Therapy Sports Grill

Looking for a home base for March Madness or just a great brew? Therapy Sports Grill is the place to be! Located in Koko Marina Center Therapy Sports Grill is a shining jewel in today's restaurant scene. Aside from having a wide selection of on-tap beer and made-to-order drink specialties, Therapy Sports Grill really shines through its eclectic menu.

Usually when someone is trying to put together a menu they stick with one or two types of cuisines. For example an Asian themed menu with a local Californian twist or a bar featuring traditional Japanese bar food. In Therapy's case, they took this standard and threw it out the window.

Therapy's menu consists of traditional bar food, local favorites, sushi and so much more. However, what you have to keep in mind is that like most bars, food is a premium and can therefore be costly. This is common for most restaurants and especially for bars (making money off of drinks rather than food). But enough about the ins and outs of restaurant finances, lets talk food.

Sushi. Before I continue let me just say just between myself and a friend we spent $120 on this review. I'll just let you guess how much of that went into sushi. Therapy's nigiri sushi menu is quite expensive and their sashimi menu directly reflects the sushi menu as well. My suggestion is to go with the sushi moriawase large ($50.00) for two people or small ($30.00) for one person. This platter (we ordered the large) contains a variety of nigiri (two pieces each) as well as a mound of lobster salad and spicy tuna. The quality of sushi was disappointing for $50.00 (not to say that it was bad but just disappointing). I'd place the quality a little above genki sushi. Aside from the nigiri menu Therapy also features a large hand roll menu with many creative and new combinations that are worth taking a look. Aside from sushi and sashimi Therapy also offers a few selections of house-made poke.

The salads and burgers at Therapy didn't stand out much in my mind so I didn't order any of them. However the pupu's and plates section really caught my attention. We ordered hamachi kama (which took about 45 minutes to cook but was worth the wait and was served with the traditional sauces and sides), wasabi chicken (sort of like mochiko chicken with wasabi aioli. very tasty) and mushrooms with brie (a classic). Let me also mention that their garlic chicken, furikake chicken, buffalo chicken and dynamite chicken are basically the same as the wasabi chicken but with different sauces. Other dishes that caught my eye were their black bean fried rice (sounds interesting), fried pickles (love them), and their fried mac and cheese (another classic). And to top it all off, Therapy also serves a variety of donburi including maguro & natto don and spicy tuna don.

Did I mention beer? Therapy prides itself in serving not only foreign and domestic but local as well. Their cocktail menu is also filled with a variety of classic drinks. No wonder it's called Therapy Sports Grill! The mix of sports, great eclectic food and drinks combined with a relaxed atmosphere really is therapy for the mind, body, and soul all in the heart of Hawai'i Kai.


Therapy Sports Grill
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)

Service: 2.75
Food Quality: 2.75
Monetary Value: 2
Quality vs Quantity: tie
Overall: 2.5

Open Daily
11 AM - 2 AM (Happy Hour: 2 PM - 6 PM [ Ain't it great when happy hour is hours long?])

7192 Kalanianaole Highway (Koko Marina Center)
Honolulu, HI 96825
808-394-8200

Note: The day that we went in to review Therapy they didn't accept credit cards. However I am assured that they do accept credit cards.

Roy's (Hawai'i Kai)

Roy's Hawai'i Kai

Roy Yamaguchi. Innovator, artist, restaurateur, and father of Hawai'ian fusion. it is hard to find words to describe the ingenuity of his dishes as well as his intricate play on regional cuisine.

For years chefs in Hawai'i and all over the pacific rim have taken Roys ideas and have popularized them ultimately resulting in many of the dishes we take for granted and see on menus in everyday restaurants here in Hawai'i. Yes, all of those blackened ahi variations and mac-nut crusted white fish all share their roots with Roy and the innovates of Hawai'i regional cuisine.

I was excited when I found out that I had the chance to write a review on Roy's. Of course there were a lot new and exciting dishes on the menu (all of which I wanted to try) but I decided that I would stick with the classics. I wanted to see what made Roy into such a success. Also being a student of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at KCC it was also a matter of getting back to the roots of cooking. At school we focus on pan-pacific, asian, and the like so it was a very interesting experience for me as well.

When I was seated at my table on the upper floor I noted the relaxed atmosphere and open kitchen and was greeted with a bowl of Roy's edamame (recipe can be found on his website!). The seasonings used on the edamame wasn't what impressed me it was how fresh, perfectly cooked and crisp they were.

I knew that I wanted to try the classics but I couldn't help but order the roasted shrimp with lemongrass spetzel as an appetizer. When it arrived at my table the first thing that immediately caught my attention was the size. I had to ask myself weather this was the appetizer or entree sized portion. When I usually eat out at fine dining establishments I order a few appetizers rather than just an entree (or a tasting menu if available) since I am able to taste more dishes and since appetizers are usually relatively small. In this case, my appetizer was almost as big as my entree. The shrimp was roasted to perfection and the lemongrass spetzel were perfectly cooked. The sauce that tied the dish together was fantastic and went well with the few bits of vegetables that were mixed into the dish.

Roasted Shrimp with Lemongrass Spetzel

My main course was Roy's Classic Trio. The dish consisted of three of Roy's famous fish dishes. First there was blackened ahi with a spicy soy mustard butter sauce. The ahi was perfectly cooked and the sauce was spicy but not overwhelming which played well with the buttery flavor of this top quality fish. The next dish contained Roy's macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi. Also cooked to delicate perfection it came with a sweet lobster cognac butter sauce. The rich sauce paired well with the oils given off by the macadamia nuts. The third and final dish on the plate was a piece of chinese-style steamed ono. Once again the fish was cooked to perfection and the presentation was jaw-dropping. I believe that this dish truly depicts the flavor of our islands and that this dish was put together with much care and thought. Although preparations such as blackened ahi have been torn apart, duplicated, and murdered these past couple of decades after trying the originals I can see how innovative the idea must have been at the time -- the only way I could describe this dinner was being able to taste innovation both past and present.

Roy's Classic Trio (with rice)

Roy's Hawai'i Kai
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)

Service: 4.0
Food Quality: 4.5
Monetary Value: 3.75
Quality vs Quantity: Quality
Overall: 4

808-3966-7697
6600 Kalanianaole Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96825

Mon-Thur: 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Fri: 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Sat: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sun: 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Reservations Highly Recommended

Website: http://www.roysrestaurant.com/index.asp