Japengo, at the Hyatt hotel, features flavors of 5 nations

We said "ciao" to Ciao Mein on April 30, and now it’s time to greet Japengo at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa.

It is Japengo No. 4 for Hyatt Hotels Corp., the others being on Maui, in La Jolla, Calif., and in Aruba. The one in La Jolla is a perennial favorite and is considered by many to be one of the area’s top restaurants.

The Japengo menu reflects the flavors of Japan, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and China. While there are other Japengo restaurants, the menu for the Waikiki Hyatt was customized by Sven Ullrich, the hotel’s new executive chef, in consultation with Brian Yang, chef de cuisine of the IFW (International Food Warehouse) restaurant in the Park Hyatt Beijing.

Ullrich has previously overseen four- and five-star restaurants and has won awards for his work from various hospitality industry rating organizations.

Yang, meanwhile, "brings a vast amount of knowledge about cuisine from Japan, China, Singapore and the West," Ullrich said in a statement. IFW in Beijing is known for live cooking stations that produce classic and contemporary Chinese dishes.

Yang is "consistently creating authentic Chinese dishes that we felt needed to be shared with Waikiki," Ullrich said.

Given the bent toward authenticity, the hotel sought to hire chefs who are "masters" in various cultural cuisines, he said, meaning the sushi served in the lounge at the front of the restaurant — and also available in the dining room — will be traditional.

The restaurant’s soft opening was Wednesday to let the staff get a few services past them prior to Tuesday night’s invitation-only VIP unveiling event.

Japengo will operate Wednesdays through Sundays, with the lounge and sushi bar opening at 5:30 p.m. and the restaurant open from 6 to 10 p.m.

Those hip to Japanese culture will recognize masks and images of Tengu, a trickster-demon, throughout the restaurant.

Filipino food fiesta

An Asian cuisine not represented at Japengo, at least not yet, will be available in town beginning next month, as Jollibee and Red Ribbon BakeShop are expanding in Hawaii.

The two restaurants were born in the Philippines. Jollibee has been operating in Waipahu since last year, and Red Ribbon BakeShop opened in July. They came to Hawaii not terribly long after Max’s of Manila also made the leap. Max’s has two Oahu locations: in Waipahu and in Iwilei, near Costco.

Jollibee, a quick-service restaurant famous for its "Chickenjoy" fried chicken dish, spaghetti and other dishes, will open in Ala Moana Center’s Makai Market "hopefully before Thanksgiving," said Jill Fijo, who heads the restaurant and bakery operations in Hawaii. "We are crossing our fingers."

Red Ribbon will open, possibly in late November, in the Don Quijote food court on Kaheka Street. Its baked-fresh-daily goods will be delivered from the Waipahu store.

Management teams for both locations have been hired, and crew members for the new Jollibee already are training, but about a dozen staff members for Red Ribbon have yet to be hired, Fijo said.

Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.