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Indigo, a closer look
Aloha!
2/21/09 - Oh, the shame... I must confess... Dam it, I've never been to Indigo before! And yes, it is a big deal, as this long-time hotspot has been one of the most consistently popular restaurants for quite some time - since 1994, to be exact. Since then, it's been busy garnering quite the bevy of fine awards and recognitions from such reputable insititutions as Honolulu Magazine, Honolulu Weekly, Honolulu Advertiser, AMEX, and Wine Spectator Magazine. Granted, I'm not one of the many important people working the Downtown skyscrapers in tucked-in Aloha Shirts and waxed-up shoes, every one of them who've probably been here before, so you could say I'm at a distinct disadvantage. And as long as I'm on the subject of weak and sheapish excuses, I may as well add in the fact that us outsiders to the area often like to excuse ourselves from Downtown (and Waikiki, for that matter!) by arguing about high parking rates or, worse yet, not even knowing where the parking is to begin with. But then again, that's all they'd be - excuses, excuses - and not very convincing one's, at that!
The truth is, parking should never be a deterrent, and any trouble regarding the subject is more a matter of ignorance than difficulty, as just about every restaurant has at least one designated parking area. It's but a simple matter of knowing exactly where to go, that's all. In fact, Indigo actually has three options - the Chinatown Gateway Plaza, with the entrance on Bethel St. between King and Hotel St's., Mark's Garage on Nuuanu Ave., at the the intersect with N. Pauahi St., or even a valet service for $6 (not including tip) at the main entrance, which is on one-way Nuuanu Ave., right past Mark's Garage. Sure, you'll have to pay for parking either way you look at it, but for such great cuisine as you'll find here, it's a small price to pay.
On this particularly lovely evening, wifey and I paid the $5 flat-fee and chose Mark's Garage to rest our chariot, then walked a short distance to the restaurant from the Bethel St. side, which actually leads you to the back entrance, fronting that little waterfall park on the corner of Nuuanu and Hotel St.'s. And just FYI, our route there was right through one of the areas that have benefited greatly from the mini art and culture rennaisance occuring Downtown, leading us right past such popular restaurant establishments as Brasserie Du Vin and Soul De Cuba, and also the trendy Hawaii Theatre, where it's all about real, live theatre, not big-screen flicks and cheap dates (of which I'm guilty of all the time!).
The place itself was surprisingly large, even coming with three separate entrances! Check out this alley-like passage from the Nuuanu St. side:
Once inside, there's a main indoor area, a couple of separate lounges (the Green Room, in case you've heard of it, is one of them), and a cool outdoor courtyard area fronting a small pond and waterfall. Happy Hours are from 4pm-8pm Tuesday-Friday, and can be enjoyed in the lounge areas with $4 martini's and selected pupu items.
The main dining area is perhaps the most elegant, coming with a dimly-lit, old-school charm, rattan chairs for a bit of a local touch, and enough fine silverware, linen, glassware, and candles to give you an upscale, fine-dining feel.
As wifey and I leisurely sat back, enjoying the great, comfortable surroundings with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale for myself and and a dirty margarita for m'lady, we decided to go exclusively with pupu's for the evening, as so many of them sounded so interesting and delicious off the menu. Not that the main courses didn't also garner our attention, though, with such selections as Mongolian lamb chop, kalua pig and sticky rice steamed in banana leaf, duck confit, miso salmon or butterfish, Kurobuta pork, and ribeye steak. Besides that, there's a bar menu that also looked fabulous, featuring hoisin-glazed roast duck pizza, Kobe beef sliders with blue cheese and caramelized onion relish, and curried cauliflower/yukon gold potato samosa's with fruit compote and mint coulis, as well as impressive desserts like Madame Pele's chocolate volcano, ginger creme brulee, Calamandin coconut cream pie, and double-double chocolate torte.
