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Ninnikuya, a closer look
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Here's a few customer-based reviews on Ninnikuya Garlic House Restaurant on Waialae Avenue, Kaimuki!
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 Check out independent reviews of Garlic House Ninnikuya from Trip Advisor! |
 Yelper's on Garlic House Ninnikuya! |
 More independent reviews of Garlic House Ninnikuya from UrbanSpoon! |
Aloha!
5/3/10 - The other night I went to a friend's house in Kaimuki for dinner:
Just kidding. It's not exactly a friend's house. But before determining where it is, allow me first to give shouts to Oceanic Time Warner Cable, and more specifically, Ed Sugimoto of World Wide Ed, a site devoted to food, current events, travel, sports, tech stuff - basically, anything and everything Ed is passionate about! In his young life, he's already had his share of accomplishments, including the creation of his award-winning site, regular columns in UH's Ka Leo O Hawaii, an award of Commendation by Governor Linda Lingle, and being named one of the 2006 Top 50 high-tech leaders in the State of Hawaii as presented by Mayor Mufi Hanneman. In other words, this guy is going places!
His current occupation is Chief Editor of Oceanic Time Warner Cable's huuuge on-line site, www.aroundhawaii.com, an awesome gathering place that garners about 3 million hits per month! After checking them out, I see why, too, as they have all kinds of big names contributing for them, regarding every subject under the Hawaiian sun! There's Danielle Tucker, Egan Inouye, Diane Ako, BJ Penn, Kim Lehano, Dr. Reid Shiraki, and many, many more familiar faces, all contributing in their respective fields of influence. I'm mentioning all this because Ed Sugimoto himself invited me to become a regular monthly contributor to the Around Hawaii site, as well! Who'da thought? All I can say is that I'm honored and thankful, and will do my best to keep-up with all the big names there! We'll see how it goes.
Please do check out my very first entry, which is located on Around Hawaii's home page (you may or may not have to scroll down; they scramble orders), and also on the food section, under the Lifestyle tab on-top. It's basically a slightly slimmed-down, triple-checked version of my Zenshu page a year or so ago - man, I had a lot of mistakes and wasted wording! Also, check out my profile page, listed under the Community tab, then Local Experts drop-down list.
Oh, and another thing - don't know what loser person or company is messing with my old domain name, aku-eats-oahu.com, but please know that I haven't had anything to do with that domain for almost two years now. I guess they're trying to ride on the coat-tails of my akueats.com site and are showing up on some search engine rankings. Leeches, I tell you!
Anyhow, and getting back to the house pic above, it may seem really strange, but it's actually a shot of the parking lot and back entrance of a restaurant - Garlic Restaurant Ninnikuya! A fixture here in Kaimuki for as long as I can remember, this quirky eatery sure does run to the tune of its own ukulele, which has served to give it a character and presence all its own.
Like its back entrance, the front entrance, as seen from the road, is equally quirky, with a palm-lined front wall, Christmas lights everywhere, and a look that, if it weren't for the big sign front and center, would look no different from your average house on Waialae Avenue. During Christmas, that is:
And it was right here on Waialae Avenue, on this very stretch of road, on this very night, that a very unfortunate thing happened. While dodging speeding cars from every direction and manipulating my camera to a different position, I somehow managed to pry my beloved Canon XSi loose from its tri-pod stand, sending it down hard on the unforgiving asphalt! Ka-boom! I knew as soon as it hit the ground that it was all over! Guess you know why I haven't been contributing pages as often these past couple of weeks, ey? I was thinking of exponentially speeding-up my inevitable purchase of a Canon 5D, but with the 5D and a worthy lense going for as much a used car, a $180 charge and a two-week separation to fix my XSi sounded much better, at least for now!
