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Hale, a closer look
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More Interesting Takes on Hale Macrobiotic Cuisine:
 Hale official page link! |
 Wanda Adams takes an in-depth look at Hale! |
 Yelper's on Hale on Makaloa! |
Lulumama w/lots of pics! |
Aloha!
7/27/10 - Yeah, I'm glad there's another great macrobiotic restaurant on the island, but daaang, why did it have to replace one of my favorite izakayas ever? You actually could say the old Kai teppan/izakaya restaurant still lives, as the same chef and owners there have now opened Kai-wa restaurant on Beachwalk. Thing is, you can hardly say it's the same thing. Have you seen the prices there? Instead of the bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms, grilled renkon cheese, and various types of okonomiyaki we once enjoyed at typical izakaya prices, the new Kai-wa features menu items fit for a Crown Prince! Try these on for size: uni/caviar gelee martini at $26. Grilled Tristan lobster w/bisque sauce for $40. And are you ready for this? A premium Wagyu steak for a mere $120!!!
Meanwhile, the same owners of the former Kai have not only opened upscale Kai-wa Beachwalk and now Kai-wa Wailea, Maui, but have also chosen to remain in the old Kai facility, completely re-branding it as Hale Macrobiotic Cuisine restaurant. Who'da thought?
Though the term macrobiotic doesn't sound Japanese at all, it was actually created by a guy from Japan, which does explain why so many ingredients central to a macrobiotic diet are Japanese - hijiki, wakame seaweed, hasu, gobo, miso, etc. Though a precise, succinct explanation of macrobiotic will usually merit different answers depending on who you ask, the answers will nevertheless point in roughly the same direction - lots of veggies, beans, and grains; no processed or refined foods, little or no meats, even yin and yang. For more about the diet in general, check out my Closer Look on Well Bento.
Hale has their own explanation posted on a sign near the entrance:
While Well Bento Macrobiotic fusion includes meats like chicken, beef, and even hamburger, the only animal protein found at Hale is fish, coming either grilled w/veggie mayo and basil sauce or as a burger. Outside of that, it's all about meat substitutes. Most of us already know about soy or veggie burgers, but two other sources of vegan protein, both popular at macrobiotic spots like these, are tempeh and seitan. Hale has yet another strictly vegetarian protein called fu, this one a kuruma-fu (there are several different types of fu). I'll try to break the last three down as quickly and clearly as possible:
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Tempeh - like tofu, it is made from the fermentation of soybeans into a cake, but utilizes the entire bean instead of processing out the pulpy fibers that tofu discards.
Seitan - not made from soy at all but from the gluten (protein) of wheat.
Fu - similiar to seitan in that it's made from the same separation of gluten from wheat, but wheat flour is then added to the mix. |
Veggie fans out there can probably tell the difference, but place 'em all in front of me and it's as good as eenie-meenie-myni-mo. They're all super-bland to begin with, so seasonings, sauces, and means of preparation are what makes the difference, right? One thing I know is that for part-time health watchers like me, Hale's kuruma-fu is a must, whether coming as a cutlet with apple miso sauce or as a kuruma-fu burger. Check this out:
That's a katsu good enough to compete with Ginza Bairin or Cafe Imperial! Quite honestly, if they could bend the rules a bit and katsu some chicken, pork, shrimp, and maybe fish, the owners here could have an excellent tonkatsu house on their hands! It's done in the real Japan-Japanese style, with a larger crumb, a coating applied only after an order is placed, a super-crispy crunch, and minimal greasiness. Purists may object to this dish, however, as the kuruma-fu inside was vastly overshadowed by the goodness of the katsu coating, so much so that I didn't even notice the wheat product inside. Add to that a pretty darn good whole wheat bun, an all-veggie mayo, the freshest of fancy greens, a deliciously zingy apple miso sauce that tastes very much like a tonkatsu sauce, only fruitier, and you have the makings of a killer health food dish even the plate lunch crowd could appreciate!
Despite being over-shadowed, here's a cross-section shot of the kuruma-fu:
All-veggie? Incredible! I'm sure it'd be great simply as a cutlet patty with brown rice and sides, but I have a hunch the combinations in this burger work best. Most definitely, try it out yourself!
The two sides arriving with our main entree plates today were, first-off, a light salad of firm, perfectly cooked or raw hard veggies, covered in a light coating of veggie mayo. Ingredients included string beans, Okinawa sweet potato, cauliflower, and walnut - excellente'!
The next side coming in these tiny, cool-looking porcelains was a mix of beansprouts, wakame seaweed, carrots, and some type of herb, all tossed in a light vinegared dressing. Not as impressive as the first, but still done well. And we all should eat as much ocean greens as possible, especially women, who are prone to iron deficiencies!
