Hawaii Restaurants~Ichiriki

Ichiriki is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Hawaii. It is so good! Lauren and I went here with our parents after we got married. I've been there 3 times so far, and always had that same thing. I'm normally the type of person who likes to switch it up, but it was just that good! I get the Kei's Pirikara broth with the ingredients from the Ichiriki Original Nabe. The broth is sweet and spicy (I love it!), and I also get the meats and vegetables I want. You have to ask to do the switcharoo, but they'll let you do it. You just have to pay for the more expensive item. I've tried other broths I didn't like them as much.
People get Shabu-shabu and Nabe mixed up. In general, Shabu-shabu is when you cook ingredients in water, then flavor them in a dipping sauce. Nabe is cooked in a soup or broth that provides the flavor. At Ichiriki, you get a pot of broth on a burner (one pot serves 2 people and you can have different broths), and you cook your food in it. When you're done, they bring you ramen or udon (thicker) noodles for you to cook and eat in the remaining broth.
The waiters/waitresses are very nice, although sometimes you have to check your tray because they'll forget to give you an ingredient or two. Usually you have to add the meatballs first because they take the longest (gingery and very good). Everything else cooks pretty fast. The beef is super thin so it cooks really quickly.
To be fair and accurate, I read some reviews where people complained about the appetizers. Specifically, the chicken karaage was raw inside. I've never tried it so I can't comment on that specifically, but I wouldn't recommend getting appetizers anyway, because the main course is so much food. Some other people said that the broth was lacking in flavor. I had that problem once. At first I was disappointed because my new favorite restaurant was failing, but then I figured it out. Trick was to turn the burner on high and let the broth boil down for a few minutes. That made it wonderful, and the world was right again.

How much would I pay?

Mike: Whatever it says on my bill (about $25 a person after tax, tip and parking)
Lauren: Regular price. It's pricey but good!

Ichiriki

510 Piikoi Street
Honolulu, HI 96814

(808) 589-2299