There are many Japanese restaurants of differing quality and style around Honolulu. However, one has stood the test of time as a reliable standby – Sushi Izakaya Gaku. Despite being around for a while now, I’ve never been here until recently. And I’m glad I finally made it out to try this beloved spot.
Sushi Izakaya Gaku has long been a hotspot for those in the know of O’ahu. Known for serving delicious, quality Japanese cuisine, this small, inconspicuous spot has long been difficult to obtain dinner reservations for – especially during peak days and times. Alas, as I struggled to find a new-to-us spot for Mrs. Island Miler’s recent birthday, I remembered Gaku and gave them a call. Miraculously, they had an opening on my preferred date, and at the time, I wanted it.
Reserving a Table at Sushi Izakaya Gaku
Before we get into the actual review, I want to point out that Sushi Izakaya Gaku is more of an old-school spot. You aren’t going to find them on OpenTable, Resy, Tock, etc. Rather, you have to pick up the phone and call them. But if you call during service, good luck getting someone to answer. As such, it’s best to call between 3 pm and 5 pm if you can. By the way, their number is (808) 589-1329.
Location
Those familiar with Honolulu will instantly recognize Sushi Izakaya Gaku’s address as one that will potentially have parking issues. Located along King Street (where many of Honolulu’s top spots are), parking is notoriously difficult in the area, thanks to limited street parking and the lack of parking lots at most of these establishments. The same holds true for Gaku. Though, like Golden Pork Ramen, they do have a TINY parking lot down a single-lane alleyway in the back of the restaurant. After circling around a few times, we lucked out and snagged a parking spot in that lot.
But if you want to save yourself the headache, I’d suggest taking public transit or a rideshare to get here instead.
Service + Ambiance
Sushi Izakaya Gaku’s setting isn’t unlike many of the more traditional sushi and izakaya spots around town. The interior is enveloped in dark woods, with art lining the walls and a large sushi bar taking center stage. However, beyond the main dining area is a tatami room that can function as additional seating or a private dining space.
Service, as you expect, is excellent and understated. Staff is courteous and attentive, though they don’t hover, nor do they put on the theatrics that some other spots around town do.
The Food
Like many other izakayas, Sushi Izakaya Gaku has a rather lengthy menu with something for everyone. Theirs do appear to be a bit more curated than other spots, which likely allows them to focus more. That said, during our particular visit, there were a couple of pages of specials that provided additional choices, some of which were seasonal.
Naturally, the number of choices made deciding on what to order difficult. Alas, we ended up putting several different orders, the biggest of which was our first wave. And, of that, the first dish to land was the tofu. But this isn’t just any tofu. This is Gaku’s own homemade tofu with a jellied sauce. You can also add ikura or uni to it, as Mrs. Island Miler chose to do.
The tofu here has an interesting texture – it’s silky and soft but has a firmer bite than typical silken tofu. The jelly on top is a gelatinized mixture of shoyu, dashi, and vinegar. The subtle flavors of the sauce pair nicely with the tofu to create a light, refreshing dish, though I could do without the wasabi 😉. Mrs. Island Miler enjoyed her ikura-topped version but mentioned that the ikura does kind of overpower the flavor of the tofu.
The second dish to arrive was the ankimo (monkfish liver). Anthony Bourdain describes the dish as the foie gras of the sea, and he ain’t wrong. As you can see, it’s visually similar to foie gras torchon. It’s also creamy and rich like foie. However, unlike foie, ankimo is often firmer and has an oceanic taste to it.
At Sushi Izakaya Gaku, the ankimo is exceptionally smooth. This is, perhaps, the smoothest preparation I’ve ever had! The addition of paper-thin red onions, along with the negi, ginger, and shoyu-based sauce, also helps to cut the richness while simultaneously taming the oceanic flavors, allowing the umami of the dish to shine through.
Next, we switched to a hot dish with Sushi Izakaya Gaku’s interpretation of ochazuke. Here, they combine mentaiko, salmon, ume, bubu arare, and nori over white rice. However, instead of the standard green tea, Gaku serves their ochazuke with a pot of hojicha – roasted green tea. I actually really enjoyed the more toasty, savory notes and depth the switch brought with it, pairing beautifully with the seafood and preserved plumb.
For dish four, we went with a seasonal item – seared Hokkaido Scallops with Persimmons. The scallops here weren’t so much seared as they were lightly torched on the outside and left raw in the middle. Served in a sesame sauce with razor-thin slices of onion and jalapeño, the sweetness of the scallops and persimmons meshed surprisingly well with the nutty, slightly acidic sauce and the onions and peppers. It was really good. Mrs. Island Miler really enjoyed this, and she isn’t really a fan of scallops!
Next up was a dish more for Mrs. Island Miler – Sushi Izakaya Gaku’s special Spicy Ahi. Here, the standard spicy-style ahi is served omatsuri-style with tobiko, uzuru yolk, green onions, and a side of roasted nori. As is often the case, this spicy ahi is creamy (from mayonnaise) with a very mild amount of heat. However, unlike many, there’s a light flavor of red jalapeño in this one.
For my solo dish, I went with the Hamachi Kama. This is one of my all-time favorite izakaya dishes, especially when done a certain way. And I’m happy to report this was the case at Sushi Izakaya Gaku, as the crispy roasted exterior came coated in a healthy dose of rock salt. This fatty, juicy, crispy piece of fish is heaven. And at $21 (at least, for my piece – this is an MP item), it was a great deal!
For our final savory dish, we ordered some maki sushi. I went with my old standby, negitoro, while Mrs. Island Miler opted for the mentai-yama imo roll. These were beautifully executed, though I would’ve preferred a tad bit less wasabi in mine.
For dessert, we decided to split Sushi Izakaya Gaku’s signature custard pudding. Their version is reminiscent of the caramel pudding I enjoy at Rinka in Ward Village. However, Gaku’s version is much less sweet while retaining that glorious, slightly bitter, burnt sugar flavor. I do believe this version is also velvetier.
Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Final Thoughts
In total, I think we spent around $150 with tax and tip, which is damn good nowadays, especially when you consider the quality we enjoyed. And that really is the key here. In my assessment, Sushi Izakaya Gaku is a fantastic traditional izakaya. You won’t find any trendy dishes here. The vast majority of the menu consists of old favorites crafted with quality ingredients and executed to a high degree.
That’s a completely different experience from, say, Akira Japanese Restaurant, which does more modern interpretations of Japanese cuisine but also uses quality ingredients and has stellar technique.
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