For the 3rd year in a row, MW Restaurant has hosted an MW and Friends event where the Ueoka's invite their contemporaries to MW Restaurant to cook a dish for this annual event and close the whole restaurant just for this special meal. The tickets do start at $125 per person and goes all the way up to $300 per person for a 6 or 8 seat table in the main dining room. Because a friend did some construction work on the building, he bartered for a table and we graciously were invited to his table.
Starting the evening was Dusty Grable of Stage with two cocktails, his Little Plum with umeshu, yuzu, yukari simple and Prosecco... very refreshing and tart...
And his Mauna Loa Smoke with bourbon, smoked Big Island honey, Big Island lilikoi, giner and ginger beer... a lot more savory...
Next up was Chef Marc Urquidi of Red5's Coconut Yuzu Kajiki Ceviche... just a little heat from the jalapeno but nice richness from the coconut milk...
Then Chef Kayla Enomoto of MW Restaurant's Cured Kampachi with yukari cured Kona kampachi on house made toast... A nice savory single bite...
Then Chef Jared Murakawa also of MW Restaurant's Kona abalone miso soup... the dashi broth totally made the soup though the tender morsels of abalone were also a hit!
Then Chef Keaka Lee of the Pig and the Lady's Summer Nights with spicy Aloun Farm watermelon, marinated Ho Farms cherry tomatoes, Big Island Goat Dairy cheese, mint and dukkah... Refreshing and savory at the same time...
Then Chef Jon Matsubara of Forty Carrots at Bloomingdales' Oyster Cocktail with buri, sake caviar and bulls blood ponzu,,, I always love me a great oyster shooter...
Followed by Chef Jonathan Mizukami's Barley Risotto with pumpkin nuage, kombu, preserved Maui orange and wild Kula fennel... though i didn't get the fennel, I enjoyed the "toothiness" of the barley and it had a nice balance of flavors...
Then host Chef Wade Ueoka served a bonus dish, a Mushroom Chawan Mushi... this also had a rich dashi that accentuated the custard...
Next up was Chef Lance Kosaka of Top of Waikiki and Sky Waikiki's Pan Seared Big Island Kampachi with tomato dashi and watercress relish... it had the perfect sear with a crisp exterior...
then Chef Samantha Cervonayco of Artizen at MW's Barbacoa Beef Slider with Mexican style braised short ribs, caramelized onions, Kahuku corn and fire roasted salsa on housemade bun... this was the BOMB!
Followed by Chef Jeffery Nakasone's Smoked Chicken Quesadilla with avocado lomi tomato and wasabi aioli... I also loved this dish but at this point, my "tank" was beginnin' to fill up...
Then Chefs John Estrella, Brandon Hamada and Neil Nakasone of Home Bar and Grill's Cajun Style Kauai Shrimp with dirty rice and pickled okra... man this dish was SPICY... even the next day when I had the rice cold!
Followed by Chef Terrence Enomoto also of MW Restaurant's Laotian Sausage made with Mountain View Farms pork, lemongrass, galangal and tumeric... I really enjoyed this sausage will try to recreate it in my own kitchen...
Then Chef Nik Lobendahn of Over Easy's Spiced Ground Beet with housemade yogurt and mint... this was also another pretty spicy dish...
Follwed by Chef Colin Hazama of the Royal Hawaiian's "Aromatic Jasmine Scented Monchong" with Ho Farms smoked lomi tomato relish, cracklins and calamansi butternut squash emulsion... I loved the side with this dish...
Then host Chef Wade Ueoka's True Natural Brandt Prime Beef... it was so tender, you didn't even need teeth to consume it...
Followed by Chef Ron deGuzman of Stage's Pork "Sisig Loco Moco" with Peterson Farm egg, crispy garlic and ginger-scallion... I was lookin' forward to this dish as traditional sisig is made those crispy bits from the pig face though this version was also very spicy so I boxed some to take home...
Then the sweets started rollin' starting with Chef Michelle Karr-Ueoka's Tropical Fruit Ice... you can get these at the International Marketplace... she actually shave frozen fruit... it's not just ice covered with syrup...
Followed by Chef Abigail Langlas of Cakeworks' Mousse aux Chocolate with Chili and Lime with a lilikoi puree and a Kahaluu cocoa nib tuille... the chili in the mousse really made the dish...
Finishing with Chef Carolyn Tada of the Royal Hawaiian's Lilikoi Meringue Tart with lilikoi curd, coconut shortbread, strawberry hibiscus fluid gel and compressed lavendar strawberries... another great sweet with enough acid to cleanse the palate...
So if you were counting, that was 2 cocktails, 16 savory courses and 3 desserts... I'm gonna have to start buying pants with elastic waist bands...And so we conclude another superlative meal at MW Restaurant. We've never been disappointed with any meal produced by the Ueoka's and I guess we can now count meals also created by their friends...
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