Rinka

The world tour duo dined at Rinka Ward Village. I just returned from 3 weeks in Japan so it would be a stern test … Japanese food in Hawaii versus that from various locales in Japan. We were seated at a small table for two so we asked our wait staff to space out our food orders. This was partially successful. One of our pet peeves is restaurants rushing food out; it’s one thing if we’re dining on a large table but we were hard pressed to deal with just two dishes at a time; three was impossible. I ordered a half bottle of 2021 Kenzo Estate asatsuyu, a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc, full of fruit, with depth and body. We started with Toro and Green Onion maki sushi and the Roast Beef Salad Japanese Style; the latter not a perfect pairing for a white wine; more about this to come. The remainder of our order consisted of Grilled Beef Tongue, Grilled Miso Butterfish and Fried Tofu with four kinds of miso. I ordered a half bottle of one of my favorite Napa Valley wines, a 2019 Kenzo Estate rindo, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (22%), Petit Verdot (9%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Malbec (3%). This wine exudes notes of dark fruit, soft tannins and chocolate. I wish the kitchen did a better job of releasing dishes in an order that matched the wines on the table. I don’t know if it’s the responsibility of the expeditor or the wait staff but this was a miss for me. As to the food; the Negitoro sushi was okay; the rice was a bit too mushy in comparison to the rice I had in Japan. The Roast Beef Salad was excellent; no issues of any kind. The Beef Tongue was good but by the time we got around to trying it, it was cold. Again, an issue of dishes being delivered too quickly. The miso butterfish was sublime, perfectly prepared a generous portion. The fried tofu could have been grilled a little longer … I had a similar dish in Tokyo that was exquisite; the offering from Rinka paled in comparison. We ended our meal with a Strawberry mochi for me and a Mochi with Green Tea Ice Cream for my tablemate. Both were very good. Final thoughts: The food is good to very good; my major complaint was the dishes not coming out in an appropriate sequence and at a pace that would have allowed us to savor each dish at its peak. We’ve experienced this issue at other Ward Village restaurants … this is what separates the good from the superlative restaurants. 4.25 stars from me.

We had a party of 12 so we got the private room which was perfect. Our waiter was great. He explained everything we needed to know. The prices are a little on the high side but the portions are ample so that's ok. I had the miso Butterfish and it was the biggest I've ever had. Thus place is definitely worth a try if you haven't been yet