9/3/08 - One of the really safe bets for a great Japanese meal is Gyotaku. Any way you look at it, whether it comes to atmosphere, service, decent prices, large menu choices, and most importantly, great food, you can't go wrong here. All three of their restaurants are clean, spacious, and well-decorated, with the newest location in Niu Valley sporting a modern, trendy look that seems to take on the sassy attitude of a new-wave izakaya. The other two branches in Pearl City and McCully have a more family-friendly-type atmosphere, incorporating a style that can best be described as a mix of local and Japanese influences.
Gyotaku, by the way, combines two different words, with gyo meaning "fish" and taku meaning "to rub" or "impression." It is an ancient Japanese art of applying ink to a real fish or other sea creature and pressing it onto a special rice paper. When the fish is removed, it leaves behind a realistic imprint, which is then touched up further to finish. Instead of a moose head on the wall or a stuffed, whole animal, fisherman often want a more manageable representation of their prized catches, and thus the need for Gyotaku. And for a true Gyotaku print, there's no one better to see than Naoki Hayashi, the man who supplies Gyotaku, the restaurant, with all the designs displayed everywhere inside - mostly for sale, by the way.
Check out his sight for the latest stuff at www.gyotaku.com. His quality craftsmanship fetches top dollar in galleries all over the world, and he also does custom designs and prints on just about anything, including lamps, shoji screens, t-shirts, even surfboards! Here are a few of his works inside the McCully restaurant.
Are you one of those who generally stay away from, or are even a bit intimidated by, certain "ethnic" restaurants? I know that some of the best, most authentic places can become a nightmare to the uninitiated, who may not have any idea what to order and must contend with customs and norms that are strange, foreign, and unforgivingly unapolegetic. Some barely even speak a lick of English, including all the customers, as well!
No worries at Gyotaku! You'll find most waitstaff English-speaking, local, and of various ethnicities, and the menu, though Japanese, can be understood by anyone, thanks to the beautiful, professionally-designed, full-color pictures of just about everything in the house! If anything, you'll have a hard time deciding because it all looks so good! There is page after page of variety sets and options, including combinations of soba, udon, sashimi, sushi, tempura, NY steak, butterfish, sukiyaki, and much, much more, including kids menus with french fries and boneless chicken nuggets.
There are also several kinds of modern and local fare available, such as a poke-don, or Hawaiian-style poke over rice; new-wave sushi, all beautifully pictured; and even a natto-cho, which is a play on "nacho's." Instead of Mexi-flavored ground beef, beans, and melted cheese over tortilla chips, you get wonton chips covered with poke, onions, avocado, daikon sprouts, nori strips, sesame seeds, and yes, the pungent-smelling fermented bean called natto. Pretty wild, if you ask me! Actually, you can get it without natto, in which case it is called a poke-cho. Both are truly Gyotaku originals.
Two or three-piece combination meals are always popular, as well, allowing you to piece together different entrees from a picture-list that includes miso butterfish, furikake salmon, katsu, karaage, teri beef or chicken, poke, and a few other choices. You'll also get plenty of side dishes which you'll see soon.
Most times, I order from the two-choice meal section, but this day, for some reason, I settled upon a poke-don. Though having seeing it pass by onto other tables and never ordering it myself, I was always tempted, the glistening-red chunks looking super-ono and very much substantial as a meal. I guess this was the day to finally pull the trigger.
And delicious it was, coming fresh and loaded with the goods, large chunks of ahi mingling with bits of cucumber, green onion, daikon sprouts, ogo, and inamona, all over white rice.
The side dishes mentioned earlier include a vegetable salad, miso soup, tsukemono, rice, and sometimes chawan-mushi, the custard-looking bowl on the right. Wifey's favorite, it is a traditional dish that comes savory with dashi flavors instead of sweet, and filled with small pieces of chicken, shiitake mushroom, imitation crab, and a single ginko nut.
The salad may come with plain-old head lettuce, but is nevertheless quite tastefully done. It comes with a sweet oriental sesame dressing, juliennes of carrot, grated red cabbage, cucumber, and a single piece of imitation crab. And just a note on imitation crab - not all are equally made! Some varieties are very much mushy and tasteless. Mom won't put any 'ol frozen fake in her famous macaroni salad, and it looks like Gyotaku doesn't, either.
Wifey ordered a sashimi set, coming with thick pieces of salmon, ahi, hamachi, and tako (octopus), and spiced up with ogo, daikon, cucumber, and shiso. Can't go wrong.
Mom had a mini-set of sushi and udon, along with the same tempura order shown earlier. The sushi-set looks kinda boring compared to wifey's sashimi, but it was decent enough to satisfy mom's sushi fix. One piece each of nigiri salmon, ahi, and shrimp were accompanied by a sliced ura-maki (inside-out roll) of spicy ahi and cucumber. As always, the rice here, often overlooked but never so at a Japanese restaurant, came with fluffy, quality-oriented grains.
And finally, the last of mom's dishes was a mini-udon, perfect for those who crave a good, old-fashioned taste of Japan. Thick, chewy, firm udon noodles are complemented well by the very traditional flavors of a simple, yet elegant dashi broth. Hits home for her, and wifey, as well. No need for a dip of shoyu/mustard or hoisin/chili sauce - there's more than enough flavors here to satisfy!
At the McCully location there is also a take-out booth on the outside for bento, shown here, with an okazuya-like offering of hot entrees kept in display pans. With much of the same choices as inside, this is not a bad option for your next picnic. That is, if you choose to go the easy route and ditch the hibachi!
Anytime I find someone who isn't familiar with Japanese foods and seems the type that doesn't get out too often, I always recommend Gyotaku. It is very non-Japanese-friendly (Japanese-friendly, too, of course!), and if you are local, even better yet, as the familiar taste of many Japanese foods have long been staples of island grinds. Regardless, the main-stream atmosphere makes it comfortable for diners from every background and ethnicity. If you don't feel right at home in this family of casual eateries, at least you won't be lost or intimidated in some foreign world.
Honestly, I think Gyotaku has the kind of branding and consistency that makes it a very good candidate for a large-scale chain restaurant like Zippy's, or even Mainland-based ones like Ruby Tuesday's or Chili's! Why not?! I know, I know, easier said than done... I'm just saying if the owners should choose to do so, and only through some really hard work and skilled management, I think it has enough support and customer satisfaction to take-off. I know I'd be happy with more locations!
Anywayz, hope everyone's enjoying their week. We're in the thick of election season, and I hope y'all are gonna put in your two cents! Just be sure to make an informed decision and find out what the candidates are all about before acting - if you don't know what they really stand for, you'll be like the many who vote just on account of race, gender, media hype, or even physical looks! Don't be surprised! Travesty it is, but it happens all the time!
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