My girlfriend and I celebrated her birthday last week at Alan Wong’s Restaurant in Honolulu. Alan Wong is one of 12 celebrated Hawaii Chefs who contributed in pioneering what is recognized worldwide now as “Hawaii Regional Cuisine”, where his restaurant happens to be a favorite of President Obama and ohana when they come into town for vacation every December. So you KNOW this place has got to be awesome, if it’s fit for the president of the greatest nation on this planet. In fact, so awesome that there’s currently nearly 850 reviews on Yelp about the joint. Wow!
What’s really odd about Alan Wong’s Restaurant is the LOCATION, which most people probably scratch their head over, thinking “Why isn’t he in Waikiki?”. While I never got a chance in asking him (nor Googling for it), I think there’s a method to his “madness”.
Sure, the rent’s probably cheaper here, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it. I think he believes his food is worth SEEKING OUT, not just coming across conveniently by walk-in tourists out-of-the-know. Ya’ know? Also, he probably wants quality control in a smaller, more intimate setting, not one where tables are pushed to be turned every hour or so. Here at Alan Wong’s original Honolulu Restaurant in the “burbs”, you can relax, not feeling pressure at all from a hustle ‘n bustle crowd, as is the case in what is now VERY BUSY Waikiki.
So anyway, yeah, Alan Wong’s is on the third floor of this nondescript office building on the Makai (ocean) side of South King Street, just after Artesian, and just before McCully if you’re heading Diamond Head (east-bound). So nondescript, blink and you just might drive right by it.
Speaking of driving, Alan Wong’s valet-only parking is $3 (plus tip), which is fairly reasonable.
A quick ride in the single elevator up to the third floor, and here we are…
Having made our reservations the same day, we were still able to get in, where they sat us in the left corner towards the side (back) where you see those waiters standing around a table.
I can see the secret service liking this joint, as the kitchen is open (as is the same at Alan Wong’s other restaurant, the Pineaple Room)…
No fine restaurant would be complete without a full-service bar…
Getting right to it, we’re seated, and immediately given the menu…
Oh, but wait, what do we have here? The entire menu and more on a handy-dandy iPad? Well how cool!…
I bet under all that culinary genius of Alan Wong lies this techno geek those of who don’t know him personally aren’t aware of. He probably writes and develops his recipes in aW-C++ code. lol
Let’s dig deep and check out what lies within Alan’s iPad menu app’…
Hhmmm, Sauteed Shrimp and Clams, Penne Pasta sounds good. Let’ check that out…
So does the Ginger-Crusted Onaga…
Then again, what’s that “Seafood Duo” all about?…
Darned it! No picture of the dish! Common’ braddah Alan, you slackin’ brah, you slackin’! lol
Actually, that had me even more intrigued, as the ‘Seafood Duo’ is one of the dishes featured in Alan Wong’s Blue Tomato Cook Book, so that’s what I ended up ordering for my entree.
Which comes in a bit (and onolicious bite!). First let’s go back “old school” to the printed menu and see the entire offering at Alan Wong’s on this very special birthday occasion…
Decisions, decisions, decisions. I’m pretty sure President Obama’s entourage didn’t have to choose anything at all, with a presidential prix fixe menu that included, well, EVERYTHING.
Nalani Kele, promotional for her Polynesian Review Show at the Stardust, Las Vegas, circa 1959
Speaking of which, while not at the national level, state-wise, we enjoyed several of the same dishes we’re about to partake in tonight’s dinner at my aunt and Godmother’s very regal 75th birthday a few years back at Washington Place (the Hawaii Governor’s Mansion), where Alan Wong did the personal catering. Read more on Aunty Nalani’s birthday here.
One of those same dishes from Aunty Nalani’s birthday that we enjoyed yet again on this occasion is AW’s Nori-wrapped Tempura Ahi, which started our apps’ round…
Top one of them super-premium-cut ahi medallion slices with the acidic, bite-worthy “lomi-style tomato-ginger “relish, and of course dip that buggah in da’ sauce!…
And? OH-EMM-GEE! TO DIE FOR. Um, like I’ll take 20 of these plates to go, please. lol I swear, I could just as well seriously order like 20 plates of this here Nori-wrapped Ahi Tempura and call it a day. Done. Pau. Go home. Moe Moe. Lights out. lol!!!!
