Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas

[Kiem Hwa]

Has anyone tried out Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas yet?

Restaurant Row

533-HIRO

Here are some reviews:

Honolulu Star Bulletin

Nattokun Blog

Honolulu Weekly

Sounds fabulous.... I am going to be eating here soon

[glossyp]

Oneidaone was there over the weekend and raved about the food. Perhaps she'll write more when she drops by the forum next.

[skchai]

I've heard nothing but good things about the place, and Fukui's stuff always impressed back when he was at L'Uraku. However, the guy who thought up the name "Eurasian Tapas" deserves to be boiled alive in a vat of "Thai-style Bouillabaisse".

[VivreManger]

However, the guy who thought up the name "Eurasian Tapas"  deserves to be boiled alive in a vat of "Thai-style  Bouillabaisse".

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Actually its even worse: "EurasiOn" as in invasion.

[VivreManger]

By the way, are there any difficulties getting reservations? I am planning to go there next month and I wanted to know how far in advance I should book. Does anyone know if there is the equivalent of a chef's table?

[glossyp]

Oneidaone said it was brisk on Friday night but that's to be expected. I haven't heard any thing about having to reserve far in advance so I think a week to a few days is more than sufficient. No chef's table and whether he'll come out of the kitchen or not is pretty dicey. You'll eat well regardless!

[oneidaone]

So about Hiroshi's...........As you enter and look to the left you will see the bar aglow with little

white lights which set a soft mood next to the dark wood of the bar itself. As in the dining room

there is a lovely swag of fabric that makes the wall look like it's floating, the color of the rooms

are a light green which is quite inviting. A very welcoming environment.

We started with a martini - a 3 week visit with the in-laws makes you realize there is not enough

vodka in the world.......but I shall continue with the meal.........the majority of this was for 3 of

us as one doesn't eat any of these lovely fish items.

Sashimi of Kanpachi -unbelieveable flavors from the kalamata olive pickled wasabi, shaved parmesan and citrus/chili vinaigrette, the fish was thin and like velvet melting in your mouth.

Duo of Poke - ahi and kanpachi, this was really really good too! This is served in little ramen soup spoons and makes a very pretty presentation as well.

Shrimp Chawanmushi soup - this served in a demitasse cup with a little Italian phrase inside was

great after coming in from a wet rainy night. There are vegetables, shrimp and Nalo micro

mitsuba in a creamy yet not from cream broth.

Seared sea scallops - bacon takana ragout, tobiko and kabayaki butter sauce, scallops so tasty from the sauce, cooked to perfection with a soft subtle texture.

Sizzlin' Moi Carpaccio - Big island ginger, Hauula tomato, Mrs. Cheng's tofu and ponzu vinaigrette

with truffled Nalo micro greens - whew!!!!! This is a triumph, just as tasty as it was at L'Uraku.

I could eat a mountain of this! The little bits of tofu soak up the vinaigrette and are so tasty!

Tempura of Chopped Shrimp with shiso & nori-pickled wasabi aioli - think 'popcorn shrimp' grows

up with kicked up flavors and there you have it. Well I'd like to think so, we were not offered any

by the non-fish eater, he seemed to wolf them down though.

Pan roasted Filet Mignon - seared foie gras, Frankie's peppercorn, Nalo micro arugula and foie gras

ponzu sauce - This piece of filet was so tender and like butter melting in your mouth (oh, I said that before about the kanpachi) I don't eat foie gras and asked could the seared piece be brought

separately in foil so I could take it home to Manele and Koele, those 2 dogs loved it. Anyway the

ponzu sauce was very good with the arugula great combination of flavors. The real highlight of this dish were the french fries artfully displayed that were so light and so crisp it was my idea of

"dessert quality" potatoes which is the highest acclaim I give to potato preparation and

doesn't happen very often, Roy's au gratin potatoes are such quality as well.

Seared Kanpachi with Portuguese sausage potstickers and chervil clam jus - a night of Kanpachi,

this was very good and an unusual combination with the potstickers. A winner.

