New chef, new direction at Halekulani’s Orchids

It’s been only two months since chef Christian Testa walked in the door as the new chef at Orchids in the Halekulani, but he’s already revamped the menu, moving it from contemporary seafood to Mediterranean in theme.

Quick work, but Testa says he did it dish by dish, introducing new items as specials to familiarize both customers and staff with the restaurant’s new direction.

“Every day, a new dish, a new presentation,” Testa said. “I’m so tired but I’m so proud.”

Testa hails from Genoa, Italy but has worked in hotel kitchens in Bermuda, Mexico and, most recently, Miami. He speaks Italian, Spanish, English “and, in the kitchen, a little French.”

Hawaii was an attractive destination, he said, for the opportunity to learn about Asian cuisines.

Highlights of the new menu include a prime beef fillet appetizer with arugula salad, Parmesan, mushrooms and truffle aioli; Homemade Lasagnette, a pasta dish with Kahuku prawns, scallops and avocado; and Seafood Carta Fata, a blend of onaga, clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp and fresh tomato sauce.

Entree prices start at $30 for pastas, up to $58 for a veal chop or prime rib.

Orchids is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner Mondays to Saturdays, with a Sunday brunch buffet. Make a reservation through halekulani.com/dining or call 923-2311.

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Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser

For the musubi maniac

The Spam musubi is perhaps Hawaii’s most utilitarian morphing of an ethnic food, a user-friendly riff on the traditionally triangular rice ball that originated in Japan.

While the original version encapsulated tiny, flavorful morsels such as ume (pickled plum) or seasoned konbu (kelp), the modern-day, local version took the musubi to a whole new dimension. Not only was it turned into a rectangle, conforming to the size and shape of a slice of Spam, it also was a heftier snack with more rice, perfect for local appetites.

Variations include fried Spam, teriyaki Spam, Spam and egg, deviled Spam … the list goes on and on.

Now, Ashley Oshiro and Tom Kowach have broadened the possibilities even further with the “Hawaiian-Style Musubi Cookbook” ($13.95, Mutual Publishing), which offers more than 80 tasty ways to pair rice in that rectangular mold. Consider: bacon, avocado and cucumber musubi; bulgogi; green bean; honey glazed tofu; okara; taro corned beef; and won ton. There are even a couple of dessert options, fresh fruit and macadamia nut recipes that sweeten up the rice with honey or condensed milk.

Find the cookbook where books are sold or at Mutual Publishing, 1215 Center St., Suite 210. Call 732-1709 or visit mutualpublishing.com.

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Joleen Oshiro, Star-Advertiser