After attending the grand opening of Monkeypod Kitchen, I knew restaurant partners chef Peter Merriman and Bill Terry had a hit on their hands. There are too few places like it on the Oahu’s west side, a casual though stylish upscale bar with food worthy of special occasions. (Reminder: Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.)
I hadn’t realized how quickly word of happy-hour specials had caught on when I headed there during the weekend, timing my visit to catch half-off appetizer specials in advance of dinner. So townies planning a weekend jaunt be warned that arriving too late will likely mean a 30-minute wait. It’s less busy on weekdays.
As one of Hawaii’s notable chefs, food writers at the restaurant’s opening Feb. 1 were asking why he didn’t simply call it Merriman’s. He explained that the monkeypod tree is a non-native that has nevertheless thrived in Hawaii, just as he has done. Merriman is a transplant from Pennsylvania who arrived on Hawaii island in 1983 and went on to become a leader in the Hawaii regional cuisine movement. Monkeypod also fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it good for the land. It is versatile as a wood used prominently for craft. As an artisan in the kitchen, Merriman said he could identify with that as well.
With the opening of this restaurant, Merriman joins Roy Yamaguchi in having the distinction as a major Hawaii chef with establishments on four islands.
Monkeypod Kitchen is at Ko Olina Station, a left once you enter Ko Olina and another quick left at the train tracks, where you’ll spot the two-story, open-air restaurant. Inside, the decor is industrial-meets-eco-chic, with a huge downstairs bar, indoor waterfall and elevators to an upstairs dining room. Bring your hat and sunglasses if you’re there at about 4 or 5 p.m., when the sun hits the two lanais.
This is one of those weeks when I love writing this column, because I get to relive the memory of the food. There were no missteps. Any dissatisfaction was merely a difference in taste.
So, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, how do I love thee? Let me recount the ways:
» Wood-Roasted Chicken Wings ($14.95): These are meaty free-range chicken marinated with garlic, red chili pepper, rosemary and green onions, wood-fired and served with a cooling tzatziki sauce that also works nicely with the garlic truffle fries ($7.95).
» Pumpkin Patch Ravioli ($10.95 for four pieces): Perhaps my favorite dish on the menu with its silky wrapper surrounding sweet pumpkin and topped with chevre, spinach and sage brown butter.
» Hamakua Wild Mushroom Pizza ($17.95): Beautiful thin crust rich with a creamy white sauce, truffle oil, Parmesan, thyme and sliced Hamakua mushrooms, something Merriman knows well after having got his start in Waimea. The restaurant also adds chunks of Big Island lobster to this base and calls it the Bourgeois ($24.95) pizza. For the money, the mushroom pizza is good on its own. You can’t taste the lobster over the sauce, cheese and truffle oil unless you pluck off the pieces and eat them separately.
» Bulgogi Pork Tacos ($14.95): Soft flour tortillas are loaded with pork, pickled carrots, kim chee and jalapeños. Some like it hot and this dish is on fire. Don’t think plucking off those jalapeños will make the tacos any less searing.
» Peppercorn-rubbed Steak ($30.95): Grass-fed, hormone-free beef is rubbed with Kona coffee honey butter, topped with spicy sautéed onions and cooked to perfect doneness. Swoon!
Also on the menu are Maui Cattle Co. burgers ($11.95 to $15.95), crisp catch-of-the-day fish and chips ($20.50) and for the tourists, macadamia nut-and-panko-crusted fish of the day (recently mahimahi, $30.95) served with a Maui pineapple relish.
The only dish that did not win accolades from anyone I know were the fish tacos ($16.95), a trio with the fish stirred with cumin-accented tomato salsa that my friends considered too tangy. I didn’t mind it but would have preferred to taste more fish than sauce.
Culinary cocktails also form a sizable portion of the menu, including a house Mai Tai ($12) made with two kinds of rum, lime, orange curaçao, and topped off with honey-lilikoi foam. During happy hour you can get $6 Ocean Vodka cocktails, $6 white and red wines by the glass and $4.75 draft beers.
———
Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.
