ponzu butter sauce, you can see the one sauteed in Canola oil is a bit darker. They say lard has a higher smoking point, so that must be why it’s more forgiving here.

I must note, I was fair about the cooking method as well, using the same heat (medium) and type of saute pan (stainless steel) for both the oil and the lard.

How did they compare in taste and texture?

I tend to cook my fish just under medium, so with that said, both were moist and tender, but the lard version seemed a bit more “buttery” in texture if you will, while the Au sauted in Canola oil seemed a bit “tighter” if you will. Just a bit. Not much though.

Taste-wise, in my opinion, the Au that was sauteed in lard had a slightly richer and “expressive” flavor, but just by a slim margin. Just enough where someone might ask, “how did you cook this”? My girlfriend prefered the ones sauteed in Canola, noting that it tasted lighter, which she preferred. She also immediately knew which one was in lard and which one was cooking with oil in an initial “blind” taste test I administered to her. So that alone says, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

I don’t think the lard version “blew away” the Canola Oil, though. At least not here where they were sauteed in just enough cooking fat so as to not burn in the pan. Actually, I was a little more generous in the amount of lard used in order to impart its flavor more. So with that I also added an equal amount of Canola oil on that side.

I think if you deep fry or use lard in a pie crust, where it becomes more of the consumed part of the food, is where you’d really notice the difference. Perhaps I’ll try fish ‘n chips next time, if I render enough more fat to deep fry with. That’s the only reason I didn’t try that, is I didn’t have enough lard for it on this first run.

As for the dish itself, the Au with the Mac Nut crust and Mango Salsa was awesome, and so was it with the ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce. Honestly, I would order either of these two dishes in a restaurant. I really liked the how the fruity mango complimented the Mac nut. My girlfriend really liked the latter, actually preferring it switched, with the Mac Nut crusted Au in the Ponzu butter sauce. Switched around either way, it was delicious.

The Mac Nut crusted Au was easy to make. Season the Au lightly with salt and pepper, then dip in an egg wash, then in a bowl of finely chopped Macadamia nuts and pat it on until evenly coated. Normally Panko (bread crumbs) are added into the mixture, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I just used the nuts. Nuts. Then sauté until golden brown and cooked through. Plate with the Mango Salsa (or Ponzu butter sauce, up to you) and garnish.

chopped mac nuts..

The ginger-infused Ponzu butter sauce is easy. Bring 1/2 cup Ponzu (store-bought) to a boil, then reduce to simmer and add minced ginger and 1 tablespoon of cold butter and whisk until the butter melts and is fully incorporated. Let stand for at least 10 minutes to bring out the ginger flavor. Whisk again just before plating. The Au that was plated with that was seasoned with garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper, then sauteed. After the fish was done cooking, I stir-fried coursely chopped Bok Choy quickly (just until wilted) in the same pan.

Well that sure was a tasty test!

**************************************************************

About a week ago, I also sautéed Monchong in lard just to get a taste of cooking with it.

Monchong a.k.a. Pomfret is one my favorite fish. It’s flesh is white and it tastes similar to mahimahi, except it’s more oily, making it a bit more flavorful, tender and delicate. Because it’s oily, it’s a great fish for steaming, though sautéing like we’re doing here is great too. It’s usually brought in as by-catch from longline ahi boats, so it’s not always available. Surprisingly, when it is, the market price is amazingly very affordable. Wahoo! Oh, that’s Ono. I mean, woohoo!

Here’s a 1 lb. cut of Monchong that I picked up from the Kapahulu Safeway. It’s seasoned lightly with Hawaiian sea salt…

Then I dredged it in flour and off into the pan..

Notice how nice and golden brown the color is. This seems to be one of the benefits of sautéing with lard.

I plated it with a ginger and cilantro chinese pesto sauce..

Here’s a look at a cut piece of this Monchong up close…

How did it taste?

Extremely moist and buttery-tender, though the monchong is already an oily white-flesh fish, so cooking it in motor oil would probably taste just as good. Actually, I’ve prepared this same dish a few times before, except I steamed the Monchong. It’s awesome like that.

As for the Chinese Ginger Pesto sauce, that stuff is great on just about any white meat, whether its chicken, pork or fish. I poured a little too much of it on this plate though, where it kinda’ drowned out the virtues of the lard - if there were any - which may have enhanced the flavor of the Monchong. Not that this a bad thing. Heck, I gotta’ admit this lard-sauteed Monchong and Chinese Ginger Pesto dish rocked!

