Seared Scallops ($38)
Located on the corner of Merchant and Alakea streets in historic downtown Honolulu, Podmore is known for its world-class cocktails and delicious food made with craft in a beautiful space.
The chic, London-inspired bar/restaurant was created by chef Anthony Rush and Katherine Nomura, the duo behind Senia, an elevated eatery in Marin Tower that specializes in regional American cuisine.
Tagliatelle Carbonara ($32)
Since opening more than two years ago, Podmore has evolved its menu from snacks to full dinner with dishes like pastas, duck, pork belly and delicious wagyu steak for two, says Rush.
Here, the British chef shares some of the eatery’s can’t-miss plates, plus what guests can look forward to in the future.
Let’s Go To The Movies ($18)
DO: Tell us about some of Pod-more’s dishes.
AR: These are all from our dinner menu or evening cocktail list.
• Seared Scallops ($38): I really enjoy the balance of flavors of this dish — the earthiness of parsnip, the warming spice of chorizo, the saltiness of the bacon, the brightness of the citrus.
The Freddie OG ($30)
• Confit Duck Leg ($34): As with everything we serve, such as our bacon and sausages, we make the duck in house. This dish is comfort food. A whole duck leg sits on a bed of soft polenta. I wanted the sauce to be different flavors than what you usually see paired with duck and came up with a green olive and pine nut relish, which has almost 20 different ingredients in it. A microgreen salad lends some freshness to the dish.
• Glazed Five-Spice Pork Belly ($35): This dish is meat and potatoes, a tasty dish to fill the belly. It is also a nod to two things. The first is Senia, Podmore’s sister restaurant. It is located in Chinatown and one of the first large format dishes we had on the menu was a pork belly dish with this same glaze. The glaze itself pays homage to one of my mentors, David Everitt-Matthias, who created the five-spice glaze recipe that we use. It’s served with mashed potatoes and steamed baby bok choy.
The Freddie OG ($30)
• Tagliatelle Carbonara ($32): The food at Podmore — and at Senia — is all food that I want to eat. Carbonara is one of my favorite pastas. If it’s on a menu, more than likely I’ll order it. Ours is classic — freshly made pasta, housemade chunky bacon, eggs and Parmesan.
• Let’s Go to the Movies ($18): This cocktail is a great example of creativity, craft and collaboration. It is playful and delicious. This drink is actually two cocktails! They represent the two things almost everyone gets when they go to the movies — popcorn and a soda.
Glazed Five- Spice Pork Belly ($35)
• The Freddie OG ($30): This cocktail is the first whisky cocktail I ever enjoyed. It was actually created by my wife and partner, Katherine. My granddad’s drink of choice was whisky, so I was happy to finally have a whisky cocktail I actually enjoyed and that I could drink in his honor.
DO: How do you come up with the cocktails’ unique names?
AR: There are a lot of stories behind the cocktail names. The one that has the most meaning to me personally is the Freddie OG as it is named after my grandfather. The OG is because we can finally serve it the way I always imagined the drink to be.
DO: Is there anything new or upcoming you’d like to share with readers?
AR: We’re excited about New Year’s Eve! Since Senia is closed on Sundays, we’re going to do a collaboration at Pod-more. We’ll have a prix fixe dinner featuring some dishes with Senia-style food as well as some courses from the Senia tasting menu. It is available to book now (through Resy).
Since the food at Podmore has more British influence and reflects what I want to eat, in the new year, we’re going to start one of things I want most, a Sunday roast dinner. It will have all the classic trimmings and will be quite the feast. More details to come!
Also in the new year, we’re going to expand our hours and offer dinner seven nights a week. Everyone is welcome to come for drinks and stay for dinner.
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