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Sekiya's, a closer look
Aloha!
4/29/09 - These days I just seem to be visiting restaurants a lot more often than the three days or so it takes to put out another closer look. The pics I'm taking are starting to pile up a bit, as there are probably about five or six places on the back-log right now. Since I don't see the pace of my voracious appetite and hunger for exploring new culinary experiences slowing, but rather increasing exponentially, I figure I'm just gonna have to try cutting down on the text once-in-a-while, lest the back-log get so deep I begin forgetting all the minute details of every particular trip. I won't skimp on the pictures, however, and fortunately, they're getting better and better, although not anywhere remotely close to professional-quality nor where I actually need to be - what the heck, I still have an entry level SLR and a stock lens! One day, I'll have some really fancy equipment, and the know-how to use them, too! As for now, I just trudge along day by day, learning as much as possible as I go, enjoying myself every step of the way! I'm dreaming for big things in the future, as all of you should in your own lives, as well! And don't forget about the mid-year surprise that's bustin' out soon, you'll see...
But for now, it's still business as blissfully usual, as mom and I stopped by that sentimental, old-time, Kamaaina favorite, Sekiya's. Located across the street from Kaimuki High School and right next to the back-side parking lot of the Market City Shopping Center, this combination take-out okazuya and restaurant has been around for as long as I can remember.
Once inside, you'll see how laid-back this place really is, with a no-frills atmosphere and clientele that's almost always 100% local.
Eeek! Did I say my pictures were getting better and better?! Maybe that just applies strictly to food shots! Glare, blown-out windows, focus issues... My gosh, still a long way's to go, for sure!!!
That outdoor scene barely visible on the top-left is actually a pretty darn cool pond and pagoda area. You can get up-close and personal by stepping right outside, along the path to the restrooms behind the restaurant.
Sekiya's is known for what all truly old-school, local haunts are known for - saimin and hamburger sandwiches. The menu is much larger than that, however, with all kinds of sometimes local, sometimes Japanese, and sometimes American foods, all done with the stamp of nostalgic Hawaii (not ethnically Hawaiian, but geographically Hawaiian - big difference!) written over everything. You'll find sukiyaki, teriyaki pork, corned beef hash, teri beef, chicken sticks, miso butterfish, chicken katsu, and other such items so readily found here in the islands.
Mom went with the specialty of the house, saimin, in the form of a won ton mein - same thing, really, except for the addition of the won ton dumplings.
Char siu, Spam, or luncheon meat - these are the only meats allowed in a true bowl of saimin (besides the pork/shrimp found in the won tons!). Anything else, and we're talking new-wave and funky, and theyt usually doesn't work! In this case, it was the slightly-sweet taste of Chinese char siu pork, along with the dumplings and a small sprinkle of green onion - remember, it's all about the noodles, which were perfectly al dente and firm, and the broth, which came flavorful and packed with both a genuine katsuo boshi and dried shrimp taste. While katsuo boshi (bonito flakes) are simply a must in any real bowl of saimin, dried shrimp is not always used. The shrimp taste is very pronounced here, and definitely adds a pleasant kick to the bowl, setting it apart from most other places in this regard.
Taking my cue from mom's order, I waited to see what she got, then requested something different. Today, it was the fried version of saimin.
Normally, I'm more than happy when mom, or wifey, for that matter, orders a bowl of saimin, because I usually prefer fried saimin, at least most of the time. However, this was just one of those places where I preferred the regular saimin (with broth). Not that it was really bad or anything, just a bit, I dunno, maybe uninteresting compared to that deep, rich, shrimp-infused broth. Aaah, just add a little shoyu and hot mustard, and everything's aaall good!
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the day went to our side order, which was a couple of pieces of teriyaki chicken sticks.
Wasn't really expecting much, and the both of us were left waiting until half-way through our main orders before the sticks finally arrived. After one taste, however, we sure weren't complaining anymore! The sweet teriyaki glaze was powerful but not over-rich in either shoyu or sugar, as often done to make-up for a freezer-burned, dry piece of chicken. There was a little something extra in the glaze, maybe a splash of citrus, maybe a little dashi water, maybe some chicken broth or some combination thereof, who knows, but it sure did taste great. The actual chicken, meanwhile, came surprisingly-perfect, its tender pieces not over-cooked and with the added flavor and visual appeal of char-grilled lines throughout.
Sorry, but it just wasn't the type of quality I expected from such a humble restaurant! I can't promise you that today wasn't a just a fluke, a wide detour from the norm, but I'd be satisfied the next time if they get it anywhere near as close as today's beautiful chicken pictured above!