I’d say lard is certainly something to at least try, as it just might add that “oomph” your dish needed. Of course, anything cooked in fat, whether it’s lard or vegetable oil, should be consumed in moderation. But when taste and texture are what counts most, lard is something to consider.

Related links:
• Praise the Lard
• The Skinny on Fats (Benefits of Lard)

Seriously, Caramel Sushi!? No. Well, actually sort of. Sushi and caramel are on the menu, just not together on one plate. But heck, it sounds interesting, and just might be one day! Read on…

A few nights ago, the lady and I had dinner at Sansei Seafood & Sushi Bar at the Marriot Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, which was a first-time visit for us. Sansei is located in a shared space with sister (or big brother, depending how wanna’ view it) restaurant, D.K Steak House on the makai (ocean) side of the property on the 3rd floor. They were formerly located in Restaurant Row where Hiroshi now operates.

With that, both restaurants share a common entrance…

You can actually see into D.K Steak House from the front-end of Sansei, where a common bar divides the two establishments.

Paintings adorn the entrance hallway which remind you of the theme…

With master sommelier Chuck Furuya being a business partner with D.K, it’s no wonder there’s an extensive selection of wine to choose…

Once you make your way past the common entrance and hostess’ desk, there’s the sushi bar…

Then you turn the corner to the right and make your way into Sansei’s main dining area, where there are open tables, private booths and seating outside on the patio…

We were fortunate to be seated (without formerly requesting it) next to a window inside, overlooking Waikiki beach…

The window seat table we were given here offered the best of both worlds: immediate access to our server (dining room is enclosed), quiet air-conditioned comfort, and a great view. Perfect.

As for dining room ambiance, noise levels and chatter were minimal during our time there, which was between 7 and 8:30pm, though I’ve heard it can be a “shout-fest” during the late night hours (they ‘re open until 1am). Lighting (after the sun set) was a good balance of intimate in level, while still being able to see what’s on the plate.

The dining tables maximize marketing efforts by placing D.K’s “Sushi Chronicles” recipe book cover under the glass top of each table…

And for the “newbies”, a Sapporo Beer-sponsored Sushi guide…

The only condiments that are permanently situated on each table are two bottles of Yamasa Shoyu (I added the wasabi and ginger from my sushi plate)…

I like Yamasa brand. I’d say it has the smoothness of Aloha, while not being too salty or bold like Kikkoman. Perfect choice for sushi.

Our server Kiana was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, pointing out her own favorites, other popular dishes and a few helpful ordering tips.

Speaking of menu, that’s what stumped us. I had downloaded their online menu from their website to review what they had, only to find the menu in-house is much, much more extensive!

We decided to order mostly appetizers shared between us, and even our server agreed that as the best way to go.

So we started off with the Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll…

Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll - Fresh Island Yellowfin tuna wrapped with arugula, and flash-fried, topped with soy wasabi butter sauce, $11

This was fantastic. It’s under their “Award Winners” category, and no wonder. The seared ahi was very fresh-tasting, with that “melt-in-the-mouth” texture. While that flavor and texture contrasts of the nori, arugula and golden brown crispy panko crust was a winner. Winner, winner. Bringing it all together is that Soy Wasabi butter sauce which sends your tastebuds into all kinds of directions, without being too complex. Awesome.

This arrived along with a (classic) dish of Shrimp Tempura…

Shrimp Tempura, $12

The shrimp tempura were decent size and beautifully moist, sweet and tender. Only thing was the batter was just a tad-bit on the soggy side. Just a bit. Still very, very good, but it could stand a little more crispiness. It’s served with the classic dipping sauce, grated daikon, ginger and a lemon wedge.

Needless to say, as hungry as we were upon arrival, we made very quick work of these starters, while looking over the menu for our next choices.

The lady wanted to try their California Rolls (her favorite), so that’s what came to the table in round two..

California Roll, $6.50

Not bad. The sushi rice, while a little on the cold side, had perfect texture and sushi-su seasoning. The fresh cucumber and avocado were well-balanced in size, but the mayo and finely chopped imitation crab filling in the center was a bit bland. I much prefer when the Imitation Crab is kept in one solid chunk. I want to TASTE imitation crab. lol

My choice for the second round was this…

Sansei’s Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll - Ripe mango, blue crab, fresh greens & crunchy peanuts wrapped in mamenori with a sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette, $9

This Mango Crab Salad Hand Roll is another item selected from their “Award Winners” list. While I think the execution and flavor profiles of the various components worked, once again that crab filling didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if it’s the mayonnaise they use, or the way they finely chop the crab meat up. It just didn’t have enough substance to stand up against the bold flavors and textures surrounding it. Good, but not great. Glad I tried it, but I’d order something else next time around.

