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Suntory, a closer look
Aloha!
9/27/09 - Well, well... Wifey and I find ourselves back in Waikiki again! I don't know about you, but all this talk of a terrible economy leaves me scratching my head every time I walk into another restaurant - all I can say is... what bad economy??? Newspaper and media in general are all saying that Waikiki is down by 10, 20, 30 percent or more, but let's not forget that these numbers are all based on current figures that follow record-shattering, super-fat seasons. So we're down over previous years, so what? That matters mostly on Wall Street, not necessarily on Main Street. Have you driven through Waikiki lately? It's still packed! Granted, it may not be easy money anymore, but that's probably a good thing, just to keep prices down, competition tight, and everyone honest. Of course, with all this increased spending from the Government lately, especially with this crazy health care debacle, I'm not quite so rosy about the near future, when the results of all of these handouts and inflationary changes start impacting everything in a bigger way. But don't worry, I won't get into it... At least not now...
Why, I remember when the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, for years and years, was a virtual ghost town, especially on the upper floors. These days, with shops like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and restaurants like P.F. Chang's, Senor Frog's, Cheesecake Factory, Doraku, and more, it seems the place is currently undergoing a renaissance of sorts. It sure is nice walking around the center once in a while, as new shops are opening-up all over the place, providing lots of great attractions and some decently picturesque views, starting with scenes like this of the Waikiki Business Plaza across the street, topped by the most excellent Top of Waikiki restaurant, and followed with a few more random shots around the Center:
On the Diamond Head side lay another open courtyard, this time much larger, and with a clear shot of today's featured restaurant, located straight across on the third floor.
And that restaurant would be none other than Suntory, a long-time tenant featuring some pretty darn fancy Japanese foods.
Suntory is actually a small chain of upscale locales also found in Shanghai and Mexico. They feature several styles of dining, including teppan stations, a sushi bar, ala carte, and elaborate kaiseki-style meals, of which sets can range in prices from $42-$120. An example of a single $42 set includes a small starter bowl of varying items, rice, tsukemono, miso soup, sashimi, chawanmushi, vegetable salad, miso butterfish, shrimp/vegetable tempura, and a dessert, while a single $120 course can include a small starter bowl, garlic rice, tsukemono, miso soup, vegetable salad, seasonal hot veggies, a sashimi set (ahi, whitefish, squid, and sweet shrimp), teriyaki foie gras, Big Island abalone, grilled Maine lobster, Wagyu fillet mignon steak, and a premium dessert. And yes, that's all for one person!
Of course, you can skip sets alltogether and order sushi, ala carte, or come by during lunch, when there are teishoku courses reduced to $20-$30, and arrive with a small starter bowl, rice, tsukemono, miso soup, and a single entree such as teriyaki chicken, tempura, miso steak, mixed sashimi, shabu shabu, or sukiyaki. I should also note that, like Jinroku, the teppan Chefs here don't throw salt/pepper shakers into the air, create flaming volcanoes, and make quite as much a show out of the cooking process as Benihana, Tanaka of Tokyo, and the group of restaurants listed in the Teppanyaki section. Outside of Japan, this particularly flambuoyant style is often described in terms of Japanese Steakhouses, but teppanyaki, to most Japanese, simply means a chef cooking on a teppan grill in front of guests, not necessarily with an interactive circus act and show included.
The multi-roomed restaurant carries with it a bit of an old-school elegance, with dark, rich woods, dim lighting, and touches of both Japanese and American designs.
Not wanting the teppanyaki courses, wifey and I sat in the bar area, where the American side showed a bit more.
We decided to split one of their $80 courses, and then get a few other ala carte items, as well.
Here's a few vegetable starters, either ordered separately or included in wifeys' set, beginning with a firm, brown, short-stringed seaweed called hijiki, then followed by the vinegar-soaked Okinawan seaweed called mozuku (topped with grated yama-imo), and then a double-set of horenso spinach, one with sesame and the other with katsuo-boshi shavings:
When judging a great Japanese restaurant, I always like to see how their agedashi tofu is, which is a tempura-fried tofu served in a soy/dashi broth. At worst, the tofu is run-of-the-mill, the broth over-done, and the batter, heavy and unforgiving. At best, however, the tofu is silky-soft, the broth is humble yet quietly sophisticated, and the crispy batter transforms itself into a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that is wet but somehow not mushy in the least. When done just right, it all gives-off a classy, refined aura that resonates with rich tones, in both a deeply traditional as well as highly modern way.