We left that day very much happy - yeah, the service was bad, but that's to be expected. The fried saimin was nothing to write home about, but the saimin and teri chicken sticks were about as good as they get anywhere. Better yet, the saimin brought back memories of an old-time, often-forgotten taste that connected well with mom, and she, in particular, left deeply satisfied.
But what of the other aspect of this place, meaning, the okazuya counter situated right at the entrance of the restaurant?
You can pick-up a plate here and choose to sit in the main dining area, but on another visit a few days later, mom and I decided to take-out and park at the Diamond Head look-out area, which is always beautiful. Sorry - I shoulda taken a quick snap there, too, ey?
As we sat there enjoying the views in the cool comfort of A/C, mom very much enjoyed her tiny plate of a single piece each of, from 12 o'clock, konbu maki, shrimp tempura, miso butterfish, sliced scrambled egg, and musubi rice-ball - all your typical okazuya-kine grindz.
I, on the other hand, was much more impressed with the restaurant items than the okazuya, but then again, anything sitting under hot lights for a period of time won't ever be quite as comparable.
I'm always happy when places go through the time it takes to make konbu maki, which usually consists of gobo, pork, and/or chicken, wrapped in a sheet of broad konbu seaweed leaf, then tied with a type of dried gourd called kanpyo, and simmered in a dashi/shoyu broth. Lot's of work, lemme tell ya. In the end, however, I wasn't so happy about this one, as the thick konbu was wrapped around and around and around to arrive at the substantial girth it carried, while the pork and gobo inside were as thin as the very chopsticks I was using to eat! Don't get me wrong - I love konbu, but like a lau lau that's almost all luau leaf, the ratio's were just crazy-off-balance and cheapo!
Shrimp tempura? Aaah, what can you expect - it came in the typical, slightly-sweet, over-sized, puffy-large batter and small shrimp. That's just how it is with okazuya places, is all! Yeah, stuff like this wouldn't stand a chance in the eyes of a real food writer (I don't count myself in those ranks!), but somehow, dough fried in old oil somehow keeps me coming back once every so often - gasp...! Gotta do some fasting or super-clean eating for a while before developing the craving for such a crude and homely dish, though...
Moving right along, the butterfish was heavy on the shoyu side, but tender, flakey, and with a decent flavor.
My plate was double the size of mom's girly-man plate, but before that, here's a quick shot of the potato mac salad, which was in generous portions (unlike most individual items of everything else here!) and creamy with the classic mix of mayo, macaroni, and partially-mashed and partially-whole pieces of potato, along with tiny pieces of celery to provide a once-in-a-while crunch. Not bad at all.
And here's mine:
Oops, there's those fried batters again, one with shrimp and one with sweet potato. Nothing to get excited about, either way. And how 'bout them shoyu hotdogs? Just like I'd make 'em at home, boy, I tell you, all over a hot bowl of rice or chazuke! The shoyu chicken looked so delicious from the window, but was actually dry, not sweet enough, and boring, to tell you the truth. The konbu maki I also ordered was exactly the same as I described earlier, while the kinpira gobo, in the white cup, was over-shoyu'd, big-time. In fact, in the end, my lips were left puckered and dry, as much of this plate was just waaay salty. Oh, well...
Can't say I very much recommend the okazuya side, but a carefully selective process on the restaurant side may well prove positive. Hey, what's a little E. Coli?
Inside joke, for all of you off-island, except it's no joke for the seven people contracting it a little over a year ago. This was actually the restaurant that the State closed down because of a flare-up of that dreaded germ. No one died, but those seven people did get bloody-diarhea-sick - eeek! I won't tell you not to worry, nor will I say to worry. I have no idea what goes on in that kitchen, but I've seen many a kitchen around town, and believe me, many of you wouldn't be eating in a lot of those places if you actually saw them. Me, I don't worry too much, or I'll be scared of everything! I've watched African butchers slice a hunk of goat off a whole carcass literally covered in flies and hanging at room temperature, then taken it out-back, roasting it to near-burnt levels. How it tasted so good, I have no idea, but along with my drunken taxi driver (yes, I did say drunken taxi driver, whom I hired for the day and who still needed to get me to the next town!), we both tore into the meat with our bare hands and enjoyed every minute of it. And you won't find no soap in any of those bathrooms around, for sure!
Anywayz, here I said I'd cut down on the text??? Don't know if that's even possible, but I'll try... Gotta cut down the back-log, you know...
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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