Rounding out the main meal was this entree item we shared with each other…

Choice Rib Eye Steak and Grilled Miso Yaki Prawns - with garlic mashed potatoes and local vegetable stir fry with garlic demi glace and ginger lime chili butter, $32

This rocked! Especially those grilled Miso Yaki Prawns!…

The prawns were incredibly “meaty”, sweet and tender, with a pronounced char-grilled, slightly smokey hint. Supporting that is that incredible garlic demi glace and ginger lime butter sauce. KILLER! They need to seriously think about bottling that stuff, if that’s possible.

As if that weren’t enough, the fire-grlled choice rib eye sharing the same plate was so tender, perfectly done medium rare finish, encased by a lightly-salted crust. Playing foundation role were the garlic mashed potatoes, which were on the mild side as far as flavor, yet light ‘n nice, although they were a bit of a challenge to “scoop up” using chop sticks, but we managed. lol The string beans and carrots were simply stir-fried without any special seasoning. Just salt ‘n pep’ . But whoah, dip a strip of the rib eye, along with those veggies and a tad of mash in the prawns’ sauce and POW! Excellent, excellent, excellent.

After that, we were both content without being stuffed and stopped there, saving just a little more room to share a dessert…

Sansei’s Granny Smith Apple Tart - Buttery puff pastry topped with fresh Granny Smith apple slices, baked to order and served with vanilla ice cream over Sansei’s homemade warm caramel sauce, $9

Instead of the ice cream served on top, we requested the ice cream served on the side…

This is another amazing dish at Sansei! If there’s any absolute recommendation I can make based on this first visit, is to SAVE ROOM in your stomach for this dessert! The apple tart is tasty, fluffy and crispy all at the same time, while that homemade, warm golden caramel sauce is sex on a plate. You’d swear you died and gone to heaven eating this. Honestly. And this is coming from someone who’s not really into sweets. Whether you had sushi, seafood, or steak, make sure you ORDER THIS.

“Caramel Sushi” huh? Could be possible. I’m sure Chef Kodama can come up with some creative dessert dish that resembles “dynamite” sushi, with that “dynamite” homemade warm caramel drizzled over it. If I think of anything, I’ll make a comment later.

There’s so much more on the menu, it would take several months of return visits to sample everything Sansei offers. I’d really like to order “Chef’s Omakase Tasting Menu for Two” on our next visit. It’s touted as “The Ultimate Sansei Dining Experience for Two”, which includes: Edamame & Miso Soup, Sansei’s Special Sushi Roll, Island Style Seafood Poke Sampler, Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Roll, Japanese Calamari Salad, Sansei’s Asian Shrimp Cake and Garlic Miso Prawns, Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish, and Sansei’s Lobster and Crab Ravioli. All that for only $75.. for two!

Next time around, that’s gonna’ be high on my wish list.

Overall, a fantastic dining experience, and we’ll certainly return again.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort and Spa
2552 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815

Reservations and Information
808-931-6286

Dinner Nightly
5:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.

Late Night Dining
Friday & Saturday, 10 P.M. to 1 A.M.

The Tasty Island rating:

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

Pomai’s Mango Bruschetta - Toasted French Bread, rubbed with a garlic clove and dressed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a fresh, sweet mango slice, Hawaiian Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Mango season in Hawaii is beginning to reach its peak for harvest, as it always is during summer. With that, many of you with trees or who have family or friends with trees will start receiving what sometimes becomes more mangoes than you know what to do with, or care to eat yourself.

A table full of Hayden mangoes a coworkers shared with us from his home in Ewa Beach. This is actually the leftovers. There originally was much more than this!

You’ve made pickled mango, shoyu mango, mango chutney, mango bread, and perhaps even Geico Caveman’s favorite: Roast Duck with Mango Salsa. lol

But what else can you do with it? Mango Bruschetta, of course!

I actually came up with this recipe myself, when one day I happened to have a fresh loaf of French Bread and some mangoes sitting on the same counter. I looked at them both, put the two together (as I’ll soon demonstrate here) and voila! Mango Bruschetta! There might be a few other variations of “Mango Bruschetta” on the web, but none were referenced at all when I thought this up.

My preparation is very simple and adheres to the basic principle of authentic Italian Bruschetta (pronounced “bru’sketta”) - namely in the rubbing of a fresh garlic clove on the toasted bread and the use of quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a.k.a. “EVOO”.

