First Bite: Fortune Noodle at 808 Center

Nadine Kam photos
Dan dan noodles at Fortune Noodle showcase the full potency of the Sichuan pepper (hidden in the sauced at the bottom) that helps makes Sichuan cuisine so distinctive. It is definitely an acquired taste.

BY NADINE KAM

We did not have a true Sichuan restaurant until the arrival of Fortune Noodle at the new 808 Center at 808 Sheridan St.

The small, casual restaurant is the first Hawaii branch of a Chinese-based restaurant chain. It specializes in a short, fast menu of noodle soups, grilled meat and meat-and-vegetable sautes.

Dan dan noodles (below) are the star of the menu, at $6.99 for a small bowl. It will be an eye-opener for those who think they know dan dan noodles. This is the authentic version in which a sauce of chili oil, garlic and crushed Sichuan peppercorns lies at the bottom of the bowl, topped with noodles, ground beef and green onions. Mix it all together to get the full impact, which is not as much hot as mouth-numbing, thanks to the “peppercorn,” which is not really a pepper but the dried husks of coriander seeds. Its herbal character is similar to lavender.

 

 Chili oil dumplings with a dab of garlic paste are a winner for those who can handle a little bit of heat.

Though the dish is delicious, thanks to garlic and real peppers, the numbing factor and the soapy herbal taste is off-putting. It made me want to reach for something to rinse out my mouth. That didn’t stop me from going back for more. On the second trip I left the sauce at the bottom of the bowl and dipped the noodles in only as much sauce as I could tolerate.

Warm up to the peppers with red chili oil dumplings ($6.99). Then cool off with a dessert of iced “noodle” ($2.99), plant gelatin molded in its bowl and topped with brown sugar and a strawberry purée. It looks odd, but it’s so worth ordering.

This restaurant is really worth a full review, but alas, space in the newspaper is limited and with so many eateries opening in the new 808 Center, it would appear too repetitive to keep showing up at this spot week after week for my formal reviews. I’ll be back at the center soon enough anyway, likely as soon as next week!
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Fortune Noodle is at 808 Sheridan St. Call 349-3711.

Don’t attempt the boiled beef in hot chili sauce ($29.99) unless you’re acclimated to the Sichuan pepper in the smaller dan dan noodle bowl. All those red chilis are no problem to me, but the herbal-flavored Sichuan peppercorns in the dish cause an uncomfortable numbing sensation.

 I loved the sweet delicacy of the Chef's Special Oxtail.

An assortment of skewered meat and vegetables. I only had the shrimp, at left, which were delicious.

 Mapo tofu with rice. Given that mapo tofu abounds locally, I'd try other items before ordering this again. It's $10.99 with rice.

Marinated fried pork is one of my favorite dishes here, accompanied by a house togarashi-like chili pepper blend for dipping or sprinkling over the pork. It’s delicious with or without the heat.

Sauteed beans for balancing the meat and noodle items.

Dessert is not very pretty but it’s very refreshing. Plant gelatin forms a glob of a “noodle” topped with brown sugar and a pour of strawberry purée. I was skeptical but ended up loving it.

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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

First Bite: Waikiki Sand Villa's Wood & Bucket

Nadine Kam photos
Oysters presented during Wood & Bucket’s Jan. 9 grand opening are $3 apiece, topped with tomato and jalapeño salsa.

There’s something cooking at the Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel. At one time it was home to The Noodle Shop and the comedy/music trio if Frank de Lima and Na Kolohe. Then at some point in the ’90s, or maybe sooner, it went quiet.

Now all of a sudden, there’s been a burst of activity. Perhaps motivated by the popularity of the poolside Il Buco, an unassuming gem of a wine bar, hotel management has gone forward and refurbished the former street front Sand Bar, and rechristened it Wood & Bucket.

Company president Hiroki Shuto was in town to celebrate the bar’s grand opening on Jan. 9, saying he’s wanted to make changes since 1987, and along with the redesign, thought the name change was necessary.

The name Wood & Bucket is one of the most nonsensical I’ve heard lately, and has no deep meaning save for the fact that most of the interior comprises wood, and the menu comprises a bucket of ambitious and far-flung ideas. That is typically the starting point for the naming of a thing, but that is as far as they went. But, should you happen to find yourself there on Super Bowl Sunday or beyond, you will find a casual, no-nonsense setting with some classic bar fare as well as more upscale temptations on shareable big and small plates.

