Shokudo!!!

While I was back in Hawaii, some of my high school friends got together to celebrate a friend's birthday. The restaurant of choice was Shokudo which is a Japanese tapas style restaurant.

My secret santa gave me a gift card to Shokudo and suggested that I order a vodka soda, tofu salad (see picture) and the ishiyaki unagi rice. I took her advice but did not care for the lychee vodka which the server said was one of the top two popular drinks. My friend's lychee martini was the better option. The tofu salad was amazing and my favorite dish! It's soft homemade tofu (so creamy) topped with fried noodles and a ponzu-type sauce. I've had the unagi rice before and opted for the ishiyaki shrimp and garlic fried rice. It was good and garlic-y. My only complaint was that we received most of the rice dishes after we received the main dishes like the rib eye steak and the chicken karaage.
Other interesting dishes I tried that night...fried mochi and cheese and the spicy tuna on crispy rice. The mochi was err...different. I'm a fan of mochi and cheese....individually; something about the similar texture threw me off. As one of my friends put it, she did not know when she was eating cheese or mochi. If you want to mimic this dish at home, fry some mochi, put a glob of mozzarella cheese on it, and add some nori shavings. There was a sauce on it, I think it was shoyu-based, but I am not sure. It's a tasty dish, but not for the average person.
The spicy tuna on the other hand was excellent. Ive never grilled my rice before but I've seen it on Soko ga shiritai so it's pretty common. I think the play on textures of this dish was intriguing and will try this grilled crispy rice combo with different flavors.

The food is tasty here, but the portions are small for the price so be prepared to spend at least $25 per person without drinks. I'd still definitely recommend this restaurant and the price does not deter me from eating here.

Shokudo
1585 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808)941-3701