[oomph] eats. moku kitchen.

there are so many restaurants popping up around town, it's hard to keep up. but during the holidays, there's always a reason to get together, so i've been making it a point to try somewhere new each time. last night, i went to moku kitchen, a new eatery in kaka'ako's SALT district which supports local, organic, sustainable farming, fishing, ranching, and all that good stuff.

we arrived around 5pm with reservations. paid parking is fairly abundant, but since i was early, i circled a few times around several blocks and found street parking. the restaurant was filling up when we got there and was bustling with people by the time we left a few hours later. i'm not sure how long the wait would be for a table, but i would recommend making reservations.

love the signage, although i didn't see this until we left as i arrived on the backside.

the restaurant was clean with rustic elements of wood paneling inside and brick outside. i appreciated the simplicity of the furniture and decor. there was a bar and an outside patio as well.

in the glass: montepulciano d'abrezzo pinot noir

i was told there were only two wines available that night...a pinot noir and a pinot grigio. i didn't quite understand why when i saw a number of wines on tap...maybe they were out or maybe they only offer a few from the list each night? so i went with the red, of course, which turned out to be excellent anyway.

they have happy hour from 3-5:30pm during which many of their handcrafted cocktails are $3 off. they also have an extensive microbrew list.

there was live music in one corner of the restaurant. it was enjoyable because it was "background" music rather than loud music that competed with our conversations.

roasted brussel sprouts and garlic truffle oil fries.

while i only took one photo of our small plates, we also ordered pizzas, szechuan stir-fry green beans with mac nuts, roasted squash ravioli, and wood roasted wings to name a few more. all were excellent, but i enjoyed the brussels and green beans the most.

their dessert menu was simple...a small variety of cream pies (strawberry, banana, haupia, chocolate mac nut) and sorbet. i ordered a couple of strawberry slices (for the birthday girls) which looked simply like whipped cream with strawberries on top; but whatever it was, it was nicely presented and tasted good.

service was excellent. our server was attentive and there were a lot of expediters running food and drinks to the tables. we didn't have to wait long for anything, which made for a pleasant experience. 

i look forward to coming back to try more of their menu offerings. highly recommend. 

you can walk around SALT with me here on periscope.

have you tried moku kitchen yet?

tell me about a new eatery in your neighborhood.