Here we have from left to right: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good quality), fresh peeled garlic cloves, Fresh Cracked Black Pepper (mill), Mango (chilled, fresh, ripe and sweet), Hawaiian Salt and French Bread. I prefer the fresh, piping hot-out-of-the-oven French Bread from Safeway (great crust!), but we already had this one from Foodland on hand, so that’s what I’ve got here. Still good.

First peel the mango, then cut slices about 1/4″ thick, and in diameter that will fit nicely over the bread’s surface. Keep chilled in fridge.

Now, cut the french bread into serving slices about 1″ thick, either at a bias (more surface area) or straight across, up to you. Then pop the bread into a toaster oven and toast them until the top and bottom are a nice golden brown…

I’d recommend keeping an eye on them, as they can go from golden brown to BURNT really fast! Remove them as soon as they reach that ideal golden-brown-delicious “GBD” color. This is how they should look…

Now, while they’re still hot, as you see I’ve immediately started to rub a fresh garlic clove over the top surface. What happens when you do this is the toasted top acts like “sandpaper” and literally sands off little bitty pieces of the garlic that go into the pores of the bread. It also take on the oils and flavor essence of the garlic. Rub it just enough so that you liberally covered the whole top surface.

After I rubbed all three pieces of bread with that one garlic clove, this is how it looked…

Notice how it got “sanded down” to about half the size! Mmmmmm, you KNOW that’s gonna’ be some tasty bread!

Then arrange your garlic-rubbed bread on a serving plate and generously pour the Extra Virgin Olive Oil “EVOO” over the top surface of each piece, letting it drip into the dish…

Think of the EVOO as butter. The more you like butter or margarine on your toast, the more you’ll like EVOO on your Bruschetta! Give me more! No scade! More!

Then take the cut mango out of the fridge, and top each one with a slice or two…

A very important finishing touch is to drizzle a little more EVOO on top of the fresh mango slice, then sprinkle or scatter just a little bit of the Hawaiian salt on top, along with a twist or two of fresh cracked black pepper. The Hawaiian salt on top of the mango (vs. on the bread before you put the mango on top) helps to punch the mango’s flavor right through, down to the base of the bread, like one happy Bruschetta should be.

When you eat it, bite right through the mango slice and bread in once chomp…

While I’m eating it, I also like to dip the Mango Bruschetta in the EVOO run-off sitting in the dish. That’s the shindizzle bruschetta twizzle, yo. lol

The exotic, slightly tangy, really sweet mango flavor couples so well with the hearty, crusty french bread, and the garlic and EVOO, along with that boost by the Hawaiian Salt and spice of the black pepper is truly a marriage made in heaven. And it’s so easy to make!

I don’t know though. You may think it sounds, or even tastes weird when/if you try it. I’m banking that you’ll really dig it though. I LOVE IT!

You could even experiment and expand a bit by perhaps adding a basil leaf, some cream cheese, or even mayonnaise, which believe it or not, the latter is FANTASTIC with mangoes! But really, keeping it simple like this is probably the best approach.

I also tried sliced mango on a Rosemary and Olive Oil flavored Triscuit…

Looks like cheese, yeah? lol

How was this? Not bad! Better than with Papaya, which I also tried. That didn’t really work, but the mango was pretty darned good. Not GREAT like it is on Bruschetta, but good.

So when you’ve got the Mango Bread Blues, pick up a bottle of EVOO and a loaf of french bread and make yourself some Mango Bruschetta!

Seafood Fetecinne with Herbed Cream Sauce, $17.95

When it comes to finer dining establishments in the Hawaii Kai area on Oahu’s east side, names that might come to mind are Roy’s Restaurant, featuring “Hawaiian Fusion” cuisine, Assagio’s Italian Restaurant, and what we have labeled here as “Global Island” cuisine at Blu Water Grill.

Their neon sign is usually lit up, which would have made a better picture here, but on this night they had it off. Oh well.

Blu Water Grill opened its doors at this prime Hawaii Kai marina location back in 2004, and now, four years later continues to thrive, often filling the house during peak lunch and dinner hours, as was the case when we arrived the other night.

Which is no wonder, as not only do you get a spectacular million dollar waterfront view, but also a tantalizing menu created by Chef/Owner Bill Bruhl, who served as Executive Chef at Ryan’s in Ward Center for many years prior to taking on this new venture.

Reservations are highly recommended here, which we booked our birthday dinner party for mom of five for 7:45pm at an outside patio table , just steps from the water. During this early part of summer, the sun was just about set, yet even with the light at dusk and dark setting in, the marina is still a beautiful place to behold.

