We finally redeemed our first Groupon purchase at Tokoname Sushi Bar and Restaurant in Kailua. The promotional value ($20) was about to expire in 1 month so time was of the essence. I made reservations on Sunday for 5pm (very little street parking so we parked in the municipal lot under the senior housing) and we were promptly seated after we arrived. We started with a Fuji Apple Saketini ($10.95) for the Mrs:
While I had a Kirin Draft ($4.95)
The teishoku meal included a complimentary starter, edamame
And included miso shiru
A green salad with a sweet (mirin based) dressing
And cucumber pickles with Sea Salad
We then proceeded to the Sushi Sampler ($19.95) which included maguro (tuna), shrimp, hamachi (yellowtail) and sake (salmon). The fish was very fresh and as good as most sushi we've sampled in the 50th.
The Mrs then selected the teishoku Nagoya Combo ($23.95) with the Miso Butterfish and the Teriyaki Chicken which featured flaky butterfish that seemed house cured (not as salty and a little sweeter than supermarket varieties) and flavorful (though a little salty) teri chicken with a nice dose of cooked onions added to the mix.
While I sampled the Shrimp Tempura teishoku combo ($19.95) with 2 large shrimp tempura, kabocha, green bean, carrot, eggplant and purple sweet potato tempura along with kabayaki unagi. Once again, the unagi seemed house prepared as it had a firmer texture than canned or vacuum sealed unagi with a sweeter kabayaki sauce and the tempura coating was spot on, not greasy at all and very flaky.
We passed on dessert as we both were full but not overly stuffed. Service was great (though I might have ordered a sake sampler after my Kirin was finished if offered another beverage) and the food was as good as most other Japanese restaurants in the 50th. Of course, when dining on the Windward side in Kailua, you hope that prices are in line with "country-side" pricing but the cost here is the same as any comparable restaurant in Honolulu or Waikiki - our meal was $81.62 before the $40 Groupon discount so with tip, it was just South of $100 in full (Groupon did discount the meal $20 so my net cost was just South of $80). Will we be back? Perhaps, if we want a good Japanese meal without having to venture over the Pali but it probably won't be a regular stop any time soon.
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