Page 4 - Dining Out - May 30, 2021

Cover Story
Story by
DON ROBBINS
Photos by
ANTHONY CONSILLIO
The Mandalay owners Linda and Larry Chan pose with the ir-fried Rib-eye Steak with King
Oyster Mushroom ($28.95) and O
Beef Chow Fun ($13.95).
Stir-fried Pea Leaf Shoots with Garlic ($16.95), and the Chef’s Signature Char Siu ($18).
The Mandalay has been established since 2006 in downtown, but its roots actually stem from 1992, with owners Larry and Linda Chan starting with Eastern Garden in 1992 in the same location the eatery is currently occu- pying in Kaimuki.
“It is a very exciting chapter for us to return to where we originally started,” Chan explains. “Larry and Linda both have been committed to serving Hawaii quality Chinese cuisine for over 28 years,” she adds.
Both Larry and Linda were born and raised in Hong Kong, and worked their way up from servers at the local Chinese restaurant King’s
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The Mandalay has relocated to Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki from its former site in downtown Honolulu with a focus on
providing spectacular Chinese cuisine. “Currently it is a new environment so we are still very much experimenting with hours, menu items and offerings,” explains manager Christina Chan. “Our menu is streamlined to offer the usual popular Chinese fare, but we actually specialize in unique dishes that you don’t really find at your typical Chinese
restaurant.”
These items are usually only available on a
preorder basis, so The Mandalay is gravitating to taking private dinner reservations, in which the customer sets a custom menu beforehand.
“In this way, we want to have a greater focus on each individual dining experience as well as an emphasis on the freshness and quality of the food — quality over quantity. It also allows us to showcase our chef’s amazing talents and skills that aren’t limited to just the usual orange chicken and beef broccoli,” Chan declares.
The eatery’s mission is to provide top-notch food to a greater reach of people at reason- able prices through items such as the Grad Platter ($98) and the Dim Sum Platter ($49). For example, the Grad Platter includes four pieces each of har gow, siu mai, potstickers, shrimp chive dumplings, half-moons, spring rolls, gau gee and jin dui. It also features gon lo mein, char siu, honey walnut shrimp and green
beans with ground pork. Meanwhile, the Dim Sum Platter has gon lo mein and six pieces each of shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, steamed barbecue pork buns, potstickers and shrimp chive dumplings.
“These are great options for special oc- casions, but I’ve also noticed that people like to order them just for your everyday family meal,” Chan says.
The eatery also has an array of other offer- ings, and among them is the Beef Chow Fun ($13.95). It’s a classic that includes flat rice noodles stir-fried with bean sprouts and green onions. Meanwhile, there are items that re- quire advance notice, such as Stir-fried Rib-eye Steak with King Oyster Mushroom ($28.95),
4 / Dining Out / May 30-June 5, 2021