Sashimi-style scallops. Chilled corn soup with freeze-dried corn. Housemade focaccia with honey butter. These are just a few of the new options available at Leila Kaimukī.
The eatery, a partnership between chefs Chris Kajioka and Mourad Lahlou, opened last September with a menu that highlighted Moroccan flavors. The three-course tasting menu featured two set courses — including an assortment of spreads that I really loved — and a shared entrée, which featured options like Mediterranean branzino and lamb with sunchoke puree.
The Kaimukī eatery recently changed things up and started a new four-course tasting menu ($75 per person) that showcases Italian-Mediterranean flavors with Japanese influence. Optional wine pairings ($40) are available.
Leila Kaimukī’s menu will change each month to keep things fresh, but will still feature this four-course format.
"This change allows us to be more dynamic, like we are at (our sister restaurant) Miro," says chef Chris Kajioka. "While it is very challenging to change our menu every month, it better fits with our ethos to highlight seasonal ingredients and dishes."
In addition to its new menu, the eatery now offers a private dining room space in the front of the restaurant. It can seat around 10 people.
Similar to the menu at Miro Kaimukī, Leila offers a few optional add-ons. Choose from snacks like Kusshi oysters with tomato water mignonette ($5.50), prawn toast ($10) and focaccia with honey butter or extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic ($14).
The prawn toast ($10) is brought out before the first course and features a local Kauaʻi prawn mousse with sweet chili and ginger that’s sandwiched between two crispy pieces of Japanese milk bread. It’s topped with housemade pesto and San Daniele prosciutto. Each bite is an explosion of flavor — you get a little sweetness from the prawn and a little savoriness from the prosciutto.
Not listed on the menu — but also available — is the wagyu toast (supplemental $14). This luxe toast features a high-quality cross between an Australian wagyu and Japanese wagyu. The beautifully marbled piece is shaved thinly, seared and draped over a brioche toast, which is filled with a smoked oyster aioli. It’s rich and decadent, and every bit worth the splurge. The high-quality A5 results in that melt-in-your-mouth texture without sacrificing beefy flavor.
The first course features Hokkaido scallop served crudo-style with housemade blood orange vinaigrette, avocado puree, watermelon radish and serrano pepper. It’s light, bright and refreshing, especially after the savory toasts. The serrano pepper adds a touch of heat.
This chilled corn soup captures the essence of summer. It includes charred sweet corn, pickled peach and freeze-dried corn; the broth is poured tableside. The soup itself is light, sweet and creamy, with a nice crunch from the freeze-dried kernels. You’ll want to get the supplemental focaccia to mop up every last drop.
The housemade focaccia comes with your choice of honey butter or extra-virgin olive oil with Villa Manodori balsamic. While focaccia is traditionally baked in a larger sheet tray, resulting in a crispier crust, we’re told this one is baked in a smaller round. The crust is thinner, but the bread is still fluffy on the inside.
It comes with your choice of roasted garlic honey butter or a high-grade extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Or, you can have the best of both worlds and get both, since they’re offered.
While we enjoyed both options, I preferred the rich flavors of the roasted garlic butter, which had a layer of honey gelee inside. You won’t be able to see it until you cut through the butter; it gave the focaccia a nice sweet-yet-savory flavor.
The pasta course featured agnolotti stuffed with smoked mozzarella, mascarpone and truffle relish. It’s served in a savory sauce comprising butter and smoked vegetable dashi, along with snap peas and pancetta, with house pickled red onions and shaved Parmesan on top.
The pasta is cooked perfectly — tender with a nice chew — and I love the smoky flavor from the mozzarella. The pancetta makes ultra savory. The flavors are rich, but we don’t feel heavy after finishing this course, thanks to the petite tasting portion.
The fourth course features pork collar and pork belly — a balance of fat and leanness — that’s served with honey, pickled mustard seed, little gem lettuce and baby fennel from Waimea-based Hirabara Farms, and anchovy emulsion. It’s a nice balance of fat and leanness from the pork, and the mustard seed gives it a bright flavor.
Leila Kaimukī’s dessert is a la carte in the form of Straus Creamery soft serve ($12) with your choice of topping: caramel and sea salt, white balsamic strawberries and fig leaf oil, or high-grade extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt (which is the more Italian-esque way).
We’re told the brand is famous in the Bay Area, and is known for sourcing organic dairy all over northern California. Leila Kaimukī gets its vanilla base shipped to them, and the eatery makes its soft serve in-house from that.
By this point, we’re too full — most likely from all that focaccia — and resolve to try the soft serve next time, but that bread (and honey butter) was 100% worth it.
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CONTACT
Leila Kaimukī
1108 12th Ave., Honolulu
808-888-0884
leilahnl.com
Instagram: @leila_kaimuki
Open 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
