Cafe Duck Butt in Kakaako has been serving Korean-inspired tapas and soju mixology for the last seven years.
Henry Yoon, a Harvard graduate and a former equity trader, teamed up with Jin Hyuk Hong, who got his MBA from the University of Hawaii, and turned an unknown space into Cafe Duck Butt, one of Hawaii’s hot nightlife spots visited by many celebrities.
The bond between the two goes several layers deep, much like a K-drama, as they are friends, business partners and brothers-in-law. They just opened their second location, DB Grill, aka Duck Butt Grill, at Kapolei Commons.
They collaborated from concept to construction on the new location and planned a unique menu with Korean-infused specialties. My favorite items on the menu? BBQ Pork, Ramen Crusted Chicken Burger, Duck Fat Fried Rice and the diverse soju carafe selection. Both places share the same “Seoul” but DB Grill is like the younger brother that’s first-date friendly, next to mall neighbors such as Regal Cinemas and Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi.
THIS WEEK’S SYNOPSES
“Breezy Love”
Episodes 4 and 5
>> Today, 6:30 p.m.: Keumshil, in an effort to hook up Jango and Heera, asks Cheongja to bring Heera to a meeting. To her surprise, an altercation between Heera and Jango happens in the parking lot. Seunghee does a background check on Jango, and Jango also ponders the idea that Seunghee might be Mipoong.
>> Today, 7:45 p.m.: Jango goes to Mipoong’s warehouse room to pay respects to Youngae. There, he finds out about Daehan’s and Youngchul’s deaths. Cheongja asks Keumshil for an additional loan. Keumshil asks Cheongja to get Jango and Heera together. Jango takes Mipoong to his house, telling her there is a house to rent without a security deposit.
“My Sassy Girl”
Episodes 5-8
>> Monday, 7:45 p.m.: Kyun-woo finds out the location of the jade ring and heads for the lantern festival. The Princess also heads for the festival to find the ring. The situation takes a wrong turn.
>> Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: Kyun-woo locates the Princess and successfully rescues her. The King returns to the palace. Furious at discovering that the Princess has gone out again, he orders that she be kept in the palace, guarded. The Queen schemes to cause trouble for the Princess.
“Love in Trouble”
Episodes 21-24
>> Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: Ji-wook professes his feelings for Bong-hee, and she says she’ll reply after giving it sincere thought. Ji-wook becomes anxious, waiting for her answer. Hyun-soo follows Bong-hee in secret.
>> Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Ji-wook drives a wedge through Bong-hee with another confession. Meanwhile, Hyun-soo targets the next person to go missing.
“Band of Sisters”
Episodes 17 and 18
>> Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Dal-hee secretly adds another ingredient in Ha-ri’s sample for the event. Ha-ri asks Se-joon to pick up the sample for her. Hwan-seung embraces Eun-hyang and her expression is a mystery.
>> Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Dal-hee is cornered and ends up telling Ki-chan that she stole his chamomile. Ki-chan is furious, telling her she has to go to the police with him. Deul-re goes to the accident site to face her stalker.
Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD-TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. Reach him at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.
