Merriman’s Moku Kitchen open for business
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chef Niki Nakayama of the Los Angeles kaiseki restaurant n/naka, was one of six chefs profiled in the first season of Netflix’s “Chef’s Table.”
STAR ADVERTISER / AUG. 18
A specialty of Moku Kitchen will be rotisserie- roasted vegetables, a seasonal mix of locally grown produce used in entrees, side dishes and as pizza toppings.
Chef Peter Merriman comes to town with the opening Wednesday of Moku Kitchen, the latest restaurant to join the roster at SALT at Our Kakaako.
The chef, a founding member of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, owns Merriman’s restaurants on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, as well as Monkeypod Kitchen locations on Maui and at Ko Olina on Oahu. Moku — described as “Upcountry Downtown” — is his first venture into Honolulu town.
The restaurant features a kiawe wood-burning pizza oven, rotisserie roaster (for roast duck and more) and high-heat griddle designed for what the restaurant is calling “roadside burgers,” especially crusty and caramelized. Also on the menu: various poke choices, tacos with bulgogi and duck, saimin, dry mein and several salads.
Not to mention 36 craft beers on tap and 12 biodynamic and sustainable wines, also on tap.
Call 263-0849 or visit mokukitchen.com.
Oh, and Moku? It means “island” in Hawaiian. In case you were wondering.
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Star-Advertiser staff
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Inside a chef’s world
I admit to being late to the party when it comes to Netflix’s documentary series “Chef’s Table,” but that doesn’t diminish my fascination with these detailed accounts of how magic is made in the kitchen.
The third season was just released — dedicated solely to French chefs — as I am meandering through the more international selections of the first two. But that’s OK, maybe you’ve never thought to watch and you can join me now.
The series is the creation of David Gelb, the filmmaker behind “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” a milestone in foodie flicks.
Each episode of “Chef’s Table” focuses on a single professional known for innovative work in the kitchen. We get to see plenty of art on the plate, as we watch the construction of incredible looking dishes (really, you’ll gasp). But Gelb also follows these chefs home, talks to their friends, spouses and partners, and explores how they balance cooking with life.
I’ve been hooked since the first installment, about Italian chef Massimo Bottura, after he turned an accident in the kitchen into a signature menu item: Oops I Dropped the Lemon Tart.
Episode 4 of Season 1 features Niki Nakayama of n/naka in Los Angeles, who will be here for the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival next week. Are you headed there? Tune in.
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Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Advertiser
