The Weekly Eater: Waioli’s Grill and Cafe offers unique tapas

Restaurant Wada closed its doors not for lack of popularity, but because its namesake chef sought more opportunity in New York City.

I was sad — the food was great at Wada and the setting comfortable; not too casual, not too dressy, but just right. Overall, a tough act to follow.

The space remained vacant for a while, but has sprung to life again with the emergence of Waioli Grill and Cafe. The layout and general ambiance hasn’t changed much save for a dark green color scheme, and the name makes it sound like a generic Hawaii-style casual cafe, but it’s quite unique as Oahu’s first baru, or Japan-style tapas bar.

But we’ll get to the baru aspect later because, by day, the restaurant is another creature, with a prix-fixe menu of Japanese specialties. I returned for dinner two days later because I loved the lunch so much. I’d been searching for a new restaurant and wasn’t thrilled by the options until a friend mentioned this mystery spot, and I was elated when the food turned out to be good.

I’ve seen so many $75-plus multicourse dinner menus, $20 ramen and $15 plate lunches lately that Waioli’s $16 handful of signature “Ichiju Sansai” lunch sets are a great deal in comparison. True to the translation of “one soup, three dishes,” the set comes with two appetizers plus your choice of soup, main dish and staple course of rice.

If felt so luxurious, with such options as chilled vichyssoise with Kauai shrimp, a fine antidote for enduring the recent 90-degree weather, and minestrone made hardier with the addition of slices of Portuguese sausage.

Five main-dish selections are on the inaugural menu: a veggie-loaded cheese gratin, smoked pork steak with sweet ginger sauce, roast beef, grilled salmon with sweet miso sauce, and an excellent chicken nanban with avocado tartar sauce worth coming back for again and again.

If $16 still feels like a splurge for lunch, there is a $12 option of a rice bowl of the day plus soup. Dessert of yuzu or green tea sorbet runs an extra $4. It was the first time I’d tried green tea sorbet, as ice cream is the norm. I liked the intensity of the matcha flavor, but those who can’t tolerate bitterness should skip it.

IN THE evening, numerous starters are true to the tapas approach, with more small shared dishes than large plates. The dish that hews closest to Spanish cuisine is the cod roe and potato ajillo ($8), a combination of mushrooms, slivered potato, garlic and chili pepper simmered in olive oil, arriving with rounds of toasted baguette. This was heaven, though there wasn’t enough toast to soak all of it up. A whole baguette would be ideal.

Beyond that, the food is a more typical Asian fusion of mostly Japanese and Korean elements, with some novel combinations as an Okinawan sweet potato salad ($10) served with delicious thick-cut bacon and crispy kale so light and airy that it disintegrates on the tongue.

One of the highlights at restaurant Wada was washugyu tataki topped with sea urchin. Waioli resurrects this dish as a wrap of rare roast beef topped with uni and slivers of shiso ($18) that diners roll up before popping it into their mouths. There are four to a plate so a couple can enjoy two apiece, because one isn’t enough.

Dishes tend to run rich and heavy, such as an oyster tartine ($15), toast layered with oysters, spinach, himeji mushrooms, Parmesan and egg; Kauai shrimp tempura ($16); or pork belly lettuce wraps with kochujang and kim chee ($12). For balance there are salads of spinach and mushroom with balsamic dressing ($11) and mixed greens with gorgonzola, fried shrimp and grapefruit ($13).

LARGER PLATES are also shareable, such as a quartet of seared scallops ($25) served with fluffy edamame puree, bits of lup cheong, jalapeno and leeks; and oil-marinated beef tenderloin ($35) accompanied by fried tofu, slices of potato and grilled green peppers.

Bone marrow bibimbap ($13) sounded promising, but the marrow got lost when stirred into the rice and the diced beef tongue was negligible.

Like just about every restaurant in these days of low unemployment, the restaurant is short-staffed, so service can be slow, though sincere.

In these early days of service, a short menu of wines and soft drinks accompanies meals, with promise of a bigger bar program to come.

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