Page 3 - Dining Out - Jan 1, 2023

Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee
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mochi-crusted kabocha, which is a great source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. It’s served with black currant tape- nade, pickled vegetables and Thai chile.
Our Spring Mixed Baby Greens ($16), aka Asian mix salad, comes with your choice of a sesame cit- rus vinaigrette, creamy herb or balsamic olive oil. The Kahumana Organic Baby Kale Caesar Salad ($18) features a Parmesan wafer. This is old-school. We chop the anchovies and garlic to make this dressing from scratch, and kale is a good source of plant-based calcium. These two dishes
jade pesto steamed snapper. This is high in protein and low in fat. It’s served with shiitake mushrooms, lup chong and a sizzling soy sauce. This is Roy’s signature pesto sauce specifically made for steamed fish. It’s made with cilantro, green onions and oyster sauce.
AL: Can you tell me more about your background?
TL: I have been with Roy’s Ko Olina for 19 years. In 2004, I started as a busser and continued to grow in my positions here. I have worked at other Roy’s locations to help open
them, but this location has been my home base. I was ready to expand my career and was given an op- portunity for a general manager position at Four Seasons (the GM position wasn’t available here), but I came back to this location, as this is where my heart was. I just made three years as general manager on Dec. 5.
AL: Chef Daryl talked about some of Roy’s Ko Olina’s healthy op- tions. What else can guests ex- pect from the menu?
TL: The menu items at any of Roy’s restaurants offer the best locally sourced ingredients.You have dishes prepared in the best way it’s meant to be eaten. We will ac- commodate dietary requests to the best of our ability; you don’t have to order the big bowl of rice, but we do have it for those that do enjoy it. Everything in moderation
is what I would say is key.
AL: Every Roy’s location has its own identity. What would you say is special about Roy’s Ko Olina? TL: Like you mentioned before, this is the 19th hole.We have many golf- ers that come right off the course to have a few drinks and pupus. You can smell the aroma of the food and hear glasses clinking when you come up to the 18th hole. It’s the next step after golf. We are com- peting with other resorts here, but to have the golf course right in our backyard is pretty special.
We have a wonderful mix of lo- cals and visitors, and to maintain a culture is difficult especially with the turnover that we face in the restaurant industry. The team we have works hard, as we are the only Roy’s restaurant open for lunch seven days a week. To be able to provide that level of service day in, day out is difficult; I couldn’t do this without my team. Executive chef Daryl is a big part of that culture. People come in to dine and return because of the food and the expe- rience; the feeling that people get once they come to Roy’s Ko Olina.
1. Kahumana Organic Baby Kale Caesar Salad ($18)
2. Spring Mixed Baby Greens ($16)
3. Simply “Vegan” ($26)
4. Barbecued Atlantic Salmon ($27/$53)
5. Chinese Style Steamed Opakapaka ($52)
Our weekends (Fridays-Sundays) offer live music from 6 to 9 p.m.
AL: Anything else you want to share?
TL: We want to give back to our community.We started doing beach cleanups in Nanakuli. Once, we end- ed up with 12-13 bags of trash. This is something that I wanted to do for team-building and also to take care of our neighborhood. We invite our staff and their families to help and then have a potluck after.We also did a toy drive for families on this side of the island. This isn’t for the public to see — this is the right thing to do.
Roy’s Ko Olina
Ko Olina Golf Course
92-1220 Aliinui Drive
royyamaguchi.com/ roys-ko-olina
are Roy’s staples on the dinner menu.
The Barbecued Atlantic Salmon ($27/$53) has teri- yaki grilled with bok choy and is served with somen noodles.
The Chinese Style Steamed Opakapaka ($52) is a Hawaii red snapper,
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Treat Yourself to a Hoku’s Feast on the Last Sunday of Each Month
Start the new year off brightly with the long awaited return of Hoku’s popular Sunday buffet. Experience a new dawn of fresh and classic items such as Signature garlic and rosemary rubbed prime rib of beef, misoyaki butterfish, steamed Dungeness and Snow crab, chilled lobster tail, Mountain View Farm suckling pig, auction-fresh sashimi, and a divine selection of decadent desserts.
RESERVATIONS
OpenTable 808.739.8760 HokusKahala.com
HOKU’S SUNDAY BUFFET
Sunday, January 29, 9 a.m.–1:30 p.m. $95* Adult, $48* Child (6-12)
*Does not include tax & gratuity.
AVAILABLE EVERY LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
Dining Out / January 1-7, 2023 / 3