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The Weekly Eater
WHILE a lot of entrepreneurs seem to be thinking small, introducing take-out shops or specializing in a few choice items, someone at Treasure Garden was thinking big. One more ‘Treasure’
for KaimukiKaimuki has always been home to a lot of small neighborhood restaurants, with nothin' fancy about them. If you wanted dinner and a reason to dress up, you had to head to Kahala, Waikiki or back into town. Think of all the business a restaurant could muster by keeping the birthday/anniversary/celebratory set at home!
Treasure Garden
Food1/2
Atmosphere
Service
ValueAddress: 3553 Waialae at 11th
Although I didn't find any real treasures on a first visit, I was lucky enough to find some gems the second time around.
Treasure Garden's plain exterior does little to distinguish it from its neighbors, which makes the interior surprising in its spaciousness. It's elegant for a neighborhood restaurant, with glass-topped partitions and art work featuring images of squash blossoms and other flora. Two private rooms can seat 12 each. A partition opens up between them to serve parties of up to 36.
It takes a lot of bodies to fill the 230-capacity room, and lacking those bodies, it can get chilly. This made soup priority No. 1. We passed over the Dried Scallop Soup ($8.95), Won Ton, and Hot & Sour soups ($7.25) in favor of the Crab Meat and Fish Maw (referring to the fatty underbelly) Soup ($8.95). Although the real crab meat was a plus, the broth itself lacked body and flavor. Oh well, this was not meant to be the main attraction.
As we progressed through the first visit, we found the problem was not an isolated one. Many of the dishes sampled didn't have enough salt to bring out the flavors of the ingredients, and while this is desirable for those on the low-sodium plan, the rest of us go out to live a little. We can watch our diets at home.
Spared from this fate were the Fried Spareribs ($7.95) with seasoned pepper salt, and the Crispy Chicken ($10 half/$18 whole), accompanied by its own serving of salt to sprinkle atop the skin, which didn't live up to the name of the dish.
The Peking Duck ($13 half/ $25 whole) was much better, although our waiter was clumsy in serving it. I see this more often these days and feel like saying, "Go away. I can do the job better myself."
Specialties include Frog Legs ($12.95) -- yes, it tastes like chicken, but with the bouncy texture of calamari -- sauteed in a ginger and onion sauce, and Clams in Wine Sauce ($9.95), served in a spicy broth with long rice. It's fiery even when ordered mild, and they'll also vary the amount of wine used. Most people ask for extra.
Lobster, at $8.99 per pound, can be ordered several ways, but after trying one steamed with garlic and another sauteed "Supreme Style" with fried garlic, chiles and sesame seeds, I'd opt for the latter, which was much more succulent.
For dessert, break away from the Almond Tofu ($1.95) and try the Mango Pudding ($1.95), a chilled confection topped with a thin layer of condensed milk.
The restaurant, as is, is a treasure for the Kaimuki community, which is likely willing it to stay humble. The parking lot's full enough already.
See a listing of past restaurants reviewed in the
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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
