With summer comes thoughts of samgyetang, the ginseng chicken soup that’s a staple when warm weather arrives in South Korea.
Alas, it seems the only chicken being offered by the newest Korean restaurants is fried chicken. These days you can find KFC in every neighborhood, but what’s good for a restaurateur’s bottom line isn’t necessarily healthy at my waistline, so I’ve long been awaiting the day someone comes up with a new idea representative of the Land of the Morning Calm.
After all, there is more to Korean cuisine than fried chicken, but the food I’d like to see requires know-how and labor in short supply here. So while I’m perhaps waiting in vain for magic to happen, at least Masil Pocha has arrived to resurrect the trendy Korean bar combining food, drink and K-pop.
A stream of Korean R&B music videos was the backdrop to a fun meal, the work of chef-owner Ryan Kim who was a manager of the upscale yakiniku house Budnamujip before that restaurant closed during the pandemic. Understanding his long-term future rested in his hands, he spent a year in Korea learning to cook before returning to open his own restaurant.
Still aiming to find a chef, the menu is likely to expand over time, but what’s there is a fresher, cleaner tasting roster of bar favorites, more of a snapshot of contemporary Seoul than old-school Honolulu Korean fare.
The pocha occupies a spot that over the years has been a revolving door for restaurants Ojiya, Yacchaba, Izakaya Mai and most recently, the Southeast Indian restaurant and market Sarithra.
In addition to open dining room seating, the market area now houses four karaoke, or noraebang, rooms that diners can reserve for no extra charge. (Karaoke is $2 per song.) Of course, you’re expected to order food and drinks, but unlike other venues that have minimum room charges, there’s no minimum spend here.
Once you’ve settled in, the festivities can begin, starting with domestic or Korean beer, Korean raspberry or rice wine or bottles of soju or sweet soju cocktails such as a “Very Berry” ($12) blend of soju, strawberries and Sprite, or a pretty red-to-blue ombre “Sea Breeze” ($12), combining soju, cranberry and grapefruit juices.
Every dish is meant to be shared and of course, there is the requisite chicken wings. At first glance the spicy wings ($18) immediately had me thinking of long-ago hot spot Chicken Alice because of its red color and coating of chile flakes, seeds and other marinade ingredients. I loved its crisp texture and the balance of sweetness and sauce.
For something different, there is Masil’s cinnamon-rich take on whole yangnyeom chicken ($26). The sweet, dessert-y flavor may not appeal to those expecting more savory notes, but I enjoyed the unique sauce. I expect it appeals more to those with a taste for honey chicken than marinades with a shoyu-garlic essence.
Fried dishes such as calamari ($15) and a crisp potato pancake ($15) hit the spot. I was particularly enamored by the thin hash brown-style pancake with its brittle shoestring potato texture, topped with mozzarella and Instagram-ready runny poached egg.
As carb-phobic as I am, another of my favorite dishes here is the spicy kimchi fried rice ($16), the best I’ve tasted on this island to date.
While the fried rice was saturated with flavor, meat such as kalbi ($25) and roasted pork belly ($25) were more spare in keeping with contemporary Korean tastes. Locals accustomed to more salt and saucing may consider the kalbi underseasoned with its light shoyu marinade, but I tend to enjoy cleaner flavors that allow me to taste more meat than sauce. The pork was also clean and non-greasy, with accompanying sesame oil and ssamjang adding a punch of flavor.
There was much to try so I avoided the particularly Korean specialties such as sea snails ($25) and simmered pupae ($12), typically silkworms, considered to be one if the nation’s most exotic foods and one I thought I wanted to try until a Korean friend gave me second thoughts, telling me she can’t eat it.
Those seeking comfort food will find it in the form of hot pot soups to share, such as a spicy seafood soup ($32), kimchi hot pot ($32) or tteokbokki hot pot ($18) also filled with cabbage and other veggies, fish cake and hard-boiled egg. I loved the softness of the tteokbokki, which is too often served in tough, chewy mode. I don’t want to work that hard.
I’m hoping this restaurant will have the longevity that eluded its predecessors. It’s a good sign that of all the tenants this space has seen in a decade, this is the first with a menu that’s made me want to return.
Masil Pocha
1718 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
Food: ****
Service: ***½
Ambiance: ***
Value: ***½
Call: 808-762-3100
Hours: 5:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Daily
Prices: About $80 for two to three 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).
