GREAT EATS HAWAII: BAR MAZE

Sunday, September 10, 2023

BAR MAZE

THE COLLECTION

604 ALA MOANA BLVD

HONOLULU, HI

https://www.barmaze.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bar-maze-honolulu

https://www.instagram.com/bar.maze/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1217915592377535

https://resy.com/cities/hnl/bar-maze?date=2023-09-10&seats=2

We waited months to get a reservation at Bar Maze and finally found a date that worked for the family. We were given a nice gift certificate at Christmas and only now in September was about to use it. The restaurant entrance is basically a door with the M logo on the wall. There are only a few parking stalls next to the building for the restaurant and a Hair Salon. We found street parking. Entered to find a small but very elegant space that immediately made me feel good. The kitchen and bar are one so if you have a bar seat you can see a culinary show and all of the action. The set Omakase menu includes a drink pairing. I don't drink hard alcohol, but decided to try them as each drink is paired with the food. My Wife went for non-alcohol versions of each drink. Service throughout the 2.5 hour dinner was exceptional. Entire staff was friendly and took time to explain every dish and ingredient. They did the same for each drink. The drinks were actually good and my Daughter kept mentioning how well they paired with each dish. Our first bites were SPECTACULAR. What they call the "Snacks" were mind blowing delicious. What a way to start the dinner. The first one included Toasted Seaweed with Rice and a bowl of Salmon Eggs and a variety of perfectly selected vegetables. Don't know what it was but we all loved it. Could have eaten another 10 orders of this dish. Next up was the most perfectly seasoned, smoked and flavorful piece of Salmon every. Was a bite of heaven and something we all loved. At this point we all were impressed and ready to keep this adventure going. The Yellowtail was super fresh and served with a delicious sauce that complimented the fish without overpowering it. Wow...I could have left here and been happy with this meal. But there was more. Much more to come. We ordered the Scallop course with the optional Caviar and I would say this is a "must" if you like Caviar.

The Scallops were cooked perfectly and placed in a sauce that blew us all away. I think my Daughter licked her bowl clean. Nice texture too with small pieces of Daikon and lots of herbs to add flavor. This was one of the best Scallop dishes of our lives and that was without the Caviar. Add the Caviar and it was the best Scallop dish of my life. Pretty perfect dish.

The Caviar with the Brioche bread was a nice combination and when you dip the bread into the sauce it is another amazing taste sensation. We upgraded to the A5 Wagyu for two of our entrees and also tried the Duck. My Wife who isn't a big lover of Duck loved the flavor and it had to be here favorite Duck entree ever. I tried it and it was cooked perfectly and delicious. The Wagyu upgrade was a bit expensive for two small slices but the flavor was amazing. Tasted almost like a BBQ Rib but better. Infused with intense flavor. The Wagyu and Duck dishes came with two types of rice. The Wagyu rice was my favorite. Topped with a large piece of Eel which the waiter told us to chop up in the rice. Really good stuff. I didn't care for the dessert but my Wife and Daughter loved it so much that they ate mine. Two surprises followed with one being a small donut topped with Caviar. Flavor bomb like the snacks. Loved it. Next up were rocks with the three eatable ones marked with a piece of mint. Another delicious ice cream like flavor bomb. Perfect ending to an incredible dinner. We all were pretty much blown away with the food here. Definitely a great experience. Incredible service too. We will be back with the next seasonal menu change which will be in December possibly.