Two words: Chicken nanban. I remember still craving that dish — deep-fried chicken with a sweet and sour sauce and creamy tartar sauce — after my first visit to Minatoku Kitchen, which opened as a bento shop in August 2023 in the former Hide-Chan spot on South King Street.
Last October, the eatery extended its hours to open for dinner with a completely different menu. The restaurant is open for dinner from 3 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays).
The eatery’s dinner concept is called Minatoku No Bansan; “bansan” means “special dinner” in Japanese, according to restaurant kitchen manager Shizu Padasdao. While the lunch menu features grab-and-go Japanese-style plate lunches like tonkatsu ($16.50), miso salmon ($18), karaage ($14.50) and, of course, chicken nanban ($14.50), the dinner menu includes a variety of appetizers, salads, fried foods and entrees designed to share.
If you want something light but flavorful, start with the bouquet salad. Its vivid colors from the kabocha, cucumbers, avocado, and rose-shaped tomatoes, in addition to its bouquet-shape, make it completely social media worthy. It’s served with an addictive homemade onion dressing.
Also on the light side is the bluefin tuna carpaccio with miso sauce. The fish is fresh with a subtle miso flavor, making this a refreshing starter.
The Hana-sushi ($19) is a new menu item and features five pieces of sushi. The presentation is anything but typical, as the seafood resembles roses. The assortment includes ahi, salmon, scallop, shrimp and sajori (Japanese halfbeak fish).
If the chicken nanban plate lunch is your favorite, don’t worry — it’s still available during dinner. The juicy chicken thighs are coated with sweet and sour sauce and topped with Japanese taru taru, or tartar sauce. This version is creamy and eggy, reminiscent of an egg salad sandwich filling, and provides the perfect contrast to the fried chicken.
As popular as the chicken nanban is, the tonkatsu is the bestseller, according to Padasdao. The dish description on the menu says, “This one needs no explanation. It’s a sure thing.”
Thick-cut tonkatsu can be a heavier entrée, but this version is a deep-fried, mille-feuilled pork belly. Mille feuille means “thousand layers” in French, and the thinly sliced pork belly not only makes the tonkatsu easier to eat when cut, but you also don’t get too full so quickly.
Be sure to check out any seasonal specials during your visit. Currently featured dishes include wonton soup ($10.50), eel bowl ($19.50) and tantanmen ($15.50). You can take this Japanese ramen’s heat to the next level by adding the eatery’s homemade rayu (hot sauce) on top.
At this point, we tapped out, but there were still so many dishes I wanted to try — three-flavor fried chicken ($11.80), pork belly with herb breadcrumbs ($14.50), Minatoku katsu sando ($13.80) and green tea pudding ($8.50) for dessert.
I should note the parking situation is a bit stressful — there are four allotted parking spaces to the right of the restaurant; otherwise, you’ll have to hunt for street parking. But that chicken nanban alone is worth it.
CONTACT
Minatoku Kitchen
2471 S. King St., Honolulu
808-312-8633
minatoku-k.com
Instagram: @minatokukitchen
Hours: Open Wednesdays-Mondays, lunch 10 a.m.-5 pm., dinner served from 3 p.m. to midnight
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
