Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant

[JumblyJu]

According to an article in the Pacific Business News, the Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant in Ala Moana Shopping Center is open!

I peeked in the restaurant last week, they had their doors open but the lights were off and it looked like they were training their staff. There were many large bouquets of flowers near the entrance. It looks like most of the area is a restaurant with a small front area a fish market, with cold cases similar to those in supermarkets.

It's disappointing to me that it is a buffet as there already is a japanese buffet within throwing distance of Tsukiji's location in Ala Moana.

Edited May 15, 2007 by JumblyJu (log)

[SuzySushi]

Hmmmm.... I'll have to take a look next time I'm there. The description doesn't sound impressive to me, but time will tell. Let me know what you think if you try it. The other Japanese buffet is mostly empty in the evenings, when most of the other restaurants in the center are crowded with a waiting line. (Haven't checked it out in the daytime.)

P.S., I visited the real Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo and ate at a sushi bar near there.

[JumblyJu]

Tsukiji Website

Press release from Ala Moana:

Ala Moana Center’s Tsukiji Fish Market Offers Guests an Innovative Foray into Japanese Cuisine

Dive into one of Hawaii’s newest and most exciting dining options

HONOLULU – The long-anticipated Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant is now open at Ala Moana Center, and it promises a completely unique experience for all the senses. Located at Ho‘okipa Terrace on the Fourth Level of Ala Moana Center, the new restaurant brings a novel dining concept to Hawaii: an all-you-can-eat buffet; sushi, yakitori and robatayaki bars; live, weekly events; and a fish market with fresh seafood from all over the world.  Whether you’re an experienced food connoisseur looking for new tastes or a home chef hoping to score a super-fresh fish fillet, the Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant brings the excitement and energy of Japan’s most well-known fish market to Hawaii for residents and visitors to enjoy. 

The concept for the fish market and restaurant was inspired by Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest fish market in the world. As an outpost of the famed Tokyo market, the fish market section of Ala Moana Center’s Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant will offer the freshest fish and seafood from local waters, including reef and bottom-feeding fish such as Ahi and Aku as well as more exotic species flown in from Japan. The fish market also offers daily filleting demonstrations and an extensive poke (a local dish of cubed raw fish, typically mixed with sea salt or soy sauce and onions) bar,  which allows visitors to pick and choose their choice of fresh raw fish, seasonings and other ingredients. 

Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant’s dining area has seating for more than 360, and will feature three private conference rooms equipped with wireless internet and audio capabilities. The restaurant’s buffet includes an extensive selection of authentic sushi and sashimi plus traditional Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Korean dishes.  For dessert, guests can savor fresh mochi (pounded sweet, sticky rice) and peruse a sprawling crepe and dessert bar. 

Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant’s sushi, yakitori (Japanese-style meats cooked on an in-table grill) and robatayaki (grilled vegetable, seafood, or pork) bars give diners the chance to experience authentic Japanese dishes prepared by chefs hired specially from Japan. To complement the meal, Tsukiji offers a full array of hot and cold sakes.

In addition to the numerous dishes, guests can also feast their ears on Tsukiji’s live entertainment. Every Wednesday night Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant hosts “Jazz it up Wednesdays” with soothing live jazz music from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Additionally, every Sunday the restaurant will feature a special Sunday buffet brunch – which will include an omelet station, miniature pancakes for the children, a variety of Japanese dishes, carving station and robatayaki bar– with live entertainment by a local Hawaiian band from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

The Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. After 9:00 p.m. only the sushi bar and yakitori bar will be open to diners. 

The Tsukji Fish Market and Restaurant is Ho’okipa Terrace’s tenth and newest restaurant. Whether you’re looking for a place to kick back and enjoy live, local music, celebrate a special occasion or dance the night away, Ho’okipa Terrace is the place for a great lunch, dinner or evening out. Since opening in June 2005, Ho’okipa Terrace on Ala Moana Center’s Fourth Level has grown to become a favorite dining and entertainment destination among local residents and visitors. 

Named for the Hawaiian word for “hospitality,” Ho‘okipa Terrace’s collection of restaurants and entertainment venues includes family-oriented options like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., California Pizza Kitchen, Ruby Tuesday and Romano’s Macaroni Grill as well as the laid-back, open-air Mai Tai Bar, the trendy Pearl ultralounge and unique dining venues such as Island’s Fine Burgers & Drinks, Kyoto Ohsho, Jackie’s Kitchen as well as the newly opened Tsukiji Fish Market.

Many of the restaurants at Ho’okipa Terrace are open for business from 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and from 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Friday through Saturday. Ho’okipa Terrace also has convenient valet parking service located on the Upper Level, Mauka (mountain-side) parking deck next to Pearl. Valet parking is available for diners and late-night party-goers, Sunday through Thursday from 4:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. and Friday through Saturday from 4:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

For more information on all of Ala Moana Center’s extensive selection of dining options, please visit http://www.alamoanacenter.com/diningdirec.htm.