Every year, spring comes and goes with little fanfare because we know the season returns. But this spring felt more meaningful, a true awakening as society — in a coronavirus slumber for a year — started coming back to life. Tourists began returning again, and with them, Waikiki’s landmark hotels.
The Moana Surfrider recently reopened Beachhouse at the Moana for dinner service. The setting remains as inviting as ever with its open-air veranda leading to the banyan tree courtyard and ocean.
Menus at restaurants large and small have changed significantly due to the pandemic, and Beachhouse is no exception. A la carte dining has given way to three- and four-course prix fixe tastings that make diners feel the menu is larger than it is.
The three-course menu ($95 per person) allows one selection each from appetizer, entrée and dessert categories, and the four-course menu ($115 per person) allows an additional appetizer.
It was difficult to choose from a short list of seven appetizers. The poke may seem ubiquitous, but don’t rule it out. It was one of the best I’ve tasted. The fresh bigeye was clean tasting with a slight zing of wasabi aioli combined with Maui onions, guacamole and bubu arare with cassava chips to scoop it up.
The pan-seared diver scallops with truffled sweet pea purée were perfectly browned, and the rich, satisfying Kona lobster chowder contained chunks of lobster meat, potatoes, corn and Nueske’s bacon. I’d add beef carpaccio to a repeat list because it was so luxuriously silky, seasoned with truffle aioli and yuzu soy vinaigrette for a savory and citrusy combination.
Current entrée options include Big Island steamed kampachi with lobster fried rice and sweet pea risotto with tempura Hamakua mushrooms.
The lamb is a persillade, or parsley-crusted, Colorado rack with charred spiced honey carrot purée and potato goat cheese croquettes.
This particular outing came after a previous night’s dinner at a steakhouse where, having eaten too much the rest of the day, I had to go light and order fish.
I felt somewhat cheated out of a steak, so Beachhouse’s 14-ounce rib-eye with truffled Bordelaise and garlic potato purée more than compensated for that day’s loss.
Supplemental temptations are in the form of add-ons like a Maine lobster tail ($26) or king crab ($36, half-pound; $60, pound). I loved the Merus-cut crab that splits the shell in half, allowing you to extract the meat simply by lifting the entire strip with a fork.
Finish with a light haupia cake with lilikoi curd or a chocolate peanut butter crunch cup for dessert.
The critic unmasked
It was bound to happen one day. After serving as restaurant reviewer in relative anonymity for 32 years, the powers that be have decided to lift the veil on my identity.
“Everybody knows who you are already,” I was told.
I’m sure not everybody did, but certainly anybody who cared to peek online. Although my face has been hidden in the newspaper, the onslaught of social media made it harder to hide in plain sight.
I started this job in August 1988, when food criticism was so new to Hawaii that no one knew what to make of the idea. The job was offered to anyone on staff who wanted it, but no one did because they felt there were not enough restaurants in Honolulu to sustain a year of reviews. Yet, I have never run out of subjects to write about.
Regarding the weight of criticism, about five years into the job, I had an epiphany. In the beginning, I took the job of raising the bar on local food very seriously, and I think the food scene today is better for it. Over the years, I realized not everyone was interested in becoming more knowledgeable about food. Some care only about artistry; others, only value.
After that, my reviews changed considerably. I still inform, but also paint enough of a picture for people to gauge whether they would feel comfortable with a certain type of food. What separates me from every “influencer” out there is — true to the words of Ratatouille animated food critic Anton Ego — perspective. My reviews have never been about me, but about the restaurants and you, so what I look like has little bearing on the one relationship that matters.
Beachhouse at the Moana Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach 2365 Kalakaua Ave. — FOOD: *** 1/2 SERVICE: **** AMBIANCE: **** VALUE: *** 1/2 — CALL: 808-921-4600 HOURS: 5-8:30 P.M. Wednesdays-Sundays PRICES: $200-$230 for two before tax and tip, without alcohol — Ratings compared to similar restaurants: **** – Excellent *** – Very Good ** – Average * – Below Average
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
