One of my primary motivations for starting this blog was to explore Korean food in Hawai‘i that wasn’t necessarily available in a Korean restaurant or store. Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine is as diverse as the local population. It’s not uncommon to see distinctive menu items in restaurants that otherwise seem to be specific to a variety of food. This was the case at Ichiriki, a well-known Japanese nabe (hot pot) restaurant. The décor, menu items, and ambiance are undoubtedly Japanese. Once you step inside it feels so genuinely authentic you’d forget you were in Hawai‘i. There were, however, some very non-Japanese menu items.
It’s been on our radar for quite some time, so last week Sujin and I decided to give it a try. People rave about the nabe and it did not disappoint. There are a variety of soup-bases available. All looked fantastic, and, unsurprising for the reasons I list above, they offer a kimchi-base for both the nabe and shabu-shabu soups. Also, one of the meat choices was “US Kobe Beef Kalbi eye.” I think the idea is to spruce up the bland sounding “rib eye” with nods to both Japanese (Kobe beef) and Korean (kalbi). Either way, in spite of my desire to explore these kinds of hybridizations in local cuisine, we opted instead for the signature Ichiriki and the Shio Pirikara bases that were served in a split hot pot. We also tried the beef carpaccio app and washed it all down with some Kirin.
Solid meal. The ingredients were fresh and our server was outstanding. She explained the entire menu and offered recommendations. We almost polished off the whole thing. In spite of this, Sujin still felt a little unsatisfied. Lucky for her, Jong Ga Jip (you guessed it, a Korean restaurant) just so happens to share the same building with Ichiriki. Perhaps it was that the nabe wasn’t necessarily that hearty, or perhaps it was because the Shio Pirikara was disappointingly not at all spicy (it was advertised this way), but she couldn’t resist picking up some duegi-bulgogi (spicy grilled pork) to bring home.
It was hearty. It was spicy. Kimchi always wins.
one scoop kimchi 