Redefining Fine Dining In Hawaii Travel Tips - Cruises Near Me, Deals & Cruise Travel Agents Near Me

Alan Wong’s award-winning restaurants and generous attitude keep him on Hawaii’s most-talked-about lists. His restaurant is more than a luscious menu and a remarkable wine list. It’s more than mouth-watering aromas, gorgeous appetizers and flavorful entrees. It’s more than deluxe hospitality. It’s Alan Wong!

One of the first things you notice about Alan Wong is that he’s a little different. While many chefs seem bent on claiming the entire spotlight, Alan Wong always seems to be shining the light on someone else: the farmers, the restaurant staff, and even other eateries in Oahu. When he won HONOLULU Magazine’s 2007 Hale ‘Aina Award for Restaurant of the Year—for the eighth time—Wong was eager to share the honors, saying “I hope you’ll give credit to the staff, who work here every day.”

Along with Best Restaurant, HONOLULU Magazine also honored Alan Wong’s Restaurant with Best Service and Best Wine Program. It is those awards and Wong’s influence on the creation of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine (HRC) that make Alan Wong’s restaurants a staple of the Oahu dining scene.

When a handful of culinary innovators, including Alan Wong, Sam Choy and Roy Yamaguchi, introduced Hawaiian Regional Cuisine to the islands in 1992, the food world sat up and took notice. HRC combines flavors from the islands’ Polynesian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Portuguese influences. Flavorful and visually stunning dishes highlight fresh ingredients such as lobster, mahimahi, mullet, opihi, ginger, jicama, mango and daikon.

For island restaurants, this emphasis on “fresh” also means “local” so instead of ordering their meats and produce from the mainland, HRC chefs have encouraged and supported farmers who grow their tasty ingredients. Once diners began to savor these new flavors, they wanted to do their own experiments, and local farmers markets filled the bill. Oahu residents stock up at farmers markets at Kapiolani Community College, in Kaneohe and in Millilani.

The combination of Alan Wong’s restaurant, the Kapiolani farmers market and the new Waikiki Beach Walk is a great way to experience the recent revitalization of Waikiki.