The establishment is cozy in size, with a clean, contemporary islander decor. There’s bar area on the right side, with a waiting area and main dinning room to the left…

Here’s where we sat on the patio outside…

Those are neighboring patrons, not us.

As you see, every table out on the patio is taken here, which is ideally where you want to sit when the weather is nice (almost always), as it was on this occasion.

Those lights on that wall in the background is the backside of Costco - the only thing visually unappealing of an otherwise gorgeous panoramic view of the marina

As you see, by the time we settled in, it was about 8pm and already dark…

Even if you sit inside, it’s an open-air restaurant…

…which I much prefer over enclosed AC “boxes”, giving BWG major points over Roy’s in that regard.

Also open to view is the kitchen…

Of course, it just can’t be named “Blu Water Grill” if they didn’t have a grill!…

See the Kiawe coal’s flames burning under those scorching cast iron grates? That’s big time FLAVOR my friends! Big mahalo to our waiter for taking this shot!

OK, enough peeping around the digs. Let’s eat!

The waiter immediately took our order for cocktails and brought back a warm basket of complimentary what I think are Okinawan Sweet Potato rolls and a french loaf…

The purple rolls tasted a little sweet and were soft and supple, but I preferred the hard crust and slight saltiness of the french bread to accompany my dish.

Saving room for the main entree, for an appetizer starter we all just shared a plate of BWG’s popular Macadamia Nut Crusted Prawns…

Macadamia Nut Crusted Prawns with Thai Chili-Coconut Aioli - Black Tiger Prawns crusted with crushed Macadamia nuts and Japanese bread crumbs, $13.95

These were ono! Only thing is, I couldn’t really detect the Macadamia Nuts in texture or flavor; just the panko. Perhaps they went too far and pulverized the nuts instead of only crushing them.

The prawns itself were juicy and sweet, yet rather small, which kind of made eating just one a “tease”. But wow, that Thai Chili-Coconut Aioli.. broke da’ mout! There’s just a hint of spicy-hotness in an otherwise explosion of exotic creamy delight. You could spread this Aioli on a rubber slipper and it’d taste good.

Now that we’re all “Prawn teased”, it’s time for the main dish!

Diner “M” ordered the Seafood Fetucinne (also pictured at the top of this posting)…

Seafood Fetecinne with Herbed Cream Sauce - Kiawe-grilled shrimp, scallop and daily catch served atop fetucinne with a basil pesto cream sauce, $17.95

Diner “M”, who is a major pasta lover, was totally into this dish. She gave me a grilled scallop and some of the fetuccine to try myself, and yes, that basil pesto cream sauce is killer! A pleasant balance of “creamy-herbyness”, and it tasted like quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) was used for the pesto. The fetuccine itself perfectly al dente. This dish was an excellent choice.

Diner “K” ordered this…

Mango-Guava Glazed Pork Spareribs with Caribbean Slaw - Slow-roasted pork ribs, finished over Kiawe coals with our signature mango-guava BBQ sauce. Served with Jamaican peas and rice and Caribbean style slaw, $22.95

These had a slight spicy-hotness to them, with a mildly sweet fruitiness to it, but it didn’t really scream “MANGO GUAVA” to me, which I tried a few ribs that she shared. It was tender and moist though, with the all-important flame-seared, crusted “papa’a” edges. The rice was a dry, loose, long grain “Uncle Bens” type, which is sort of weird for us locals used to sticky medium grain rice, but it actually brings a sort of nuttiness and texture contrast to the plate which is nice. The Caribbean style slaw was delicious, balanced out the dish perfectly. Otherwise, the flavor spices and sauce on the ribs were just OK, but I’m not sure I’d order this here again unless I were REALLY craving ribs. Diner “K” also had the same sentiment, mainly ordering the dish out curiousity over any other reason of choice.

My girlfriend went with a rather unconventional choice for dinner here and ordered this…

Fire-Grilled Chicken Panini - Herb-marinated and kiawe-grilled breast of chicken on an onion-ciabata roll with basil mayonnaise, mesclun greens, balsamic vinaigrette and crisp fried capers, $13.95

She really enjoyed it the sandwich, noting the distinguishable kiawe-smoke flavor of the moist chicken breast and and chewy texture (in a good way) of the grilled Panini bread. The only issue was the fries, which were cooked perfectly golden crisp ‘n tender, but were over salted, making eating only about 1/4th of what was on the plate tolerable - a minor blunder that’s surely an isolated case. She said she’d order this again for lunch.

