Ichifuji - CLOSED

Ichifuji is a Japanese Nabe restaurant that is known for their oxtail broth. They have 3 different set menus to choose from or you can order ala carte. I recommend the tasting menu because it has a little bit of everything and it's reasonable priced. My photos below show the 11-course meal for one person. The pot is shared between 2 people. The vegetables & mushrooms and barley rice porridge are also shared between 2 people. Before you cook the raw items, the staff will let you know how long it needs to cook and which signature salt (konbu salt, garlic salt, lemon salt) or sauce (sesame sauce, ponzu sauce) to pair it with. If you plan to eat here, give your group at least 2 hours to enjoy the meal because the pot cooks at a lower temperature and slowly comes to a boil. The courses are spaced out, so you eat a few bites, have a drink, talk story and then cook your next item. If you like to drink, get their yuzu beer. 

They are located across from Old Stadium Park above Tori Ton. You will see a door on the side of the building with a flight of stairs; go up to the top and the hostess will greet you. They only open for dinner and reservations are recommended. Their space is small, but they can move tables around to accommodate a group of 6 or you can have everyone sit around the counter in a U-shape. Parking is available and it's a shared lot. If the parking lot is full, there is metered street parking on S. King Street which is free after 6pm. 

For more information about Ichifuji, visit ichifujihawaii.com.

2334 S King St., Ste. C, 2nd floor
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 367-0012

Ahi Tataki, Oxtail Nokigori, Dynamite Mussel

Chawanmushi

Seared US Wagyu Sushi

Hamachi Loin

Nabe Dashi

US Wagyu Beef Tongue

Vegetables & Mushrooms

US Wagyu Roll

Seared Wagyu Beef Tsukune

Kurobuta Rolls

Barley Rice Porridge

Cherry Upside Down Cake,
Vanilla Ice Cream & Pomegranate Granita

Minori Craft Japanese Tavern - CLOSED

Minori Craft Japanese Tavern was formerly Tsukada Nojo. They went through some renovations, updated their menu and included an all you can eat salad bar. You can still get some of the previous items like hot pot and the polar bear shave ice. The updated interiors are spacious and brightly lit. I recommend doing family style because the portions are small but it's the best way to try more items on the menu. My favorites were the seared tataki prime beef, minori chicken nanban, and stone pot beef pepper rice. Their prices are reasonable but they also have happy hour from 5pm-6pm and 9pm-11pm if you are on a budget.

They open for lunch and dinner. There is parking in front of the restaurant but if the spaces fill up, you can park across the street at Century Center. The restaurant will provide validation. If you plan to come with more than 4 people for dinner, reservations are recommended because they get busy.

For more information about Minori Craft Japanese Tavern, visit minorihawaii.com.

1731 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 951-4444

Seared Tataki Prime Beef

Homemade Bacon Potato Salad topped w/ Smoked Egg

MINORI Chicken Nanban

Kona Kanpachi Poke

Grilled Squid

Stone Pot Beef Pepper Rice

Matcha Flan

Tsukada Nojo Hawaii - Restaurant Week 2017

Tsukada Nojo is new to restaurant week. They are offering shabu shabu for $40. Their shabu shabu broths are flavorful and there is a lot of food included in the shabu shabu set. There was also a drink that came with it. You want to save room for dessert because the mini polar bear shave ice was a great way to end the meal.

For more information, visit www.restaurantweekhawaii.com/restaurant/tsukada-nojo.

Nojo Salad

Hamachi Jalapeno

Paitan & Sukiyaki (broth)

Shabu Shabu

Beef

Ramen

Mini Polar Bear Shave Ice

 

Nabeya Maido

Nabeya Maido is located in the Market City Shopping Center. They offer Japanese hot pot. If you come during lunch, they have a lunch special that is $9.90 (soup base included). This price is only for the first 10 people. If you happen to be the 11th person, you pay the regular price. The protein in the lunch special is selected by the chef. They offer a handful of soup bases. The ones I tried were very light but if you have leafy greens cooking in there for awhile, they will soak up all the flavors. Their signature soup base is the maido nabe which is shoyu based and has a bit of a kick with the finely chopped red chili's. You can also select items in their "food cave." The plates are marked by color and this option makes it great for sharing.

I recommend coming on a weekday because it's less crowded and you'll have a better chance at getting the special price. There is a 90 minute time limit on dining in there so decide what you want fast so you can spend more time eating.

2919 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 739-7739

Lunch Special

Maido Nabe & Japanese Curry Nabe

Ichiriki

I normally don't go out for shabu shabu style dinners but someone talked me into trying nabe. She told me the broth was in a paper bowl. At first I didn't believe her but when I went and saw it myself, it was like "WOW!" I don't know what kind of paper they use but it's burn proof and it doesn't get soggy.

We ordered the shio (salt) broth. I wanted to ask the waiter for soy sauce to use as dipping but after tasting a piece of Chinese cabbage I realized the broth had all the flavor. It was really good. When you run low on broth, the waiter puts in more broth. The beef they use is super tender. For my next visit, I'd order the same thing but add on an extra plate of beef.

For more information about Ichiriki, please visit http://ichirikinabe.com.

510 Piikoi St
Honolulu, HI 96814

Chinese Cabbage, Bok Choy, Enoki & Shiitake Mushrooms,
Tofu, Kuzukiri, Abura Age, Chives, Gobo, Chicken, Beef, Sausage,
Scallops, Shrimp, Salmon and Tsukune Meatballs

Shio Chanko

Ramen Noodles