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The Weekly Eater
PEOPLE entering the Blue Room for the first time have been feeling unsettled, disoriented. Blue Room offers
artful cuisine"It's so empty! You need some art," some have suggested, not realizing that the room itself is a work of art.
The "blue room" refers to the experience of riding inside the tube of a wave. The restaurant aims to evoke the sensation of the ocean and outdoors with its Astroturf lawn, sand-colored floor and stark white walls trimmed with blue.
It's the work of fashion designer Kazuya Hirayama, known in Europe and his home country of Japan for his glam designs. He's dressed the Spice Girls and Japan celebrities and models including Namie Amuro.
THE BLUE ROOM
Food 1/2
Atmosphere Service Value
Address: 327 Keawe St.
Hirayama is a partner in the restaurant, having long wanted to pay homage to Hawaii and his love of surfing. He's also an aficionado of the luxury of space --decor upstairs encompasses a few tables and blue lamps --and is a stickler for details such as making sure wine glasses are lined up precisely an inch apart at the bar.
Such attention bodes well for the quality of cuisine served. It seems no expense has been spared in bringing the best ingredients to the table. This task has been entrusted to chef Todd Kimura, who hails from the Hawaii Prince Hotel and Roy's, which might as well hand out diplomas to all the promising young chefs it's turning out.
The scope of Kimura's menu is amazing considering he has only a three-man kitchen.
Barring any allergy to seafood, it's possible to have a light summer meal here on appetizers and salad alone.
Indonesian Blue Crab Cakes ($9.90) are as plump as mini cupcakes and for once, boast more crab than filler. They are served buerre blanc dotted with furikake. Bursts of chili pepper inside the crab cakes wake the palate.
Check with your waiter if ordering the Crispy Wontons ($6.90), particularly if you suffer from seafood allergy. These may have a chicken or shrimp-fishcake filling depending on the chef's whims. These are served with a sesame-butter sauce dotted with li hing powder, which does little to enhance or detract from the wontons either. It's just there.
New Zealand Steamed Clams ($9.90) is a bit heavy for summer, with its black bean, ginger and wine broth flavored with lup cheong and green onions.
Calamari Pasta ($12.90) is penne tossed with a light creamy bacon chardonnay sauce. Cajun-spiced fried calamari sits on top, sprinkled with grated Parmesan. I was hoping to enjoy this as a leftover, but alas, I was given someone else's Puttanesca ($11.90). (It smelled good and my doggie loved it.)
The humble chicken ($18.90) is elevated here through slow roasting and a lychee-and-mango sweet-sour sauce. And Seared Shrimp and Scallop ($23.90) won points for simplicity, served with an herb-butter sauce, tomato concasse and mashed potatoes that taste homemade.
Rack of Lamb ($26.90) arrived with a savory wild mushroom risotto stirred with white wine, leeks, garlic and slices of asparagus. This was the best dish by far.
For dessert, there is a delicious Bread Pudding ($4.90) topped with vanilla bean sauce and a thick, eggy, cinnamon-dusted Creme Brulee.
You may also opt to pick up a $15 +BR2000 T-shirt that looks more like a fashion statement than a restaurant souvenir.
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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:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com
