Salt air, sunshine and seafood define Fish House

For a townie like me, it’s a getaway to visit Ko Olina and the Fish House restaurant at Four Seasons. The drive from town can take more than an hour during commuter times, so it might be tough to make happy hour on a weekday, unless your day ends before 3 — but fortunately, Fish House offers pau hana seven days a week, from 3 to 6 p.m. During happy hour the restaurant is relaxing, and the food’s delicious.

The experience

The hotel is practically on the water, with grounds infused with light during a sunny afternoon. Fish House faces the ocean beyond Ko Olina’s lagoons, with a beachy dining room, bar and two levels of lanai. There’s also an enclosed central seating area with couches, good for a group to enjoy cocktails under the open air, and by the entrance, a pool table, which I’m told is popular for family games.

Inside, closer to the bar, which is what I prefer, the dining room is done up in tones of sand and weathered wood. Fishing nets hang from the ceiling, and hanging lamps are shaded with rope fiber. Table centerpieces are made of driftwood pieces, and the bar is decorated with distinctive fish-scale tiles. The servers are cheery and courteous. On my visit I felt like a yacht captain on land for the day, comfortable and cared for, with the sea at my feet.

The food

Here’s what you need to know: Everything on the cocktails/snacks menu is half-price between 3 and 5 p.m. This isn’t an extensive menu, but it will allow for a pretty good time at a “take it easy, it’s an afternoon on the beach” pace.

I didn’t try everything on the bar menu, but the fish tacos and lobster sliders were ah-mazing. Between the fresh seafood, crunchy, savory accents and the salt air, these flavors really popped.

The lobster sliders are served on sweetbread rolls, generously laden with lobster meat and with added crunch from a cabbage slaw filler, with cornichons — small, tart pickles — on the side. They’re $11.50 during pau hana.

The fish tacos ($10.50), also dressed with slaw along with radish and baby greens, came with a decent amount of fresh fish, on top of charred corn tortillas. The cilantro sauce was a great blend of citrus, tang and cream.

From the appetizer menu (not a happy-hour item), I had to try the ahi poke. It does not disappoint. At $9 for a single, cup-size serving with taro chips, it is sushi quality — rich and fresh, translucent in the afternoon light, and flavored with limu, onion, kukui nut, delicately chopped, and a splash of shoyu. It’s so delicious that it will satisfy two with just a few bites. Poke made from tako (octopus), nairagi (striped marlin) and vegetables is also available, at $9.

The drink

Whoopee, drinks from the cocktails menu are half-price, as in $6. I had the South Pacific, a tall, refreshing twist on the greyhound with Ko Hana rum, lychee, grapefruit and lime tonic water. Also tempting: the Sunset Smash, with gin, strawberries, basil, honey and lilikoi kombucha, served Brazilian “caipirinha style”; and the Siesta at Sea, made with tequila, guava nectar, lime juice, pink peppercorns and grapefruit bitters.

Want to make a statement or just really thirsty? Fish House has added its built-for-two Pineapple Elyx-ir to the happy-hour menu, too — a great deal at just $9.50 during happy hour. This is a super-sized, tart-sweet cocktail made of Elyx vodka, with pineapple, hibiscus and pomegranate, spiced with Champagne aromatic bitters and served in a sensational copper-clad, pineapple-shaped vessel. A must-try.

An additional happy-hour promotion offers well drinks at $3 between 3 and 4 p.m., $4 between 4 and 5 p.m. and $5 between 5 and 6, allowing for an additional hour of bargain boozing.

The verdict

Dining at Fish House is pleasant under any circumstances, given the restaurant’s ocean view and cheery service. But pau hana holds special pleasures, including the bright glint of sun on water, mellow, shady surround- ings and, yep, major savings on good grinds in a great place.