One of my son-in-law, Ed's favorite dishes is tonkatsu. Tonkatsu is deep fried pork cutlet coated in panko which is a flaky bread crumb. I like it too when I'm not watching my weight or cholesterol. When they were staying in Waikiki, Ed and my daughter, Tiffany found a really great tonkatsu restaurant. It's called Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. They found this place on Yelp. It's in Waikiki.
Tif and Ed treated us to dinner there and I have to say it really was quite wonderful. Whenever the kids come to Hawaii, they always manage to have us try things and places that we normally would never had done on our own.
This was a whole new experience for us. For one thing we each had to grind sesame seeds to mix with our tonkatsu sauce.
Our very sweet waiter ground mine for me, especially since I was so busy taking photos.
Even KC got to grind some. Actually it did take quite a bit of muscle to do it.
When it was done, it was pretty powdery.
Then you had to pour in the tonkatsu sauce and mix it with the ground up sesame seeds. I was worried that 5 year old KC would create a mess for the serving staff, but she was extremely careful and didn't drop even a tiny bit. Notice who she had to sit next to? Tif joked that when grandpa was around, the rest of us were chopped liver which they didn't serve at this restaurant.
I chose the pork cutlets because I figured they would be more tender. They were really, really fabulous. Tonkatsu is served with a lot of cabbage. Tif made a point of telling me I should be happy to see her eating so much vegetables.
Everybody else ordered the thick cut pork loin and said it was totally, wonderfully, amazingly tender. Ed says it's the best tonkatsu he's ever had. And that's saying a lot!
The price is not really cheap. The meals we ordered were between $20-$25. No, not cheap, but yes, I think it was worth it.
We had the green tea ice cream with little mochi balls for dessert. While it was OK, it wasn't my favorite dessert... meaning there was no chocolate. Still it was quite refreshing and a nice finale to our meal.
One thing they weren't able to find yet was the best Korean restaurant in Hawaii. I'd like to have that ready for Ed the next time they come. Do you know a fabulous Korean restaurant in Hawaii that you can recommend for my son-in-law who is kindly, lovingly doing all my computer techie work on our new desk top for me?
Tif and Ed treated us to dinner there and I have to say it really was quite wonderful. Whenever the kids come to Hawaii, they always manage to have us try things and places that we normally would never had done on our own.
This was a whole new experience for us. For one thing we each had to grind sesame seeds to mix with our tonkatsu sauce.
Our very sweet waiter ground mine for me, especially since I was so busy taking photos.
Even KC got to grind some. Actually it did take quite a bit of muscle to do it.
When it was done, it was pretty powdery.
Then you had to pour in the tonkatsu sauce and mix it with the ground up sesame seeds. I was worried that 5 year old KC would create a mess for the serving staff, but she was extremely careful and didn't drop even a tiny bit. Notice who she had to sit next to? Tif joked that when grandpa was around, the rest of us were chopped liver which they didn't serve at this restaurant.
I chose the pork cutlets because I figured they would be more tender. They were really, really fabulous. Tonkatsu is served with a lot of cabbage. Tif made a point of telling me I should be happy to see her eating so much vegetables.
Everybody else ordered the thick cut pork loin and said it was totally, wonderfully, amazingly tender. Ed says it's the best tonkatsu he's ever had. And that's saying a lot!
The price is not really cheap. The meals we ordered were between $20-$25. No, not cheap, but yes, I think it was worth it.
We had the green tea ice cream with little mochi balls for dessert. While it was OK, it wasn't my favorite dessert... meaning there was no chocolate. Still it was quite refreshing and a nice finale to our meal.
looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteNothing like having fun at the table. Nice to see the guys' muscles bulging, working for their food.
ReplyDeleteOh this looks like something I'd like to try...thanks for sharing Kay!
ReplyDeleteFrom my blog:
ReplyDelete"In 2007, David and I lunched at Choi’s Garden Korean Restaurant on Rycroft Street near the Walmart Store. For $14.95 per person, we had the bubbling tofu soup, which came with kalbi, eight small dishes of spicy Korean vegetables, and stone pot rice made with kingko plums and chestnuts. We finished it all off with a glass of cinnamon punch and a pot of tea."
(We might dine there again soon. It is an authentic Korean restaurant, but since it's been awhile, I'll check the phone book to see if it is still around.)
I wanted Ed to try the Ah-Lang Restaurant that I saw on Yelp. They call the lady owner "Angry Korean Lady." She's supposed to be horribly rude, but her food is supposed to be incredible. Ed said he was totally not interested in being near angry, rude people. Ah well. Since he can speak Korean, I thought he might be able to diffuse her anger.
DeleteKC is her grandfather's girl, isn't she? I guess I'll never know about the fabulousness of the restaurant since they probably don't have anything for vegetarians.
ReplyDeleteOh she's definitely grandpa's baby girl. Always has been, always will be. It warms my heart to see them together. Art has always loved helping children do their best. This is why he was such an excellent volunteer in my classroom for 6 years after he retired.
DeleteYou can't go wrong with a breaded, fried cutlet!
ReplyDeleteI love KC's relationship with her grandpa.
It all looks so good!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and your header is stunning!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you, thank you!
DeleteThat meal looks so delicious! I wish we'd checked out this place the last time we were on Oahu. I don't think we're adventuresome enough when it comes to restaurants.
ReplyDeleteNeither are we. We tend to stick to the tried and true. This is why it's great when the kids come to visit. They take us out of our comfort zone.
DeleteMy husband is our grandchildren's favorite hand's down. Even our son's dog hangs with my husband. He kiddingly says because he's the alpha male. Haha...maybe also to the children.
ReplyDeleteL. from W.
That looks like a wonderful meal - and it seems pretty cheap to me, so I suppose food is more expensive in the UK.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a serious yum to me!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe final photo gave me an idea for a mystery story about the perfect crime. Trick the designated victim, who of course must deserve this treatment, into having some green tea ice cream. However, cleverly arrange to have a scoop of wasabi replace the ice cream. Judging by your photo, they would look the same. One good, healthy ice-cream-type chomp of wasabi and goodbye!
ReplyDeleteSomehow, I think the above comment does not fit comfortably into the genial, humane good humor of this blog. Therefore, let me change the subject and conclude by once again remarking on the close bond between your grandaughter and Grandpa Art. Truly touching.
Too funny, Hank! Now that you mention it, it is the same color as wasabi. When I was a college student on a trip to Japan I saw a little mound of wasabi on my plate in a restaurant. I guess I'd never seen anything like it before and stuck the WHOLE thing in my mouth. Yes, it darn near killed me. I still remember the agony of it.
DeleteI made the same exact mistake when I first moved to Honolulu in 1978. Maybe this is where I first got the idea and the photo triggered a memory. One substantial bite of wasabi and it was "Death by Wasabi" for me, which would be a good mystery book title.
DeleteThe meal looks delicious but being in Europe for us the meal is cheap. Eating out here, in Brussels in particular, is expensive.
ReplyDeleteGosh... We were in Brussels for such a short time while on a bike tour. We thought it was such a beautiful city. Expensive, hunh?
DeleteI know about litte girls and their grandpas! That tonkatsu is making me hungry. We get better pork than on the Mainland, and all our pork dishes are more better for that reason. Gotta go eat!
ReplyDelete