The most expensive arrangement here is a macrobiotic dinner course for $33. It includes a choice of soup (cremini mushroom or Maui onion mochi), choice of appetizer (hijiki/carrot, Kiriboshi daikon, and kinpira gobo, kale and Kula strawberry salad w/sesame tofu dressing, and veggie meat karaage), an entree choice (teriyaki tempeh, sweet sour veggie meat, seitan cutlet, Kuruma fu cutlet, or island fish burger), and a dessert (mochi waffle, chocolate brownie, tofu tiramisu, pumpkin pudding, pineapple blane mange, mixed fruit sorbet, and berry amakaze tart). Though I've never sampled any desserts here, I do believe there's a reason most reviews I've read about them are pretty lukewarm - it's not easy working within the boundaries of no refined sugar, no eggs, and no dairy whatsoever! Check out the Lulumama page link above for a look at several of them. And remember that the choices above aren't all they have here! Check out their home page link above to see the whole menu.
Like most Japanese restaurants, lunch menus are much more affordable, as dinners, even outside the full-course meal, are a bit pricey, at $18.75 to $22.45, while lunches fall within a much more favorable range of $9.50 to $12.75. On this particularly stellar day, we were both torn between lunch menu choices of either mabo tofu or curry, the latter having won in the end. Bad choice, though!
Yes, I do have a thing against thick curries. Any time I can pick up a heaping mound of stew or curry that rises two or three times higher than the depth of my spoon, why am I always tempted to take a scoop and throw it back down on my plate, over and over again? Yeah, not a very pleasant word picture, I know, but that's what comes to mind!
I guess the taste was ok given that it was created from beans and vegetables, but this was one dish where I couldn't help but prefer the real thing over the alternative. There was a good balance of spices and that distinct earthiness normally found in health foods, but I can't say it was much to my liking. The slices of skin-on kabocha pumpkin and carrot were, in fact, the best things on the plate to us, both having been cooked to a soft, tender, sweet finish.
It wasn't soon after digging in that a beautiful plate of mabo tofu arrived next-door, looking so good I was tempted to ask her for a bite!
I've heard the organic fries here were delicious, as is the kale and Kula strawberry salad. Today, however, there was a special available I couldn't resist, as shown here:
Absolutely gorgeous! Once a staple commonly found economically, watercress is getting to be more and more of a luxury these days. Here, giant pieces of the spicy water vegetable were mixed with a small touch of fancy greens and a beautifully-arranged assortment of other healthy fare such as skinned orange, tomatoes, avocados, radish, red onion, sprouts, and a couple of slices of whole wheat bread. The dressing, which, daaang, I forgot the name, was veeery good, only given in such small portions that I had to ask for more!
Here it merits another shot:
I know we're going backwards on our courses, but I just went where my fingers led without thinking much. Sometimes, I can be brain-dead on everything, but put a keyboard in front of me, and I'll string something together, as journalistically ugly or improper as it may be.
That being said, our last dish here was actually our first, a decent-tasting cremini mushroom soup:
Perhaps the biggest thing different about Hale is their somewhat upscale nature. I mean, most health food stops, think Down to Earth, Govinda's, Well Bento, are about as no-frills as it gets. Seitan, tempeh, and organic penne are more associated with an earthy, esoteric set carrying their own cannabis bags to the grocer and riding a bus or bicycle everywhere to lessen their carbon footprints. Here at Hale, there's a bit more elegance involved in everything, from the silverware and shiny porcelain plates to the great service to the Tokyo-chic design and atmosphere. I guess the sleek surroundings could simply be a matter of carry-over from the modern izakaya restaurant formerly housed here, but everything else is part of a concerted effort to brand itself as such. Short pants and rubber slippers go hand-in-hand with most health food stops, but here at Hale, I'd feel slightly out of place, as this kind of vibe shares no discrepencies with date nights in my best jeans and pressed collared shirt from Tommy Bahama's. Which, in turn, makes the higher prices seem a little more justified.
Here's a shot at the inside's:
Why, there's even a full line of organic wines, organic beers, organic sake, and shochu available! Check out this case:
Another case features items more closely associated with healthy fare, such as veggie-based desserts, brown rice musubi's, teas, organic juices, and kale miso. Kale miso?
And finally, the scoops on getting here in the first place! Just mountainside and parallel of Kapiolani Blvd. is Makaloa St., where Hale sits between the cross-streets of Sheridan and Keeaumoku. Parking can be really tough, just as it was for Kai, and you just may have to over-flow park on the street.
Sorry it's been such a slow month. Had and still have some family over from overseas, house re-modeling continues, and I'm also busy designing a new format for this site, besides everything else. No big thing, but in addition to Closer Looks, I also want a more nimble outlet to post smaller notes more often, such as new menu's, restaurant opening's and closing's, and other general foodie news around the island. There are sooo many new restaurants opening in just the last few months!
Hey, you all have a great and wonderful day! I'm headed out for a nice hike right now, so I'll be making the most of my day-off!
Here's one last shot, of the entrance:
Take care and Aloha till next time! Good eats!
Aku
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