Boo-hoo'ing aside, Garlic Restaurant Ninnikuya is found near the bottom of Waialae Avenue, sandwiched on the long block between City Mill and W&M Burger on the bottom and lower Palolo Avenue and McDonald's on-top:
The lot behind the restaurant is a bit small, but since we arrived late, at almost 9pm on a weekday evening, there were several open slots available. Once inside, it looks a lot more inviting than the residential appearance presiding from outside, yet, still not without its little quirks, such as the 1960's-style of glass window louvers and stand-up fans placed throughout the room:
Upon first glance, we thought it was completely void of customers, but this is actually only one portion of the restaurant. Several tables were indeed occupied outside, all in a maze of different small rooms and make-shift patio areas, under a mix of fixed ceilings, umbrellas, and trees. Both inside and out, wood was a predominant theme, whether coming from solid chairs, tables, and pillars to trees, foliage, or bamboo. It all invoked a hearty, rustic, country type of feel, very laid-back and homey in every way. Me, I'll always love a place with Christmas lighting strung everywhere; I find the itty-bitty lights timelessly romantic and fun:
Don't be fooled by camera tricks, either - outside, it's very dark, and on this particularly fine evening, a bit cold, too, the draft prompting us to escape to warmer, more lighted temperatures inside. Warm air, cold beer - perfect! There's no draft here, but there is a list of bottles that'll keep you happy, Kumi settling upon a Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and I, on a Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale, both excellent beers with crisp, hoppy tastes throughout:
Excellent also, I might add, with the feature item on the menu here. When visiting Garlic Restaurant Ninnikuya, it doesn't really matter what you order, garlic will play a huge role, even when coming to certain desserts! And one of the most popular of these is an appetizer garlic bread, and believe you me - this ain't like any garlic bread you've ever had before! An extremely dangerous dish, it is, as not only will you have to enjoy voluntarily OD'ing on the pungent, powerful vegetable/herb, but you'll also need to deal with a ton of oil! Hope it's good-quality EVOO! Check this out:
Wrong, I tell you, just WRONG! And that's not even the whole of this particular story. It gets worse. Or better, if you're like me. Despite all the roasted garlic chunks you see strewn throughout this liquid of highly viscous proportions, the real cache of garlic comes not from outside, but from within, hidden from view until the proper time. Open-up the French baguettes and behold the secret treasure inside!
Turns out they make a hole through the centers, stuff it with an oily, garlicky spread of sorts, and bake the bread pieces whole. When finished, they stand the pieces up on-ends, slice them in half length-wise, and allow you to enjoy it from there. Of course, I had to take pictures before any cutting occurred, so I ended-up slicing them myself.
Here's a before and after sequence:
Notice how all the oils on the bottom got sopped-up into the bread? Like I said, this dish was wrong, completely WRONG...
But like the famous song goes - "if lovin' you is wro-o-ong, I don't wanna be right!" Kumi, being extremely oil-averse most times (one night out of ten she'll love oily or excessively deep-fried!), enjoyed her first bite but couldn't last more than a couple more. I, on the other hand, though finding it spectacularly delicious, had to hold myself back from finishing the whole plate, not only because I didn't wanna fill-up too fast, but because I knew I'd pay a price later, with all that oil sloshing around in my belly! Yes, I'd definitely recommend this mini show-stopper, but only for tables of at least three, but preferably four or more people.
Our other appetizer wasn't quite as loaded with garlic, but it was no doubt still there, somewhere lurking in these giant balls:
Coming with a thick, hardened, slightly crispy shell, one ball was then covered with a spicy Thai-like sauce, while the other came in a honey/dijon mustard. Inside, both of these seafood cakes came chock-full of impressively large chunks of fresh crab, shrimp, and scallop, mixed with a small amount of filler to hold everything together. Though the dish did show some promise, the best part being the huge chunks of fresh seafood in and of themselves, I found the thick crust, along with both sauces, though coming with decent flavors, a bit too strong and bulky for such delicate innards.
Next time during appetizers? Probably the garlic mushrooms, maybe calamari, maybe bruschetta, or maybe garlic fries. But who knows. May even make a go on trying escargot again. But I make no promises...
