Shokudo Japanese Restaurant

On our first day in Honolulu we went to Shokudo Japanese Restaurant near the Ala Moana Shopping Center. We have frequently walked past Shokudo without venturing in; the lines out the door should have clued us to try it earlier.

Yelp-ers give Shokudo 3.5 out of 5 stars, dinging it for slow service. Having made reservations ahead of time, we waited only a few minutes.

Agedashi tofu

We ordered the agedashi ("lightly battered and fried") tofu. The soy sauce, calamari, green onion, and turnip garnish provided just the right amount of sweet saltiness to accentuate the custardy squares.

The assorted tempura looked like the familiar dish found in many Japanese restaurants, but the taste of Shokudo's version is something special. Shokudo infuses its tempura batter with ginger, and the texture--crisp and dry on the outside while being moist on the inside--was excellent; IMHO the tempura didn't need to be dipped in the dashi soy sauce bowl to enhance the flavor.

Unagi Bowl before the stirring

We had to order the unagi bowl because all the other tables were ordering it. The bowl is super-heated, the rice and unagi (eel) are laid in it, and the dish is promptly stirred by the waiter at the table. The rice is slightly charred---the way I like it---but will overcook if left in the bowl too long. The dish was well prepared but with one's eyes closed didn't seem much different from a decent piece of unagi sushi. Five stars for an ingenious presentation but only three stars for taste.

We weren't planning to have dessert, but the restaurant brought us two complimentary half(!)-servings of honey toast in honor of the two birthdays we were celebrating that day. The dessert didn't seem elaborate---fresh bread, vanilla ice cream, and honey--but was delicious, and we ate more of it than we thought we could.

On our next trip to the Islands, we'll be back. 4 stars out of 5, but we're conservative graders. © 2013 Stephen Yuen