Hawaii is so small that unless you’re able to create your dream job, getting it is a matter of musical chairs. I’ve seen it happen in industries such as public relations, retail and culinary. One person’s move often sets off a chain reaction within an industry, and in the culinary world, the ripples can fan out across the island.

Recent changes at the Four Seasons Ko Olina resulted in Fish House chef Eric Oto stepping into the position of chef de cuisine at the Kahala Hotel and La Hiki chef Jobbie Domemden trying his luck with a startup, a casual and relatively affordable restaurant in the heart of Honolulu.

That’s how a visit to Five Spice Kitchen became such a pleasant surprise at 808 Center, where it stands in the space that was originally home to Urban Bistro.

Based on the restaurant’s name, I had to try one of the dishes bearing five spice, a blend that in spite of my Chinese heritage I don’t regard with fondness. Yet I became totally besotted by the five-spiced duck bao ($14). The duck arrived in its crispy-skin glory, on the bone, to slice and shred and pack into four bao as desired.

The five spice had its pungent presence, but did not overwhelm, and was in perfect balance with accompanying banh mi pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro and balsamic-hoisin sauce that could all be added to taste.

That was just the beginning of the magic as served up by Domemden, who grew up on Molokai but whose cosmopolitan palate was shaped by the islands, his education at the Western Culinary Institute of Le Cordon Bleu and experience working in the Pacific Northwest. He returned to Hawaii two years ago.

Although Hawaii can have a reputation for provincialism, it’s Domenden’s thoroughly local upbringing that brings a respected global sensibility to his cooking. The five spice of the name is not merely a reference to the Chinese spice blend, but to the major cuisines of his childhood: Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese.

Joining Domemden in the kitchen is pastry chef Alison Yoko­uchi (The Pig and the Lady, Magnolia bakery), and they make a nimble two-person team, with a shared passion for pastry. I have to admit that I got a little worried when I found Yokouchi in the kitchen by herself one night. And though she admitted to being more of a sweets than savory chef, of course every culinary student starts with the basics, and throughout the meal I never got a sense that anything was amiss. And don’t think I didn’t put her through the test.

With the holidays around the corner, some may want to start with a cheery appetizer of macadamia nut-crusted brie ($12) drizzled with lilikoi honey and balsamic glaze, served with slices of Asian pear and charcoal baguette, one of Yokouchi’s creations along with other breads proffered during dinner service, such as brioche and nori-infused rolls served with honey butter.

Of course I love the savory, and in that realm, lechon crispy pork belly is a good place to start. I love that Domemden doesn’t just pay lip service to a particular ethnic style. He understands the flavor profiles of the cuisines represented on the menu, delivering what’s promised, and more.

It’s not hard to get people to eat their veggies here when the options include an heirloom tomato salad ($15) tossed with creamy burrata, pesto and aged balsamic vinegar; and sides of mashed Okinawan sweet potato with coconut cream ($6), and roasted Brussels sprouts with a mince of lup cheong and vanilla bean honey butter ($8).

The entree list to date is short and sweet, encompassing four land and four sea specialties. The dishes that didn’t quite work for me were a plain roast half chicken ($18) with overly salty chicken jus, and wagyu burger ($18) in which the beef was masked by too much layered on — banh mi pickled veggies, double-thick bacon, white cheddar and Sriracha-yuzu aioli.

The burger might fly at another restaurant, but here, better things await your attention, such as lobster tempura ($30) served in a thick brown lobster nage that is divine when soaked up by brown butter look funn noodles. This is heavenly, and so rich it would take a lot of determination to finish those noodles.

Perfectly seared bone-in rib-eye ($36) is another dream, sprinkled with a dash of kaffir and rice powder for added brightness and dimension. The only mystery was an accompanying mix of tomatoes and onions that reminded me of lechon kawali, but with a touch of yuzu and sweetness where one would expect to find vinegar. It was a little jarring.

A different style of comfort cuisine arrives with a snapper chazuke ($20) with the fish stacked on ginger scallion rice, and a pour of miso consomme.

For dessert, Yokouchi offers an array of sweets from espresso affogato ($8) to banana butterscotch bread pudding ($9) to chocolate lava cake ($12) with raspberry puree and dulce de leche ice cream. A halo halo sundae ($11) was just the refreshment I needed, a generous, shareable bowl of fine shaved ice with ube ice cream, butter mochi, leche flan, strawberries, banana slices and soft, shredded macapuno.

Even with the short, sweet menu, this is a place I could return to again and again. There might have been more buzz surrounding the 808 Center if it had opened with this restaurant in place.

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