“Bolognese” and “Japanese curry” aren’t phrases you usually see in the same menu description, but this dish intrigued me the most during my recent visit to Skull & Crown Trading Co.
The Chinatown venue is known for its tiki theming and décor. However, the bar boasts more than creative libations.
Skull & Crown’s executive chef Chris Kimoto recently added new dishes to the eatery’s menu. Kimoto, who has been at the restaurant for the past two years, describes his cooking style as “taking simple dishes and elevating them.”
“I drew inspiration from food that has moved me in the past, then re-create those dishes using local ingredients and my own flavor profile, combining comfort with refinement through the techniques I’ve learned over the years in this industry,” he says.
A few months ago, Kimoto updated the dinner menu. Several dishes — including kung pao shrimp and noodles, whole fried fish with pineapple coconut curry, and tako skewers with white kimchi and kimchi sauce — were switched out to be available on a rotating basis.
“We diversified the menu,” Kimoto explains. “Some dishes were higher priced but didn’t sell as often, so I wanted to rebalance cost and value by offering plates that felt more approachable without sacrificing quality or creativity.”
He adds that the Kung Pao dish now includes more vegetables and is served with rice instead of temomi noodles. Meanwhile, the Palabok ravioli and curry bolognese are new dishes (more on those later).
When it comes to appetizers, the eatery’s ‘ahi katsu ($17), lettuce wraps with slow-roasted pork ($28) and Lucky Lantern chicken ($22) continue to be customer favorites. The katsu is panko-breaded, lightly fried and served rare with pickled onions and ginger wasabi aioli. The crispy, breaded exterior contrasts nicely to the fresh, sashimi-style interior.
The Lucky Lantern chicken ($22) — the eatery’s version of chicken karaage — is one of my favorite dishes. The crispy, twice-fried chicken comes glazed in Capitol sauce and is served with pineapples and peppers. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and savory, with a delectable crunch to boot.
The lettuce wraps come with slow-roasted pork tossed in onions and garlic chili, along with crispy shallots, herbs and fresh house pickles so you can build your own wraps.
During our visit, we tried the salmon tocino, which was a specialty dish featured during this year’s Filipino Food Week. A mouthwatering medley of savory, sweet and slightly garlicky flavors, this twist on tocino — which is usually made with pork — highlighted the salmon’s flaky texture.
“Seeing as how that (the salmon tocino) has become quite popular, it will likely be added to the permanent menu,” Kimoto says.
Back to some of the eatery’s newer dishes — the Bolognese ($26) and Palabok ravioli ($26). The Bolognese features hearty Japanese curry with Mauka Meats beef combined with hand-cut pasta and topped with lemon ricotta, fresh sweet basil and chili crisp.
“I’m an absolute sucker for curry; I love all types of curry, but because of convenience, my go-to is Japanese curry,” Kimoto says.
Meanwhile, the housemade ravioli is filled with minced shrimp, water chestnuts, wood ear mushrooms and fresh cilantro. It’s drizzled with an herbaceous black vinaigrette and topped with crispy garlic.
“Making the ravioli is fun because it requires some technical skill, but also because the filling is based on Chinese shrimp dumpling filling,” Kimoto explains. “I have been wanting to make a filled pasta for quite some time. Cooking the actual sauce brings back memories of making shrimp butter at Piggy Smalls and lobster bisque at Michel’s. The ravioli is a dish that is sprinkled with memories of past jobs and late-night conversations of food.”
No visit to Skull & Crown Trading Co. would be complete without some of its signature cocktails. Popular options include Maunakea Mai Tai ($18), Trader Noa’s Old Fashioned ($20), Bird of Paradise ($17) and Lapu Lapu ($20). The latter — which includes Tanduay Gold, orange, lemon, lilikoʻi and pandan palm syrup — was featured during this year’s Filipino Food Week.
Save room for desserts like s’mores pie ($12) and ube tres leches ($12). The s’mores pie features a graham cracker crust topped with layers of ulu chocolate mousse, haupia and toasted marshmallow fluff.
“It came from my fascination of ulu and its various uses in the culinary world, as well as some inspiration from my childhood in Hawaiʻi with Ted’s (Bakery’s) chocolate haupia pie — along with the frozen hot chocolate that they did at my last job,” says Kimoto, who used to work in the pantry at Michel’s.
While he was never a pastry chef, Kimoto says part of his responsibilities included baking various sponge cakes (for wedding cakes), souffles and cheesecakes. He also had to make all the sauces for these desserts, ranging from classic crème anglaises to coulis and compotes.
“I have a huge sweet tooth, and I’m very curious about the creation and composition of desserts I see on social media,” Kimoto says. “Most of my experience, in regards to dessert, comes from the time I spent at Michel’s.”
For instance — Kimoto says the semifreddo in Skull & Crown’s cocoa and curacao dessert ($12) is based off a chocolate mousse he did while he was at Michel’s.
“The curacao meringue is based on my fascination with pavlova and macaroons,” he adds.
He also recalls a tres leches pound cake that he used to enjoy at now-closed Piggy Smalls in Ward Village.
“It was utterly decadent; the tres leches I make utilizes oat and coconut milk,” he says, explaining the inspiration behind the ube tres leches ($12). “It seemed like a good entry-level dessert that could be done in so many different ways to fit something light, but heavy at the same time.”
Ultimately, Kimoto hopes to encourage more local residents to visit Skull & Crown through both, his cooking and the venue’s tiki appeal.
“Many of the recipes I create are sprinkled with memories and inspirations I’ve had from my entire time in the industry,” he says. “Each one captivates a period of my life as a cook and a chef; each one has its own little story. I think it’s pretty cool to have a chain of memories tied to each and every dish.”
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CONTACT
Skull & Crown Trading Co.
62 N. Hotel St., Honolulu
808-372-0620
skullandcrowntrading.com
Instagram: @skullandcrowntradingco
Open 5-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays
Closed Sundays-Mondays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