Yours truly chose one of the specials on the menu here…

Creole-Crusted Ono with Orange Beurre Blanc - Crusted with Cajun spices, fire-grilled, served over garlic mashed potato, grilled seasonal vegetables and finished with citrus infused beurre blanc, $22.95

I chose this because it was seafood dish using Ono on the menu. Other than that there was shrimps, scallops, mahimahi and salmon, which are all too common. I ended up not very thrilled with this citrus infused Orange Buerre Blanc sauce though. IMO, it just didn’t work with the smokey-spicey grilled fish. You could certainly taste those Cajun spices.

The fish was also a bit too medium-well for me. I should have requested them to cook it medium rare. The saving grace were the grilled seasoned vegetables, which were very tasty, retaining most of their texture, without being limp, and the house garlic mash was fantastic, but if I had my choice again, I’d take pasta or rice as a starch with this dish. Something about Mash and seafood doesn’t work for me. Mash gotta’ be with meat.

BWG is flexible with their menu, and I could have requested a different preparation for the ono instead of the Cajun/Orange Beurre Blanc treatment, but at least I tried it, which is always a good thing to expand my culinary experience.

Finally, my mother, the birthday girl, ordered the steak…

Hawaiian Salt Rubbed Angus Beef Top Sirloin - Center cut, aged sirloin, hand-cut, rubbed with cracked black pepper and Hawaiian sea salt, kiawe-grilled, served over red jacket mashed potato and toopped with crisp fried Maui onions, $25.95

Looking at the plate presentation, I’m gonna’ have to give them a D-minus on that. Why are they covering that juicy dry-aged steakand it’s beautiful Kiawe-fired sear markings with those onions? Put the onions around it! And put some color on the plate! At least a sprig of parsley or something.

Aside of presentation, how did she like it? She LOVED IT!

Medium-rare perfection…

See, mom is a purest when it comes to steak. Absolutely no fancy-shmancy sauces or rubs for her. All she wants on her steak is Hawaiian Salt, pepper and garlic. That’s it. Nothing else, and I agree. Let the beef do the talking - don’t drown it out. So this choice was perfect for her.

The steak was very flavorful, tender and moist, with a smokey, seared crust from the Kiawe coals. And the fried Maui Onions, which look to be dipped in a simple tempura batter, paired with the savory steak just perfect, as did the garlic mash.

A highly recommended dish.

And if that steak preparation isn’t exactly your bag, the menu also offers a Carribean Roasted Ribeye Steak with Garlic Au Jus at $24.95, and a Kiawe-Grilled Fillet Mignon with Wild Mushroom Demi Glaze for $29. A bargain if you compare that to a comparable cut of steak from Outback next to Roy’s. Especially when you factor in the much more sophisticated level in preparation and quality of ingredients BWG offers over the competition.

Not to mention, once again, that million dollar waterfront marina view.

After the main course we were all stuffed and skipped on dessert, even though it was a Birthday (which we forgot to mention to the waiter). Although we did come close to ordering the popular Lilikoi Creme Brulee and Banana Lumpia, but then opted out, thinking it would only go to waste, even if we doggie bagged it.

Our waiter was very friendly and on top of everything, keeping glasses full and table clear, while the dishes all came out in a timely manner and piping hot.

Mom, for some reason, loves Outback and requested we take her there for her birthday, but thankfully we were able to talk her into trying out Blu Water Grill. Now she’s hooked and wants to return again soon! This was actually a return visit for me and the lady, as we’ve been here several times over the course of the years since they opened. IIRC, my last order from here was also a steak. I also remember their Banana Blintz dessert which was so ono, but that’s no longer on the menu, replaced by the Banana Lumpia.

Like any restaurant, there’s hit and miss dishes at BWG, but those that hit, hit hard and good, as was the case on this visit with the Hawaiian Salt Rubbed Sirloin and the Seafood Fetucinne. So ono. Surely there’s many other items on the menu we have yet to try that are also dynamite. With a fire-buring Kiawe grill to back that up, a competitively priced menu with something for everyone, and a romantic, quiet waterfront dining experience in beautiful Hawaii Kai, you can’t go wrong.

Here’s how Hawaii Kai Marina looks from approximately where Blu Water Grill is located during the day time…

Blue Water Grill is highly recommended.

Blu Water Grill
377 Keahole St.
(at the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, located on the marina waterfront between Long’s and The Shack)
1-808395-6224

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Related links:
• Blu Water Grill review - Honolulu Advertiser
• Blu Water Grill review - Honolulu Star Bulletin

Kachan’s home-made “ichiban” Choux Creme “Creme Puff” with fresh Strawberry and Kiwi Fruit

Going through my photo archives, I came across this set of absolutely awesome Choux Creme or “Creme Puff” pastries brought for us as Omiyage on Halloween this past year. Notice the Halloween-themed colors represented by the candy sprinkles. This being one of several holiday occasions throughout the years that we’ve been so fortunate to receive them.

