As soon as I heard that Moani Island Bar & Bistro had opened a second restaurant in International Market Place’s Grand Lanai, I was out the door, ready for smoked meat, short rib luau and other local grinds, without the drive to Kapolei.
With big box-mentality ingrained in my mind, I thought the local concept could be brought intact to Waikiki in the same way chain restaurants are able to replicate their menus from state to state. I guess the reality for local restaurants is not as easy when considering sourcing of ingredients, and that a market that includes visitors would need a bit of polishing to appear more appetizing, and to deliver the kind of value expected with the higher costs of being in Waikiki.
The original restaurant in Ka Makana Alii was a hit from the start, opened in 2019 by the musical Keolanui family whose goal was to create a venue for both music and food. That vision hasn’t changed at the new Moani Waikiki. They’ve just taken the food up a notch in keeping with the Waikiki site and potential crowd that may not be as receptive to more rustic aspects of local food. What diners will get is a quick introduction to Hawaii’s melting pot cuisine with abundant nods to Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Vietnamese and Hawaiian ingredients.
The new restaurant fills the spot formerly occupied by Kona Grill, and features both indoor and outdoor patio seating. Those inside will be able to enjoy live music from 8 p.m. daily by a revolving pool of talent, including Keolanui brothers Caleb and Micah G., as well as other relatives and musician friends.
The Waikiki menu shares pupu offerings similar in name to Westside dishes, but preparations lean toward Hawaii Regional Cuisine. So, instead of a heap of nachos you’d get in Kapolei for a family to tear into, what you get with Shniggz’s spicy salmon nachos ($19) is about a half dozen wonton chips layered with salmon poke over mashed avocado, finished with ikura and bits of crispy salmon skin to savor slowly.
Favorites in the pupu category would include DP’s fried chicken ($12) and Madame Pele’s prawns ($20) layered in a sweet, creamy honey aioli to temper a more fiery “lava” Sriracha sauce and is finished with toasted coconut, garlic and goma.
The fried chicken is served with a dipping sauce of peppery adobo aioli and served with a small portion of chopped tomatoes and onions reminiscent of another Filipino dish, lechon kawaii.
Caesar salad ($16) gets an upgrade with the addition of crabmeat, buttery furikake croutons and dressing with a bright splash of yuzu.
If you don’t mind seeing your food staring back at you, entrées don’t get much more impressive than the whole fried Hawaii Island-farmed Kohala mountain sunfish ($39) presented upright with a watercress-ogo salad and Chamorro finadene sauce, both tangy and spicy with a salsa flavor.
The restaurant puts a local spin on surf and turf by substituting the typical steak and shellfish combo with juicy pork belly and miso garlic butterfish ($41).
The Filipino noodle dish, palabok ($32), was reimagined as a Southeast Asian-styled paella with a meaty, briny ragout, clams, shrimp, tako, longanisa and crispy pork rinds.
Those who don’t care for more exotic flavors can retreat to more standard “beer can” chicken ($22) flavored with a sweet guava barbecue sauce and served with wasabi crab potato salad and green papaya slaw ($22), or mochiko-dusted U-10 sea scallops ($38) served with garlic mashed potatoes, furikake corn and yuzu-peppercorn butter.
Dessert of a Kona coffee cheesecake parfait — Kona coffee layered with bits of Oreo cookies, graham crackers and marshmallow fluff — delivers a fun finale to an evening.
Moani Waikiki
International Market Place
2330 Kalakaua Ave. Ste. 312, Waikiki
Food: ***
Service: ***½
Ambiance: ***½
Value: ***½
Call: 808-466-2629
Hours: 5-11 P.M. Sundays-Thursdays; 5 P.M.-Midnight Fridays-Saturdays
Prices: About $70-$80 for two without alcohol
Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).
