And the three half-shell oysters propped up against a mound of sea salt and presented on a long white platter had G.B. impressed. In fact, so much so that she behaved like a tourist, snapping photos of the elegantly-presented appetizer.

Since changing management late last year, Tokyo Tokyo has done a complete turnabout. The restaurant boasts a new young chef from Japan, an updated menu, two well-seasoned and knowledgeable managers, and black-and-white and kukui-nut-lei-clad servers, who strategically line up in formation — and on their toes — at the front entrance ready to take action at a moment's notice.

Last Saturday night, tourists and kamaaina alike filed into this charming, open-air, teak-and-bamboo-appointed room, which offers both table and booth seating.

G.B. and I opted for a private back booth that's rumored to be the "in spot" for visiting celebs staying at the posh Kahala Mandarin hotel.

We're certainly not stars, and the only paparazzo was G.B. However, we weren't treated with any less attention. Our waitress Satomi, who is the only original staff member since the restaurant opened four years ago, gave us all the service that we needed. And when she was busy, another waitress, Ashley, stepped in to check on us.

We started with a flight of sake, a trio of one-and-a-half-ounce pours that spanned the sweet-to-dry-to-crisp range. Satomi explained the properties of each of the sake and told us to start with the furthest one to the right and move to the left.

As we nursed our sake, manager Joe DePolis — formerly of The Bistro at Century Center — presented us with a sauteed foie-gras teaser that was presented atop a small heap of teriyaki rice. A drizzle of raspberry coulis on the side of the plate piqued our curiosity, having never tried such a combination. It worked well. The fruity essence of the coulis tastefully balanced the rich flavor of the duck liver.

This is one restaurant where guests can get stuck on appetizers and sushi. G.B. and I did.

I couldn't visit Tokyo Tokyo without having an assortment of sashimi ($19), which included, in addition to the melt-in-your-mouth salmon, bluefin tuna, hirame (flounder), madai (snapper) and ika (squid).

After her three half-shell oysters ($7)— one was garnished with a spicy ponzu sauce, another with an orange-infused ponzu and the third with natural sea salt — G.B. was fixed on having the avocado-and-crab salad ($13). Bits of crab and avocado were blended with a creamy homemade mayonnaise then tucked back into the crab leg and carved out half avocado. (Yes, another photo-op.)

The show-stopper, though, came when Satomi delivered my ishiyaki rib eye steak ($39), which I had to prepare over a hot stone. This brought a completely different dimension to grilling ... and it was just as fun and tasty.