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Ran into a bunch of my competitors working on a review of cheap eats at the Ohana Hale Marketplace last week.
Been there, done that. The marketplace has been known for its inexpensive fare ever since it opened in fall of 2018 with a number of start-up purveyors offering a wide variety of to-go specialties.
Amateur-run businesses disappeared quickly, but as the Ohana Hale’s success stories began to add up, more professionals moved in, leading to the opening of @sushi, or Atsushi, where chef Atsushi Kumagai’s omakase meals will set you back a little more than $100 per person with tip — and diners are lining up to pay just that. The wait is about two weeks for dinner reservations, which will be omakase-only beginning in May.
In fact, there’s probably going to be an angry mob after me, as those in the know have told me not to tell anyone about this place they consider their little secret. For sushi aficionados it’s a deal, the quality on par with Honolulu’s top-tier restaurants, where omakase dinners run $250 to $300 per person.
Kumagai — who came from one such top-tier restaurant, Maru Sushi — offers about 10 to 12 selections versus the 20 to 24 on competitors’ pricier menus. You’ll leave sated, but eager to return to spend your “savings.”
Still, it can feel unseemly to pay @sushi’s price for a meal in the swap meet-like venue of the marketplace. Nevertheless, Kumagai has done his best to create a sushi bar’s ambiance with a counter for six. Once seated, it’s rather easy to tune out the marketplace activity when in the thrall of watching Kumagai work his magic.
It’s been possible to snag a seat for lunch, when diners have less time to indulge in an omakase meal, but as word gets out this will change. I was lucky enough to walk in one day to order sushi a la carte, at about $4 per piece — $40 for 10 pieces. So, you might wonder how he can charge about $95 for his omakase.
Well, let me tell you.
As I sat there and saw the labor he put into the omakase, I kept thinking, “I want that!” I ended up making a reservation to return for the omakase the next day.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with ordering a la carte. The quality of the ingredients is the same, but you’ll just see basics on the menu: maguro, sake, ebi, unagi. Some nice extras include a dab of bright yuzu over kampachi, but you just don’t get the flourishes associated with high-end omakase, as you will see.
“Why didn’t you order omakase yesterday?” Kumagai asked.
I had to explain that I’d been in a time crunch and didn’t know how long the meal would take, which turned out to be a leisurely 90 minutes.
Our omakase started simply enough with local maguro, brushed with the chef’s thickened soy glaze. There’s no such thing as dunking your sushi in a soy and wasabi mixture here. You’ll eat it as Kumagai intends.
Next up was nigiri of nodoguro (blackthroat sea perch), which has become one of my favorite fishes because of its fatty, tender nature. Each bite of this sushi will leave you swooning and craving more, but alas, a working mantra of sushi chefs seems to be “leave guests wanting more.” Watching dishes being put together raises anticipation levels, leading up to that gratifying first bite.
Kumagai presented his own favorite next, slicing the liver from a kawahagi (thread-sail filefish), which adds creaminess to the fish, laid atop the rice in a kawahagi nigiri.
Next up was the simplicity of salmon. While we were enjoying this and the kawahagi, the chef was cooking up tachiuo (beltfish) he had dressed with grated Himalaya rock salt. He layered the cooked fish over a thumb-size block of rice, connecting both with a strip of nori and topping it with fine-grated ginger.
Moi, Hawaii’s “fish of kings,” was torched before being pressed into nigiri, followed by succulent toro. Then came the showstoppers.
It was the shirako over rice that I’d seen him make the previous day that really convinced me to return for the omakase. Kumagai cooks it in butter before folding it into rice with yuzukosho and his soy glaze. I observed as he presented it to a woman who asked, “What is this?”
His answer: “I better not tell you; you just try.”
I had to hide a smile while watching her face, and she seemed to like the rice flavored with cod sperm sac.
The first time I tried shirako — as presented by one of @sushi’s competitors — I didn’t like the chalky consistency. Here, the butter brought out its creaminess and the result might be compared to eating risotto, though of course the koshihikari rice used is much softer and fluffier than arborio.
A luxurious combination of Hokkaido uni, ankimo (monkfish liver) and ikura over rice and shiso was finished with gold leaf.
The finale is nigiri of A5 Miyazaki wagyu, scored before cooking to soften and release its beefy essence.
@sushi
Ohana Hale Marketplace, 333 Ward Ave.
Food: ****
Service: ****
Ambiance: ** 1/2
Value: ****
Call: 358-4593
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays
Prices: A la carte lunch from about $30; omakase lunch or dinner about $100
Ratings compare similar restaurants:
**** – excellent
*** – very good
** – average
* – below average
Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.
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