10 Piece Omakase ($50) paired with a sake flight
Shoji Namatame, executive chef of Waiolu Ocean Cuisine at Trump International Hotel Waikiki, invites the public to feast on his wondrous culinary creations.
Originally from Japan, Namatame has been with Waiolu Ocean Cuisine for the past 10 years. He has nearly 40 years of experience under his belt, working as a chef in locales as varied as California, Oregon, Maui, Guam, Bora Bora and Mexico.
Ahi Poke ($16)
Located on the sixth floor lobby level of the hotel, the Waikiki restaurant offers its customers four hours of free valet parking. Visitors will enjoy the eatery’s warm, inviting and down-to-earth vibe, which is welcoming to families, couples and others seeking a tranquil spot to eat.
The restaurant features an extensive menu with the finest seafood, such as abalone from the Big Island, Maine lobster with your choice of sauce, oysters from the West Coast, Alaskan king crab, and Manila clams.
Waiolu also has three types of multi-course set menus to select from — featuring items like rainbow ceviche or moi and desserts like creme brulee.
Day Boat Catch (market price)
“Our price point is very reasonable, and I would really like to bring it to more local families and local people,” Namatame shares.
He adds that Friday nights are an especially popular time at Waiolu among customers.
On the starters appetizer menu, Ahi Poke ($16) consists of the freshest sushi-grade ahi, green and yellow onions, ogo, soy sauce and sesame oil. It also includes a dash of green onion oil to add just that bit of extra flavor to kick this scrumptious dish up to the highest level.
Day Boat Catch (market price) ranges from about $30 to $36, depending on the type of fish selected from the day’s catch, which can include wonders of the ocean like onaga and opakapaka.
The chef’s presentation of the Day Boat Catch varies, but it may feature a medley of seared fish sprinkled with salt and pepper, and combined with a tasty mixture of spinach, shimeji mushrooms, butter sauce and micro greens.
The Day Boat Catch is also a part of the Ono Loa Course Menu (four courses) — the fresh catch can be served with diner’s choice of lemon butter caper, kabayaki beurre blanc or lemon brown butter sauce.
On the restaurant’s extensive sushi menu, one can find 10 Piece Omakase ($50). This exciting option features the chef’s choice of assorted toothsome nigiri. For example, some selections at Waiolu may include ika, tuna, snow crab, uni, hotate, chutoro, king salmon, mackerel and the Japanese style egg omelet known as tamago. Omakase and the Day Boat Catch are part of the restaurant’s dinner menu, while the Ahi Poke is available after 3 p.m.
The eatery offers a daily happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. and a late happy hour from 9 to 10:30 p.m. with a specially selected menu.
What’s more, the restaurant recently opened a new sushi bar section, and it even has a children’s menu to please keiki.
There’s always something for everyone at this enticing restaurant in the heart of Waikiki.
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