Among all the new restaurants that have opened, it’s good to see familiar names returning to the dining scene as well, each adding to a sense that we are moving one step closer to normalcy.
The latest to rebound is Mahina & Sun’s, which closed last March. After a year of serving a streamlined poolside Lanai menu, the restaurant rebooted its dinner service in September, with chef Erik Leong at the helm. Leong was part of the restaurant’s opening team in 2014 before moving to California in 2019. He returned to the Surfjack in August, losing no time getting the restaurant back on track with much of the original local-first philosophy intact, but making some concessions as to what can be sourced reliably and based on comfort-driven cuisine people have sought out throughout the pandemic. This sensibility meshes well with his aim of presenting dishes that are approachable and uncomplicated.
The restaurant’s interior remains the same with its shaka wallpaper, retro vibe in keeping with the hotel’s style, and central bar helmed by bar czar Christian Taibi who has added his own twists to classic cocktails. These include the Kahiko, a Hawaii-style old fashioned made with local Kupu whiskey and served over a coconut water ice cube, and Escape, his spiced take on a piña colada.
Diners can opt to sit indoors or outside at small tables or picnic tables surrounding the property’s central pool. A casual bar-style Lanai menu is offered all day, and at dinner, patrons can choose to dine as casual as they want with a mix of pupu and pizza offerings from both Lanai and Mahina menus, or go for the full Mahina experience, which for first-timers means building a meal around the Mahina Family Feast.
The feast’s centerpiece is a whole fried fish (market price plus $37 per person for sides; a 2-pound fish is currently running $60-$80). This was the most requested dish by fans who were vocal about letting hotel staffers know they were longing for it throughout the pandemic. It was unavailable until recently.
Accompanying that fish is a starter of au crudo; and sides of roasted roots poke, pohole ferns with dried fried shrimp, buttered ulu with chile pepper water aioli; rice; and dessert of banana pudding; plus sauces of Indian-spiced chimichurri and miso aioli that also pairs well with another main dish of chicken Milanese ($32).
You shouldn’t be hungry for much more beyond that, save for adding another starter or the only salad on the menu, a pomegranate kale salad ($14) tossed with both savory and sweet ingredients such as diced butternut squash, dried cranberries, chickpeas and goat cheese.
As for starters, the plump, juicy clams ($20) are a good place to start, steamed in a broth of vermouth and saffron with fennel, tomato and chile. This is one of my favorite dishes on the menu.
If you choose to go the a la carte route, you could choose heavier starters such as deli cious smoked ahi toast ($14) served on Breadshop bread and topped with quartered onsen eggs, capers, pickles and chives.
I loved the avocado tacos ($12) that feature crispy fried avocado wedges with pickled red onions, smoked yogurt and shishito peppers, with its roulette surprise of getting one that’s spicy or mild. I hadn’t read the menu carefully so when my mouth was burning I was shocked to see my chileaverse friend loving it with no pain whatsoever. “How could this be?” I asked before figuring out those peppers were shishitos, in which one in 10 are said to be spicy. In our case, two of the three tacos in the serving were spicy, which I think is a necessary component for tacos.
Pizzas are also considered starters here but are the equivalent of a meal. The two options are a basic Margherita ($19) and the naked pig pizza ($20), a savory combination of fromage blanc, sweet onions and smoky, tender uncured bacon. More affordable options to the Family Feast are a trio of main dish fish options such as an ahi steak ($30) served with 12-grain rice with cucumbers, carrots and pickled mushrooms; opah ($32) topped with black olive tapenade over a bed of cucumbers with shallots and sumac; and munching ($32) with ulu, green beans, cherry tomatoes and chervil.
I also enjoyed the rib-eye steak ($40) served on a sizzling platter with corn and edamame succotash and roasted alii mushrooms. Hand-cut pasta ($25) with a delicate beef ragu was another favorite, but the blankety pasta needs to be handled with care in the kitchen. I’ve had it when it was perfect, and again when it turned gummy from over-boiling.
Chicken Milanese ($32) is served in the Italian style topped with arugula, roasted grapes, almonds, fennel and pecorino, which should provide all the flavor one needs, right? Unfortunately my local friends didn’t see it that way. When they see a fried cutlet they think katsu and require a sauce. As I mentioned above, the miso aioli that accompanies the Family Feast makes a great match, and you can request a dish of it on the side.
There are desserts of a goat cheesecake ($10) and cornflake chocolate ganache tart with lilikoi curd ($10) but my favorite was the banana pudding ($10). If you’re still missing the banana pudding once offered by Magnolia Bakery and Café at Ala Moana Center, this hits the spot. With its caramelized slices of bananas blanketed with vanilla cream and salted cookie dirt, it’s the ultimate comfort creation.
Mahina & Sun’s
Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club
412 Lewers St.,Waikiki
Food: ***½
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***
Value: ***½
Call: 808-924-5810
Hours: Lanai menu available 8-10 P.M. Daily; Dinner 5:30-10 P.M. Thursdays-Sundays
Prices: $90-$150 For two without alcohol
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
