A year ago, no one could predict the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. Few of us have ever lived through such an event or experienced the order of business shutdowns on such a massive scale. I feared for our high-end restaurants, as people hunkered down and tried to conserve cash in an uncertain economy, while the stress of basic survival also sent people in search of comfort foods that provided a sense of calm and nostalgia for life before the pandemic.
But, humans are a thrill-seeking species and can take only so much introspection and cave-dwelling before seeking the new. In spite of my earlier fears, high-end establishments haven’t disappeared. In just one week, I was at restaurants where each meal was no less than $140 per person. They just look a little different from luxury-priced venues of old — they are smaller, leaner and more casual. The cost is the result of limited capacity that drives exclusivity as more people in the pandemic age choose to distance themselves from sites geared toward the masses.
I was late to make a reservation at Bar Maze when it opened in early August, and by the time I did, the earliest dates available were in Octo ber. Lucky for me, a diner’s flight from the mainland was delayed, forcing her cancellation. I was in!
The lure: A five-course omakase dinner by chef Ki Chung, recruited from Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, with cocktail pairings by Bar Leather Apron’s Justin Park, who partnered again with Bar Leather Apron co-owner Tom Park (no relation) in this endeavor. Bar Maze takes their ambition to the next level with a fully integrated food and cocktail omakase menu. The name is an abbreviation of the Japanese word mazeru, meaning “to mix or stir.”
Unlike restaurants where prix fixe meals have an optional drink pairing menu, there is no uncoupling of the two here, reinforcing the idea that neither is complete without the other as a crowning touch. The entire package is currently $150, and if you’re a teetotaler, you’ll receive a nonalcoholic pairing that approximates the spirit of the cocktails in weight, flavor and appearance.
There is also an a la carte menu of about a half dozen selections that can be enjoyed in the bar’s mezzanine, but for the full Bar Maze experience, I recommend saving up and splurging on the omakase.
The omakase is enjoyed downstairs in a small room appointed in light wood with a mix of bar seating and high and low two-tops. The bar has room for six overlooking the open kitchen that is the room’s main attraction, where all the alchemy happens.
Given my eye for value, I was happy to see the opening seasonal snack set encompassed a quartet of small bites to perk up the appetite. Presentations are geared toward two, so it’s best to go with someone close for sharing.
The bites included mini cones filled with salmon tartare dressed with red onion cream and chives; crisp stacks of nori with a layers of shiitake, yuzukosho and avocado purée; Kusshi oysters lightly dressed with calamansi and radish slivers swallowed almost too quickly to register; and the showstopping Hokkaido uni presented over pomme purée splashed with sweet soy, accented with perilla leaf and served with crisp potato croquettes that worked as a base for the creamy ingredients.
The set was accompanied by a light, fizzy cocktail of Hitakami chokara sake, champagne and fresh flavors of kiwi, pear and yuzu.
Next up was a refreshing dish of kombu-cured kampachi with tomato, cucumber and yogurt sauce. The vegetal qualities of the dish were echoed and enhanced by a cocktail of Hyaku shochu, tomato mastic and elderflower.
A duo of scallops proved to be most filling, served with ribbons of zucchini and a pour of citrus dashi sauce. The dish is accompanied by brioche and diners can add an optional $80 supplemental tin of Golden Kaluga caviar, which is best enjoyed with the sauce-dipped bread.
The accompanying cocktail started with aquavit and the bright notes of grapefruit and cucumber with the creaminess of green tea yogurt and egg white.
When I visited, the meat entrée comprised a triple-seared shortrib, but for $50 more, I swapped out the shortrib for two pieces of A5 Miyazaki wagyu. I enjoyed every opulent bite that was accompanied by grilled maitake and three-year-aged deonjang, a sweet Korean-style soybean miso. The dish was presented with a vessel of greens for wrapping the beef, Korean-style.
At this point, the drinkers in the group had the option of choosing between a glass of Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018, or a cocktail of Hibiki Harmony with maple, vanilla, angostura and chocolate bitters, while non-drinkers sipped on a beef-enhancing smoky lapsang souchong tea-based mocktail.
A dinner companion cast doubt that a dessert of seasonal shave ice could be a fitting grand finale, but it did not disappoint as a light but thoughtful conclusion to what had turned out to be a filling meal. The shave ice incorporated pieces of sweet marinated cantaloupe with edible flower petals, and its presentation involved a pour of melon syrup and dusting of fine sweet potato powder for an eye-catching touch of magenta.
I would love to make a quick return, but I realize that it would be selfish to deprive someone else of a rare available seat.
If you intend to celebrate the holidays here with someone special, now is the time to start planning.
Bar Maze
604 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu
Online reservations only at resy.com
Food: ****
Service: ****
Ambiance: ***½
Value: ****
Hours: Omakase seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m., Wednesdays-Sundays
Prices: Omakase $150 per person before supplements, tax and tip
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).