The food is the work of chef Winston Madayag, formerly at Top of Waikiki, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and Fresco.

Added bonus No. 1: Night owls will be happy to know it’s open until 4 a.m. daily for those late-night or early morning munchies.

Added bonus No. 2: Before or after a visit, you can rest your feet in the warm water of the hotel’s free ashiyu, or solar-powered foot spa, a pleasant way to end the day.
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The Waikiki Sand Villa hotel is located at 2375 Ala Wai Boulevard; cross street is Kanekapolei. Call (808) 922-4744.

My favorite dish here was the lamb lollipops with five-spice and cumin.

I loved the buttery polenta on a small plate of polenta and BBQ shrimp, which was quite bland. The polenta was nice compensation, but may be too rich for some, so I thought the portion was perfect, at $8.

The kalbi tapa comprises a few pieces of boneless shortrib with sides of kim chee and mac salad, $7.

Tortilla Española with a filling of sliced potatoes and onions was just OK. It could have used a bit of spice and heat. The anchovies on top were not enough to flavor the entire omelet.

A classic caprese had an extra layer of chorizo, $5.

Seafood pescatore is one of the bar’s entrée plates, at $16. It was rather dry when I was there, and if you want pasta, you will be better off heading to the Waikiki Sand Villa’s poolside wine bar, Il Buco.

Sizzling New York steak platter, $17.

Sweet lilikoi ribs and the polenta and ribs were among the sample dishes at the Jan. 9 grand opening.

First bite: Gokoku Sushi at Koko Marina

Nadine Kam photos
Sashimi arrangement at the Dec. 9 grand opening of Gokoku Sushi.

Gokoku Sushi had a rough start, though at its grand opening Dec. 9, it held so much promise. I’d heard that people in the vicinity of the restaurant’s Koko Marina Center home were starved for sushi, but it turns out, not at the price of $20 for rolls and about $10.25 to $17 for appetizers.

Worst of all was the service of inexperienced high schoolers who milled about like extras on a movie set, roaming here and there without interacting with guests or doing anything constructive like bringing tea or refilling water glasses. I watched one boy set a table by making about 30 trips when perhaps four or five would have sufficed. It took him longer than most because he was grabbing one pair of chopsticks, laying it down, going back to the service area, grabbing another, and so on and so forth with tea cups, plates and napkins. Oy, and such a shame for a beautiful new restaurant.

The room is quite pretty, with a mix of traditional and contemporary flourishes.

After two visits there without improvement, I was about to give up and allow customers’ nature to take its course rather than take the fall for its demise. I’d heard the space the restaurant moved into is unlucky.

But then, I started hearing some good things. The service was getting better, and there is about a 50-50 reaction of positives to negatives about the food.

There have been other restaurants in town that have gone unreviewed by me while I wait for them to correct their problems. Here, there is hope. And that is crucial because the Japan-based Pierthirty Group—which owns about 200 restaurants in Japan and more in China—aims to open at least 30 restaurants in Hawaii over the next 10 years. All will have different themes, and the next to open may be an Italian restaurant, bakery and tempura shop, that will be part of the mix when the new Ala Moana Center additions are completed.

Let’s hope those get off to a better start.

Note: Photos are from a mix of grand opening and two more visits.


Scenes from the Dec. 9 grand opening celebration, including ahi-cutting demo.

From left, parent company Pierthirty president and CEO Akiyuki Takahashi, executive chef Katsuhisa Inoue, and vice-president Masayoshi Kurita.

Chawanmushi served at the restaurant’s grand opening was beautiful and special, served in eggshells with the flourish of gold leaf. Not on the menu though.

An ahi-cutting demonstration was also featured during the grand opening celebration.

Chicken and egg udon was a nice comfort dish.

There’s been a lot of inconsistency in presentation here, from lunch offerings to tempura. I felt cheated when my tempura was missing kabocha, while other plates had it.

Smoked salmon carpaccio is one of the evening appetizers, $16.50.

An ahi and salmon poke salad was nothing special, but I loved the accompanying salty/fiery wasabi sorbet.

Sushi rolls are pricey, but filling. The Dragon Roll is a California with shiso and layers of maguro, salmon and hamachi. I loved the heat and ctirus from the dollop of yuzukosho on top.

Tender chicken nanban with tartar sauce.

Misoyaki lamb wasn’t special enough to justify the $48 price tag.

Snapper sushi.

Japanese seafood stew can be described as a miso-based bouillabaisse.