The yakiniku experience in Hawaii has always been about generous slabs of meat, and lots of it. Newly open Han No Daidokoro takes a different approach, showing the evolution of yakiniku (Japanese for “grilled meat”) from the casual grill associated with Korean cuisine to the refinement of the Japanese table, through multicourse meals that favor quality over quantity.
A visit to the restaurant is not about gluttony, but about savoring subtlety and fostering appreciation of intensely marbled Miyazaki beef. This is beef so fatty not everyone can stomach it, so if the portions seem small at first, just wait. A few ounces go a long way.
I first heard promise of this restaurant — known in Japan for serving premium beef — arriving on our shores two years ago, and felt excitement when signage finally went up at Ward Village last February. Then COVID-19 happened and momentum came to a standstill as key personnel found themselves stuck in Japan.
Over time, other Japan-based businesses that opened on the cusp of the pandemic gave up their Hawaii dreams, and I was hoping Han No Daidokoro would not suffer the same fate. I stalked the restaurant’s Instagram account and was cheered by every snapshot that offered no news but signaled they were still in the game.
The restaurant opened last month and it is well worth the long, agonizing wait.
A FRIEND told me the prix fixe dinners were likely to be expensive, and with a rate of about $30 an ounce for A5 Miyazaki beef, I imagined tiers of about $125 to $250 per person. With that expectation, the reality of set menus priced at $55 and $75 seemed inexpensive, given the quality of food and execution.
The $75 menu is definitely worth the splurge for both those in the know and those who want to taste the difference between Japanese Miyazaki wagyu and American washu beef. It’s really no comparison. The Japanese wagyu is shot with fat throughout, its texture silky and sublime.
If you’re worried about that fat content, the wagyu breed’s fat is different from other cattle, in that its health value has been compared to olive oil, salmon and almonds. Its high omega 3 and omega 6 content is usually associated with foods deemed good for you, such as fish and walnuts, as well as and flax and chia seeds. Its cholesterol content is lower than that of most meat, including chicken.
The meal opens with rare, seared Miyazaki beef served with small dabs of yuzukosho, spiced oroshi (grated daikon) and garlic puree for dressing the meat. None of it is necessary, but I do love garlic, as well as the spiced, salted yuzu paste, and tried to use both sparingly so as not to erase the essence of the beef.
Kimchi, lightly pickled vegetables and a simple salad arrive at the same time, but won’t be replenished throughout the evening as they would be at a Korean restaurant. At a Japanese restaurant, this is all you get, so pace yourself accordingly if you want to continue eating some greens with the remaining meat courses.
Next come grill-ready cuts of salted wagyu and washu, accompanied by mushrooms and a mild soy sauce, followed by a basket of steamed washu beef, and three types of marinated Miyazaki and washu beef. Cuts range from rib-eye to pillowy zabuton (chuck flap).
The only carb of the evening is the rice in two pieces of washu nigiri, preceding the dessert of the day, which was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with honey.
For comparison, the $55 washu beef menu opens with seared beef, the same vegetables, four different cuts of salted beef, followed by three types of marinated beef, a single piece of washu nigiri and dessert.
AS I mentioned earlier, this experience is not for those who just want to gulp down lots of meat, but if you have the cash, you can add cuts of meat at any time. Two pieces of Miyazaki sukiyaki beef ($13.90) are worth a try, each quickly seared at the table and served with both grated yamaimo (mountain yam) and a raw TKG — tamago kake gohan — egg yolk, produced to be salmonella free, for dipping. The slimy coatings add to the luxurious mouthfeel of the thin-cut beef.
Also on the a la carte menu are washu selections of beef tongue ($15.90 or $26.90 for higher grade), beef tripe ($19.90), rib-eye ($24.90) and outside skirt ($24.90).
HAN NO DAIDOKORO
Anaha, Ward Village, 1108 Auahi St.
Food: ****
Service: ****
Ambiance: ****
Value: ****
>> Call: 517-3229
>> Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays
>> Prices: $55 to $75 per person
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.
