FORKED UP

OMAKASE
KONA KAI SUSHI
3579 Waialae Ave., Kaimuki
Phone number (808) 594-7687

Omakase is the final frontier of sushi — placing your life (and wallet) fully into a chef’s hands. We recently indulged in Kona Kai Sushi’s luxurious chef’s choice menu. A few highlights include perfectly melt-in-your-mouth otoro, a hot uni chawanmushi, grilled ika stuffed with blue crab, and a freshly seared unagi and anago pairing. The portions are small (so you can eat more) and the quality is top notch. Pictured here is just one of the 14 courses we plowed through before we threw in the towel. The total bill was $600 for four people. Still worth it.

GREEN TEA PANNA COTTA
YACCHABA
1718 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
Phone number (808) 945-0108

It seems that this little space on Kapiolani Boulevard, not too far from Sura Hawaii, has a revolving door of Japanese restaurants that come and go. Here’s to hoping that Yacchaba stays where it is. This little izayaka specializes in smoked food — smoked pork belly, smoked salmon, smoked eggs, even — that get cooked on a little stone grill at your table. It’s charming and intensely delicious. (Our recommendation, inexplicably, is the smoked chicken thigh. It’s boss.) The best way to finish your meal is with this light dessert — creamy green tea-flavored panna cotta, topped with just a dab of whipped cream and azuki beans. The presentation is impeccable, the flavor mild but just right.