The Weekly Eater: Restaurant reinvention is constant in Hawaii

The Chinese adage, “Far better to be a dog in days of peace than to be a human in times of war” has been interpreted in the Western world as a curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

We live in interesting times. The coronavirus has us all pivoting like players on a basketball court, to eke out some kind of existence amid constant blocking.

For restaurateurs, it has meant continual experimentation with everything from food to packaging to service, and temporary reinvention in direc­tions customers couldn’t imagine five months ago.

ONO2GUYS IS a small Korean-style bakery and sandwich shop has expanded its repertoire to include dosirak (bento-style meals) and banchan to address a demand for comfort foods to share at home.

The pandemic had co-owner Ewa Kim thinking about his childhood in South Korea, when his mom packed his school lunch every day with varied dishes.

“Every day she was making kimchi. She made her own gochujang. Even in the wintertime she would wake up early to make sure she could prepare food I could bring to school in a heated container. I miss that.”

Even though he had a 16-year career as a TV commercial director, the love of cooking learned from his mother led him to pursue his chef’s license in Korea. After moving to Hawaii, he opened Ono2Guys with his sister Lei and hanai brother Kai Rho, the baker of the operation.

>> PHOTOS: Hawaii restaurants reinvent to weather the coronavirus pandemic

Sandwich making has been put on hold to make way for about nine banchan selections and one or two dosirak daily. Each dosirak comprises four or five small dishes for $5.72 plus tax. An example would be a combination of japchae, beef bulgogi, gobo, cucumber kimchi and rice. The set selection is posted every morning on Instagram @ono2guys, so meat eaters aren’t disappointed on vegetarian days, and vice versa.

Initially, the low price was to be a one-month introductory offer starting in mid-June, but Kim said he decided to keep it going until the end of the year, “because everybody is having a hard time.”

For that, customers have given him the nickname “Angel of Kaneohe.”

Banchan items such as kimchi; anchovies with almonds, cashews and walnuts; shoyu eggs; shredded dried squid and pickled cucumber — a specialty that takes a month to ferment —run $6 to $10 per container.

People start lining up early on days when the menu includes tteokgalbi — a Korean-style hamburger steak comprising 60% minced, not ground, short ribs and 40% tenderloin.

After calling his mother constantly for recipes, Kim says he’s reached a point where he’s the better cook, because he maintains consistency.

“She doesn’t measure, so when I ask her how much ingredients, she says things like ‘just a little bit’ or ‘not too much,’ so every time her food tastes different. When she visited me here, I cooked for her, but she refused to eat and made her own food.”

Next, Kim plans to turn his attention to Korean soups and stews.

Ono2Guys

45-773 Kamehameha Highway; 762-3111, Kaneohe

Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays

JUST AS Merriman’s Honolulu was about to enter its fourth month of pandemic shutdown, the restaurant launched a new, more casual approach to food with Merriman’s Street Burger & Beer, an outdoor, street-style beer garden.

Although much of the menu comprises burgers, sandwiches and sides, it remains true to chef Peter Merriman’s farm-to-table philosophy.

“It took a lot of thinking outside the box on what we can do to stay true to our identity and still be a part of what’s going on in the community,” said Tom Bean, senior general manager. “We wanted to keep supporting our local farms, fishermen and ranchers.” So among ingredients diners will see on their plates are Hirabara Farm greens and local beef.

Bestsellers include a burger ($12) with cheddar, caramelized onions and Dijonnaise, and a Moroccan-herbed fresh fish sandwich ($15) with avocado, chipotle aioli, sprouts and tomato. You can get those accompanied by Mexican street corn ($6), Caesar salad ($8), fresh fruit ($4) or a bag of housemade potato chips ($3).

The outdoor, well-spaced setting had once again become a popular community gathering place when the latest shutdown orders came. “We had to pivot again,” Bean said.

So, with dining-in no longer allowed, a daily family pack meal to go was developed, offered in addition to regular items. The inaugural meal last Thursday was slow-roasted baby-back garlic ribs accompanied by potato gratin, grilled corn and Caesar salad for $29 per person.

Other options, such as a 1-1/2 pound Keahole lobster with drawn butter and grilled corn ($39) and cocktails to go can take some of the monotony out of life at home.

Merriman’s Honolulu

1108 Auahi St.; 215-0022

Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

OVER THE course of the pandemic, Restaurant XO chef-owner Kenneth Lee has tried a number of tactics to keep his staff working, selling frozen food to go, introducing waffle dogs for lunch and bottling sauces and other items for the home cook. He’s even hosted bake sales to help pastry chefs in the community.

He and his chefs also used their downtime to experiment on a new dinner menu that was introduced weeks prior to the latest dining-room shutdown.

This time, he’s resigned to simply going with the flow. “Two weeks is not long enough to start something new,” he said.

So for now he’s simply making everything on his dinner menu available as takeout, offering cocktails to go and putting renewed focus on waffle dogs.

Comfort food on a stick was not something diners expected from the contemporary restaurant before the pandemic, but it resonates with anyone who has fond memories of state fairs.

Given the restaurant’s flair for reimagining local dishes, Lee promises pandan and kalua pork and cabbage versions to come.

Restaurant XO

3434 Waialae Ave.; 732-3838.

Open for takeout 5 to 8 p.m. daily; waffle dogs sold 1 to 8 p.m. daily at the restaurant’s back door

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