Though I’ve been writing about a lot of upscale restaurants lately, that’s not how I normally eat. My usual diet is much simpler, though simpler doesn’t have to mean boring. Case in point, the gourmet plate lunches at Gochi Grill.
What is Gochi Grill?
Gochi Grill is a take-out spot in Honolulu’s business district. They specialize in higher-quality, lighter plate lunches. And while their cuisine is decidedly more upscale than other places, the food isn’t expensive at Gochi. In fact, most plate lunches are $10.50 or $11.50, while the most costly item tops out at $13.50.
Location
As mentioned, Gochi Grill is in the heart of Honolulu’s business district. But, more specifically, they’re in the Remington College building along Bishop Street. They’re open Monday thru Friday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, though they sometimes sell out early. That’s how popular they are. And no, you can’t call to reserve plates, so go early if you can.
Service
Service at Gochi Grill is friendly and quick, though I must admit some of the people there are my high school classmates. That said, wait times between placing your order and receiving your food is short. And this isn’t the case only for me, but my co-workers that have gone too.
The Food
I’ve only been able to make it to Gochi Grill twice. They aren’t convenient for me when I’m at work, nor are they open on weekends, so I have to go whenever the opportunity presents itself. But, in those two visits, I did get to try three different items.
My favorite item so far is the chicken katsu (fried chicken cutlet) with horseradish katsu sauce.
The chicken is very flavorful, moist, and tender, while the exterior is crispy without being too hard. And the katsu sauce, with a mild, sinus-clearing bite of horseradish provides a nice counterbalance to the fried chicken. Usually, plates come with steamed white rice, but on this occasion, they had shoyu (soy sauce) chicken fried rice available, so we upgraded to that. And, all plate lunches come with Gochi’s potato mac salad, which is lighter than most other versions.
Another of my favorites is the Zaru Saimin.
Traditionally, this dish uses either soba or thin udon. But Gochi’s version uses fresh, local saimin noodles, which is Hawaii’s own, unique noodle. And things are punched up a bit with choy sum, a hard-boiled egg, tsukemono (Japanese pickles), green onions, and a truffled tsuyu (dipping sauce). Yeah, the tsuyu has truffle oil in it, but I still like it anyway. And since this dish is cold, it’s as refreshing as it is tasty.
The last dish I’ve had at Gochi Grill is the Seared Meatloaf.
With this plate, you get three slabs of slow roasted and seared meatloaf in a truffle mushroom gravy with a croquette, rice and, mac salad. It’s undoubtedly one of the more substantial dishes at Gochi, especially with the croquette, but it’s still good. The meatloaf is tender and flavorful, while gravy is excellent and goes great with the meatloaf and the rice.
Gochi Grill, Final Thoughts
Even if I didn’t know people at Gochi Grill, I’d still love the place. And so, it’s someplace I highly recommend checking out if you can get to them during their regular business hours. The plates are much better, in my opinion than any other Plate Lunch or bento place, including Rainbow Drive-In. Plus, the price is right. Yes, there are cheaper options out there, but you aren’t going to find much at this level of quality; the plates are worth every penny.