The Weekly Eater
GARLIC, sesame oil, soybean paste, ginger and the red pepper sauce ko chu jang. What kind of food are we talking about? No subtlety,
just good Korean foodFor those who know local foods, this adds up to one thing: the Korean plate. There's nothing delicate there, only intense, robust flavors that stick around long after the meal has ended.
While other chefs have lifted ideas from the Korean repertoire, there is very little fusion going on within Korean restaurants. They know what they like best. Chefs have always varied proportions of the above seasonings to suit their palates, but remain loyal to the basics.
Yakiniku Mika Won is one of the newest arrivals, having opened across the street from the Hawai'i Convention Center. It is wonderful, but potential diners must be warned it is not a place for the meek, the tired, the asthmatic.
The air is smoky due to wood-burning braziers brought to tables for grilling. You don't have to be grilling yourself to catch a whiff of someone else's dinner. Ventilation hoods draw up some of the smoke, but the smells reminded me of camp.
The restaurant requires two orders of meat for brazier cooking, at about $16 per order. Otherwise, if you want grilled tenderloin (16.95), chitterling ($14.95) or boneless chicken ($13.95), it'll be cooked for you, and that's not as much fun.
Food: YAKINIKU MIKA WON
1/2
Atmosphere:
Service:
Value:
Address: 1726 Kapiolani Blvd. (near Atkinson intersection)
GRILLED meats are accompanied by a double whammy of fat -- whole cloves of garlic in oil, which turn golden on the grill, and a combination of sesame oil and salt. It's depressing to be reminded that things that taste best are often bad for us.
Staffers recommend the thick cut of shortribs ($15.95), but I prefer the thinner kal bi cut ($16.95) for the ease of eating Korean style with the meat, rice, soybean paste, garlic and vegetables rolled up into a lettuce leaf or a fragrant, herbal-tasting sesame leaf.
Eight vegetable dishes and a roll of kim chee per person accompany the meal.
The Seasoned Raw Crab ($12.50) is an addictive treat that may be too fiery for some, painted red as it is with pepper sauce. Also not to be missed are Oyster Fritters ($9.50) in an egg, flour and green onion batter.
I can't say the same for the Miso Stew with Clams ($8.50), which does not offer the type of clams locals typically think of. The ones in this stew seemed to have been dried and not quite fully reconstituted, with centers like pebbles.
If you're not up to the dinner experience, plate lunches are available between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Mika Won Special ($7.50) has two pieces of mandoo, kalbi, chicken and meat jun, and a choice of four vegetables that go way beyond the offerings of most fast-food joints.
The weakest offering was the Bul Go Gi (part of the $6.95 lunch combo), the Korean barbecue beef, which was dry and lacked character.
This is a place where you can truly have a feast, whether spending a lot or a little, and that's rare.
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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;
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