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The Weekly Eater
RESTAURANT moves are fraught with peril for owners, as well as loyal patrons who are left to wonder whether they'll get left behind as their favorite eatery enters a possible growth phase, picking up new customers and a new attitude, attempting the creative and risking its soul in the process. ‘Santa’ fills Tokkuri
Tei with goodiesMany were relieved to see Tokkuri Tei make a smooth transition from its longtime digs on Sheridan Street to its new home on Kapahulu in July.
Gone are the celeb-graffitied walls that sang the praises of chef Hideaki "Santa" Miyoshi and owner Kazu Mitake, but even without the written compliments, there's plenty of enthusiasm in the air.
"I was hoping that they would be able to capture what they had, and I think they did," said one patron who sits down for dinner at Tokkuri Tei at least once a week.
He takes a systematic approach to meals that seems to run counter to Tokkuri Tei's "anything goes" approach to its menu, which is filled with Miyoshi's humor and lighthearted cracks about the food.
Tokkuri Tei
Food
Atmosphere
Service
ValueAddress: 611 Kapahulu Ave.
"First, I order the Omakase Sashimi (chef's selection, market price). Then, we order cooked stuff halfway through because it's so tasty the fish is bland after that and we want to get the most out of it."Makes sense to me, but I'm more likely to take a candy store approach, grabbing at the first morsels that catch my eye. "I'll take that, that and that!"
TOKKURI Tei easily lives up to the izakaya tradition of offering "a place to stay and drink." The menu is vast and broken down into "Tasty Tidbits" parts I through VI that will keep you entertained for hours. Everything sounds yummy. An exception may be the fermented soybean dish Natto Ae ($7.50) but the chef gives you fair warning with the description, "It's not too bad!"
Other dish names are puns. Nick Jagger ($4.50) has little to do with the Rolling Stones front man, but is a play on the Japanese words niku (meat) and jaga (potatoes). In it, pork, potatoes and onions are stewed in a fish and pork broth spiked with sake and a bit of sugar.
With the Natsu Maki (spring roll), Miyoshi admonishes guests, "Do not order when we are busy!" Don't let him scare you. He said wrapping the roll takes a good 10 minutes which doesn't allow him to do anything else, "messes up my whole thing." But really, he aims to please.
Sushi is wonderful here, with thick, fatty cuts that are almost too heavy for chopsticks to support. Even maguro comes out of the kitchen looking like a thick slice of steak.
Also popular are the bata (butter-sauteed) items such as mirugai (king clam, $6.50), Japan scallop edged with coral ($7.50) and asparagus ($4.95).
A portobello ($6.50) comes stuffed with sticky fried rice. I loved the accompanying hot sauce but thought a dollop of mayo sauce overpowered the mushroom flavor.
Don't miss the Gyu Yaki (grilled strip loin, $5) or Sabi Yaki (wasabi-coated chicken, $3), which has less of a bite than wasabi-coated sushi.
Desserts, such as a light, azuki bean-accented green tea cheesecake, are imported from Japan. If these don't appeal to you, there's a Dave's Ice Cream shop next door.
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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
-- excellent;
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to nkam@starbulletin.com
