GREAT EATS HAWAII: YAUTCHA

YAUTCHA - WAIKIKI
INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE
2330 KALAKAUA AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI 96815
808-739-9318
HOURS: Sunday thru Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
www.yauatcha.com/waikiki/
www.yelp.com/biz/yauatcha-waikiki
www.facebook.com/YauatchaWaikiki/

Yauatcha in the new International Marketplace is a beautiful restaurant with soothing colors and an openness that creates a sense of relaxation. We felt welcome here from the time we entered and were greeted by two smiling hostess. The warm feeling continued throughout our meal with employees and management visiting and engaging our table. Our waiter named Michael F was excellent. He took time to go over the menu, make suggestions and personally described each dish as it was placed on the table. The servers who brought the food also described each dish. We decided to go with A Taste of Yautcha ($58) for two of us and Ala Carte for another. I have one big problem with eating Dim Sum and that is I can only eat a little as the stuff really fills me up fast. Our meal began with Pickled Cucumbers that were delicious. I mentioned that I liked them and in minutes more were on the table to enjoy. The Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken was really good and satisfying but something was missing to make this a great soup. The Prawn and Chive Dumpling ($7) from the Ala Carte menu was good as was the Beancurd Prawn Cheung Fun ($12). After one piece of each and the soup I was already getting full and my Daughter reminded me that we had four more courses to go. The Baked Venison Puff was one of the items on the Tasting Menu that caught my eye and I was really looking forward to eating it. It arrived looking beautiful with the brown pastry glistening. The flavor however was a bit bland. This was a bit of a disappointment. The Har Gao, XO Scallop Dumpling and Shrimp Shui Mai were good but I could only take a half bite of each. The Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy with Garlic did not have much of a Garlic flavor but was fresh and cooked perfectly. Loved the Jasmine Tea Smoked BBQ Ribs. The meat fell off the bone and while a bit dry they were delicious. Thought the Kona Kampachi was a bit dry and bland. The Lobster XO ($40) from the Ala Carte menu was delicious. I got a surprise when I ate a Red Bell Pepper off the plate and quickly found out that it was a Spicy Red Chili. Delicious by hot!!!! The desserts for the Tasting Menu were delicious with the entire family loving the Chocolate. Loved the atmosphere and service here and liked the food. Would love to return and try a lot more off the Ala Carte menu.