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A Valentine’s meal with variety

A La Carte

February 7, 2021

Story By: Nicole Monton | Photos by: AKIRA JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Poke Bowl ($15)

As owner/head chef of Akira Japanese Restaurant, Taiki Kawai knows a thing or two about his home country’s authentic cuisine. He trained under renowned chef Hiroshi Igawa at Tokyo Kioicho Membership Club, and has been in the culinary industry since the age of 18.

With Valentine’s Day a week away, there’s still time to preorder a special holiday tasting menu for two ($100) prepared by chef Kawai. Call at least a day ahead to ensure availability, as this spread is limited to only 20 orders. The meal includes uni and beef tataki, eggplant and crab, deep-fried lobster arare, grilled hamachi kama, roast duck yuzumiso, butterfish ginger sauce, beef filet steak miso garlic, abalone tataki, and assorted sashimi and sushi.

Chef Kawai also has prepared a Naraman Junmai Sake & Special Bento Set ($28; $18.50 without sake) that comes with miso butter-fish, two pieces of karaage chicken, tamago, agedashi, eggplant with miso sauce, and beef tataki topped with grated daikon, green onions and ponzu sauce. Also part of the bento is a chirashi portion featuring salmon, tuna, ikura, tamago, cucumbers, shiso leaf, sesame seeds and the restaurant’s famous sushi rice.

Fans of traditional eats, meanwhile, can look forward to a Poke Bowl ($15) comprised of sea urchin, shiso leaf, salmon, ahi, kani, wakame, ikura and tobiko all over a bed of sushi rice — or check out akira-japanese-restaurant.com for a full menu to satisfy all your cravings.

1150 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96814

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