Everyone has their comfort shows. Mine are Gilmore Girls, Friends, New Girl and Gossip Girl. The latter makes me dream of what life would be like if I lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City — shopping at extravagant boutiques and dining at the finest establishments.
Well, I got to live a little part of that dream when I finally dined at Podmore, which is located in the heart of Downtown Honolulu on Merchant Street and is known for its quality comfort food and world-class cocktails.
I hadn’t had the chance to dine there when it first opened in 2021, but when I saw it had recently debuted its spring menu, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to go.
The moment we stepped inside, I was taken aback by the intimate and sophisticated atmosphere. It felt very fancy yet welcoming. The biz is the definition of elegance and luxury, with its soft, green velvet chairs, gold accents and signature arched bar. Even the bathroom was lavish!
Exceptional service is exactly what you will find when dining at Podmore. We were greeted by Alex, who was kind enough to accommodate our party and seat us earlier than our original reservation (H-1 traffic was kindly on our side that day). He was attentive the entire time, taking care to explain our drinks and dishes thoroughly.
Our waitress, Katie, seemed to be able to read our minds the entire night, bringing us whatever we needed before we had the chance to ask.
We, of course, started with drinks — which Podmore excels at, bar none. My friends ordered The Dartmoor ($30) and The Chilly Chung Chow ($30) — and when they were brought to our table, we were all blown away.
The specialty cocktails featured beautiful presentations. The Dartmoor was a multi-sensory journey to chef Anthony Rush’s hometown in England. It came with a QR code so we could learn more about the city.
The libation itself was set atop an ethereal presentation of flowers and moss. When Alex flipped a switch, smoke began to billow out of the terrarium, creating an enchanting mist. The drink — which boasted Plymouth gin, St. Germain elderflower liquer, pine syrup and aloe — had a subtle sweetness to it and tasted a lot like apple to me. It was our favorite drink of the night.
Meanwhile, The Chilly Chung Chow was adapted to have more spring, floral notes and came with flavored ice balls that reminded me of the memory orbs in Pixar’s Inside Out.
For food, we started with the roasted pork buns ($16 for two pieces), which my friends and I completely devoured. The dish comprised pork belly, crackling, apple sauce and pickled red onions, and was both sweet and savory, and reminiscent of one of my favorite Filipino dishes, lechon kawali.
The acidity from the pickled onions perfectly balanced the pork belly fat, which melted in my mouth. It had the perfect crispiness to it and the sauce really elevated the dish.
Now, on to the spring menu. The first thing that caught my eye was the cottage pie ($28), which featured braised beef, red wine, carrot, onion, peas and mashed potatoes.
We marveled at the presentation of this dish when it came to our table, as it had the perfect dollops of potatoes, which were slightly torched giving the outer layer a magnificent crisp. Meanwhile, the inside was soft and pillowy, and the braised beef and vegetables blended effortlessly together, making each bite of the pie taste like utter bliss.
Next was the confit duck leg ($28) with soft polenta, ratatouille and fresh herbs. The polenta was so smooth and creamy, and went well with the acidity from the blistered tomatoes, which really took the dish to a new level.
The duck was prepared in a way that we had never experienced before and was so tender and juicy. Not to mention, the medley of vegetables danced perfectly together with each bite.
The tagliatelle carbonara ($28), available on Podmore’s regular menu, featured housemade, hand-cut pasta with Parmesan and Podmore bacon. The pasta was al dente, and the bacon added texture to the dish that made for a nice crunchy bite and was a good contrast to the creaminess of the sauce. Sometimes, pasta dishes can be very heavy, but this tagliatelle wasn’t in the slightest. In fact, we wanted to ask for more.
We finished off our meal with the yuzu merengue pie ($14), which was so fluffy and airy, it was like I was eating a cloud; tart but not too sour; and had the perfect combination of merengue and yuzu.
I can’t wait to visit Podmore again. Just as I have my comfort shows, I also have my comfort foods — and the tagliatelle carbonara and roasted pork buns have definitely been added to that list.
