Chai Chaowasaree is a name well-known to Hawaii gourmands, and deservedly so. For three-plus decades, the native of Thailand has been blending the tastes of his homeland with European and local flavors to bring his own twist to the Hawaii Regional Cuisine scene, first at Chai’s Island Bistro in Aloha Tower and for the last few years at Chef Chai, a fine-dining establishing on Kapiolani Boulevard restaurant.

Chef Chai does not disappoint in any respect. To ponder the menu — even during a happy-hour stop, which in other places is often a moment for the tried-and-true — requires a bit of careful consideration and thought.

THE EXPERIENCE

Chef Chai is distinctly upscale, but with a casual attitude. The restaurant fronts busy Kapiolani Boulevard, and there’s outdoor seating for those who prefer it, but inside you don’t feel any of that, with the glass heavily tinted to create a more intimate atmosphere.

Happy-hour service is available in the elegant bar area, which is off to the side of the main dining room and has both bar seating and a few small tables. A single flat screen provides the usual sports action, but this doesn’t seem to be the kind of place for sports-bar types.

Customer service is another area of excellence at Chef Chai. The staff was well-informed about the menu and very patient in explaining it. They seemed to enjoy talking about the food and sharing their knowledge about it.

You might be wondering whether the piano in the main dining room is ever used. It is, but not for happy hour. Instead, the great Robert Cazimero and his Halau Na Kamalei come in on full-moon nights to perform, with a set menu priced at $79. This sounds like a great experience at a bargain price. Check out the Chef Chai website for exact dates.

THE FOOD

The happy-hour menu is exceptional. The offerings are labeled as “pupu,” but some go well beyond the snack items one usually finds in that category.

One would certainly not expect escargot to be a “pupu,” but there they are, sauteed with prawns and Hamakua mushrooms and a garlic chili cream sauce ($10). This was not just a treat of taste but also of texture, with each ingredient having differing degrees of chewiness. Similarly, the seafood tortellini, with lobster sauce, sauteed corn and edamame ($8), was a wonderful blend of rich flavors and colors.

Thai food is known for being notoriously spicy, so when I saw “Spicy Suicidal” used to describe Chef Chai’s chicken wings ($8), I was sure to have a glass of ice water at the ready. No need. These wings, which come with Thai chili sauce, peanuts and cilantro, are subtly flavored, perhaps more sweet than spicy, cooked to perfection, nice and tender. The oysters ($10) also had the edge taken off by the lemongrass garlic mignonette, which really brought out the freshness.

There were some fun items as well, like the Ahi Tartar in Mini Waffle Cones ($8). If that sounds like an ice-cream concoction, you’re not far off. The dish does, in fact, look like a bunch of little ice cream cones filled with fresh ahi, with a bit of wasabi in the cone. They’re perfect for a bite-sized burst of rich flavor, soft texture and crunch. Same with the gravlax salmon roulade, filled with cream cheese and crab meat ($8), which had a crisp provided by cucumber instead of the crunch of a cone.

THE DRINK

Happy-hour drinks are simple: $3 for a Bud; $5 for wine or cocktails; martinis for $8. We had a lychee martini and a cosmo, both perfectly satisfying.

THE VERDICT

Pau hana at Chef Chai is like dinner at Chef Chai: satisfying, intriguing and refreshing. There’s no sense that just because you’re there early or don’t want to eat a full dinner that you deserve anything less than the restaurant’s best.

One bit of advice is to check the Blaisdell Center calendar. If there’s a show, the place will be full in the hour or so up to showtime, then empty out once the show begins. Self-parking in that area is virtually nonexistent, so be prepared to pay $6 for valet service.