TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS WEEK’S HOUSE SPECIAL: OMAKASE PLATTER ($18.90)
To celebrate fall’s arrival, warm up to Nabeya Maido in Market City Shopping Center. The restaurant, which opened in April, is renowned for its Japanese-style nabe. The method is simple: patrons choose their preferred soup base, then select from a range of assorted meats, seafood and vegetables to cook in a hot pot situated at every table. For the indecisive diner, co-owner and general manager Kevin Suehiro recommends Omakase Platter.
First-timers to Nabeya Maido may whet their palates on a spread of hot pot essentials, including cabbage, won bok, bean sprouts, ribeye, pork belly, fish balls with roe, shrimp, pumpkin, mochi, tofu, aburage, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms and watercress.
Yusuke “Sam” Sonobe serves as chef and business partner, and carefully selects each ingredient that goes into the homemade broth. The main broth is called Maido Nabe, made from a combination of katsuo bushi (bonito flakes) and konbu (kelp), along with mirin, shoyu, sake, garlic and chilies.
According to Suehiro, the dish offers diners a pre-made combination platter — an excellent option for those who want it all.
“As you cook your ingredients, the flavor (from the ingredients) will increase the taste of the broth, and as it boils off, it will get thicker and thicker. We encourage our customers to eat their noodles at the end of the meal when the broth is at its thickest,” explains Suehiro.
“The word maido is similar in meaning to aloha, and good food with hospitality are what we want to share with our customers,” explains Suehiro.
Nabeya Maido
Market City Shopping Center
2919 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 204, Honolulu
739-7739
Daily, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Honolulu, HI 96826
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