The Japan-based Pier thirty group breezed into town in the fall with one of the most ambitious plans I’ve heard in a long time: Open 300 restaurants across the United States within 10 years, 20 of them in Hawaii — all different concepts — to open in five to six years. Gokoku Sushi, which opened at Koko Marina Center last month, is the first.

The restaurant’s grand opening did nothing to dispel the possibility of achieving that goal, although, as pictures were sent out via social media, those in the community expressed concern that Gokoku had moved into one of those black-hole spaces, near Assaggio, where no other restaurant has survived.

"It looks like this one has staying power," I cheerfully tweeted, though in my head I added, "as long as the price is right." In fact, after three follow-up visits, I wasn’t quite as confident.

For one thing, I do think prices are too high, perhaps because pricey area real estate has been mistaken for liquid wealth. I would venture a majority of residents are retirees or too busy paying off mortgages, car loans and their children’s educations to be inclined to spend heavily on food. Yes, people here have been starved for good sushi, but not at fine-dining prices.

But an even bigger issue at the start was service, which is slowly being worked out by experienced hires. I knew it was time to return when people began telling me the service is excellent.

In the beginning, service was a comedy that was fun to watch — unless you were in a rush. I had never seen anything like it before: a roomful of waiters briskly walking back and forth like movie-set extras, without interacting with guests or even refilling water glasses. One guy set a table for four by walking into the service area, picking up one pair of chopsticks, placing it, walking back, picking up one teacup, placing it, walking back, picking up one napkin, placing it, ultimately making about 30 trips.

I couldn’t understand how a company with about 200 restaurants in Japan and a few more in China could not know how to run a restaurant here. There seemed to be no end to this dilemma as long as managers were not accountable. On another lunch trip, I inquired about the seafood on a nigiri platter, and rather than check with the sushi chef, the manager just walked away with a nervous laugh.

But let’s put the mistakes in the past and move forward. What I like to see is acknowledgment of problems and solutions put in place. In recent weeks the restaurant has been ramping up service and limiting reservations to keep the crowd at a manageable size. Recent help has been eager and able.

The restaurant itself is one of the most beautiful spaces to appear in the area, with a mix of modern and traditional Japanese flourishes that says a lot about what the food is like. Seating options include cozy booths, tables and bars where you can watch the sushi chefs and cooks at work. A glassed-off private dining room seats up to 20.

Lunch has been limited to a trio of beautiful "kaiseki" platters (it’s really teishoku, priced at $18 to $24), which feature the same items, save for options of a sushi roll or seven pieces of nigiri sushi. Also on the platter when I visited was assorted tempura, mini udon, chawanmushi, vegetables and a strawberry-almond pudding dessert.

Dinner is a hit-or-miss experience. Assorted tempura ($14.75) includes some items we don’t expect, such as white fish in addition to the usual shrimp, and heart of palm, which arrived more soggy than crisp.

Poke is a mix of salmon and ahi under a bed of wilted-looking lettuce ($15.75), although I found an accompanying salty wasabi sorbet quite addicting.

Sushi rolls are quite pricey but do deliver on size. The Dragon Roll ($20.50) is essentially a jumbo California roll with a hint of shiso, topped with layers of hamachi, salmon and ahi, and finished with a dab of yuzukosho, a fiery paste of chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt. A little goes a long way.

Nigiri sushi is sold by the piece, starting at $3.50 for tamago or $3.75 for Kauai shrimp, up to $7.50 for cooked Kona abalone. Seared beef is $6.50 apiece.

Chicken nan-ban ($16) is tender as expected and one of the better dishes on the menu, along with seafood stew ($15.75), a Japanese-style miso bouillabaisse filled with shrimp, fish, clams and tomatoes.

If you usually gravitate toward tempura udon ($14.75), you might want to change it up and try the chicken and egg udon ($15.75), a comfort dish topped with custardy scrambled egg.

Misoyaki fish ($22.50) is a Hawaii standard, but here the glaze over shutome was heavy-handed, overpowering the fish with too much salt, sake and mirin. Misoyaki lamb fared slightly better on another outing, but at $48.50 I’m not inclined to order it again.

Pierthirty’s next projects may be an Italian restaurant and bakery, and a tempura shop, both in Ala Moana Center. Let’s hope they’ve learned something. In the meantime, good luck getting them to answer the phone.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.

BITE SIZE

Meal showcases skills of famed chef Menard

During a special dinner at Halekulani’s La Mer restaurant Sunday night, chef Bruno Menard gave diners a taste of the work of a three-star Michelin chef, one of the most prestigious designations in the culinary world.

In the kitchen before guests arrived, Menard prepped the staff on the ins and outs of each dish and exacting details of service, including just a small pour of Madeira and truffle Perigueux sauce that would accompany a filet of beef tenderloin prepared in the style of venison.

"And we should leave the extra sauce on the table?" one waiter asked hopefully, knowing that Hawaii diners love a good sauce.

A sharp "No!" was Menard’s response, feeling the beef would stand on its own.

And so went the dinner, complex but spare, using the finest ingredients requested by the chef, with some local ingredients — such as Maui onions and Kona lobster — swapped for their French counterparts. Flavors were clear, clean and crisp, with dishes balanced throughout, every ingredient accounted for on the plate and nothing extraneous.

At the end of the meal, many a guest, who had paid $295 per person, was asking, "When’s the next dinner?"

The idea is planted, so time will tell.

For photos of the dishes, visit Nadine Kam’s food blog at www.honolulupulse.com/takeabite.