The Best Bites at O’Kims Are A Taste of Modern Korean Cuisine

O’Kims Korean Kitchen, the Hale ‘Aina Silver Award winner for Overall Korean cuisine, sits right on the border of Downtown and Chinatown Honolulu. You can always count on chef Hyun’s Korean chicken and confit pork belly brûlée, but each month she goes the extra mile to add a handful of monthly special dishes that are seasonal and often break the mold of Korean cooking.

In addition her Hale ‘Aina Award, chef Hyun’s way of thinking and making Korean food has also made her a semifinalist for a James Beard Award this year. There isn’t someone more deserving than this woman, who is often the sole cook in the kitchen. For this episode of Best Bites, we’re checking out her August monthly specials.

Photos: Thomas Obungen

The salmon tostadas ($9.99) are large and in charge. These bite bites are packed with umami and crunch.

Photos: Thomas Obungen

For those who crave a cool slurp during the hottest of hot boy summers, the Chicken Cold Noodle soup ($24.95) with a mustard and vinegar ice pop to add that pungent, acidic hit, is back. I love the green tea soba noodles and now that it comes with a side of roasted chicken for an extra boost of protein.

Photos: Thomas Obungen

Barbecue and corn on the cob are iconic summer flavors too and chef Hyun has so cleverly captured them in her corn rib appetizer with a spicy mayo dip.

The crab donburi is another special this month and let me tell you, this is one luxe dish! An abundance of crab meat sits over spicy squid, enoki mushrooms and egg white on rice. It’s like a warm hug in a bowl.

Bibimbap adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and even more so because Okim’s prepares each ingredient separately. You mix them all together, either in the metal bowl or a hot stone dolsot to get crispy rice bits with the flavorful veggies and meat. I think it’s the only dish that has all food groups represented.

Photos: Thomas Obungen

Finally, there’s a new dessert that caught our eye. It’s a black sesame cake with a sikhye or rice punch sorbet. It strikes that perfect balance of Korean flavor in unexpected forms and gives us a taste of Korean cuisine from a new era, bite by bite.

Whether or not you visit O’Kims for this month’s menu, at least you’ll know your next visit is bound to be something deliciously different.

Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and 11 a.m. t0 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 1028 Nu‘uanu Ave, Downtown, www.okimshawaii.com, @okims_honolulu