Hawai'i's Best Restaurants

	2006 'ILIMA AWARD WINNER - BEST ETHNIC RESTAURANT: CRITICS' CHOICE
	Every year, Advertiser readers are asked to vote for their favorite restaurants in the 'Ilima Awards poll. Meanwhile, our in-house food experts debate to select the critics' choice 'Ilimas, primarily focused on restaurants recently reviewed or revisited. With a few exceptions, categories change each year to keep readers interested and keep the winner list fresh.

BEST ETHNIC RESTAURANT: CRITICS' CHOICE
Hakkei

Here's a lunch special at Hakkei restaurant, where in the chef's hands dishes become more than the sum of their parts.

ADVERTISER LIBRARY PHOTO | Jan. 13, 2006

From a hot-spring resort in Yubara, Japan, comes this cozy, modern-rustic spinoff where you can sample exquisitely simple washoku cuisine. Executive chef Seiya Masahara (an "Iron Chef" winner) oversees chef Koji Kuwa in a Young Street space once occupied by Restaurant Kariyushi/Hatsune-ya. Plain ingredients such as daikon, konnyaku and meatballs (chicken, shrimp or squid) combine with a hearty dashi for a soothing oden, the hot-pot specialty. Set meals, which include small side dishes, are the way to go, but a la carte selections also tempt: Buta kakuni, buttery pork morsels long simmered in a shoyu-based sauce; kabocha pumpkin encased in tiny arare balls. Dishes become more than the sum of their parts in the right hands here.

1436 Young St. No. 103. 944-6688. Lunch: 11:30-2 p.m. daily. Dinner: 5:30-11 p.m. daily. Reservations recommended. VS, MC, AX, DC, DS, JCB. Checks accepted. Lunch: $$. Dinner: $$$$.

Web site: www.hakkei-honolulu.com

Legend:

VS: Visa
MC: Mastercard
AX: American Express
DC: Diners Club
DS: Discover Card
JCB: JCB Card
Olioli: Olioli Card

$$$: Pricey; entrées mostly more than $17
$$: Moderate; entrées $10-$16
$: Budget-friendly; entrées mostly less than $10

Checks: Local checks and travelers’ checks only

Past 'Ilima Award winner

"Cheap eats" restaurant

"Local classic" eatery