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Yoshiya, a closer look
Aloha!
9/8/09 - One day real soon, I'm gonna blast-open the floodgates for us-here local's. There are just too many out there, and you know who you are, who dare not set one foot between Kalakaua and Ala Wai (Waikiki, for you non-local's!) except for weddings or special occasions once every two or three years. Don't believe the lie when someone says parking is too difficult - it's often free with validation and is never all that difficult to deal with - once you know where to go, that is! Yes, it may be a few bucks, or perhaps a little more around particular areas, especially near Beachwalk, but there are just too many treasures within this concrete playground to dismiss, and it's to our own detriment that we stay away.
Take, for instance, that beast of a Resort called the Sheraton. Smaller in size and scope only to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which happens to be one of the largest resorts in the world and the Flagship of the Hilton Chain, the Sheraton may in many ways be even more exciting, not only because it has a slew of restaurants and activities in and of itself, but also because it is situated right in the center of some of the hottest attractions in Waikiki!
Virtually joined at the hip on all sides, starting with the white sands of Waikiki Beach to the South and continuing-on to the super-classy Halekulani, the Waikiki Parc, the newly-constructed Waikiki Beachwalk, the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, and the iconic pink walls of the Royal Hawaiian, all are behemoths in themselves, and all come loaded with their own shops and restaurants of all types. With so much action literally steps away from eachother, the only problem is actually deciding where to go and what to eat!
Just make sure you've already determined where to leave the car, however. For instance, we parked at the Sheraton, so if we wanted free parking, it was possible only so long as we received a validation from somewhere on the actual grounds of the Sheraton - not next-door at the Yardhouse or Kai-wa restaurants on the Beachwalk, nor Wolfgang Zweiner's or Doraku from the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, nor Nobu's at the Waikiki Parc - but at the Sheraton, itself! Traveling towards the ocean on one-way Royal Hawaiian Ave., you'll cross right over Kalakaua Ave. From there, just follow the signs that lead you through a quick right and an even quicker left into the giant Sheraton parking lot.
For mom and I, we parked inside and headed to the Japanese restaurant Yoshiya, but found there'd be another twenty minutes before the 11:30am opening time. Using the extra time to roam the grounds a bit, mom and I mozy'd-on-over to the pool area, which overlooks both Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach:
Instead of a bunch of frolicking guests wading through the pool, another type of watery domain was home to a mini taro patch and several plump, colorful koi:
Like I said, there are many famous hotels and landmarks in the area, literally steps away from eachother, and here's just one of them, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Resort. And this taken while yet standing on the grounds of the Sheraton, too!
But time flew by quickly in this maze of a hotel, and it was just about time to find the Yoshiya restaurant, which is located on the second floor, directly opposite the major ballrooms and the large foyer area that has played host to so many large events and functions over the years. You can actually reach there from the elevators next to the main lobby, but we arrived from the first floor entrance, which is not the entrance at all, but only an opening that leads you to the restaurant upstairs. If you see this scene and are with any elderly or frail folk, it's probably better to take the elevators or escalators, instead, because this opening leads you up a steep stairwell that switches back and forth a good five or six times!
Aaaah, here's the actual entrance on-top. Looks like a pretty spiffy place, ey?
In my experience, there's not too many out there who have even heard of this place, and much less who've actually had the chance to dine here, which only makes it more intriguing and attractive for me! Being in a beautiful Resort, I knew it'd be nice, but would it also be a tiny, hole-in-the-wall kind of place, with only a few tables? Would it be authentic, or tacky and Waikiki-ish? I really had no idea what to expect, but quite honestly, I was kinda bracing myself for the typical Waikiki stereotype sort of place - over-priced, over-rushed, over-commercialized, and over-crowded.
Walking through the doors just as they opened, what I actually found was a pleasant surprise - a pleasant surprise, indeed! Not only were the staff extremely helpful and polite, bowing in respectful greetings and treating us like we were VIP's, but the atmosphere was both shockingly large and gorgeously furnished, with nary another guest in the entire place, at least at the opening bell:
I mean, is that not gorgeous, or what? The tables were all sturdy and marble-topped, the chairs finished with a shiny polish, the black ceiling so dark it almost resembled a star-less night outside, and the use of woods, large beams, bamboo curtains, tatami mats, and other types of modern Asian decor gave it a motiff that made the entire place both pleasing on the eyes and soothing to the soul, for sure.
Off to one side, through bamboo curtains, another large room was filled with row upon row of traditional, low Japanese dining tables, where who needs chairs? I can imagine the place is so huge because of large groups of Japanese visitors on organized tours, who must come through every so often, but on this particular day, no such large groups arrived. Mom and I felt pampered by the several waiters and waitresses, all tending to only 8-10 other tables of diners who'd arrived after us. There's even a giant, full-blown sushi bar that looks like a whole lotta fun at night, alongside friends and a few bottles of sake!