And as they always are, these gems are the immaculate work of “Kachan”, a family friend of ours from Japan now living here, who over the years out of her home kitchen has absolutely perfected this delicate French pastry to a science and art.

The puff pastry “shell” here has that airy lightness to it, with a perfectly-crisped texture contrast provided by the baked-brown outer crust. The light-yet-rich, vanilla-flavored creme filling is so cool, smooth, and, well… creamy!

Size-wise, they’re a bit too large to pop each one whole, but with effort or a large mouth you probably could. Otherwise about two or three savoring bites will do it, which while doing so, you must be strategic in your “angle of attack” so the creme filling doesn’t ooze out, which can be a bit of a challenge, yet kinda’ fun and certainly a tasty reward.

While the chocolate shell and various other toppings are nice, what really kicks these up are the application of fresh strawberries and Kiwi fruit as shown on the left two, where the acidity and further dimension of texture those afford make eating these almost a spiritual moment. Seriously, they’re that good.

For a convenient retrospective, let’s look at some creme puffs we’ve covered in the past…

Beard Papa’s vanilla, chocolate and strawberry Creme Puffs (sans powdered sugar… booo!), $1.50 each

Liliha Bakery’s Coco Puffs with Shantilly topping (left) and Creme puffs with chocolate topping (right), $.80 each

Kachan’s Strawberry & Kiwi Fruit Choux Creme

Pan Seared Kona Kampachi - Topped with Shoyu, Ginger Vinaigrette, Citrus Beurre Blanc and Jasmine Rice, $29

With an open air view of Waikiki Beach, casual, yet romantic, elegant dining, and fantastic Island cuisine on the menu, we headed on over for a sunset dinner at the Ocean House Restaurant.

This here is actually our second visit within just a few months, as we enjoyed it so much the first time, we came back for an encore!

The plantation home decor and open air atmosphere feels casual, cozy and romantic. The latter thanks to the beachfront location and quiet mood afforded by the guests. No “shoutfests” here.

They’re situated just steps from Waikiki beach, providing unobstructed panoramic views…

Like any oceanfront dining experience, it’s best to be seated during sunset…

View of Waikiki sunset from our beach front table

With location and atmosphere so far scoring 100%, let’s get to the food!

The selections on the appetizer menu titled “Pupu Specialties” include Island Style Sashimi ($13), Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant Crostini ($9), Baked Seafood Dynamite ($12), Ahi and Maui Onion Tartare ($11), Escargot in Puff Pastry ($10), Coconut Lobster Skewers ($13), Seared Pepper Sea Scallops ($10) and Spare Ribs Kahala ($10).

This time around I chose the Escargot in Puff Pastry…

Escargot in Puff Pastry - Sauteed in garlic butter, mushrooms and melted brie cheese, $10

This was an interesting twist on the dish, especially if you’re used to the drawn butter, served-in-the-shell version. Aside of it being a bit salty by nature, the melted, buttery brie cheese really punched out the earthy tones of the Escargot and mushrooms. What really made this dish exceptional was that flaky puff pastry “bun”, which added such a fantastic texture contrast. I just wish there were more of it to sop-up all that buttery, cheesy goodness.

Sopping up sauces actually is all covered, as you’re provided with their complimentary, house-made Sourdough bread…

Complimentary Sourdough Bread and Butter

Served hot out of the oven, their Sourdough bread is chewy on the inside, hard and crusty on the outside, with that distinctive sourdough flavor and fantastic overall execution. This is excellent bread. In fact, easy to get stuffed on if you’re not careful!

Back to the Pupus, the first time here, we ordered the Spare Ribs Kahala, which were also fantastic. They’re served drenched in a “Maui Gold Pineapple Barbecue Sauce”, which basically a sweet and sour sauce. They’re fall-off-the-bones tender and have a nice, smokey, grilled flavor.

Our neighboring table ordered the Coconut Lobster Skewers…

Coconut Lobster Skewers, $13

We thought about ordering that, but since we already had a seafood dish in mind for an entree, went with the Escargot instead.