It’s all about contrast of flavors and textures between the ever-so-delicate, light and crispy tempura batter, combined with the earthy flavor and chewiness of the Nori, and silky-smooth “like buttah” texture and flavor of the super high grade raw/gently-heated Ahi that’s just HEA-VEN-LY!
Then you have that pretty much classic Chinese style Shoyu and Coleman’s Mustard sauce. The SAUCE. Oh yes, the sauce my friends is what it’s all about, where you get that bite of heat, contrasted by the delicate crunch of the tempura batter and buttah-like Ahi, contrasted by the… contrasted by the, well, EVERYTHING aforementioned! Just writing this, I want 19 more plates more, onegai shimasu.
Going back to Aunty Nalani’s party, here’s how that same dish looked back then with some handy-dandy kabob sticks added for convenience…
Continuing our quest for all things raw ahi with crunch, we ordered Alan Wong’s also-famous “Poke Pines” to complete our apps course of the meal for the evening…
If there’s one thing that stood out besides of course the FLAVOR, was the PRESENTATION of every dish that came out of Alan Wong’s kitchen. I mean EVERY dish we watched landing on neighboring tables alongside our own was a so beautifully-presented work of culinary art.
Let’s dig into this “Poke Pine” and see what we’ve got…
As the iPad menu states (which you can tell I was fixated by), the Poke Pines are basically your standard Ahi Poke, which is a gentle toss of raw Ahi Tuna cubes, Shoyu, Ogo and Onion, encased in an ornately-cut wonton wrapper, and platted with very thin slivers of fresh avocado and an ever-so-slight drizzle of wasabi sauce. The latter of which I found not enough for dipping the ample quantity of extra wonton “pines” into. More wasabi sauce action, please! No worries though, as there was more than enough extra Chinese Shoyu-Mustard Sauce remaining from our accompanying Nori-Wrapped Ahi Tempura dish to dip the pines from our poke into. lol But yeah, other than the shortage of wasabi sauce needed for the ample extra amount of wonton wrapper encasing the poke, this dish rocked as well. The slightly heated ahi poke inside – when combined with the super-crunchy-crispy wonton – was that good.
Oh, my apologies. I forgot to mention Alan Wong’s default (computer geek kickin’ in) complimentary dinner rolls…
These Ciabbata-style rolls arrived at the table fresh-baked, super glutenously-meaty-moist and pipin’ hot, served with a generous dish of Ceyenne Pepper Aioli alongside to get even more “sauce” on…
As it turned out, the spicy-hot “kick” from the ceyenne pepper in the aioli was just what the doctor ordered for this super fresh-baked, wonderfully crusty-tender dinner roll. Ono stuff!
But not too much bread, as we have to save room for our entree, where my girlfriend couldn’t resist some tender beef action in the form of Alan Wong’s famous Korean-style Braised Short Ribs…
And again, here’s how this same dish looked back at Aunty Nalani’s party…
Another angle for the evening…
The “stuff” to the left arranged like an “H” is roasted eggplant, while next to it is some sort of what thought was rather wierd-tasting sweetened fruity ketchup-like “bbq” sauce. I think they were trying too hard on that and should just stick with a thickened shoyu-sugar and sesame oil-based Korean style Kalbi sauce to plate this. In retrospect, I also don’t think the plain-steamed broccoli and cauliflower were the best match, and some authentic Korean-style banchan would be a better choice here.
