Chiba-Ken Restaurant

Oh my goodness! Where do I begin with this place? First, you have to find it and the location is not right in the open, which I am glad! There’s an orange sign you’ll see right before reaching the corner of the 7 – 11. The atmosphere is very relaxing and welcoming. Now… let’s take a look at few of my favorites from the menu.
First on the list… if you need to try anything, you MUST try the Miso Butterfish! My mouth is literally drooling as I write this. So flaky and juicy fish that taste just like the name says… butter!
Another item to share (or keep to yourself) is the Firecracker Balls. Deep fried with creamy sauce, these are a delicious appetizer to warm up your belly.
Let’s not forget about the Asparagus Wrapped in BACON! Seasoned asparagus pieces, then grilled to a crisp perfection!
The sushi is a must to get. Doesn’t matter which one you order, it’s going to come out fresh and tasting good! This is without a doubt my favorite Japanese place to go to and cannot wait to go back! Having spent 10 years in Okinawa, Japan, this place reminds me of the delicious food I would get there. Reservations are available so call ahead.

This is a late review of this place. I’ve come here a total of two times and while the service is pretty good, I have been let down with the quality of the fish…
The first time we went here, it was late night and we were hungry and tired with no where else open and found what looked like a mirage of a restaurant appear out of nowhere in the outskirts of Waikiki. We headed for the bar and ordered straight from the Happy Hour menu. We ordered the omakase (Sushi Chef Special), chicken sticks special and hot sake. We were served the omakase sushi without any explanation but as we were eating the chef asked «How was it?» As the service was good and we were hungry, we told them that the sushi was great. I do not remember how great the quality of the fish was that night as we were very hungry and tired and that usually means relatively that everything tastes delicious to you but I remember that it was average, nothing too special. The chef told another worker in Japanese, «You were right», not knowing that I understood Japanese. Now, that «You were right» could have been taken in so many ways but giving them the benefit of the doubt, we assumed that «You were right» did not mean that the customers that come in during happy hour, during closing time were dumb enough to eat low grade sushi for happy hour prices without complaining.
We came over with a good friend a second time hoping to show her a good time. We ordered off the regular menu (not off the happy hour menu) hoping that we would be served better quality fish than the last time that we were here. We had 3 orders of the Omakase Sashimi (Sashimi Chef Special), grilled shitake mushrooms, miso soup and hot sake.
I have to sadly say that this was the worst sushi experience of my life. The omakase came on one plate, 7 different types of fish; Hamachi, Salmon, Chu Toro, Saba (Makerel) and two different types of white fish. Everything was quite low grade, particularly my two favorites, the salmon and the chu toro, which I unfortunately saved for last. The salmon was not sashimi quality, very fishy tasting, and the chu toro had huge chunks of fiber in them, and was so stringy that I had to spit it out. The chu toro was the most offensive part of our meal but the other dishes were not much better. Shitake mushroom was dry and rubbery and after the first bite, no one touched the rest of it, the miso soup was a little too salty and nothing special just generic, and the sake was also generic.
The funny thing is, the omakase had no price in the first plate so had they just told us that the chu toro was maguro instead, I probably wouldn’t have noticed how badly the sushi chefs were trying to fool us.
To sum up a long story, if you want low grade sushi for a cheap price, the happy hour menu is the way to go. If you want low grade sushi for a medium price, the normal menu is the way to go. Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, still shame on you! There will never be a third time.

If you’re looking for a late night happy hour, this place is a go to. Went in a a late Saturday night and it wasn’t too crowded. Available were both indoor and outdoor seating, and also sushi bar counter. We got seated at the sushi bar and went straight for the happy hour menu. We ordered the Kalbi and Chicken Karaage for an appetizer.
I recommend the Kalbi. Perfectly marinated and chew off the bone. The karaage was not the best but the ponzu daikon served with it was a good touch.
Off the happy hour menu we ordered Pork Katsu Teishoku, Asparagus wrapped with Pork which were both really yummy!
Sushi and handrolls were fresh and inexpensive. This place is a must try if you’re in the Waikiki area.