By 4:20 p.m., I’m already parked in the small lot behind Sushi Que. (It’s the same lot you park in for Golden Pork Tonkotsu Ramen Bar.) Although our dinner reservation wasn’t until 5 p.m., I made sure to get there early to snag one of the stalls because I seem to have the worst luck with street parking.
I have to give a shoutout to my foodie friend, Elizabeth, who let me join her group at Sushi Que, which opened on South King Street in August. If it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to check out the restaurant for another month. Because of its price — a $100 dinner omakase — quality and small dining area, reservations are hard to come by. There are only two seatings per evening (5 and 7:30 p.m.).
Before opening Sushi Que, chef Takeo Koga worked at Sushi Sasabune for nine years. His prior experience also includes working at Robata Jinya, so he’s no stranger to the sushi scene. Fun fact: The restaurant is inspired by Koga’s nickname, which is “Que.”
The omakase courses change depending on the availability of fish and seasonal ingredients, but it usually includes five appetizers and nine pieces of sushi. The restaurant is also BYOB.
Our recent dinner started with seafood bouillabaisse soup and Hokkaido Kazunoko (herring roe) with dashi and bonito. The latter had a crunchy, refreshing texture.
Next came sashimi — kanpachi, scallop, hirame (flounder) and engawa — accompanied by a Himalayan rock salt plate and lemon. We squeezed the lemon over the rock salt plate, then ran each piece of sashimi on the plate for extra flavor. This was a unique aspect that I hadn’t encountered at any other omakase. The sashimi was followed by a petite Kusshi oyster.
Next up was one of my favorites: lobster with garlic butter, shoyu and panko. The lobster was so succulent with extra umami flavor from the butter and a nice crunch from the panko.
That was the segue into nigiri: chutoro from Nagasaki, red snapper, and ika with Hawaiian sea salt. Squid isn’t usually one of my favorites — I don’t love that ultra-chewy texture — but I was relieved to find this one wasn’t too rubbery, and the Hawaiian sea salt was a nice touch.
I was delighted by the saba with oroshi ponzu in nori. Sometimes, saba can be really fishy, but this torched one wasn’t. The ponzu on top made it refreshing.
The next four nigiri consisted of New Caledonia shrimp topped with preserved egg yolk; Alaska daishizuke ikura (pureed in dashi); zuke maguro topped with Big Island sea grapes; and Hokkaido uni.
The last two were the highlights for me. The maguro was so tender with a nice crunch from the sea grapes, but its strong wasabi flavor caught me by surprise. Hokkaido uni is always a winner; this one was creamy and indulgent, the perfect choice for the last nigiri.
Our dining experience concluded with miso soup, toro taku hand roll (the seaweed was nice and crunchy) and a dessert of mochi stuffed with azuki. By this point, I was too full to finish my mochi.
If you’re still hungry, though, you can order from an a la carte menu of specials. Choices that evening included otoro ($10), anago ($7.50) and ankimo ($7.50).
Sushi Que
Address
1273 S. King St. Ste. 1, Honolulu
Phone
808-478-9973
(for reservations, call between 2-5 p.m.)
Hours
Open 5-9 p.m. Fridays-Tuesdays (closed Wednesdays-Thursdays)
Instagram
@sushique9
(It’s intimate and you can interact with the chef, but the restaurant interior can get loud)
Parking: Street parking or limited parking in small lot in back of building
