The best things we ate this year
Of the hundreds of dishes the Frolic team tried in 2017, these stay on the brain
What was the best thing you ate this year? Collectively, the Frolic team ate literally thousands of dishes. These are our most memorable local finds.
Tonkatsu Tamafuji: Shrimp katsu and pork tenderloin combo
Thomas Obungen
When I look back on what I ate in 2017, there’s one meal that changed my katsu life. Tonkatsu Tamafuji’s shrimp katsu and pork tenderloin combo ($20.50) has become my standard for luscious meat deep-fried to a lovely golden tan. There isn’t one thing I could find wrong with this set, except that I definitely needed to add another shrimp to my order. From the perfectly cooked rice with a hint of wasabi to the umami-rich red miso soup, I’d find it hard even for Japan to outdo this one.
Sushi Sho: Grilled opah belly
Grant Shindo
Words cannot describe the experience that is Sushi Sho. Specializing in Edomae style sushi, Keiji Nakazawa opened his 10-seat sushi bar in 2016 in Waikiki’s Ritz-Carlton Residences. Watching the master work is truly a privilege as he skillfully serves you one piece at a time. The opah belly is grilled and topped with finger lime to add a burst of acidity to balance the fattiness of the fish. The attention to detail is the overarching thread that ties space, sushi and experience together. Dinner is quiet, meticulous and precise. The service is thoughtful but not intrusive and the quality of each course is impeccable.
Senia Restaurant: Charred cabbage Caesar
Grace Ryu
This playful take on a Caesar had me ooh-ing and ahh-ing when it landed on our table, but the moment it entered my mouth that changed to mmm. Senia takes the humble cabbage and elevates it to tender, melty and flavorful with shio kombu kelp, buttermilk and its own Green Goddess dressing. Visually stunning, innovative and comforting, this was the best thing I ate in HNL all year!
Mud Hen Water: Pork sisig
Rebecca Pang
I went to brunch heaven with this sizzling, savory, oh-so-porky dish at Mud Hen Water. The pork hits notes of shoyu, coconut, vinegar, calamansi, garlic, ginger and onion, served in a piping hot skillet. You cook the egg in the skillet, mix everything and spoon on top of rice with a squeeze of calamansi. Like many of the restaurant’s other dishes, it’s a little outside of the box, but always tastes like Hawaii on a plate.
Food Company Cafe: Pasta with crab curry
Melissa Chang
It’s no secret that I love Jason Kiyota’s Food Company Cafe in Kailua. It’s the only place I’ll drive over the Pali to eat at. Earlier this year, he launched a new pasta, with a sauce of crab curry with kafir lime and bubu arare. I guarantee no one in Hawaii is doing anything like this right now! It’s got a Southeast Asian flair with interesting textures and complementing flavors that make it super unique and crave-able.
Piggy Smalls Brunch: Hot crab Benedict pie
Kelli Shiroma
This is eggs benny 2.0! Instead of the traditional English muffin, a salted butter pie crust is baked to a perfect golden-brown. It’s filled with lots of savory crab, crowned with a poached egg, and drenched in a rich, buttery hollandaise. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, and it’ll leave you dreaming of the next time you can have it.
Chengdu Taste: Boiled sliced fish in hot sauce
Eric Baranda
A tingling sensation of spice that plays on your tongue. Fish with a texture so light and airy that it falls apart in your mouth after the first bite. If a cloud could catch fire, it would taste like this.
Farmers markets and Chinatown: Durian
Mari Taketa
Ripe, redolent and custardy-sweet, fresh durian is one of my all-time top two breakfasts. Sadly, with more locals catching on to the heady allure, prices frequently top $50 a fruit. My pro tip: Fly to Hilo or Southeast Asia. Air fare et cetera aside, it’s cheaper in both places, more fun, and fewer people give you stink eye when you scoop a pod from its thorny nest with your fingers and slurp the creamy flesh off the pit. Bring mouthwash.