Of course, where there’s beef, gotta’ “get” rice…
Other than those nitpickinz, this dish ROCKED. Or at least according to my girlfriend it did so, as I wasn’t having none of that with my current vegetarian-oriented – ehem, cough-cough – “diet”. lol
But seriously, according to her, as was at Aunty Nalani’s birthday bash, it remained the same super moist, deeply penetrated with the Korean Kalbi style marinade flavor, uber moist ‘n tender delicious. Oh, in case you didn’t notice, the sauteed garlic shrimp topping it was ono too. lol
On to my entree, I decided to Try Chef Wong’s new “Seafood Duo”, which harks from his relatively new cook book Blue Tomato…
Oh, that’s right, his iPad app’ as of yet didn’t have a picture of the dish. Well here it is…
Angle “B”…
Angle “C”, showcasing the meaty sliced-down-the-center half lobster tail…
Angle “D”, showcasing the generous CHUNKS of lobster tail and scallop meat within the accompanying buttery-saucy-rich “lasagna”…
Angle “E”, showcasing the also saucy-rich, Cold Kona Poached Lobster Beurre Fondue…
In case you didn’t get that the first time, let’s repeat, “saucy-rich, Cold Kona Poached Lobster Beurre Fondue”…
In case you didn’t get that the second time, let’s repeat once more, “THE saucy-rich, Cold Kona Poached Lobster Beurre Fondue”…
As in “polish the plate”, to which you see I indeed did! I’m beginning to overuse and abuse the slang term “Oh-Emm-Gee” (Oh My God), but it is certainly more than applicable here, as this dish was just that. OH. MY. GOD. Whatever iPad-worthy computer code Chef Alan wrote this recipe in has got to be from another planet. It’s just that other-worldly delicious. All I know is, he can afford to by a decent camera, where hopefully he’ll take the photo himself of this here “Seafood Duo” dish and upload to his iPad app for the guests to see. In the mean time, here you can see and virtually taste it here here through the eyes, tongue and mind of yours truly.
But WOW. That “whatchamacallit” sauce just KILLS IT! Fer-reeek-in’ super-lobster-meets-buttery-rich INCREDI-F’-ING-BUL!!!!
Then you have that roux-like thick white sauce the chunky scallops and lobster meat lasagna is made up of, and it’s like, when does this madness end? It’s just an insanely rich, over-the-top delicious take on shellfish like no other I’ve ever had before. 5 SPAM Musubi + 5 Ume Musubi for Chef Wong’s Blue Tomato “Seafood Duo”. If you dine there anytime soon, ORDER THIS.
Oh, that’s right, I enjoyed a glass of Chef Wong’s signature “Kitchen Sink” red wine to accompany my meal…
According to our server, Alan Wong’s “Kitchen Sink” is pretty much as advertised, being a blend of reds, including Cabernet, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.
As it turned out, the “Kitchen Sink” is quite floral, fruity, slightly sweet and “wet”. I have to admit, it wasn’t the best wine pairing I personally made the choice to go with my seafood dishes on this evening (a white Reisling or Souvignon Blanc would have been better), but a delicious, true-blooded red in and of itself. With one of them top-shelf Wagyu steaks they had on the menu, it would have definitely ROCKED, but that’s for another occasion after I reach my BMI weight goal.
Birthday girl wasn’t in the mood for wine on this occasion, instead going for a “LycheeTini”…
It was certainly “Lychee-ish”, while also quite “stiff”, thank goodness.
On to dessert, we have Chef Wong’s complimentary birthday treat, a slice of Portuguese Sweet Bread and Malasadas Bread Pudding…
It’s served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, Hawaiian brown cane rock sugar, plated chocolate sauce swirls, crisp-caramelized banana slices and candied ginger on top. Over the top, yum-nom-nom-nom-NOM!!!!!!
Finally wrapping up our dinner, Chef Wong’s Hawaiian Sweet Crown Pineapple “Shave Ice”…
Dude. All I have to say is, THIS IS SICK. I mean, it’s so awesome, not even using the F-word can underscore and emphasize how effin’ incredibly broke da’ mout’ onolicious WINNNAHZ this here “Shave Ice” truly is.
