GREAT EATS HAWAII: WASABI BISTRO

WASABI BISTRO

HONOLULU, HAWAII

We have a rental property in Waikiki and occasionally venture down into the jungle of people to check it out. The location is close to the beach in an area that features many small ethic restaurants. We tried the Wasabi Bistro for Japanese food and enjoyed it. The Wasabi Bistro is located behind the pool area of an older hotel property on Beach Walk. The Breakers Hotel is a trip into the 1970's with small rooms with louvered windows and not much air conditioning. The open air lobby takes you back to a different time in Waikiki before the large luxury hotels. No frills here. Just a room 1/2 block from the beach. We could not even find a parking lot for the hotel. Could not figure out where the guests park. We asked our waitress where patrons can park and she gave us several pay lot locations around the hotel and restaurant. The Wasabi Bistro is a small restaurant that is really just on the patio and covered with a canopy. There is a very small bar and a collection of miss matched chairs, glass chandeliers and household standing lamps. Interesting decor. The menu was quite extensive covering maybe six pages with the lunch and dinner selections. We ate family style and started with the Chicken Teriyaki Lunch ($12.50). This was a large portion of chicken served with a house salad, miso soup, rice and pickled vegetables. More than enough here for two people. We found the chicken to be tasty but very dry. The Sampler Platter ($19.50) included Ahi Poke, Soft Shell Crab, Maui Onions, Sushi and the House Special Ball that contained imitation crab and avocado wrapped in a White Fish with special sauce. I liked the Ball but don't know if I would order it again. The Ahi Poke was fresh and delicious. The Soft Shell Crab seemed dry and a bit old. Did not get why they serve a bowl of sliced Maui Onions but I added them to everything on the plate and it did add nice flavor to each dish. Ended up eating them all. The Sampler also included two pieces of sushi. Our final dish was the Super California Roll ($18.50). This is a standard California Roll topped with Eel. Simply delicious. Service was good for lunch but there were only a few tables occupied. Would like to go back to Wasabi Bistro and try some of the other dishes.