Our first entree was a pasta dish. Even without any pics, it was the King Crab pasta that made my mouth water just reading it off the menu, but with all the dishes we were already ordering, we both compromised instead, both for price and for richness' sake, with a four mushroom pasta:
Turns out, this was no compromise at all, and to me, was probably the best-done dish of the evening! Yeah, the garlic bread may have been tastier, but it had waaay too many rather unorthodox question marks (lots of oil, insane amounts of garlic). This mushroom pasta had no such quirks, beginning with a perfectly al dente spaghetti noodle. Though I prefer angel hair, fettucine, or just about any other type over boring spaghetti noodles, I won't complain once you set it before me. Surprisingly, the pasta wasn't heavy or over-bearing at all, not in the amount of garlic nor oil, and it didn't come with a creamy-rich sauce that filled you up, either. The flavors were on the robust, stronger side, which served me well, and the generously-portioned wild mushroom varieties were absolutely delicious, all of them cooked to a tender, slightly crispy perfection, and bursting with fungal goodness! I could see some Ali'i, some oyster, and maybe some shiitake, but it was a little difficult to tell, lots of pieces being cut and sliced small.
Our waiter didn't seem to know much about the dishes, as not only did he not know what kinds of mushrooms there were, but he even pulled-out an answer from who-knows-where, saying one of the types was a shichimi! Shichimi mushroom??? I believe that's shichimi togarashi, the Japanese spicy pepper mix! It was kinda funny, actually. I nearly lost it when he said that, but before I had to bury my face in a napkin, he darted to the kitchen to ask the Chef. He never did come back with an answer, by the way, and I didn't feel like pressing the issue and embarrassing anyone any further. Easy, easy. No worries.
Our final entree was very impressive in many ways. For some reason, on this particular night, a good piece of chicken sounded better to me than steak, but it was explained to us that Garlic House Ninnikuya is actually also a steak house, as well. Fine with me. Can't argue against a juicy ribeye, could I?
And how's this for presentation and swagger? Be careful, Kumi! Abunai-yo!
Definitely lots and lots of things going-on here! On-top, garlic mashed potatoes with sprig of rosemary; bottom, a trio of steak sauces and a large ramekin of whole garlic cloves - must've been at least two to three whole garlic bulbs sitting there alone! Directly on the sizzling platter lay three thick-cut slices of zucchini, each topped with a half-cherry tomato. Very nice.
But you know, the funny thing about garlic here at Garlic Restaurant Ninnikuya - its flavors, in every dish we experienced, were waaay mellowed-down and easy to eat. The cloves always came super-soft, almost like the near-paste that comes out of a whole-roasted garlic in the oven, so you know they've been cooked previously. I don't suppose Chef will ever reveal his secrets, but the taste alone says he must prepare the garlic in wine, olive oil, and/or other ingredients before adding them to his dishes, as it's sure waaay different from the garlic I make myself. I didn't see a single slice of raw or lightly-cooked garlic anywhere; every piece had been treated, if you will, first. Not that they weren't extremely potent still, and not that you won't notice the effects on your breathe or certain other bodily functions for at least 24 hours following, as I produced as much carbon emissions that night as a Kamuela cow pasture, and nearly blew-out a hole in my sheets, just so you know. But considering how much garlic I consumed, which probably came to at least two, perhaps even three whole bulbs, I woulda thought the results'd be even worse!
Health-wise, of course, nothing is better than raw garlic, but for all practical purposes, you simply can't eat this much garlic straight! Believe me, I've tried, and not only did it keep everyone at a distance for at least a day, but it also put a hurt on my belly, its powerful effects seeming to burn my stomach cavity lining right-off! A few raw cloves are fine, but anything more, and a little cooking goes a long way in lessenening the pungent sting. Like hot chili peppers, you can't mess with this stuff! Yeah, cooking also cuts down on the beneficial enzymes and other compounds (I've seen studies touting both raw and cooked, though!), but if you eat more after cooking, it all evens-out, right?
