I never knew macadamia shavings were something so craveable.
That was the crowning glory — in addition to housemade vanilla ice cream — atop a warm custard tart, which was the final dessert course in PARIS.HAWAIʻI’s new menu.
PARIS.HAWAIʻI originally opened in 2018 in Waikīkī in the current spot of natuRe Waikīkī. Now under the Westman Corporation — the same group that owns Kaimukī Shokudo, Buho Cantina y Cocina and Sushi Fukurou — the eatery soft opened about three weeks ago in the former Hank's Haute Dogs space in SALT At Our Kaka‘ako.
The restaurant seats about 18 with mostly counter seating; its menu is seasonal and will change monthly. The 10-course menu is $120 per person, and wine pairings will be added in the future, according to Ryan Ko, vice president/chief operating officer of Westman Corporation.
I hadn’t been to the previous iteration of PARIS.HAWAIʻI, so I couldn’t compare this menu to the 2018 version. Ko says that while some offerings were inspired by the former menu, the current one features French cuisine with a Japanese twist, while utilizing local ingredients.
“It’s not like heavy French cooking with lots of butter,” Ko says.
The current 10-course menu starts with beef jerky paired with horseradish; a savory watercress-clam soup; and ‘ahi poke. The latter features ‘ahi from the Big Island combined with beef tartare (featuring beef also from the Big Island), shallots and lemon zest in a black charcoal tart. The black charcoal added a slight grittiness, which was a welcome contrast to the soft ‘ahi-and-beef layer. It was one of my favorite dishes on the menu.
The watercress comes from Sumida Farms and was infused in a clam consommé; it was served with herbs, sea asparagus and dill on the side. The herbs are designed to be expressed into the soup — picked apart and doused into the soup — but the broth already had so much flavor that the herbs weren’t necessary.
The next course was another favorite — Jidori chicken served with sauteed Brussels sprouts and housemade risotto, complete with orange carrot puree, an herb milk foam and sumac. We couldn’t get over the chicken’s tender texture paired with the perfectly creamy risotto.
This course also came with bread — made daily in-house — and sea asparagus butter. While I’m not the hugest fan of sea asparagus, I was pleasantly surprised by this pairing; the butter had a nice texture and umami flavor.
Other courses included Kona kanpachi served with sea asparagus, and local tomato shaved ice. The shaved ice is designed to be a palate cleanser and features roasted cherry tomatoes from Ho Farms.
The final savory course featured 100% grass-fed Big Island beef tenderloin, burdock puree and a medley of sauces — a green herb oil sauce, red pomegranate, beet and raspberry reduction, and an orange-brown chicken and beef bone stock jus. I especially enjoyed the savory jus, along with the herb oil sauce.
Pro tip: Save some of the bread from the chicken course to mop up the different sauces.
A housemade acai was the first dessert course. Refreshing and slightly sweet, it came with a local honey drizzle and crunchy granola (also made in-house, of course).
Remember the tarts I previously mentioned? These warm almond tarts came topped with shredded macadamia nut and housemade vanilla ice cream. The ice cream is good in and of itself, but it takes the warm almond tart to the next level.
CONTACT
PARIS.HAWAIʻI
SALT At Our Kakaʻako
324 Coral St., Honolulu
Instagram: @paris.hawaii
Open Thursdays-Mondays, two seatings: 5 and 7:30 p.m. Closed Tuesdays-Wednesdays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
