Menu gets tons of tasty updates

When a new year rolls around, it’s a time when people evaluate how they’re doing and make changes. And that’s exactly what Hung Won Seafood Restaurant in Kaimuki did as 2016 began: As of Jan. 1, the eatery is now offering more than 60 new menu items.

“As people came and asked for this and that, we kept adding and adding,” says Kevin Li, who opened the restaurant alongside his uncles and cousin in 2014.

Li took note of which off-the-menu dishes were the most popular, and many of those now can be found on the regular menu.

“We want to give customers more choices,” Li continues. “Especially for our regular customers — we have some who come two or three times a week, and we don’t want them to get bored. Now every time they come back, they can have different dishes.

“We’ve learned about our customers and what they like to order, and we’ve accommodated that,” he adds.

One of these new options includes Seafood with Sha Cha Sauce ($14.95), which combines a medley of seafood — shrimp, scallop and fish fillet — with a mix of various vegetables. Li explains that the sha cha sauce is a Chinese barbecue sauce that’s got a little bit of a kick.

“The sauce brings out the taste,” Li says.

Another new item is Beef Tenderloin Chinese Style ($13.95).

“It’s a high-grade (meat), so it’s more tender,” Li says. “And then it’s cooked with a Chinese homemade sweet and sour sauce.”

One of the most popular new items so far has been Braised Oyster with Tofu Casserole ($14.95), which combines tofu and oysters with vegetables inside a casserole.

Another big change for 2016 is that Hung Won has added a new seafood tank that holds live lobsters and Dungeness crab. Other additions include dishes with scallops and a number of new soups.

Hung Won Seafood Restaurant

3434 Waialae Ave., Kaimuki
732-6322
Daily, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.