GREAT EATS HAWAII: FORTY CARROTS AT BLOOMINGDALE'S

Sunday, February 7, 2016

FORTY CARROTS AT BLOOMINGDALE'S

ALA MOANA SHOPPING CENTER

1450 ALA MOANA BLVD

HONOLULU, HI 96814

808-664-7511

HOURS: Monday thru Saturday 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Sunday 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The new Ewa wing of Ala Moana Shopping Center now has Bloomingdale's as an anchor tenant. Within the famous New York based department store is Forty Carrots which is a Juice, Yogurt, Sandwich bar and restaurant with an innovative menu launched by Chef Jon Matsubara. After reading a review of Forty Carrots where a guest enjoyed a $65 Loco Moco that included Foie Gras, Lobster and Filet Mignon I just had to check this place out even though I am not a big eater of Loco Moco's. We searched the web and found very little info on this new restaurant. Heck even finding a phone number took some time. Ended up calling the Bloomingdale's main number to get connected. Once connected we were told that the restaurant opened at 11:00 AM and they do not take reservations. It is first come basis with your entire party sitting at one time. This means you cannot hang out and drink tea while waiting for your guests. We arrived to find four or five people gathered around the front counter which is a combination Juice and Yogurt Bar with a small take out area where you can grab sandwich, fruit or some delicious looking Parfaits. Turns out that Forty Carrots was introduced to Bloomingdale's in the 1970's and they quickly became famous for their Frozen Yogurt. I was a bit confused at first seeing all of the Yogurts and piles of carrots and vegetables on the counter. Did not know about the Yogurt and Juice Bar. We were seated quickly as the restaurant had just opened. Our waiter was fantastic. He took time to explain the menu, answer questions and add his personal favorites. Service throughout our lunch was spot on. Being that this was somewhat of a special occasion, I ordered a glass of champagne to start my meal. After checking with the back the waiter told me that they were out of champagne. Heck I thought - run down to the store and buy a few bottles. No worries I moved on and ordered the Smoked Trout Caviar with Nori Potato Chips ($15). Wow..this was the bomb delicious. The entire family gobbled up every little round Caviar bites and the chips. What a great combination of textures and flavor. The Wasabi Lemon Creme Fraiche tastes so good when coupled with the Caviar and Nori Chips. So light and fresh too. This is a must try at Forty Carrots. Next up was the Hokulea Poke Trio Platter ($19) with classic Limu Ahi Poke, Shrimp Kim Chee Poke and Spicy Hamachi Poke. My Daughter devoured the Ahi Poke and put a serious dent in the slightly spicy Kim Chee Shrimp but none of us could eat the Spicy Hamachi because it was loaded, covered and soaked in mayonnaise. How can you ruin great fresh fish by covering it in mayo? This is a Poke crime to me. Next up was the Ocean Salad ($28). Loaded with nice pieces of Lobster, Shrimp, Snow Crab and Ahi. Nice ingredients but the Ponzu Ranch Dressing was very bland according to my Wife. Now for what I was waiting for. The $45 Loco Moco. The Local Lobster Moco ($45) includes a Local Lobster Tail, Foie Gras, Truffles and Madeira Sauce topped off with a local Kalei Farms fresh egg. You can have the "Moco" served with a Filet Mignon for an additional $20. I ordered my "Moco" with the Filet but was told by the waiter that they were out of beef. So thats to champagne and no filet on my "Moco" on this visit. The "Moco" did not disappoint even without the Filet. There was a nice portion of Foie Gras and a good size Lobster Tail. I got one small bite of the Foie Gras and then my Daughter devoured the rest like it was candy. She closed her eyes and said yummy for several seconds. Then exclaimed that she wanted more and that "if she were on a deserted Island she would want Foie Gras and nothing else". My 14 year old is a Foie Gras eating machine. I attacked my "Moco" chopping everything up so that all of the flavors mixed. Really liked the Madeira Sauce with the rice and the Truffles. So much flavor in one bowl. I could not help but think that a real Loco Moco must have a beef element as it is the hamburger patty in the local style Loco Moco's that make them so good (and the gravy). Really wish they would have had the Filet on this day. That would have made the "Moco" $65 which is a huge splurge and not what I would do every weekend when out to Brunch. I liked the "Moco" and would order it again.

Our waiter noticed that we did not eat the Hamachi Poke loaded with Mayo. Without asking a question he brought over two bowls of yogurt and simply said that he noticed we did not like the Hamachi and hoped that the Yogurt would make up for it. Thought that was very nice of him.

Again great service and attention by our waiter. The Yogurt was good too.