As I recall someone on Yelp saying, this is made by taking a solid-frozen pineapple and putting it through the shave ice machine, where instead of flavoring plain ‘ole water shave ice with “pineapple flavored” sugar-based syrup, the ice itself is the real-deal pineapple. Genius. Just genius.
Then under that heaping topping of VERY SWEET, slightly acidic fresh pineapple shave are is this nestling bed of of luscious layers of Hawaiian Vanilla Panna Cotta, Coconut Tapioca and Haupia Sorbet that TOTALLY throw a left curve at you, of which your tongue then hits a climactic home run. BAM! This my friends, has GOT TO BE THE BEST SHAVE ICE ON THIS PLANET. It is seriously THAT awesome. Period. Order that.No, don’t just order that. Go to Alan Wong’s specifically for that. Hawaiian Crown Sweet Gold Pineapple “Shave Ice”. “Not your ordinary shave ice” is beyond an understatement.
Also finishing off our dinner, my girlfriend enjoyed a cup or two of Onaka Ranch Kona Cowboy Coffee…
The gourmet coffee is served with the usual half-and-half, refined sugar and sugarless sweeteners as an option, along with “raw” Hawaiian rock golden cane sugar to kick it up a notch.
Regarding the taste of the Kona Cowboy Coffee, a simple-to-understand word she described was “Yum!”. And “Hon’ you should try it!”. But I wasn’t havin’ none of that with my “Kitchen Sink” glass of red wine yet to savor finishing.
When you call to make reservations at Alan Wong’s, one of the questions they ask besides the usual “What time, how many, what’s your name?”, is “Is anyone in your party celebrating a special occasion?”. To which a friend mine from the mainland proposed to his now wife here at Alan Wong’s several years ago.
Whatever your occasion is, they’ll print the VIP person’s name out on the daily menu and have it signed by all the staff on duty that day. While we didn’t ask if Alan’s “J.H.” was on there (nor did we see him that evening), but still, that’s a nice touch.
Service was absolutely 5-star, having a perfect balance of privacy to ourselves and attentiveness, with the staff working each and every table seemingly at a 3-to-1 guests-to-server ratio.In other words, you WILL be pampered here.
Along Wong’s restaurant dining room ambience on the other hand is a lot like Roy’s in Hawaii Kai, being rather NOISY. Elegant, cozy, intimate and romantic, yet it also strikes as “rubbah slippahz ‘n shorts” casual and noisy. Must be the good food that has everyone so excited. lol
Speaking of dress code, it’s “casual business attire” here at Alan Wong’s Restaurant, meaning for men preferably a collared shirt, khaki or dress slacks and shoes, however, leather sandals are also acceptable.
Underneath the Chef’s hat, Alan Wong is a local boy through and through, with a thick pidgin English accent and notes along the way in his dishes. Case in point on the tables here are bottles of Shoyu and Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water (Chili Peppah Wattah)
Summing it up, we had a STELLAR dining experience at Alan Wong’s.
As mentioned previously, there’s currently close to 850 Yelp reviews on Alan Wong’s – most of which are favorable; yet one Yelper who wasn’t as favorable about the place described Chef Alan’s cuisine as “basically deconstructed Chinese food”. But you know what? I don’t see a problem with that, as isn’t that what “fusion cuisine” is all about? It’s basically taking the key cooking methods and ingredients from various ethnic cuisines, then reassembling it in their own unique way. Look no further than the SPAM Musubi in light of that.
Alan’s AWESOME Hamakua Farms Whole Tomato with Li Hing Ume Dressing is a shining example of that genius.
Speaking of which, this is just one of many great recipes, where the ‘Seafood Duo’ I ordered this evening is also featured in Chef Wong’s hit cookbook The Blue Tomato…
All I can say more is, if you haven’t been to Alan Wong’s Restaurant yet, make it a point to GO THERE. No matter where you’re from, whether kama’aina (local) or visitor, put Alan Wong’s on your special occasion MUST-DO list. The food is just that incredible and worth it. Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommended!
