GREAT EATS HAWAII: SAKURA TERRACE JAPANESE CAFE

SAKURA TERRACE JAPANESE CAFE

1240 S. KING STREET

HONOLULU, HI 96814

808-591-1181

HOURS: Closed Monday. Tuesday thru Sunday 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

www.sakuraterrace.com

www.yelp.com/biz/sakura-terrace-japanese-cafe-honolulu

https://www.facebook.com/sakuraterracejapanesecafe/

Me and my Daughter seem to always be cruising to find a place for lunch on weekends. On this afternoon we were cruising up Piikoi and turned right onto King Street as we have done hundreds of times. We saw the Sakura Terrace sign and did not know what the place was all about but they had parking so we decided to try the place. Is it Japanese or Korean we asked as we walked in the door. That was surprising because my Daughter has a A in her Japanese class and should be able to read the sign. We entered not knowing what to expect. As we entered I saw a Sushi Bar and said "Japanese".

I looked around and the place was pretty packed. To the right was a beautiful terrace full of diners. Amazing that this little outdoor terrace is right on busy King Street yet you cannot see the cars and it looks very tranquil. We were seated by a polite gentlemen and then served by a very friendly waitress who was awesome. As we looked over the menu, we both thought everything looked so good. We wanted about a dozen items off the lunch menu. My Daughter wanted Sushi and so did I but then I saw the photo of Steak, Lobster and Crab for $30 and had to try this lunch set.

We started with the Sashimi Moriawase ($25). The presentation was beautiful with a large Shrimp in the middle and fresh Sashimi on the sides. The Sashimi was cut a bit thick for my taste but it still was delicious and fresh. This plate was empty in minutes and the waitress was surprised to return to the table and find that it looked like birds had devoured everything on the plate. Next up was the Dragon Roll ($18) with Crab, Avocado and Unagi. Wow...so delicious. My Daughter was mowing through this and saying how Mom would love it. As she kept eating she was about to swallow the last two pieces and I said "wouldn't you like to take that home to Mommy?". She looked at me with a very guilty face and put the piece she had just picked up with her chopsticks back on the plate. The Wafu Steak, Lobster and King Crab ($30) lunch came with Miso Soup, Salad, Pickled Vegetables, Rice and a Cold Tofu like Pancake. While the Lobster was small the flavor was delicious. Steak was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and very tasty. King Crab sweet and delicious too. This is quite a meal for $30. Between the two of us we could not finish it so Mommy did get some Sushi and Steak too. Really enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere at Sakura Terrace and will be back again real soon. Something tells me that this may be my new "go to" Japanese restaurant. UPDATE: Went back to Sakura Terrace the very next day and once again loved our meal. I had the Wafu Cobb Salad ($18). Wow...this is a meal for two or three. I ate about 1/4 of the salad and took the rest home. Includes Crab, Shrimp, Bacon, Avocado, Tofu, Chicken, Salmon, Egg, Seaweed, Tomato and those large orange fish eggs. My Daughter got the Spicy Ahi Don($17) and loved it. She liked the cut of the Ahi and the fact that it was not overpowered with mayonnaise. My Wife had the Unagi Bento ($20) which included Miso Soup and some really good Tempura. She liked the light batter on the Tempura and said the Shrimp was huge. Ended the meal with the Dragon Roll ($18) and it was amazing. Entire family happy with this meal.