My girlfriend doesn’t care for Escargot (Ha ha… more for me!), so this time around she went the Maui Onion and Tomato Salad…

Maui Onion & Tomato Salad - Mesclun Greens, Gorgonzola Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette, $7

This dish is all about simplicity using the highest quality, freshest ingredients. One thing you can’t fool anyone by, is substituting a Maui Onion with any other onion. There’s no denying that sweet, smooth flavor, rather mild “bite” and soft texture. Being a prominent component of this dish, served in two massive slices, it’s gotta’ be right. These were right. “Maui Onion right”. That, along with the slight acidity of the tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette - the dressing a triumph itself - is so delicious. That could have been the dish alone, yet adding to the party were those fresh Mesclun greens, pungent Gorgonzola and light and crispy fried noodle topping for added texture that rounded it all out, completing all layers in a fantastic, simple way.

Other salads on the menu included the Ocean House Salad ($7), Classic Caesar ($8) and Sonoma Goat Cheese Salad ($11).

Now for the entree. As mentioned earlier, we both had fish in mind, but my girlfriend changed her mind last-minute and went with the “Hawaiian Salt” Slow-Roasted Prime Rib Au Jus from their “Electric Imu”…

“Hawaiian Salt” Slow Roasted Prime Rib Au Jus - Light Cut - $24

She requested that they “Pulehu” it for an added char-grilled flavor boost, which they did as you can see by the sear marks. According to the menu it’s served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, but she opted for rice. True local girl. lol

Of course I had to sample a bite “for research purposes”, and must say, you KNOW this is PRIME beef. Medium-rare, yet tender enough to cut with my fork. Honestly. It could have actually used a little more Hawaiian Salt, but the herb seasonings was nice. Certainly highly recommended for any Prime Rib connoisseur.

As seen earlier, I ordered the Pan Seared Kona Kampachi…

Pan Seared Kona Kampachi - Topped with Shoyu, Ginger Vinaigrette, Citrus Beurre Blanc and Jasmine Rice, $29

This is actually the same dish my girlfriend ordered on our first visit here. I loved it so much, I ordered it this time! The Shoyu and Ginger Vinaigrette pack a powerful punch to the seared skin-side crust, protecting a delicate and moist white-fleshed, mild-flavored meat that I’d say falls somewhere between Ono and Mahimahi as the best way to describe it. It would be a crime to overcook this fish (or any fish for that matter), and fortunately the Ocean House kitchen are masters at this craft, making this the third plate we’ve had from them that continues to reflect perfection. The rice and asparagus weren’t anything to write home or here about, but at least to say it was cooked properly, and worked well as a back-up band to a fantastic lead singer in that Kampachi. Overall, awesome!
On our first visit, I ordered Parmesan Crusted Opah Picatta, which was served with caper wine lemon butter sauce and Maui onion mashed potatoes for $27. That was also awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I’d easily order that again as well.

Other Hawaiian fresh fish entrees include Grilled Salmon ($26), Crab-Stuffed Mahi Mahi ($27), Hapu’upu’u ($28) and Garlic Ahi Steak ($26).

Other menu items include everything from chicken, steaks, and stir fry, to Shrimp Scampi and Bouillabaisse.

To view a snap-shot of the entire main menu click here and here.

This second visit was actually to celebrate my birthday, to which a chocolate cake dessert was kindly brought to our table, compliments of the house…

Chocolate Cake

Big mahalo to Ocean House GM David Nagaishi, who was so kind to us on both our visits. Being a restaurant in a hotel, he said it’s always refreshing to see locals come in and enjoy. He spent time talking with us about the place and just life in general. Really nice guy. Our server and staff was also very attentive, keeping our water filled, table cleared and skillfully monitoring when we needed or didn’t need anything.

Our tab came out to about $90 (before tip) which included everything, including 1 round of drinks. Thankfully, because of the location and the excellence in all aspects of our experience here, the price of admission is well worth it.

They’re obviously doing something right at Ocean House Restaurant. So much so that we can’t wait to find another reason to celebrate here and try more items on the menu!

Of course, none of the write-up or photos in this post, or any other post doing justice to the real deal of being there.

So if you’re looking for a romantic and elegant, yet casual dining experience to share with someone, with excellent Pacific Rim Cuisine, and a priceless view of Waikiki beach, consider a sunset dinner at the Ocean House.

Ocean House Entrance (Linked image shows a collection of paintings depicting ancient polynesian canoes, on display at the front desk of the Outrigger Reef Hotel)

Ocean House Restaurant
Outrigger Reef Hotel
2169 Kalia Road (next to Halekulani, at the makai end of Lewers)
$5 valet parking
808-923-2277

The Tasty Island Rating:

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

Related Links:
• Ocean House Serves Savory Seafood in Idyllic Setting - Honolulu Star Bulletin
• Romantic Setting Awaits Islanders - Honolulu Advertiser