Cravings: Vikram Garg pops up in Waikiki; learn how to make natto

The term “pop-up” usually refers to a shop or a restaurant that pops into existence for a limited time, say a weekend or a holiday season. An 18-month pop-up strains the concept.

But this is the plan with TBD …, which opened Tuesday in the Lotus Honolulu Hotel in Waikiki with a “lifespan of 18+ months.” That’s the wording used by the MacNaughton Group, which purchased the Lotus in December and hosted a preview dinner Monday.

TBD … — the name and punctuation emphasize its temporary status — is doubly notable because it is headed up by Vikram Garg, who left the post of executive chef at the Halekulani in 2016. Garg, a partner in the MacNaughton group and head of its hospitality division, views the new restaurant as a combination playground and laboratory.

“I said, “Let’s go have some fun.’”

The hotel will be undergoing renovation, the restaurant along with it, so a temporary situation was a way to make use of the space, while keeping the door open to another concept later.

That space has a long history, going back to Bobby McGee’s back in the day and David Paul’s Diamond Head Grill in the 1990s. Garg says the dining room was spruced up and the kitchen rebuilt — including the installation of a blazing hot tandoori oven.

He says the menu reflects “my global journey,” beginning with his roots in India. “You’ll see little touches of my motherland.”

The tandoori oven produces his TFC — Tandoori Fried Chicken — and a tomahawk steak.

Also on the menu: Kona abalone crusted with miso and pepper, a playful falafel bento box, a unique and colorful collection of desserts.

Entree prices run from $29 for a falafel bento box to $169 for a tomahawk steak for two.

Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; until midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Call 791-5164 or go to tbdhawaii.com.

— Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser

LESSONS IN NATTO

Learn to make natto, the Japanese superfood of fermented soybeans, at a demonstration June 23 at Da Shop: Books & Curiosities in Kaimuki.

The 7 p.m. event includes a tasting of presenter Eien Hunter-Ishikawa’s own fresh natto; a lecture on the production process, history and nutritional information; and both traditional and nontraditional recipes.

Tickets are $10, available at nattotime.eventbrite.com.

Hunter-Ishikawa is an avid home cook and fermentationist living in Portland, Ore., where he is also a musician and educator. Born in Japan, he grew up in a household with a tradition of gardening, cooking, fermenting and fishing, and started making natto as a child.

Because fresh natto was hard to find in North America, Hunter-Ishikawa started fermenting his own in 2010, refining his process to fine tune the flavor, texture and consistency.

Find out more at eienhunterishikawa.com/natto-time. Da Shop is at 3565 Harding Ave.; call 421-9460.

— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser