Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Review: Gyu-kaku

Gyu-kaku
1221 Kapiolani Blvd # 105



We went to Gyu-kaku in a big group for a friend’s birthday. Eating at Gyu-kaku felt like I was in some trendy Japanese restaurant in LA or NYC. It was filled with well-dressed, young Asians and had a dark-wood, intimate décor. The meat grilling at each table smelled divine.

Another sign that they cater to young people: the first six pages or so of the menu is the drink list. All sorts of sakes, beers, wines, and specialty cocktails.

Gyu-taku is a yakiniku restaurant, meaning that each table at Gyu-kaku has a table-top chargoal grill and you grill your own dinner. The menu lists plates of raw meats and vegetables that you can grill at your table. We tried the ahi, a beef marinated in miso, and a pesto chicken (around $5 for a small plate). They were all delicious. For veggies, we had a mixed mushrooms and some spinach. They come wrapped in foil, and you just pop them on top of the grill.

There are also a number of soup, rice and noodle dishes (Korean and Japanese style, $6-7 each). We tried the bibimbap and a spicy tofu jiggae soup (Korean tofu and kim chi soup).

Finally, even dessert is grilled! You can choose from Japanese pancakes with ice cream, smores, or mochi with ice cream ($3-4 each). The mochi comes in tiny flat rectangles that puff up as you put them on top of the grill. The ice cream (we had vanilla) was great, super creamy and smooth. I wonder where they get it from.

Our meal came out to about $25 per person, including drinks. Definitely a spot to check out!

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