Before we could even decide on any pupu's at all, our kind waiter with the quick hand placed a couple of complementary plates on our table, both consisting of a thin-sliced chrostini topped with fruit relish and what seemed to be a recurring theme in many of the dishes here - an absolutely delicious goat cheese from the Maui Surfing Goat Dairy. It's not as strong as you may think from anything concerning goat, coming with just enough sharpness to give it a little bite but also enough milky-mellow creaminess and soft, light texturing to give it a safe, un-offensive, all-around great taste - I'm only putting it this way because some of these fermented milk products can pack a wollop in both taste and smell, if you know what I mean. One bite, and I could easily see why this particular goat cheese is so often found on the menu, coming featured in several of the most popular items here, another of which you'll see in just a bit.
The first of our actual orders arrived promptly, in the hands of a gentleman who spoke as if he knew every minute detail of every dish better than the back of his hand, kindly explaining how certain items were made, whether they were locally-grown or produced, and, in general, unfolding a unique story surrounding each one of the beautifully-presented dishes. And he better have known, too, as he was none other than the mastermind behind this whole operation, Chef/Owner Glenn Chu! It's always a pleasure when the Executive Chef walks out and serves, and Chef Glenn was as down-to-earth and friendly as they come, with a quiet, polite, and confident tone that comes naturally to those who really know what they are doing! You could tell right off the bat that he pulled everything in tight, with everything in the restaurant tuned-in perfectly to his own sense of attention to detail and quality.
With two plates in hand, he presented us first with a mu shu duck roll, which was basically roast duck, carrot, cucumber, sprouts, and inoke mushrooms, all wrapped in a rice paper pancake and served with a house-made raspberry/hoisin sauce.
In Chef's other hand was a rice paper-wrapped shrimp presented beautifully in an Asian chili/garlic sauce, each piece topped with a single slice of chive. Wifey's favorite dish of the evening, we were both tempted to order an encore, holding back only for varieties' sake. The mix of fresh vegetables, the refreshing hint of herbs, the delicate wrapper, the sweet shrimp and spicy-sweet sauce - it all blended together like a fine piece of art. It's one of those dishes that are so pretty, you just wanna sit there and stare at it for a while!
The next round of dishes came with the first being a tempura-fried ahi sushi. I can't say the sushi rice was as great as a sushi bar, but the dish over-all sure was a winner. Most noticeable was the lightest, most delicate batter I've ever seen, imparting just enough tempura-like, deep-fried taste to take the fresh ahi maki to the next level. Even such easily-overlooked items as the thin slices of house-prepared ginger in the middle of the plate had a story behind it. I'm sorry, Chef Glenn, but I forgot the whole process of slicing, marinating, rinsing, re-soaking, and even acquiring this particular variety of locally-grown ginger, but it sure sounded like a laborious process. The end-resulting taste was slightly sweet and void of either the stringiness or bitterness this potent herb carries if not prepared in just the right fashion. It's amazing what these Chefs go through for every little detail, raising the bar even higher each time.
Next up was yet another beautiful dish, this time a trio of scallops on skewers, propped-up on a bed of fresh, julienned vegetables and served with a house-made aioli. Absolutely flawless!
And finally, perhaps one of the most popular items here, the goat cheese wontons were the perfect way to round out the evening. It came with that same goat cheese I spoke of earlier, and while the dish wasn't the fanciest, was nevertheless one of those items that just fit perfectly with any other dish, like a staple that remains a necessity and always ordered, while everything else can vary on any particular meal.
I gotta say, despite the high expectations I knew this restaurant came with, I was still impressed with the dishes, as well as the over-all experience we had at this Downtown hotspot. Yeah, they were a bit on the small side and not the cheapest around, but Chef Glenn presents everything with all the skill and creativity of any Hawaii Regional Cuisine Chef found here in the Islands, employing unique, signature touches that reflect his own Asian and European-modeled backgrounds. Considering that, the prices are actually more than appropriate, and I have a feeling you'll come away very much happy and satisfied with your experience here. And don't forget the lunch buffets, which are very popular and with a menu that changes according to the season and availability of fresh products.
So for all you locals with parking phobia's and nightmare images of homeless vagabonds in Downtown or, maybe worse, tourists in Waikiki (ey, just joking, brah!), just get over it, allright? It's really not bad at all, so long as you go in the right way - that is, informed and with a plan! Is that so hard?
Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
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