The Weekly Eater: Megumi Odin reopens Vegan Hills in Kaimuki

It’s nearly impossible to call yourself a vegetarian or a vegan in Hawaii without knowing the work of Megumi Odin. Since opening Peace Cafe a decade ago Odin has been one of Oahu’s leading proponents of green eating, driven by Buddhist philosophy. That is, approaching food with a spiritual reverence for life and respect for nature’s life-sustaining gifts.

Odin sold Peace Cafe in 2013 but has also brought her beliefs to her Satori Hawaii pop-ups at Soto Mission in Nuuanu and, to a less obvious extent, to her latest project, Vegan Hills, which just reopened after a five-month bar and kitchen renovation, finally adding the dinner service that customers were longing for. (This review is for the dinner service.)

Morality is not enough to sell the general diner on the merits of vegan cuisine, and Odin has found a more enticing selling point in the idea of green eating as a natural route to beauty.

People will try anything to lose weight and improve their appearance, and Odin has noted after looking into the mirror that clean eating has helped her forestall the ravages of time. If a vegan lifestyle has had an anti-aging effect on her, others may see the same result when eating her food over time.

Though just a personal anecdote, it rings true. When my friends are green-juicing heavily I can see the difference without their telling me — their skin appears smoother, plumper and more even-toned within a week. Think about all the nutrients being pumped directly into your cells when eating vegetables versus filling your cells with sugar, synthetic chemicals and all the stuff pumped into industrialized meat. Sugar alone robs skin of collagen and elastin, the first effect being the sunken look below the eyes that fills in relatively quickly with a nutritious diet.

EATING GREEN for health and beauty seems like a no-brainer, but I know it takes some willpower to make the commitment, even if only for a couple of times a week. One morning, going to Vegan Hills seemed like a good idea and reservations were made for the evening. But I didn’t eat much lunch and by dinnertime I was starving. As I trudged up Waialae Avenue, all I could think of was that I needed meat and that neighboring Kona Kai Sushi sure looked tempting.

But I ended the evening sated and satisfied at Vegan Hills, which has been packed with lunchtime regulars since its reopening. The vibe is much mellower and sophisticated in the evening when lighting is subdued and patrons are able to unwind with the help of organic wines and cocktails such as My Pear Lady ($12) made with cava brut and organic pear juice, or the Amarita ($15) combining Prairie vodka with organic kombucha, lilikoi and mint.

A lot of lunch favorites, such as the Red Hot Chili Bowl ($17), Satori macrobiotic Zen bowl ($20) and Why Not Chos ($16) nachos also appear on the dinner menu, but there’s enough new specialties to fuel many return trips.

Still true to Buddhist precepts, Odin uses no garlic, onions or animal- derived products in any part of the dishes, so it’s amazing how much flavor and texture she can coax out of plants. Many dishes are also gluten-free.

EVEN SO, I was fooled for a minute when I took a bite of the Coco-Mari ($14). Sometimes you read the menu descriptions, telling yourself, “sounds good,” without really imagining what the dish will look like. Only when the dish arrived did I realized the name was a play on “calamari.” I took one bite and was a little confused because the mouthfeel of organic king oyster mushrooms coated with a light cornmeal crust and coconut flour could be mistaken for the real thing.

In fact, it was better than most restaurants’ calamari, and disappeared quickly. One great aspect of dining in a vegan restaurant is that I never feel guilty. Vegetables, even when overeating, should have some kind of benefit, whether vitamins or trace elements needed for good health.

Next up was a Taste of France ($17) pate duo, one dark comprising soy, mushrooms, almonds, walnuts, sage and other spices to mimic a liver pate. The other was made of tofu, allspice and other spices to mimic foie gras. Both were excellent, served with bread and lilikoi butter. I wished I could have eaten more, but needed to avoid filling up on bread in favor of sampling more dishes.

Less exciting was a dish of cauliflower “wings” ($14) intended to mimic the flavor of buffalo wings. I thought when it arrived that anyone could pour sauce over steamed cauliflower, until I realized the sauce was made from scratch with vegan mayonnaise, jalapenos, cayenne and vegan butter. The dish might have been more exciting with a crisp crunch like the Coco-Mari’s.

I ALSO had to try Spicy da Kalbi ($19), a gluten-free salad served bibimbap-style over brown rice and organic mixed greens. This time the soy protein mock meat wasn’t very persuasive, but the flavor was good and, if you have a good imagination, the vegetable protein can feel like a very tender piece of meat.

A taste for sushi is addressed with an Avocado Sushi Boat ($19) — two avocado halves filled with brown rice, layered with tofu ricotta and creamy almond sauce, then topped with smoky carrot slices. The carrots gave the appearance of salmon without the richness, which was delivered by the avocado.

Au gratin potatoes ($15) coated with organic cashew sauce, vegan cheese and paprika with olive and truffle oils are a joy to accompany other dishes, and newbies will appreciate the lasagna ($22). The organic pasta layered with tomatoes, eggplant and basil isn’t trying to masquerade as any other food. The only distinct vegan substitute is plant-based Parmesan.

Desserts will also be familiar to regulars, with options that inlcude a lemon poppy-seed cake served with coconut cream, and a chocolate-strawberry pie topped with coconut cream and chocolate nibs.

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