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Yagura, a closer look
Aloha!
8/16/09 - Wish we still had the full samurai suit our family once owned, including swords and weapons, but the entire set-up got washed away in a flood back in Japan. Our kind waitress didn't know whether the one in this next shot was authentic or not, but it was pretty darn cool-looking, whether coming from the Edo or Meiji periods or straight from the Shirokiya Department Store.
People often consider the Japanese as polite, quiet, soft-spoken, and generally docile as a whole, but let's not forget that Japan was, for its entire history, a country of samurai clans, Emporor-God's, deadly ninja, zealous Bushido, and kamikaze-like warriors - that is, up until World War 2, which led to one of the biggest cultural and societal transformations in the history of mankind. Today, with images of Kawaii-cuteness, technological aspirations, and studious types in glasses, we so easily forget that before then, Japan was incredibly war-like, its people amazingly fierce, hard-core, and unwaveringly independant. Actually, even today, you can still see pockets of this fierceness, as the Samurai spirit is still alive and well, albeit in much different forms, such as in the way the Japanese do business, dedicate themselves meticulously to an art, or hold fastidiously to customs and traditions, all to near-fanatical degrees. Oh, yeah, and there's that yakuza-thing, too...
If this suit were real, dating back to a genuine samurai, I'd be pretty surprised to see it housed here, as it'd now be worth a fortune if so, and I wouldn't exactly consider the restaurant it's housed in, Yagura, as a high-security facility! Can you imagine this guy coming at you on horseback, flying like the wind, out of nowhere, four-foot long sword drawn, and able to slice your entire body in two as quickly as a fresh block of chu toro from Tamashiro Market?
Located just mauka of H-1 on Liliha St., before Kuakini Ave. on the Diamond Head side, I'd say this very casual spot qualifies for hole-in-the-wall status, for sure. Not that it's very hard to find, nor must you break-out a map book, taking successive right's and left's through tiny, residential roads you've never seen before - it's actually quite visible from the busy thoroughfare of Liliha St. As we continue on our Closer Look of Yagura, however, you'll see more clearly why we're talking mom-and-pop, all the way.
First of all, parking. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof. With all but three slots situated so close to the road that you'll have to back-up into the street to pull-out, this is just one of those quirky attributes that hole-in-the-wall's never seem to think twice about. But that's just the beginning. How 'bout the downstairs-restaurant/upstairs-living quarters arrangements? Another qualifier in itself! And always, always - you gotta have the glass-louvered windows, typically employed in the small, old-time, brick apartment buildings and houses erected in older neighborhoods like McCully, Moiliili, Wahiawa, Kaimuki, and the like.
Walking in, you get the same feeling, as well, with a style of furnishing that reminds me of summers as a kid in Kauai, where the entire camp (sugar plantation homes) would gather at the town church or hall, since there weren't exactly a whole lotta restaurants available at the time. And yes, it was kinda nice bringing those same feelings and memories back once again!
Despite its apparent age, don't worry about sanitation, cockraoches, or funky smells waffling through air-stagnant corners or hidden crannies - the place is relatively well-maintained and clean, with a long row of booths down one side, simple tables down the middle, and an extra side-room for overflow or private functions.
The single waitress was also kind and helpful, not in a rehearsed, procedural kind of way, but with a sincere, conversational, neighborly feel that lays aside all pretension and puts you at ease - exactly the kind of vibe you should be getting in a place like this.
The menu is pretty much indicative of any family-style Japanese restaurant around town, with your usual suspects of miso butterfish, shrimp tempura, chicken katsu, and several kinds of donburi, but also with a few somewhat lesser-known Japanese dishes like yosenabe, chicken mizutake, and ahi nitsuke - very rustic, very nostalgic stuff!
But the most popular means of ordering in Japanese family restaurants are through teishoku sets, which usually come in multi-compartental trays filled with between one and three entrees, rice, and a selection of side dishes, mostly of pickled vegetables, or tsukemono. Miso soup is always included, as well.
