Top 15 Picks of a Las Vegas Man Who Eats Out in Honolulu 180 Times a Year – HONOLULU Magazine

I met Young Park and his wife, Angela Tang, at a sushi counter. Snapping photos and sunburned from the beach, they seemed like many other touristsuntil I overheard Park swapping dining recs with the local to my left. Jajangmyeon at On Dong Chinese Restaurant, he said. Twice-cooked pork at Wu Wei Chong Qing Cuisine. Id just researched both places for HONOLULU Magazines April food feature. Not only was Park on the money, he was onto places most locals dont know about. First, you eat the pork mixed in with noodles, he was saying, hunkered over and inhaling as if Wu Weis barbecued pork were in front of him. Next, you put it over rice. Thats the way to eat it.

We kept in touch. I learned that Park, a banking attorney based in Las Vegas, helped open Ohana Pacific Bank on Kapiolani Boulevard in the late 1990s. His family has run the Los Angeles K-town institution Soot Bull Jeep since the 1980s, one of the few Korean barbecue spots still using charcoal grills. In the last seven years, Park says, he and Tang have been to Honolulu 15 times, staying a month at a time and eating out every meal. They do the same in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Xian (Tangs hometown in China) and Tokyo. These are also their favorite food cities, along with Miami, Busan in South Korea and Osaka, Japan.

What does a regular visitor who loves eating so muchobsessively, at every level from sushi omakase to noodleslove to eat most in Honolulu? Before I could ask, Park offered his Top 15 dishes. So here they are.

Photo: Melissa Chang

The Iberico pork (medium rare and only prepared by chef Masa Gushiken) is flavorful and juicy with zero gaminess, and the house-made Maui onion sauce, paprika pure and mushrooms pair optimally with it. The octopus, cooked to a perfect medium rare, is easily one of the best Ive ever tasted anywhere. Potato slices and chimichurri sauce take the dish to the next level.

346 Lewers St., (808) 772-4533,@elcielo_hawaii

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What the best jajangmyeon black soybean noodle dishes used to taste like in L.A. K-town in the 80s and 90s, down to the kim chee and raw onions and daikon pickles on the side (but better here because its locally sourced).

1499 S. King St., (808) 947-9444

Photo: Thomas Obungen

As a SoCal In-N-Out Double-Double guy, I am not a fan of smash burgers. But chef Robert Urquidi from Ethels Grill said this was his favorite, and I am now a huge fan. The meat quality is so good you can eat the patty on its own. And its really smashed so that the edges are thin and crispy. Comes only with American cheese, a special house sauce with a hint of wasabi (damn good) and a slightly sweet potato bun made for exactly this burger structure. You can order to go and eat it 30 minutes later and it will taste absolutely fine. You cannot do that with a Double-Double from In-N-Out.

1110 Nuuanu Ave., @thedaleyburger

SEE ALSO:You May Want to Eat at Chinatowns New Burger Bar Daley

Photo: Melissa Chang

The fact that this weekend-only dish was enjoyed by sultans in the 1500s just makes it more special. The poached local eggs with the familys mint yogurt sauce, Turkish sweet peppers, pine nuts and house-made sourdough bread are amazing.

1108 Auahi St., (808) 772-4440,istanbulhawaii.com,@istanbulhawaii

SEE ALSO:Istanbul Adds Mediterranean Brunch Fare to Weekends in Kakaako

Photo: Angela Tang

The regular hamburger steak, not the Japanese one with ponzu and grated daikon. Comes with a scoop of rice and simple salad with house-made parsley-Dijon dressing.Get it with extra dark brown gravyUrquidi adds small pieces of cabbage for texture and to balance the richness of the hamburger steak. Its the same idea as Jewish corned beef and cabbage and its brilliant. The hamburger steak itself is juicy with crisp edges and great flavor. Served out of a styrofoam box but great even like this.

232 Kalihi St., (808) 847-6467, @ethelsgrill_kalihi

Screenshot courtesy of @brickfiretavern

Red tomato sauce, shaved parmesan and the house focaccia are perfect paired with the three good-sized meatballs of this appetizer. The mix of local beef and pork delivers a fantastic texturenot too hard and not too soft. Great flavor and juicy. Get it with the Caesar salad, and you will be in heaven.

3447 Waialae Ave., (808) 379-2430, brickfiretavern.com, @brickfiretavern

Photo: Angela Tang

The fresh fish plates here are great, but you can find them at many places. The shrimp quesadillas, though, are bomb. Even by L.A. Mexican food standards, this dish is very good: The shrimps are jumbo and generously portioned, and a thin layer of refried beans gives the quesadilla a rich, creamy texture.

