Mom originally wanted to re-visit Vino for Christmas Day dinner since she enjoyed the Thanksgiving specials last month (I think she also enjoys Chuck's corny jokes and antics) but they were fully booked until 7:30pm so we made reservations just past Waterfront Plaza at Salt in Kakaako, specifically at Peter Merriman's Moku Kitchen. Ever since we first sampled Chef Merriman's food at Merriman's in Kapalua then again at Monkeypod Kitchen in Wailea, we've been fans but making the trek all the way to Ko Olina just for one meal didn't sound all that enticing...
But after finding out that Vino wasn't an option, I went on OpenTable to see what early dining options were available on Christmas Day. Most restaurants that had open tables at 5:00pm were in Waikiki and were either steakhouses (not a good option since Mom likes her steak well past well done) or Italian. However both Moku Kitchen and Bread and Butter had tables every 15 minutes from 5:00pm. Since we already sampled Chef Masa's cuisine at Bread and Butter, we decided on Moku Kitchen.
And it's a good thing I made reservations... seems like every tourist (along with scattered locals) was trying to get a table yesterday evening. And upon arrival, it seemed like our table was inadvertently given to another party as we were seated outside which initially seemed like a better option since there was a cool breeze blowing and the live music was quite loud inside of the restaurant.
Before even placing our orders, our server noted that almost all ingredients are locally grown or raised and as an added bonus, appetizers are 50% off until 5:30pm with cocktails also at a reduced price... SCORE!
Since the Mrs was still under the weather, only I started the evening with a cocktail, an Aperol Spritz...
We then ordered a load of starters including the Hamakua Wild Mushroom Pizza... it had a killer crust, very thin and crisp an even Mom commented how good it was...
The Szechuan Stir-Fry Green Beans with Mac Nuts... I would order these again as they were perfectly cooked with just a hint of spice... and guilt free as they're veggies!
The House Cut Fries... served with mustard aioli and house made ketchup...
And the Kualoa Shrimp and Hamakua Mushrooms Dim Sum... juicy with a nice hit of fresh ginger...
We then progressed to our mains including Mom's Fresh Fish and Chips... Mom commented that the "tsukemono" was very good which was kinda funny since it actually was house made kim chi which Mom normally would never eat...
The Mrs' Rotisserie Roasted Prime Rib... she said it actually was a little better than the previous evening's Rib Eye...
And my Rotisserie Roasted Naturally Raised Chicken... I asked our server if it was from j Ludovico Farms since most items were locally grown or raised... nope, it was Jidori chicken from the mainland... but it was still very moist and tender and served Greek style with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives and feta...
We actually were too stuffed to sample dessert though the dessert menu only included various cream pies and various gelato. Food wise, it was very good so we'll probably be back (especially since we have a $50 food credit through OpenTable) and most likely we'll return in the middle of Happy Hour to take advantage once again of the reduced prices. Though there were negatives... though it's louder inside when the live music is playing, dining outside means constantly swatting away the six legged flying visitors on your plate... and Chef Merriman, you DO NEED to replace those napkins! They shed white pieces of lint on everything! Everyone's clothes had lint everywhere... And though it's probably no fault of the restaurant, the parking system was malfunctioning so it took us about 20 minutes to exit - a security guard finally manned the exit and simply let patrons leave as the ticket reader was on the fritz with drivers having to have their ticket scanned multiple times before the arm finally raised... But we'll still be back... we'll just wear white clothes... and dine inside... and maybe park in the main parking structure...
Moku Kitchen
660 Ala Moana Blvd #145
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-591-6658
Daily
11:00am-11:00pm808-591-6658
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