My favorite foodie, Crave editor Kelli Shiroma Braiotta, recently went to a media preview at Moonga Asian Bistro and shared some of her sushi haul with me — thank you, Kelli! I thought it was so delicious that my husband and I made the trek to the Windward side for a date night (thanks, Mom, for watching the kiddo) at Kaneohe’s newest sushi joint … kind of.
To call Moonga Asian Bistro merely a sushi restaurant takes away from the robustness of its enormous menu. In addition to sushi and sashimi, the restaurant (located in the old Pah Ke’s space) also features Thai curries and noodle and rice dishes, as well as chicken, beef and seafood entrees. I can’t think of another place you can get quality sushi along with orange chicken, Szechuan beef, drunken noodles and panang curry, all in one order.
With that knowledge, I’d recommend checking the menu online before your visit so you’re not sitting at the table hangry as you decide what to get. With so much to choose from, the selections in this column are a mere sample of what’s available. I was surprised that I liked every single dish that we ordered. With such a large menu, sometimes dishes are hit or miss, but Moonga hit the mark each time.
We started with my husband’s favorite: crab cheese wontons ($6 for four pieces). These were perfectly crispy, but not too hard. I’m not a fan of the ones that are so overcooked that they cut the roof of your mouth. My crab rangoon connoisseur mentioned how much he liked them, so I relegated myself to just one piece while he indulged in the other three. It was tough because they were delicious.
The black-pepper tuna salad ($16) complemented the heaviness of the crab cheese wontons nicely, and the black-pepper crusts along the ahi pieces were flavorful without being overpowering. It was served with beautifully arranged ribbons of avocado, as well as the chef’s special sauce that had a yuzu essence I really enjoyed.
Of course, we had to order sushi, and we opted for two rolls to fit our preferences. My husband ordered the Hako roll ($16.95) that came with spicy tuna, salmon, ahi and avocado, as well as unagi sauce and spicy mayo. The shape of it kind of threw me off because it’s more rectangular than I was expecting, but aesthetics aside, this was a pretty solid roll. In the hopes of trying something unique, I went for the Jessica Alba roll ($17.50) that featured cucumber, cream cheese, tempura salmon, albacore (get it?), lemon and a spicy ponzu Srirarcha. The best word to describe it was “refreshing.” The lemon and ponzu together were superb, but I think it’s an acquired taste; my husband made a face after taking a bite.
In an effort to showcase more of Moonga’s menu, we also ordered honey walnut shrimp ($22) and kung pao beef ($18; add $2 for fried rice). These two are quintessential items on many a Chinese menu, and it was an interesting experience being able to enjoy sushi between bites of shrimp and stir-fried beef and veggies like onion, bell peppers, celery, zucchini and broccoli. Of the two entrees, the honey walnut shrimp was my favorite. The creamy honey sauce was applied just enough to not drown out the flavors of the walnuts and shrimp — plus, it was so fresh, the walnuts and fried shrimp were still crunchy! I liked the kung pao beef, but at that point in the meal, I was suffering from being too full (and silently rejoicing that I wore stretchy pants). All the food we ordered amounted to about $50 per person including tax and we had enough for two full leftover meals. Not bad, right? That means next time, my husband and I can each order our own crab cheese wontons.
Moonga Asian Bistro
Address
46-018 Kamehameha Hwy., Kaneohe
Phone
808-219-0421
Hours
11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4:30-9:30 p.m.
Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays; noon-10 p.m. Saturdays; noon-9:30 p.m. Sundays
Website
moongaasianbistrohi.com
Instagram
@moongahawaii
Food: 4/5
Price: $$
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Parking: free in the lot
