 |
 |
Department Store/Bento
| A beautiful snow crab/salmon egg bento from Shirokiya. |  |
This may seem like an odd classification, but if you're ever been to Japan, you know the allure found in the basement level of department stores or larger shopping complexes. They are a beehive of activity, bustling with the sound of vendors pushing foods of all varieties and styles, covering everything from fresh seafood, meats, and produce to sweet desserts, cookies, and fine designer chocolates. The choices are immense and the experience delightful. You cannot help but feed off the energy produced by the interaction of hungry customers searching for the best deals and vendors jostling to fill the need. The competition is so fierce that only the best will remain in business, ensuring good, quality foods at bargain prices. In the early to mid-evening hours when the activity starts to wane, massively discounted prices are found everywhere, as most items will be thrown out rather than being sold the next day at a compromised quality.
Ok, local outfits may not generate the same high-pressure excitement, but are still fun to visit, particularly when they have weekend fairs,promoting foods from certain regions, like okonomiyaki from Osaka or seafood from Hokkaido.
 |
There's always a frenzy of activity, and a whole lotta great food, at Shirokiya in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. |
The best place to get a little taste of this kind of food shopping excitement is at Shirokiya, at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. The ready-to-go bento boxes reign supreme here, all presented neatly and arrayed in a dizzying assortment of colors and flavors. Shrimp tempura, chicken karaage, shoyu pork, soba, yakitori, sushi, andagi, dora-yaki just about anything on a Japanese menu and more. There is a self-seating area to eat, but it is often very crowded. In this case you can just take your meal out to the mall and find a bench or table somewhere.
Despite the name, Don Quijote is a Japanese chain of superstores that recently bought out the similar Daiei superstores. The bento varieties are not as extensive, but are still worthwhile, the main store being your best bet - 801 Kaheka St. near Ala Moana Shopping Center. Marukai supermarket and department store also has good selections of Japanese foods, particularly the main store on 2310 Kamehameha Hwy. in Kalihi. However, it is a member's only outfit that charges a fee for access, even if for a single day.
Another great store to visit is Nijiya, at 1009 University Ave., just mountainside of the intersection with S. King St. They are the newest kids on the block, and maintain a smaller, yet decently-sized, super-clean market full of Japanese foodstuffs, including one of the largest selections of sake and shochu on the island. There are plenty of great, pre-packed sushi choices, musubi, noodles, and all manner of other bento items, but have the distinction of presenting everything cold, in large, refrigerated cases. They do maintain themselves better under this format, but well, you decide for yourself what you prefer better!
 |
Chicken Karaage bento from Iyasume, a little hide-away on Kapahulu ave. with a large assortment of great Japanese bentos and more. |
For ultimate freshness in bento, there are several shops that offer made-to-order bento boxes, unlike the department-store types that are left sitting on the counter, sometimes two to three deep. My favorite is Iyasume, 611 Kapahulu Ave., 735-3530, a small shop right outside of Waikiki (they also have a location at 2375 Ala Wai Blvd. at the Sand Villa Hotel). It has a special section devoted to musubi (rice balls), which are stuffed with items like masago, salmon, and mentaiko, along with a surprisingly large variety of Japanese comfort foods like curry, donburi, fried squid, tempura, and chicken karaage.
Mana-Bu, at 1618 S. King St., 358-0287, next to the Baskin Robbins store, does not carry full bento sets at all, per se, but they do specialize in several bento items, in particular - musubi. With a penchant here for precision and quality that belies such a traditionally humble food product, this triangle-shaped riceball is mixed with all manner of other tasty fillings, using top-grade rice, quality ingredients, and a distinctly Japanesee attention to detail. The super-clean, cutesy-quirky shop not only has varieties like shiso/wakame, konbu brown rice, gobo pilaf, 10-grain hijiki, and other such exotic names, but also tamer-sounding items like baked salmon, teriyaki chicken, spicy shoyu ahi, and even Spam musubi! Besides rice, there are small, individual servings of tsukemono, other vegetables, and small desserts, like an unbeatable Kula strawberry mochi! Fun place to check out, but try to get there near the opening bell of 11am, as they run-out of items fast!
---------------------------------------------------
The above spots are listed in this Japanese-style bento section because they specialize in this form of take-out, although you can certainly get a great take-out bento at many of the Japanese establishments, as well, especially listings from the Casual Family Restaurant section.
Also, keep in mind that there is also a local-style bento, whose contents are more similar to an okazuya or plate lunch house. The Japanese department store/bento spots listed here stay truer to their Japanese origins, which generally means a much cleaner product in both taste (less oily and without the heavy flavorings) and appearance (always packaged and presented neatly).