Poor Kumi, when I get sick, I'd rather wrap myself in towels and blankets to sweat it all out rather than take medicine (Kumi never takes medicine because she never gets sick!), and I'm definitely the kind of guy who actually feels good when that stinky garlic smell starts permeating through my pores, as I know it's doing my body good and killing every bad germ in the process! Beer futs, no; garlic futs and garlic sweats, oh yes, baby!
Junk science aside, check out the amount of cloves added, right after the slathering of herb butter melted down into the steak:
In the end, however, you can press, cook, skewer, bend, twist, dilute, mash, whatever - garlic is still garlic, and you'll definitely feel it after dining here at Ninnikuya!
But how was the steak, you ask? Well... As far as presentation goes, I'd give 'em an A+, without a doubt! Besides the massive size of the steak itself, you can't beat a waiter slicing it up, slathering it with an herb butter that melts before your eyes, and a sizzling platter that angrily hisses for at least a good 10-15 minutes or so. 'Thing is, you all know how much of a steak snob I am, so...
On the menu, I found it curious that the word premium was placed before their steaks. Knowing that could mean anything, I simply asked if the steaks were USDA Prime or not, zealously hoping they were - steak house, after all! Our poor waiter, I wasn't trying to catch him or anything, but once again, you could tell he couldn't answer the question with any confidence at all, fumbling for words a while before weakly saying "Uuuh, yeah... I, uuuh, I do believe they are Prime, yeah..." Though it was easy to see that he had no idea what USDA Prime even was, maybe the joke was really on me, as guess what? Was this even a ribeye steak at all??? I mean, go back to the pictures above - does that look like a ribeye to you??? With all my picture-taking, all that garlic on-top, all the slicing and dicing, there was so much commotion, I guess I didn't even think about it right then and there. However, looking at it now - that sure does look like a New York steak to me!!! I was wondering why the cuts were so bright red inside and why the steak was so uncharacteristically tough and lacking in any juiciness at all, but that evening, I guess I passed it off and surmised that this place just didn't know much about steak! Happens, you know? I know it wasn't my mistake in ordering, either, as I would never, ever, not in a million years, order a New York steak, whether at a restaurant or off of my grill at home! Go ahead and call me a snob, but a New York Steak is simply a foreign word to me!
As far as USDA Prime goes, I can't imagine any restaurant featuring Prime and not choosing to mention it on their menu. That's like selling wholly organic foods without saying a word about it, or packaging hand-made, artisan chocolates in the same wrappers as a Twix, Snickers, or Milky Way! Doesn't make any sense! Neither Kumi nor I cared to have any more than a few pieces of this steak. Looks-wise, I could already see the lack of marbling; texture-wise, it was too tough; taste-wise, there was no comparison. At $38, I expected no less than a Prime ribeye, but it seemed to me, what we got instead was a USDA Choice New York! Disappointing, to say the least.
The one other possible issue of concern I've gotta mention is that they've gathered quite the notorious reputation here for bad service, and unfortunately, I can see why. I mean, when you walk in and several people walk by without even addressing you, and you have to flag them down first, that's enough to send people right back out to the parking lot! Outside of that, while we didn't necessarily receive terrible service ourselves, I would describe our server as pretty darn aloof, at best. There was another guy, however, that seemed really cool, stopping by with a smile and asking if we needed another drink, even though his responsibilities lay elsewhere.
Boo-hoo. Cry me a river. Pass me some crackers with that whining... Ok, I'm over it. Just had to let it out.
But seriously, it's not that I'm not recommending this place. The pasta was excellent and the garlic bread, unbelievable, so long as you don't eat too much. And if you like lean meat, you won't have any problems at all with the steak, especially with its super-flamboyant presentation. And then there's the quirky nature and unique, hide-away atmosphere that can also add some luster to your evening. It's certainly different, and if you're getting bored of the typical restaurant experience out there, you'll be amused at the very least and delighted and charmed at the very best.
Like anywhere else, as I always say, you just gotta try it yourself!
Much Mahalo'z once again for stopping by! Make sure to check out the Around Hawaii page if you haven't already - they include some really good articles there, and offer a ton of news and entertainment on island happening's.
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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