After settling into a bright red, sparkly booth or plopping down on an ultra cool Mod-style chair, you’ll look up at a giant screen blasting K-Pop music videos and realize that Red House in Honolulu is not your average Korean restaurant. For nearly a year, the Keeaumoku Street hot spot has excited the local dining scene with its hip vibe.
“This style is a really popular cafe style in Korea,” says owner and chef Justin Chun, who in addition to giving his eatery a contemporary look, has spiced up his menu with the latest Korean food trends.
“It’s fusion cuisine — we like to combine different flavors,” says Chun. “There are a lot of traditional Korean restaurants in Hawaii, but in Korea, people are actually eating more of these new flavors.”
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- Servers Austin Choe and Michelle Ko
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- K-Maki ($19.99)
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- Kimchi Katsu Don ($9.99) (File photo)
The owner’s take on “new-generation Korean food” involves a captivating blend of classic dishes mixed with international flavors — everything from Chinese and Japanese twists to Italian and Mexican nuances.
Some of the best examples of these modern eats are featured on Red House’s New Menu and Lunch Combo Special. Try tasty creations such as Black Pasta ($12.99) with a creamy black bean sauce or Kimchi Katsu Don ($9.99), which presents pork cutlet with kimchi and egg on rice.
One of the menu highlights is K-Maki, a colorful platter of unique — and absolutely scrumptious — Korean-style sushi.
“We took a lot of Korean side dishes and put them inside the sushi,” says Chun. Spicy Anchovy Roll, for example, is prepared with traditional-style anchovies that have been kicked up a notch with spicy green chili pepper.
Choose from heavenly bite-sized pieces of Kimchi Tuna, Garlic Bacon, Bibimbob, Bulgogi, Spam or Mayo Tuna sushi as well. Each filling packs a punch on its own, but when combined with rice, Korean radish and a wasabi mayo dipping sauce, it’s simply impossible to leave anything on the plate.
Diners may order any three rolls for $9.99, or try all seven for $19.99. KMaki also is part of the Lunch Combo Special (served form 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), a menu of lunch sets in which patrons customize their meal. One such special is the Noodle Combo ($12.99), a choice of Buckwheat Noodle, Seafood Noodle or Spicy Seafood Noodle, plus any two K-Maki sushi rolls or a Mini Chef Special.
You can be among the first to try Red House’s New Menu and Lunch Combo Special, as both offerings debut their innovative flavors tomorrow.
Red House in Honolulu
835 Keeaumoku St. #I-101B, Honolulu
944.0088
Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight
Honolulu, HI 96814
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