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Ginza Yen, a closer look
Yelper's on Ginza Yen!
Aloha!
2/13/11 - Yeah, I probably apologize one too many times for bad pics, but if ever there were a time to do so (at least in the last couple of years!), it'd be today! The shots are all dark, the lighting was funky, and it was difficult to focus on the correct places. This being the case, I'll first show you something else on a much brighter note!
Surf's up at Kakaako Beach Park, also site of the 3rd Annual Ukulele picnic Festival!
Waves were a little better than normal, but other than that - just another typical day in Paradise! Boy, did that water feel good! Not me sitting with feet dangling, btw. I prefer all-in or nothing!
Anyone stop by the 3rd Annual Ukulele Picnic this past weekend? There were events throughout the weekend at various locales, but the main event was right here, all day long on a lazy Sunday at Kakaako Beach Park. Big names like Herb Ohta Sr. and Jr., Bill Tapia, Ernie Cruz Jr., Holunape, Pali, and Weldon Kekauoha took the stage, as well as a host of ukulele pro's and hula troupes from Japan, while food tents, bouncers, games, merchandise, and other venues provided additional support for the large crowd on-hand.
Some of these shots were from last year, but many of the same vendors were there this year, too:
Suuuper yummy stuff!
Nearby, that's one big ship!
Good luck and best wishes to the festival! It's getting bigger and bigger every year! Check out their website link above and see if you can get involved!
But leaving the fun 'n sun behind us, darkness soon fell, so Kumi and I drove to nearby Waikiki for dinner and went circling around several times while hunting for free street parking, but all to no avail. When worse comes to worse, however, there's always the Waikiki Trade Center and Waikiki Parking Garage lots on Seaside Avenue for $6-$8, depending on the day and time. With Seaside being right in the middle of Waikiki, you can pretty much access anywhere on the strip by foot from these lots, so that's just what we did. We weren't exactly sure where our intended destination, Ginza Yen, was located, so we just headed toward Lewers, knowing only that it was in the vicinity. Before we knew it, there were at least two guys prowling Kalakaua Avenue with Ginza Yen uniforms and flyers, all written in Japanese - exactly where my wife comes in handy! In fact, they were kind enough (or maybe they get a commission?) to walk us right to the steps of the restaurant, which was tucked away on a tiny, beat-up road just off of Lewers St:
I don't know a single friend, even my foodie-knowledgable friends, who have so much as even heard of this place, and not because they've just opened, either. This Korean Yakiniku hide-away has been in business for a whopping 13 years now! Whaaat? Why, not even the vast army of Yelper's out there have found it yet, which, of course, left the door open for me to quickly grab another "Yelper's First to Post" star under my belt, dork that I am. But I believe there's a good reason it's been undiscovered for so long. To a person, it seemed everyone in the entire dining room was from Japan! I mean, I'm sure they'd welcome anyone, as their menu is both in English and Japanese, but judging by everyone in the room and by their non-existent advertising in the local, English-speaking press, I can only assume that they are happy and content with their current clientele. With Kumi seeing all those advertisements of so many famous Japanese celebrities having eaten here, she figured it would be quite the hidden gem, and another great place for some serious Korean yakiniku eats. Our hopes were indeed high!
And talk about hole-in-the-walls! I don't think I've ever took the time to even sneak a peak down this tiny road, as it's about as forlorn as any street in Waikiki gets (for a better look at the road, try the interactive street view)! However, to us, it only served to make things all the more exciting! I love an oasis in the middle of the desert!
Inside, it was pretty decent - nothing special, nothing terrible. In fact, there was an izakaya-like, cubby hole'ish feel to the place, reminding me of one of those great, no-frills places you find on small streets in Japan. A dim light was set throughout the room, while ornaments, pictures, menus, shoji screens, and other items created that humble, busy, practical look that hole-in-the-walls often carry. I liked it.
Now here's an amazing special I don't think you've ever seen before - first draft of Kirin, 95 cents! Every beer thereafter, $3.50, and we're not talking just Happy Hour, but all night long, every day of the week! Of course, that's with a $15 minimum purchase, but if you're gonna eat, you'll spend more than that anyway. I'll break $15 just on beer!
On the menu, there's all your typical types of Korean/Japanese meats for grilling, as well as other choices like shrimp, scallop, squid, Kabocha, squash, and garlic. Special sets for 2 or more are available, and discounted prices of up to 55 percent are found every night! Kumi and I went with a $69 special set, which came with 5 different meats and banchan, the latter of which was comprised of pickled daikon/carrot, salted cabbage, a green salad, kim chee, and bean sprouts:
But as you know, yakiniku is all about the beef, so here we go with our platter of red meat:
For 5 different meats, it sure wasn't the biggest platter I've seen in my life, but maybe they were making up for the beer specials? I guess i just figured it would be cheap, seeing how much of a hole-in-the-wall it is and also because of the deeply-discounted specials - I guess it's like jewelry, where they hike items up 250 percent and then discount them 75! I mean, you can get a platter of raw beef for much cheaper and with bigger portions outside of Waikiki without any specials whatsoever, so I can't say we weren't a bit disappointed.
But in the end, how'd it all taste? Well... First, beef tongue (and here's where the shots get really bad!):
Not bad. A bit small, but still with that same great taste of beef tongue.
Next, thick-cut short rib (foreground):
Once again, not too shabby. Gotta say, though, that while the beefy taste was there, it wasn't the softest piece in the world, and a little chewier than normally experienced.
Here's a shot of two different cuts, the thinnest being brisket and the slightly thicker being short rib, only thinner-cut than the one above:
Thinner slices made for softer, more easily chewable meat, but less portions are a drawback, of course!
Here's our final cut, a popular harami, or beef skirt:
Perhaps all the meats could be summed-up in this way - yes, there was a beefiness which, when combined with a smoky grilling, was tasty and satisfying. However, the presentations, tenderness, portions, and over-all quality and feel were not quite up to par, at least in my opinion. The thicker the cuts got, the more apparent were the drawbacks, most notably regarding toughness and chewiness. There was also a curious inconsistency with some of the same cuts - some were extremely chewy while others were much more tender and juicy-delicious. And that's all I'll say about that...
Next-door, Kumi overheard an older Japanese person telling his spouse that he wouldn't eat the yukkei, and when our order of this particular dish first hit our table, we could see why. Yukkei, being completely raw beef, must necessarily be tip-top fresh, or it won't be satisfying nor even safe to eat. You really have to trust the chef! Our plate of yukkei immediately sent worries through my head, as it consisted of of a drabber, duller shade of red than normal. Furthermore, the heavy dose of salt/sesame taste was tasty, yes, but it made me even more suspicious because of the possible masking of certain flavors. Not wanting to take too much of a chance, we only finished less than half of the pile.
I don't know, maybe I'm getting too spoiled! It just wasn't the fine yakiniku experience Kumi and I had envisioned. I guess if you throw-in the beer specials, however, along with the humble yet cool, hideaway atmosphere and the simple taste of grilled beef, it's not the worst place to be. I can still come here and enjoy myself with lots of beer and perhaps a minimum order of meat! Just don't go comparing it to better yakiniku haunts on the island, or you'll be very disappointed.
And with that, I'm out. Hope you've had a fantastic weekend! See ya!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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