A ‘brew’-tiful beginning

Japanese-inspired coffee shop, Neko Koneko Cafe, started its humble beginnings with a kei truck parked at the Mililani Park and Ride. It expanded to its storefront in Liliha (1658 Liliha St.) earlier this year to offer its patrons a more cozy experience, and has extended its hours to include Mondays and Wednesdays. “As frequent travelers, a lot of our inspiration comes from the coffee shops we’ve visited. Taking the best of what we’ve experienced and tailoring it to our customer base has been a rewarding process in building our storefront,” states Erin Yonamine, co-owner of Neko Koneko Cafe.

The biz offers a variety of bottled cold brews with flavors such as honey cinnamon, mocha, shiro white chocolate, toasted coconut and more. In addition, specialty in-house beverages are also available, which include iced teas and iced cold brews.

Visit nekokonekocafe.com.

A taste of Japan

The Japan is a new Japanese food hall (2330 Kalakaua Ave.) within Mitsuwa Waikiki (the food court area in the back of the grocery store) in International Market Place.

The Japan is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Guests can find vendors specializing in Japanese street foods — including ramen, yakitori, onigiri and more — from various regions of Japan.

Current vendors include Tempura Endo (variety of ten don), Ramen Taiga (shoyu, shio and miso ramen), Carp Dori (yakitori spot with a variety of skewers), Wagyu Cocoroe (premium wagyu bentos), Uni Kura (dishes with Hokkaido uni) and FujiMaru (variety of onigiri).

Follow the biz on Instagram (@mitsuwawaikiki_foodhall) for more.

A local cause

Holey Grail Donuts’ “Breaking Bread” series, slated to release Aug. 31, features a Maui ohana doughnut that will benefit local farmers. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the Maui ohana doughnut — which comprises guava, strawberry, lilikoi and pineapple flavors — will be donated to the Hawaii Ag & Culinary Alliance to aid those on Maui affected by the recent wildfires.

It will be available for purchase through Sept. 27 and is priced at $5.

The Hawaii Ag & Culinary Alliance’s Kokua Restaurant and Hospitality Fund offers patronage to the hardworking restaurant, bar and hospitality workers displaced by the tragic wildfires on West Maui in receiving the help they urgently need. The organization is committed to supporting the island’s recovery and also aids the culinary community on the ground who are feeding those impacted by the fires.

Visit holeygraildonuts.com.

A magnificent meal

StripSteak, A Michael Mina Restaurant, located at International Market Place, is offering a special five-course dinner with wine pairings from Silver Oak and Twomey at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21. Executive chef Gar-rick Mendoza and master sommelier and MINA Group wine director Jeremy Shanker collaborate for this magnificent meal, which is limited to 25 people.

The first course features a cauliflower king crab chawanmushi and is paired with a Twomey sauvignon blanc. Next, a Twomey pinot noir complements a barely cooked salmon with curry-braised fennel, mango chutney and pinot noir reduction. The third course is lamb with braised Swiss chard and garlic yogurt, which is harmonized with a Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon. A washugyu hanging tender is next and is paired with a Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon. To finish off the meal, guests will indulge in a milk chocolate and caramel mousse cake with brown butter streusel, which is balanced with a Meneres 10-year tawny port.

Visit stripsteakwaikiki.com for more info or make a reservation by calling 808-896-2545.