Single-entree teishoku sets are all between $10 and $15, while two-to-three-entree sets all fall below $20, except for the triple combo special for $24.95, which includes New York steak, shrimp tempura, and ahi sashimi. With the old-school nature of this place, I guess it was a little more expensive than I thought it'd be, as prices are about right in line with more well-known spots like Kabuki's and Gyotaku's.
Mom's set was a double, coming with grilled salmon and tempura as feature items:
Wifey and I debated between ourselves as to what items we wanted, as it really doesn't matter who orders what because whatever is on my plate is her's, too, and whatever is on her plate is mine, as well. In fact, that goes for just about anything we have or do in life. Well, except maybe for money. In that case, what's mine is her's and what's her's is her's, too...
But anywayz, I'll show you part of her set, which was a separate platter of tempura, including two decent-sized shrimp, eggplant, and kabocha pumpkin. All were not bad at all, coming flakey, light, and crispy, just as a good tempura should be.
The reason her double-item teishoku set came in separate plates, and not those giant trays, was that her other entree couldn't possibly fit on the tray. Not that the item was so large in itself - it was actually the plate holding it that brought about such a circumstance:
As you can see, this order of bbq chicken sits on a sizzling platter, the kind where you might wanna think twice about having when kids are around. One touch of that black cast-iron, and you may find the skin on your fingers charred-off to subcutaneous levels! Play it right, though, and this dish works like a charm. In fact, it turned out as the surprise hit of the day, everyone agreeing that, while the chicken itself may not have been of the best quality, the sweet soy flavor and onions blended perfectly with the boneless thigh, making this particular dish super-tasty and delicious. With only one thigh given, the portions were a bit small, so I don't mind coming back one day and ordering just a single-entree bbq chicken teishoku - I'm assuming they'll give at least two or three pieces if that's the case, right?
I couldn't get enough of that luscious sauce, allowing the slices of chicken to rest on my bowl of rice, just so the sauce could soak deep into the hot rice. Eventually, I just ended-up using a spoon to ladle even more sauce on!
My set was the only one to include three items, with sashimi, teri beef, and salmon. Wifey quickly swooped down on all but a single piece of sashimi, but no worries, as I had just about all of her bbq chicken!
One of the sleeper's here at Yagura is their mac salad, another surprisingly good dish that comes in the tiniest little scoop, but has an extra kick of flavor that goes beyond just mayo. Sorry, that's about as specific as I can get.
It's not often I have dessert, and even less-often when ordering three full teishoku sets, but I guess over-all portions were a bit on the small side, so I needed just that touch of creamy sweetness to fill the rest of my stomach to adequate levels of satiation. Hit the spot, it did!
I noticed that there are quite a bit of take-out order's flying out the door here, all of them in the form of large bento boxes, which are actually teishoku sets but are called bento when taking out. I can see why they're so popular, as just the size of the boxes alone are enough to impress, although, just as when dining-in, I can imagine they may not be quite as substantial as their box sizes may portend.
Do I consider Yagura a good Japanese restaurant? Hmmm... It's got a lot going for it, the biggest, outside of the bbq chicken, being its relatively unknown, hole-in-the-wall status, as just from conversing with others at work or elsewhere, there's not many out there who've even heard of this place, and fewer yet who've actually been here. That's enough to add lots of allure and interest alone, especially to those who love trying new spots, and love bragging on unheard-of restaurants the next day at work.
I wouldn't go comparing the place to more polished Japanese restaurants, either in the food or atmosphere, but I do think you'll enjoy your meals here, which is all you can ask for in a neighborhood spot like this. So yeah, I guess it was, over-all, a pretty good place to eat, but as always, just check it out for yourself if you wanna be sure!
Hope you're all having a great weekend, especially with all this beautiful weather we've been having, ey? Next time, we'll check out a relatively new Thai restaurant with Big Al, Da Gooch, wifey, and I, where we had a blast and some really good Thai cuisine!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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