NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARADVERTISER.COM
Brightly colored shave ice pho is served at Agalico.
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One thing about having a diverse group of friends is the constant exposure to challenging ideas and activities that you would not consider doing on your own. The payoff is a life rich with varied experiences.
Even at the dining table there are some dishes I would never consider ordering, but someone in my group inevitably orders something wacky. All you can do is roll your eyes and hope for the best.
At Agalico, a restaurant that just opened where Kimukatsu used to be in the Aqua Oasis Hotel in Waikiki, one of these dishes was the newly invented shave ice pho ($13.50).
Before you go “ew,” consider that cold noodle soup is a staple in Korean cuisine, and this dish plays off that idea. The shave ice itself has the rainbow colors we expect of local shave ice, but none of the sugar, so what you get is a refreshing soup perfect for a sunny day.
Into the chicken broth goes an array of pork, onions, bamboo shoots, cilantro, green onions, chives, kamaboko and aji tamago, arranged bi bim bap style over slick rice noodles. It’s far from a traditional pho, but it’s really tasty.
The rest of the menu in this charming restaurant comprises a fusion of Indonesian and Southeast Asian nations as filtered through a Japanese aesthetic, so dishes tend to be clean and mild — geared toward those who prefer steering clear of fish-sauce pungency or the intensity of Thai chilies.
Agalico is at 320 Lewers St. Call 926-2324.