Here at Suntory...?
...Impeccable:
An order of clams were very much the same, in the sense of being simple, refined, and classy:
As stated, there is a full sushi bar here at Suntory, where they have traditionally-minded nigiri-zushi as well as modern-style rolls like rainbow, spicy tuna, Philadelphia, and even foie gras, but amazingly, we didn't order a single piece of either! Instead, a mini sashimi set was included with wifey's order, which included ahi, whitefish, ika (squid), uni (sea urchin), and ama ebi (sweet shrimp), all nicely garnished in daikon, American radish, ogo, shiso, wakame, and sitting on a single broad leaf and a bed of ice.
With uni and ama ebi being especially prone to off-tastes when not fresh, after one bite, wifey was happy to find that freshness would not be a problem at all with this particular set:
But coming up next were the two grand finales of our evening, one a surf and the other, a turf. These are the kinds of dishes around which I kinda feel myself bumping into a wall when it comes to photography, as I'm beginning to see the limits of my Canon Rebel XSI and the stock lens that comes with it. Sure, it's a Cadillac compared to the old point-and-shoot I started with, but everytime I talk with guys like Jeff Benik and someone I met the other day, Daryl Harada, of Star Shots, I see how inadequately equipped I am. He's a former KITV back-room design guy now doing lots of freelance projects, including cultivating a growing digital photography business. When I see foot-long lenses like his, and the crispness of his shots, I just know it's time for me to crank it up another notch or three. I'd give you his number, but I didn't ask him yet, so I'll have to hold-off for now.
But anywayz, when it comes to the surf dish I was talking about, a beautiful platter of whole Maine lobster, I don't think I did it much justice on film, even after three shots:
Exquisitely garnished and much more showy in person than on print, at least when I'm taking the picture, this lobster platter nevertheless had a lot going on with it, that's for sure. The sweetest meat on the lobster, from the tail, was cut and placed on two decored lemons sashimi-style, completely in the raw. The claw meat was cooked within its shell and placed back in the ice, while the head and miso (guts) were saved for later use in two separate bowls of lobster miso soup - yuuum's! Two small containers of wasabi, green onion, and tobiko were mixed with shoyu and basically used as a dip.
The next and last course (except for the green tea and vanilla bean ice cream scoops - sorry, no pic!), of the turf variety, was perhaps just as equally as impressive, and cooked right at your table on large clay-pot ovens:
The cut of beef wasn't a 100 percent Kobe, but a Kobe/black angus breed that can often be found in restaurants around the island. It's not nearly as decadent as a full-breed, but is still a very good piece of steak. Besides, the real thing on a steak this size would probably fall somewhere between $100 and $200 in itself, and with all that extra fat, it'd most likely be a titanic struggle just trying to finish, the richness being as luxuriant as 100 percent Kobe always is.
Still, it was yet decently marbled throughout, and along with a ponzu dipping sauce, just like in a good yakiniku restaurant, it was delicious over a warm bowl of rice.
Being that you cook the steak yourself, you can choose yourself between the sashimi above (no, no - not recommended at all!), rare, medium, or whatsoever you so choose:
With quality dishes like these, Suntory is definitely a force to be reckoned with. It's about as classy as it gets anywhere, at least as far as the dishes are concerned. If you need a particularly discriminating Japanese meal, Suntory is a place to consider, although the only thing is, like most things in life, just remember that you'll be paying a price for such a taste.
Manager Hisao Tarumi was a fun and jovial kind of guy, and made us feel welcome and appreciative of this Waikiki fixture restaurant. The waitservice was also friendly and helpful, as well, although perhaps staffed a bit on the thin side for such a place.
I'm just glad to see Waikiki filled with so many tourists, all helping to fill the stores, restaurants, and shops that further our economic vitality and help us all prosper.
In other news... Had a couple of great meals recently, one a seemingly much-improved yakiniku spot and the other a great local eatery that, quite surprisingly, also doubles as one of the best places for Filipino foods on the island, as well - or at least, one of the best in my opinion, that is. You'll see both spots soon enough...
Before I go, I'll leave you with one final shot of the last few pieces of steak:
Take care, be well, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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