Multiple locations, paiafishmarket.com, @paiafishmarket

Photo: Angela Tang

Honestly, all the dishes Ive had here are damn good. But Ive not eaten a better French toast anywhere else on this planet. It has a slight crisp outside (the cinnamon toast crunch), a soft and airy inside, and it is not doughy or bready at all. Flavor and texture are Michelin-star worthy.

418 Kuulei Road, (808) 260-1732, overeasyhi.com, @overeasyhi

Photo: Angela Tang

A simple dish thats executed perfectly. Just the right rice-to-broth ratio. Generous portions of oxtail meat. Made with customer satisfaction in mind and not profits.

740 Kapahulu Ave., (808) 738-1038, @aburiya_ibushi

Photo: Angela Tang

True Okinawa dishes and so rare. Taco and not tako! Served in a hot stone pot (Korean dol sol bibimbap style) with white rice, Mexican taco-seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, chunky salsa (Pace Picante style and not pico de gallo) and a raw egg yolk that gets scrambled in front of you until fully mixed and then spread against the hot stone bowl so the rice can cook to a crisp. The gyoza pizza is paper thin and tastes like a smashed gyoza with cheese. Super tasty and unique.

2700 S. King St., (808) 951-0510, naru-honolulu.com, @izakaya.naru

Photo: Angela Tang

Made with love, this is a recipe from a lovely Japanese couple with three daughters who started this to-go spot. Their beef and spicy chicken bowls are probably the best on the island, but the tonjiru pork miso soup is next level. Served piping hot (like McDonalds hot coffee back in the days before they got sued) with generous chunks of potatoes, carrots, onions and tofu.

45-726 Kamehameha Hwy, (808) 234-0818, gotzgrindz.com, @gotzgrindz_gotzkitchen

SEE ALSO:Hidden Gem: Gotz Grindz Musubis in Kneohe

Photo: Angela Tang

This is the final item that is served as part of the chicken-focused omakase yakitori. Dont get me wrong, the yakitori is very good, but there are plenty of similar or better caliber. Its the nabe that is truly next level. Motsu (beef intestines), cabbage and chives are piled high when the hot pot is brought to the table and set on a live flame. They melt into a lip-smacking broth that is rich in collagen. This is liquid gold, and I think it may cure depression!

1215 Center St., (808) 739-5702, @yakitoriando

SEE ALSO:Hawaiis Senior Yakitori Master Has Opened His Own Restaurant

Photo: Angela Tang

Easily the best high-end sushi spot on Oahu and for quality and freshness of ingredients, among the best in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Majority of the seafood is sourced from Japan or Hawaii. The sushi is traditional but with flair that is not pretentious. No courses taste alike. Pieces are perfectly seasoned, with no need for additional shoyu or wasabi. The ambiance suits the level of sushi that is served. Seats eight people max in a minimalist setting that is clean, cozy and warm. You get to interact directly with chef Hiroshi Tsuji, who is professional and friendly but not overly talkative. $150 for 16 courses of sushi, hot dishes and creative mixed dishesand BYOB (for now)is an incredible bargain.

436 Piikoi St., (808) 853-7097, sushigyoshin.com, @sushi_gyoshin

Young Park with his favorite twice-cooked pork. Photo: Angela Tang

I like to call this cozy shop the God of Noodles. The twice-cooked pork is a dish from the heavens that I have yet to grow tired of despite having enjoyed way too many days at a time. The pork is light and crispy with a good chew, but not tough at all. Great seasoning includes five spice and is milder than Wu Weis other dishes. Better than anything Ive had in China (my wife is from Xian) and a must-try for noodle lovers.

1738 S. King St., (808) 741-2297, @wuweicuisine

SEE ALSO:At Wu Wei Chong Qing Cuisine, a World of Street Food Noodles

Photo: Angela Tang

It is described as a sweet bun filled with kaya, pandan whipped cream and roasted peanuts. But its much more. Chris Sy, Breadshops owner and head baker, is a mad scientist. To create this as a to-go item is crazyit should be served as a special dessert at somewhere upscale, with a price in the range of $21 and not $7.50. The bun, while fantastic, is not the super star; the pandan whipped cream is. Words cant describe it, except holy sheez. Fridays only, order in advance online, pick up at 2 p.m. sharp, eat right away.

3408 Waialae Ave., exploretock.com/breadshop, @breadshophnl

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Top 15 Picks of a Las Vegas Man Who Eats Out in Honolulu 180 Times a Year - HONOLULU Magazine