Alan Wong’s Restaurant
1857 S. King Street (Mo’ili’ili)
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
Tel. (808) 949-2526
www.AlanWongs.com
www.BlueTomato.net
The Tasty Island rating:
(10) OFF THE CHART!!!!!!!!!!!! (“Sugoi Oishii, Supah’ Ono, Broke da’ Mout’, WHINNAHZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
P.S. Time for this weekend’s (past) weigh-in…
Pomai’s “Revolution 2012″ weight log**
5.05.12 – 207.0 lbs.
5.27.12 – 195.8 lbs.
6.02.12 – 194.6 lbs.
6.03.12 – 194.0 lbs.
6.09.12 – 191.4 lbs.
6.16.12 – 188.6 lbs.
6.23.12 – 189.8 lbs. (BMI score = 28)
6.30.12 – 188.5 (BMI score = 27.8
Target weight for 6.30.12 – 187 lbs.
Final target weight – 160 lbs.
**5’9″ height, male.
Darned it! Still stuck! Oh well, at 188.5 lbs., I’m pretty darned close at just 1½ pounds over my target weight loss goal I set for June 30th at 187 lbs.. I suppose I can live with that for now. But it’s going to have to go down lower than that by next weekend.
Regardless of the MILES I’ve both jogged and walked, weights I’ve trained with, diet I’ve restricted myself over this past week, and cup-loads of Japanese green tea I’ve drank, I’m still stuck in a plateau, which I’m pretty sure I know what the culprit is. It’s this…
Visceral Fat is especially problematic for men more so than women, which is why you see men get that “beer belly”. Which isn’t as it appears, being “beer in the belly”, but actually a mass of fat located within the abdominal cavity UNDERNEATH THE abdominal muscles. This mass of fat literally encapsulates the vital organs, including the liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines. While vital itself at a normal level in cushioning and insulating those organs, in excess, visceral fat has been found to be outright TOXIC, and possibly the trigger for various cancers.
This, as opposed to subcutaneous fat, which is the type of fat layer that accumulates on TOP of the muscles just below your skin, hence the type where one can “pinch an inch” (like them “love handles”). Being visceral fat is located underneath the abdominal muscles, it’s for this reason you have guys with “beer bellies” that may feel hard as a rock when you punch or touch it. Where they actually may appear fit in most other areas of their body, except for the abdomen.
Same thing for me. Here I am this past Saturday, where you can see how much my stomach sticks out in a relaxed, non-sucked-in-gut mode…
Pomai’s visceral fat loss photo log, side view – 6.30.12
While it may appear so, you can barely “pinch an inch” off the front of my abdominal skin area, as my subcutaneous fat (that above the muscle layer) is minimal. Most of my fat is visceral, lying underneath the abdominal muscle. Of course if I “suck in”, I look much slimmer, but that’s beside the point. Oh, and yes, I’m quite hairy – thanks by default to my Portuguese dad – which adds an additional illusional inch or so of extra girth. Don’t worry, when I get the final “after” results photo, I’ll shave. lol
Pomai’s visceral fat loss photo log, front view – 6.30.12
The negative effects on health from excessive visceral fat include high blood pressure (raises hand), high triglycerides (fat in the blood; raises hand), which can lead to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes, and in the worst case scenario, cancer. I know, not very nice things to talk about. However, the facts are the facts, and something I for one take quite seriously in this here health quest I’m blogging about, trying my hardest to make personal improvements, and hopefully in the process, encourage others to do so as well.
Google “Visceral Fat” and check out some YouTube videos as well (such as the one above). It’s VERY interesting and educational to learn about for self-improvement. And if you think you have too much of it, I highly recommend YOU TOO work on getting rid of as much of the excess you can for a healthier and longer life.
That said, I’m going to have to reevaluate my diet and workout plan to fight off more of this tough-to-melt-away excessive internal visceral fat and pass the 188 lbs. plateau I’m stuck at. I’ll work it out.
Well, I’m off to the beach for some exercise, then out for the family barbecue, except I’ll be grillin’ fish, not steak. Have a safe and fun Independence Day everyone!
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