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Barfly Jason Genegabus |
Wait help fails to
catch a waveTUCKED AWAY on Makaloa Street in the shadow of a monstrous building that will soon be home to a Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, Club Tsunami is a classic example of a neighborhood hole-in-the-wall bar.
Even though it's just a block away from Ala Moana Center and a short walking distance from Tower Records, the majority of local residents have probably never heard of this place.
But the bar's size, coupled with an underlying "members only" vibe I felt during a visit earlier this week, suggest its owners might be perfectly happy flying under the radar and catering to a select group of regular customers.
Club Tsunami
Hours: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Mondays through Fridays,
6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Saturdays and Sundays
Location: 1429 Makaloa St.
Phone: 951-8885
IT SEEMED like just another typical slow night when I walked into Club Tsunami on Monday with a friend. Two servers and a bartender lounged near the bar, and all six tables in the room were empty.
Almost immediately, my buddy headed back out the front door to make a phone call. That left me sitting by myself, watching another guy wheel in crates of records and a pair of turntables (more about him later).
For almost the next 10 minutes, I sat there alone as the bar's employees continued to talk story amongst themselves. Not a good way to start things off, especially when one of the servers and the bartender looked up at me when I first walked in and sat down.
Eventually, a local nightclub promoter and one of his friends entered the bar and sat at a table across from me, prompting an employee to hurry over and greet them with hugs. It was only after they ordered a drink that my friend (who had since returned to our table) and I were noticed.
BEER IN hand, I tried to forget about the initial wait that almost sent us in search of another bar to drink at, and instead focused on the pupu menu that sat on our table.
A co-worker of mine who had visited this joint before characterized it as a cross between Sidestreet Inn and a Korean bar, and that description is pretty much right, except the owners here are Japanese and not Korean. The menu is made up of mostly comfort food and typical bar fare, although there are a few specialties that are also worth trying.
Track lighting and wall-mounted fixtures are dimly lit, with mirrors lining one of the walls to help make the room feel larger than it actually is. Japanese scrolls hang opposite of the mirrors in the sparsely decorated bar, and two dart machines take up space near the front door. Another four seats at the bar provide more room for customers when all of the tables are occupied.
Once again, my friend and I were ignored as the VIP across from us was able to order shortly after sitting down. Only after his order was taken and relayed to the kitchen did someone bother to ask what we wanted to eat.
While the servers seemed affable and attentive to his needs, they were completely different when dealing with us. Our server seemed hurried when we tried to get some food, almost cutting me off and walking away before I could finish ordering off the pupu menu.
And even though the VIP got his grub all at once and in a timely manner, we had to wait a good 15 minutes just to get one of the three items we ordered. Then it was another wait for my friend's teriyaki burger with fries ($6), and yet another wait to get some blackened ahi ($12).
WHAT ENDED up saving the night for me at Club Tsunami wasn't the atmosphere or the food -- it was the vinyl tactics of Hot 93.9's DJ Technique, who started spinning live around 11 p.m.
Live DJs are featured on Mondays and Wednesdays at the bar, and every seat was filled shortly after Technique got set up and started mixing. The crowd was pretty young for the most part -- my friend remarked that the night felt like a condensed version of Pipeline Cafe's upstairs lounge, with hip-hop beats pumping and some of the same people I see out and about every weekend just kicking it with friends.
While definitely not my first choice on the weekend, I'd probably come back here on a Monday or Wednesday night just to get another taste of the live mixing in such an intimate setting.
But unless you're willing to put in the time and effort to get recognized as a regular, make sure you go with someone who knows someone important at the bar if you decide to visit. Your chances of getting quality service at Club Tsunami are much better that way.
How much for a Bud Light?
The Barfly drank $2.50 bottles of Bud Light during his visit to Club Tsunami. Import bottles run $4 each, and a full bar is also available.Get things to do?
A pair of dart machines and a Megatouch machine are located in the bar, and three televisions are spread throughout the room. Music videos were the only things playing on the televisions the night we visited, however.What about the grinds?
I was pleasantly surprised by the Zip Chicken ($8) our server recommended after informing me the kitchen couldn't make the chicken katsu curry with rice ($8) that I had originally ordered. Plate lunch fare, like a loco moco ($8), Korean chicken ($8) and hamburger steak with rice plate ($7), is on the menu alongside the typical bar snacks, and you can even order baked moi ($15) here.And the help?
If the service at Club Tsunami was as good as its employees looked, I wouldn't have a problem. While both servers and the bartender working the night we stopped by were very easy on the eyes, they did a poor job of keeping tabs on our drinks, and even tried to clear our plates even though there was still food on them! With only six tables in the room and two servers on duty, there's no reason for customers to feel like they have to go to the bar to order another drink -- yet that's exactly how I felt during our visit.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Barfly appears every Friday in Star-Bulletin Weekend.
E-mail Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com with suggestions of neighborhood bars to visit.