Moi, catch of the day & Manila clam "cioppino" - what a fun dish, crunchy sugar snap peas, scallions

and shiitake mushrooms made for a really nice blend of textures and flavor, the broth was subtle

enough to carry the flavors of the fish and clams without overpowering their individual strengths.

I don't like clams but they were great in this.

Oven roasted lamb "t-bone" with sansho peppercorn, scalloped potate and broccolini - again I

have to guess this was good as was with the shrimp it did not fall into the concept of "shared

plate."

Dessert - there were a couple on the table but I don't like dessert so I don't remember what

they were. I do remember having a nice port however.

Everything was excellent, the one thing I would have liked would have been some sort of bread

or small rolls to soak up the sauces and juices that were on the plates. You can see that of course

his emphasis is upon local produce and fishes and the freshness shines through. Our pace was well

set and the server did a great job of explaining things and attentive. Cheryle the manager was there and she takes time to work the room, chatting to guests, clearing table items, she treats

you as if you were in her own home and takes obvious pride in her position and contributions,

she told us she made the curtain swags in both Vino and Hiroshi's among other design elements.

Chuck Furuya was back and forth between Vino and Hiroshi's and his wine knowledge and approachability makes ordering and learning about wine a treat.

We also had the 2 different wine flights, a white and a red. The white has an Italian pinot banco,

an Austrian gruner veltliner and a German riesling. The red was all pinot noir all very tasty and

excellent with our foods. The flights are $8.95 with the pours being 2 oz. each.

We got there at 7:30 and left probably around 10 or so. The room was crowded when we got there and stayed full throughout the night. I would definately make a reservation. Upcoming are some

special events (his famous Kaiseki dinner is one of them) although just dining there is a special

event - GO!!!!!!!!!!! a hui ho

[Kiem Hwa]

Thanks for the great review Oneidaone!! We are palnning to go there this week for a

belated Valentines Day dinner.

A new article on Hiroshi's in the Honolulu Advertiser: What a creative & adventurous guy!

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/...3/en/en03a.html

[oneidaone]

I also had the Tom Yam Koong soup - this was a triumph as well. The article does not mention

the cilantro foam which was a taste treat atop this fabulous creation. It really was a fun meal

and I'd definately go back! He's so creative, I am glad he has a new home! Let us all hear

about your meal! a hui ho

[LarryG]

Nanette and I went there with friends a couple of months ago. I hate to be the odd guy out, but we both found the dishes to be, how to describe, "over engineered" or something like that. I know it's us, the rest of the world raves about this place.

I think we had ahi, but you couldn't taste the ahi -- it was buried in creativity.

Maybe it's because we've lived in Asia and know how important fresh fish is (as an example), and when you can't taste the fish for the sauce, it is considered a negative. The best fish (again, as an example) stands by itself and is not improved by being dumped on excessively. In Japan it is served instead in a way that enhances its flavor. Maybe I'm too imprinted by my experiences, who knows.

Of course, limiting preparation in this way would not lead to much Eurasian cuisine, but I'm just reporting how I felt. In fact, I felt a bit cheated because I'm sure the ingredients were the best available, but I felt the artistry overwhelmed the basic goodness of the main ingredient in most of the dishes.

And there were some I loved.

Ok, I'll put on my flak jacket and check back here later for the flames.

Cheerz,

--Larry

[oneidaone]

so what did you love?

[glossyp]

Ok, I'll put on my flak jacket and check back here later for the flames.

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No worries about that - this not the California board where you can get shot at dawn for disrespecting Manresa or the NY board where just about any topic can be a call to arms!

I think it is normal for people to have different tastes and opinions about food - eating is such an intensely personal experience (even though we enjoy dining communally) and we all come to the table with our various tastes formed by different backgrounds, preferences and thoughts. Sharing our thoughts and opinions is what makes eGullet such fun and I'm the first to admit that I enjoy reading those boards where they do battle defending their favorite chef, restaurant or other food-related topic.

My personal opinion is that Hiroshi is quite possibly the most innovative and interesting of the well-known chefs cooking here in Honolulu. And, I second oneidaone's question about what dishes you really enjoyed.

BTW, were you served rice crackers?