Tasty new trends await in Kapahulu

U.S. WAGYU TKG ($16)
This sunny dish is composed with U.S. Wagyu ribeye steak, OK Poultry Kimamaru egg and green onions all over rice. The Wagyu is prepared with a special house-made sauce and served in a bowl of sushi-grade rice. Diners are encouraged to stir everything together and enjoy the various textures and nuances that come together in the beautiful bowl.

Waioli Grill and Cafe offers a different take on Japanese food with a menu designed and created by its chef with more than 20 years of experience in the teppanyaki-style of preparing and cooking meats to ensure freshness and flavor permeates each bite.

Unlike a traditional izakaya, an informal Japanese pub, the ambiance, service and menu items at Waioli Grill and Cafe were designed around a “new American cuisine” concept with a “Japanese twist.”

U.S. WAGYU BACK RIB WITH HOMEMADE CURRY ($16)
For lunch, diners can enjoy a traditional Japanese set with a “rice bowl and soup.” This savory and rich dish is a popular choice that pairs nicely with a soup selection and multigrain rice. The rib meat is simmered for 12 hours until it falls right off the bone, while the curry also is cooked for 12 hours to capture all the rich flavors.

During the day, the restaurant serves up healthy lunch sets that are prepared ichiju sansei style — with a soup and three sides including appetizers and rice — to provide a balanced, customized meal tailored to each diner’s tastes.

And, when the eatery shifts focus to dinner service, the Japanese cafe switches up the vibe as a “cozy” bistro with fresh fish, seasonal classics and teppanyaki-style meats. Case in point: Diners can look forward to Wagyu ribeye and roast beef varieties and even raw oysters, just to name a few.

U.S. WAGYU TATAKI ($16)
These fine slivers feature seared U.S. Wagyu sashimi along with wasabi, soy sauce and pickled onion. The carefully sourced beef is charcoal-seared until grilled to perfection, so guests will notice the pure flavor that comes through — it isn’t masked with any strong sauces.

General manager Seiya Nakano explains that the restaurant opened late last year, and “little by little, guests are discovering us.

“For lunch, it’s a healthy cafe with balanced options — a fancier version of a plate lunch, but with more nutritious options and soup as well,” says Nakano. “During dinner, we offer excellent meat choices, and our chef can prepare these various proteins very well. Our soups are made from scratch using the stocks from specific meats.”

Walk-in guests are welcomed, but reservations are preferred by calling 734-5298.