GREAT EATS HAWAII: MASIL POCHA

MASIL POCHA

1718 KAPIOLANI BLVD

HONOLULU, HI

808-762-3100

https://www.yelp.com/biz/masil-pocha-urban-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTtYaTPEuK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

After seeing Masil Pocha food photos on Instagram and seeing that they have all Five Star Reviews on Yelp, we decided to give it a try since we were going to the Beyond Monet Exhibit at the Honolulu Convention Center. The restaurant is directly across from the Convention Center in a cursed location that has been home to so many restaurants that go bust over the years. We entered on this Saturday night around 6:30 and the place was empty. We were quickly greeted by a smiling waitress and the Manager. The place has a bar vibe with just a few small tables, bar and private Karaoke rooms where you can eat and drink. There is no charge to use the Karaoke rooms while you are eating and drinking. Just need to pay a buck or two for each song you play. Our waitress started strong with a bright smile and attention to taking our order and answering questions about the food. As the food arrived she disappeared to the bar where she ate, looked at her phone and talked with another employee. Crazy to see she left the bar to greet a customer while still eating and chewing. By the end of our meal the Manager was attending to our table and making sure we were happy. Now lets get to the food. We started with the Corn Cheese which is...you guessed it, Corn and Cheese. Entire table liked this dish and it was devoured. The Kimchi Fried Rice was really good and I really liked the egg on top. The Spicy Wings were sticky and tasty but not too spicy. Everyone also enjoyed the Spicy Pork which again is not too spicy. Just enough heat that does not take away from the flavor. The Butter Squid had great flavor but the Squid was just a bit overcooked and rubbery. The star of the show on this night was the Tteokbokki Soup. We heated it at the table and dug into the delicious spicy broth with Noodles, Cabbage and Mochi.

I don't care for the Mochi but my Daughter absolutely loves it. Everyone at the table raved about the broth and said they would come back again just for this. During our meal we enjoyed several different Soju drinks. I loved the Very Berry and my Daughter liked theSapphire and Lemon Twist. The food here was solid. Pretty delicious Korean food. My Daughter and her boyfriend were raving about it while texting friends that they must come here. Everyone at our table was happy and wants to come back. This may be the restaurant that breaks the curse of Kapiolani. Hopefully Masil Pocha is around for a very long time!