Cravings: Goen opens in Kailua; Kona Coffee contest winners announced

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COURTESY KONA COFFEE CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Monarch Coffee and Kona Coffee & Tea were picked top winners by six judges at the 2018 Kona Coffee Cupping Competition held last week.

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BETTY SHIMABUKURO / BETTY@STARADVERTISER.COM

Goen Dining + Bar opened Tuesday in Kailua, the 11th Hawaii restaurant for chef Roy Yamaguchi.

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YAMAGUCHI OPENS NEW RESTAURANT IN KAILUA

Goen Dining + Bar opened Tuesday in Kailua, the 11th Hawaii restaurant for chef Roy Yamaguchi.

Goen — named for the Japanese 5-yen coin, considered a talisman for luck, friendship and good fortune — is in the Lau Hala Shops (the former Macy’s space).

It’s on a corner facing the busy shopping area, a location that Yamaguchi said he preferred to the other side of the complex facing Kailua Road. He said he likes the view of people walking by, rather than cars.

“To me, it feels like we’re in a community,” he said during a preview dinner Monday.

At 3,500 square feet, Goen is much smaller than his other restaurants. Yamaguchi said he wanted it to have an urban yet rustic feel, comfortable for hanging out.

“It’s all about friendship and having a good time,” he said.

The menu is fairly small, divided into salads, sushi, “bites” and six entree choices, with prices from $12 to $30.

Yamaguchi describes it as “Pan-Asian/American with a Hawaii twist,” covering such dishes as Point Break Poke, a Japanese chirashi-style bowl with a scoop of ahi poke; Chicken Bao, with mochiko chicken and kim chee; and Goen House Pho.

Chef Francisco Adolfo comes from Humble Market Kitchin, Yamaguchi’s restaurant in the Wailea Beach Resort on Maui; manager Christine Fukada is from his Eating House 1849 in Kapolei.

Goen is open for dinner, 5 to 9 p.m., for this week, adding lunch on Monday. Permanent hours will be 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 263-4636.

— Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser

NEW COFFEE CHAMPIONS

Monarch Coffee and Kona Coffee & Tea were picked top winners by six judges at the 2018 Kona Coffee Cupping Competition held last week.

Monarch Coffee took top honors in the Classic division for single-estate farms; Kona Coffee & Tea captured the win in the Kona Crown division for larger farms and professional processing mills.

All 55 submissions to the competition were 100 percent Kona coffee of prime grade or better, judged in South Kona Nov. 13 to 15, during the 48th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.

Monarch Coffee, owned by Greg and Susy Stille, practices sustainable farming methods in Holualoa. Visit monarchcoffee.com.

Kona Coffee & Tea is a family-owned-and-operated farm in Holualoa. Dan and Jan Bolton began the farm by planting 20 acres of Kona coffee on old cattle ranch land. It has grown to more than 200 acres and is run by daughter Malia and son Danny. Visit konacoffeeandtea.com.