First Mai Tai and Izakaya

Izakaya

First Mai Tai

"Tilley Head" (foreground) Diamond Head (background)

Yesterday I had the pleasure of imbibing my first Mai Tai at the beach front bar of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach. The waiter advised me to try the “traditional” whereas Duncan opted for the one laced with ginger. I loved them both, but we switched because Duncan found his a bit gingery. After 15 minutes we were both hammered. It was a pleasant experience because we had taken the hour long city bus ride from the Ohana (Hawaiian for “family”) Hotel at the very reasonable cost of $2.25 per person. In fact that same bus ticket had taken us in the opposite direction to the Arizona Visitors’ Centre at Pearl Harbour. The trip there was a letdown; the Arizona memorial is poignantly beautifully, the movie, informative, but the centre is under (woefully needed) reconstruction. We didn’t feel motivated to pay a lot to wander around battleships or to look at missiles so we moved on.
We were able to reverse our direction and use our bus transfers to travel 8 miles to the infamous Waikiki Beach district of Honolulu. This had to be the bargain of the century. Just think what the cab ride would have cost! We felt we could afford to splurge on the pricey drinks and watch the surfers and sunbathers, and we didn’t have to worry about driving back to our hotel, THEBUS (like our TTC moniker) would return us safely to our digs. Waikiki Beach was smaller than I imagined it, but glorious, nonetheless. Diamond Head framed the postcard picture scene, and we smiled somewhat drunkenly at each other, twirling the little umbrellas on our drinks. I still have mine.
I perused the DK Honolulu Top 10 Guide searching for a unique place for dinner. We decided to eschew the advice of our drinks waiter to try the hotel restaurant, Azure, walk off the effects of the cocktails and get some exercise in anticipation of a long flight to Australia the next day. Walking in the direction of Diamond Head, the streets of Honolulu were what I expected, modern high rise hotels and condos, shops selling luxury brand name goods, ABC souvenir shops on every other corner and touts selling tours and boat rides - similar to Miami Beach. This is why we opted for Kauai, the Garden Isle, for most of our stay. However, I’ll never forget the bronzed surfer who passed us saying, “I have to go to class!” Apparently students surf here before and after class. I did enjoy our short time here.
We reached the Honolulu Zoo and turned up Kapahulu Ave. searching for Tokkuri-Tei Tavern, #611. It was listed under Local Food Stops in the guide “A Japanese izakaya (tavern) with an innovative East-West menu”. As we soldiered on, mon copain became increasingly sceptical issuing dire warnings about getting further out, getting lost in the dark, finding the place closed or non-existent, questioning the possibility that this tavern would provide good food; “What did East-West menus mean anyway?” I commented that as on our bus ride, we were experiencing the “real” Honolulu. After about ½ hour we succeeded in our quest and found it in a little strip mall perpendicular to the main drag. Upon opening the door, shrouded in traditional Japanese textiles, I thought we had walked into the tavern kitchen. The host assured us we were at the entrance and asked if we had a reservation! Fortunately, there was a little table free near the washrooms, the entrance of which was discreetly disguised by the aforementioned textiles. We took our seats and noted that ¾ of the diners were Japanese or native Hawaiians – a good sign. The sushi bar area was strung with charming Japanese lanterns and the tiles on the walls were scrawled haphazardly by former happy diners proclaiming this establishment as “The World’s Best Sushi Restaurant”. Even my sceptical, somewhat grumpy partner had to grudgingly admit that he should have trusted my usually reliable instincts (where food is involved anyway). We treated ourselves to cold Japanese beer, sampled spicy scallop uramaki and crunched contentedly on shrimp and ahi tempura rolls. It really was the “Best Sushi Restaurant in the World”!
Departing the restaurant in dark, as my spouse had predicted, we were challenged to find the bus stop. We found one and were assured by a very friendly local that the bus to the airport would arrive. I asked him if residents were pleased about Barack Obama’s election, and he grinned saying, “Oh yes, he’s from here, went to private school just down the road.” I smiled too though he probably couldn’t see me in the dark.
A bus arrived and stopped and though it wasn’t the correct number, we asked the driver if we were in the right place. He reassured us and when we asked about the wait, incredibly, he kept the traffic waiting as he pulled out the timetable, perused it rather slowly, I thought, and told us to wait 15 more minutes. Can you see a TTC driver doing that? People here have been so welcoming and friendly, even the U.S. Customs agents seem relaxed when compared to their menacing mainland counterparts. Sure enough, the bus came slightly later than predicted and whisked us back to our Hotel for $2.25 each. I’m still shaking my head!
Aloha and Mahalo Hawaii. People who live here are truly blessed.