I’ll admit, I am no golfer. But when Crave was invited to Hawaii’s premier indoor golf and karaoke lounge, one doesn’t say no. Aya Golf Lounge opened in Azure Ala Moana on March 15 and showcases a full-service restaurant and bar in a modern setting. The biz features five private rooms that boast karaoke and state-of-the-art TwoVision Golfzon simulators with access to more than 260 golf courses worldwide. The rooms also come with high-speed camera sensors, auto-tee, ball retrieval systems and brand new sets of the latest PXG golf clubs.
CEO Sari Park says she comes from a golfing family and loves golf, karaoke and food, and wanted to create something that would combine all of that. The name of the business, “Aya,” came to her in a dream and its meaning is something she holds dear to her heart. While “aya” translates to “fly swiftly” in Hebrew and “miracle” in Arabic, for her, it means the “bringer of light.” She named the business with the intention of keeping her dream of opening orphanages around the world at the forefront of her mind.
“I love children,” she says, also noting that she sponsors orphans. “It’s a reminder not to forget my end goal.”
The menu was curated by chef Christopher Quijalvo, who specializes in blending European and Asian flavors with local flair — all designed to complement the venue’s elevated entertainment experience. Brunch is served from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., dinner is 5 p.m.-1 a.m. and its happy hour — where patrons can get half-off menu items excluding the braised short rib pasta and portobello rib-eye steak — is 5-6 p.m.
As diners enjoy their meals, they can also be entertained by several TV screens showing different sports games and TV shows.
Popular brunch items include the Aya signature
bagel ($16), chicken caprese sandwich ($21) and the loco moco carbonara ($21).
The Aya signature bagel featured a cream cheese filling with pepperoni and melted mozzarella on top. It was not too chewy and had a very nice crunch. The cream cheese filling wasn’t too powerful and balanced well with the cheese and meat on top. It was reminiscent of a school lunch pizza, which I absolutely loved.
The loco moco carbonara — inspired by Hawaii’s beloved signature dish — boasted loco moco gravy, which was mixed with the carbonara sauce, giving it a really interesting taste and texture, and bacon. The dish was delicious, but an egg and a creamier sauce would have really taken it to the next level.
The chicken caprese sandwich was my fave. This dish is also one of Park’s favorites and featured tender and juicy chicken, pesto, caprese and tomatoes sandwiched between perfectly toasted ciabatta bread. It was complemented by fries that had just the right amount of salt that paired deliciously with the sandwich. I would definitely come back for this sandwich alone.
Park did note that the menu is still changing and that Aya is working on adding more brunch items.
I also want to come back for Aya’s dinner menu and would love to try the braised short rib pasta ($25) or the portobello rib-eye steak ($36).
Its dessert menu was also calling out to me — but it’s going to be a tough decision because I love matcha tiramisu ($9) and lychee sorbet ($6). I may just need to get both.
Aya Golf Lounge is also perfect for the whole family as it even has a kid’s menu with options like mini cheeseburger sliders ($11), a grilled cheese sandwich ($7) and French bread pizza ($8).
As for Aya’s drinks, patrons can find a wide selection of beers, wines and bottle services. There are also several Aya specialty cocktails, which Park collaborated with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Hawaii to create, including the Dragon Orb Highball ($20), Kimchee Bloody Mary ($22), Nutty Espresso Martini ($21), On the Green Old Fashion ($20) and Ube Coconut Tea ($25).
We got to try the Dragon Orb Highball, which was super refreshing and not too strong, and the Ube Coconut Tea. The latter tasted creamy, light and refreshing.
Now, as I mentioned, I am no golfer, but I may just have to start picking up this hobby since I’ll definitely be coming back to Aya Golf Lounge, which has really set the “par” high.