Upon closer inspection, I found no shortage of fresh seafoods within those glass cases, and there were several Chefs around, all of them looking busy the whole time, even though no one was seated at the bar. I guess they do room service for the hotel, too, or prepare lunch boxes for guests elsewhere, but who knows? I just hope this place continues doing well, just so this option will always be available anytime I find myself in the heart of Waikiki looking for a place to eat!
After moms' chiraishi bowl was placed on the table, I knew the Chef's were all doing a great job back there, that's for sure. Variety, quality, presentation, freshness - everything was there. Yeah, at just under $30, it was a bit on the high side, but don't worry about it for now - near the end of this page, you'll see why you just may find the actual cost of your meal a pleasant surprise...
Sorry, that last shot was kinda blurry, but it does show all the different types of fish and seafoods found, which was quite substantial. Not only were there two very good cuts of ahi in the center, but also a slice each of tako, aji, hokkigai, ika, hamachi, salmon, hirame, ebi, and ikura. I actually learned something about ikura, or salmon egg, quite recently, and that is, that the lesser-quality, normal grades of ikura regularly found in stores is highly over-salted, which is a large reason I don't much care for them, but better grades of ikura are more natural-tasting and less salty, almost to the point of revealing a tad bit of sweetness. You can often find them in small, refrigerated bottles at higher prices, and now that I know, these are the only ones I can eat with any satisfaction. I'm only saying this because the ikura here on mom's chiraishi bowl was definitely of a better grade, and one I could sample without having to devour a giant mouthful of white rice at the same time!
There were several small side dishes that also arrived with our plates, including a small salad; a type of Japanese mountain potato called dasheen, which was deep-fried and soaked in a dashi sauce; and a kind of ahi and green pepper dynamite, which, oddly enough, tasted much more complex and sophisticated than it looked!
I, myself, had the largest teishoku set on the lunch menu - a shokado bento. I'll slowly unravel all the contents of my order over the next several pics, beginning with a tempura mix, with two pieces of shrimp, an eggplant, bell pepper, and carrot.
The same beautiful cuts of ahi on mom's chiraishi bowl were also found on my Shokado bento box, and they were not only gorgeous, but large, buttery-soft, and delicious, to boot!
Got crustacean, got fish, got veggies, what else could be next but some pupu-style teriyaki steak? I'm not sure what cut or variety this was, but it was cooked perfectly medium, with a bright pink center that was simply over-flowing with juices. I know I'm a steak snob who will personally buy only steaks of ribeye or tenderloin at the store, but these cuts, while perhaps not quite as soft, were more than juicy and more than tasty enough to merit my utmost compliments.
But hold on there, trigger, cuz' that's not all! Besides the rice, besides the side dishes, besides the tempura, sashimi, and steak, yet another item was included on my single Shokado lunch box, a King salmon steak! Lightly broiled with a crispy skin crust, the salmon, like everything else on the plate, was surprisingly well-done in the traditional Japanese style of meticulousness and detail.
Both mom and I were more than happy with everything arriving on our table. But you wanna know the thing I find perhaps most amazing about Yoshiya's, and the real kicker of a reason you may also wanna show up? Are you ready for this...?
Except for weekends, and for all us hungry locals - 30 percent-off during lunch, and a whopping 50 percent-off after 8:30pm dinner!!! Whaaaa???
You got it! Locals only, weekdays, and dinner after 8:30pm, but that's everything on the menu, except drinks, of course. During lunch, there are revolving daily specials for only $13.50, which include a single entree and several side dishes; or choose double combinations from a list of steak, shrimp, scallop, saba, and a few others for $5 to $10 more. Of course, dinner menus are much more expensive, with the largest sets of complete meals going for between $40 and $72, but the most expensive ones come with whole lobster or crab, not to mention a dizzying array of other dishes that include even more choices than my Shokado bento, and that's without counting the crab or lobster! And for all you izakaya types out there, you can also order small dishes ala carte at night, such as edamame, ahi/natto, sake-steamed clams, grilled squid, chicken karaage, and much more, mostly at prices between $4 and $8.
And don't forget that these prices do not reflect the locals-only discounts yet! That's some pretty darn crazy specials, and I'm not sure why this place hasn't been absolutely flooded with island patrons lately. Actually, I do know why it hasn't been flooded - no one knows about it yet! Well, now you know, so go check it out, because this gem of a place is surely worth it at these prices. Without the specials, you'll find good, solid, well-prepared, authentic Japanese food, but with the specials? Hard to beat, for sure!
Here's one final shot before I go:
And with that, see you all again soon, hopefully!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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