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The Weekly Eater Nadine Kam |
Flash meets (tasty)
substance at Okonomi
Cuisine KaiRocky Aoki made a big leap forward when he arrived from Japan to America with his Benihana concept of "samurai chefs." It wasn't so much that he had crossed an ocean and bridged cultures, but he had recognized that dining was a form of show biz. Back then, most people still thought the biz was only about food and service.
Well, his was a tough act to follow, but after more than 40 years someone was bound to think up something new in teppanyaki cooking, and that time is here.
The razzle-dazzle of flying shrimp and 'shrooms has been toned down, but behind the refined air of Okonomi Cuisine Kai is the teppan chef putting on a marvelous show. They wouldn't think of it that way. They're just cooking -- but their speed is amazing to watch if you ever get a chance to sit at the bar, a good way to get acquainted with the menu, though you may have trouble getting any seat. This place is jamming from 6 to 9:30 p.m. every night, so reservations are a must.
Okonomi Cuisine Kai's dramatic modern interior includes bead chain curtains.The restaurant's guiding principal is "kai wa," a respect for invisible atmosphere and communications as art, and as promised, every detail is exquisite. Its modern Tokyo-meets-Soho setting that includes bead-chain curtains, stark eggshell walls with a ceiling of naked wood, and accents of metal and flora including live bamboo and herbs. But for the ti plants, I felt as if I were suddenly transported to Nolita.
The staff comprises Japanese speakers who nevertheless cheerfully do their best to use their skosh English, doing far better than I would if I were in Japan.
ALTHOUGH new wave Japanese cuisine had an unremarkable start, Okonomi Cuisine Kai demonstrates they're not about to concede in the battle for culinary dominance. Yesterday, Japan conquered the electronics world. Today, automobiles. Tomorrow, the dinner table.
That they're catching up with our chop-suey aesthetic shows in "poke on the okoge" ($8.50). With timid first steps a thing of the past, the bold flavor of garlic and sesame oil does Hawaii proud. The poke is served on ogo and slightly crisped, browned rice. What used to be a throwaway food from the days of stovetop rice cooking is now a treat.
If you like mushrooms, it's better to get the sauteed eringi ahd shimeji 'shrooms in garlic butter instead of a special of tempura matsutake ($10.95). The earthy flavor of the matsutake wrapped in nori is wonderful, but the tempura batter was like rubber. I had to tear all that away.
Teppan chef Tommy Tomita works at the bar-length teppan surface.
Okonomi Cuisine Kai's menu sheds little light on its specialty, asking the questions: "Is it a pancake? Is it a pizza?" before prounouncing it "indescribably ono."
You could call it a pizza if you expand your notion of "crust" to a towering frittata topped with combinations of shrimp and spinach ($10.95), scallops and shiso ($11.95) or kim chee and pork ($9.95). I liked the latter, save for the last minute addition of a huge dollop of plum sauce that ruined its savory characteristics.
Oh well. The teppan surface is perfect for browning without burning food, and produces the most wonderful garlic scallops ($8.50 for four) with the simple flourish of garlic herb butter, and a hand-cut rib-eye steak ($19.50) simply splashed with wasabi shoyu on the teppan grill and topped with crunchy garlic slivers.
And why not follow through and wrap up with more eggs, this time in the form of a chocolate and banana crepe a la mode? It's the perfect finish.
1427 Makaloa St. (Wal-Mart side of Keeaumoku); valet parking / 944-1555 Okonomi Cuisine Kai
Hours: 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays
Food 
Service Ambience Value Cost: From $40 for two without drinks
See some past restaurant reviews in the Columnists section.
Nadine Kam's restaurant 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 nkam@starbulletin.com
excellent; very good, exceeds expectations; average; below average.
