Food for Thought went on vacation for the past couple of
weeks hence the relatively quietness on its site. But not to worry, I’m back and I’m happy to
share some of my experiences with some of Hawaii’s best. To kick it off, we had dinner over at
Morimoto Restaurant during our second evening in Waikiki. Located in a luxurious hotel, this restaurant
has seating both inside and outside of the restaurant where colorful lights
reflect off the side of a pool giving the exterior a grandeur and majestic feel
to it. This is also the home base for
one Iron Chef American. Mr. Chef Masaharu Morimoto whose expertise and talents
brought home the restaurant’s 1st Michelin star.
 |
| Sushi Appetizer |
There were about 12 of us that evening and of course it
would be impossible to go through everybody’s meal that evening. We did however order three appetizers amongst
all of us and I ordered the Surf and Turf ($48.00US) as my own personal entrée
of the evening.
 |
| Tuna Pizza |
One of the three appetizers we ordered was the Tuna Pizza
($18US). Sprinkled with some jalapenos,
anchovies and olives, this pizza will give you a bit of a kick in its
spiciness. It also offers a bit of
Hawaii exoticness as you are munching down on it as the one is taking in the
tuna and jalapeno at the same time.
Presentation wise, it looked like a stop sign that had been graffitied
on. What a liked however was how thin
and crispy the bread and crusted layers were and how nice and fresh the tuna
was. Truthfully every restaurant that we had visited in Hawaii had a fresh
serving of tuna and fish. I was told
that they actually use a grilled tortillas base as the bottom to keep the
bottom layer nice and thin so that every bite is focused on what’s on top of
the pizza and not what’s on bottom. The only thing that might have brought it
down a notch or two was the strength of the jalapeno. Unlike wasabi, jalapenos are quite spicy and
it can overwhelm the taste of the fish to the point where you just don’t taste
the fish anymore. The addition of the
olives and anchovies gave the pizza a very exotic and unique feel and taste to
it. It was well worth the price and the
medium to large size of it allowed everyone to get a good sample out of
it.
 |
| Takoyaki |
Another appetizer we tried was the Takoyaki. I don’t believe this was listed on their menu
as it was one of their special appetizers being served for the evening. Having had this at other restaurants before,
I knew what to expect but I had to admit these pieces were some of the best I
have ever had. Most of the insides of
these balls contained flour, octopus bits, onions and grinded up tempura. The outside was gently fried or baked and the
inside had a smooth creamy texture to it.
There was also a small amount of mayonnaise placed on the outside of the
ball. The inside of the ball almost tasted
like taro pudding. The creamy texture
made it easy to digest and despite all the ingredients, the takoyaki was not
overly salty tasting at all.
 |
| Chirashi Sushi |
The last appetizer to arrive was the sushi roll. Filled with crispy tempura and avocado, this
sushi was pretty good. The rice was nice
and fresh and the tempura was crunchy and not soggy at all. Other than filling
up our stomachs some more, there was really nothing extraordinary about it as
it was pretty much on par with some of the other great restaurants that we have
had in the past.
 |
| Surf and Turf |
Once all the appetizers were done, the Surf and Turf and the
rest of our entrees began arriving in unison.
My 6 ounce meat looked amazing and after it was set on the table, the
waiter proceeded to poor a gravy sauce of sorts on top of the meat which caused
the whole dish to sizzle pretty good. I
had asked for medium rare and this was exactly what I got. The meat was nice and soft and juicy and it
was able to absorb most of the gravy juices.
What was equally impressive was the Marimoto Style Poke. Raw tuna that was placed in soya sauce was
then placed alongside some sort of wasabi sorbet. Although this sounds nothing more than a
piece of sashimi placed with wasabi, the taste of the tuna was enhanced and the
sorbetness of the wasabi gave the wasabi more credence in such a dish. It’s hard to describe it but trust me when I
say it was much better than just wasabi with sashimi tuna. There were about eight cube pieces of tuna on
my plate and each one with the wasabi sorbet was absolutely amazing. The dish also had some salted crusted
fingerlings which to me where insignificant.
The best part of this dish was meat and the poke.
Overall, this was
indeed a high class restaurant at its best.
The quality of the food was very good and the price, although high for
some, was reasonable based on the types and quality of the food. The waiters and staff were always present and
accommodating. The area where we sat was
quite cool from the breeze outside and from the air conditioner up above
however the staff was able to turn up the air conditioner to make it more
comfortable for us to eat. The
restaurant certainly deserved its one Michelin star for quality and
hospitality. We had a great time that
evening. I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Morimoto Restaurant Waikiki
1775 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, Hawaii
1-808-943-5900
