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Shirokiya
On the upper-most level of Ala Moana there lies a jewel of Japanese cuisine. Shirokiya. Shirokiya has been a much loved establishment here in the islands since 1959. In 2001 Shirokiya was threatened by closure but in 2002 it was reopened as the company was bought out. The bottom level of Shirokiya consists of many Japanese novelties, consumer electronics, and furniture. However, take the escalator upstairs and you will be transported to a food destination unlike any other here in Hawai'i. The upper level of Shirokiya is filled with food vendors (many who have come from Japan to practice their trade here in Hawai'i) dishing out food right before your very eyes. From sushi to katsu to made to order ramen, Shirokiya is a mecca of both traditional and local Japanese food. Besides the food, you can also find groceries that are hard to come by in most supermarkets such as quail eggs, fresh Japanese produce, a large assortment of miso and tofu and much more.
Shirokiya is always packed full of customers and vendors especially around meal time.
A variety of bentos.As we wandered through the seemingly endless food stalls, I couldn't help but feel like I was being herded from one place to another like livestock. Catching the aroma of something that I haven't had in a long time we made our way to a vendor across the room. It was as I had expected. Guytan (Cow tongue). In our previous post about yakiniku I believe I had explained that if you ever have the chance of eating cow tongue you should definately take that chance. Here it was glazed in a yakitori-type sauce and lightly grilled. It was excellent. I haven't had cow tongue in such a long time that I had almost forgotten how much I loved it.
Gyutan (Beef Tongue).
Gyutan (Beef Tongue).Of course being brought up in Hawai'i, I need starch with my meat. This means rice. And what better time to introduce one of my favorite rice dishes of all time, seki-han. Seki-han is a rice dish containing short grain glutinous rice and red azuki beans. The rice and beans are cooked together and when it is finished cooking, the rice turns a light purple color. The rice is then topped with toasted sesame seeds and served. There is a Korean equivalent that I also enjoy but that is for a later post.
Seki-han (red bean rice)
Seki-han (red bean rice)As we made our way around, we came across a vendor selling hamachi. It was a shame that there was no hamachi collar as that is my favorite part of the fish. I picked up a small cross-section of the fish to go with my meal. Hamachi is sweet and is my personal favorite fish when grilled or broiled. Its flavor however, also reflects its price making it a very expensive fish as well.
Hamachi
HamachiAs we made our way to the checkout isle I found another food item which I haven't eaten in a long time. It is basically a nori-wrapped musubi with a sea-kelp filling in the middle. It tastes like a standard musubi but what really makes it special is the salty sea-kelp.
Sea Kelp Musubi
Sea Kelp MusubiWe made our way through the seemingly endless line and payed for our food. The Host was being treated that day to lunch by a friend who was with us so we made our way down to the food court so that he could decide what he wanted to eat.
The Ala Moana Shopping Center food court is a thing to be marveled at. Although there are bigger food courts in the world, Ala Moana's food court proudly displays what the culture of our islands have become. A melting pot of foods. Traditional Hawai'ian food sat next to Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, and so on. A new stall at the far end caught our eyes as we had not seen it before. The Steak & Fish Company seemed like an out of place establishment. It had dim lights and a more upscale feel to it. If you don't already know my take on take out steak places such as blazin' steaks I will just say that I frown upon it. When The Host told his friend that he wanted to try this place, I figured that it would at least be a good addition to our blog. He ordered an 8oz ribeye steak (the shrimp and fish looked dry so he decided not to order any seafood). What he brought back to the table didn't look too bad. It seemed a bit on the over-done side as he ordered it medium rare. It came with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. The steak itself was tough and hard to cut with a plastic fork and knife and was equally tough to chew as it was cooked to about medium/medium-well instead of medium-rare. The seasonings weren't that great (I assume just salt and pepper). As for the price, lets just say I'd rather not speak of it. I would however suggest going to blazin' steaks (regardless of what I said earlier) as the price at least reflects the quality and quantity there. But what can I say, it was steak and it was cheaper than a dine-in restaurant and it is located in the middle of Ala Moana (where rent is very high) so I guess they must be doing something right.
The Steak & Fish Company.
8oz Ribeye Steak Plate
The Ala Moana Shopping Center food court is a thing to be marveled at. Although there are bigger food courts in the world, Ala Moana's food court proudly displays what the culture of our islands have become. A melting pot of foods. Traditional Hawai'ian food sat next to Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, and so on. A new stall at the far end caught our eyes as we had not seen it before. The Steak & Fish Company seemed like an out of place establishment. It had dim lights and a more upscale feel to it. If you don't already know my take on take out steak places such as blazin' steaks I will just say that I frown upon it. When The Host told his friend that he wanted to try this place, I figured that it would at least be a good addition to our blog. He ordered an 8oz ribeye steak (the shrimp and fish looked dry so he decided not to order any seafood). What he brought back to the table didn't look too bad. It seemed a bit on the over-done side as he ordered it medium rare. It came with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. The steak itself was tough and hard to cut with a plastic fork and knife and was equally tough to chew as it was cooked to about medium/medium-well instead of medium-rare. The seasonings weren't that great (I assume just salt and pepper). As for the price, lets just say I'd rather not speak of it. I would however suggest going to blazin' steaks (regardless of what I said earlier) as the price at least reflects the quality and quantity there. But what can I say, it was steak and it was cheaper than a dine-in restaurant and it is located in the middle of Ala Moana (where rent is very high) so I guess they must be doing something right.
The Steak & Fish Company.
8oz Ribeye Steak PlateWe ended the meal off at Zagu Crystal & Pearl Shakes. Most of us islanders know what a bubble or pearl drink is (fruit flavored syrup mixed with crush ice with tapioca balls at the bottom) however a crystal drink was something new. A crystal drink is the same as a bubble drink but instead of tapioca balls there were coconut crystals at the bottom. I had a honeydew melon drink and it was so good that I forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry guys. Needless to say, it is hard to screw up a bubble drink so it was pretty much your standard honeydew melon drink. If you like honeydew melon bubble drinks then I suggest that you try a Melona bar from 7-11 or your local supermarket.
Zagu Crystal & Pearl Shakes
I will not be rating Zagu Crystal & Pearl Shakes as it is just a bubble drink stand.
Shirokiya (food vendors)
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: n/a
Food Quality: 3.5
Monetary Value: 3.5
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.5
Steak & Fish Company
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 2.5
Food Quality: 2.25
Monetary Value: 1.75
Quality vs Quantity: Tie
Overall: 2.2
For Ala Moana Shopping Center Store Hours Please Visit Their Website www.alamoana.com
--Upcoming Posts and News--
Food Spotlight #2
Gyotaku Review
Shirokiya (food vendors)
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: n/a
Food Quality: 3.5
Monetary Value: 3.5
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 3.5
Steak & Fish Company
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 2.5
Food Quality: 2.25
Monetary Value: 1.75
Quality vs Quantity: Tie
Overall: 2.2
For Ala Moana Shopping Center Store Hours Please Visit Their Website www.alamoana.com
--Upcoming Posts and News--
Food Spotlight #2
Gyotaku Review
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