MW Restaurant

My local friend was kind enough take me to dinner here. The food consists of small plates (though I think they have large) and were delicious. We didn’t have reservations, but we were luckily able to get a seat in front of the chefs cooking. Unfortunately, the hostess (a youngish Asian woman) was really rude and unfriendly — she had a perpetual scowl on her face (until some other guy who worked there walked by, then she smiled) — she should definitely not be the face people see upon entering, especially in such a friendly state as Hawaii. Luckily, our waiter was friendly and nice, so it wasn’t all staff — just her. We tried a variety of small dishes, including fresh ahi poke (mashed ahi poke on top of ahi slices), Korean Fried Chicken (little cubes with something similar to gochujang sauce on top), Fried Risotto Balls, and the MW Candy Bar for dessert, which was delicious. They do give you a slice of free toasted buttered bread along with a free chocolate chip cookie at the end. Yum! Our drinks were also delicious — mine was alcoholic and my friend’s was not. I’d love to eat here again during my next trip!

This is a VERY nice place to dine at. It definitely is a hidden gem in Honolulu. My friend Jon who works there decided to take me and a couple of friends to eat there for lunch/​happy hour.
We were served with great service, good food, and a nice environment. We ordered the steak and it was cooked to a perfect medium. I really enjoyed how the food tasted. This is a very underrated place!
I really recommend coming here! The funny thing is that I didn’t even know this place existed till recently.

1 STAR BASED OFF SERVICE!
Let’s start off with 1 of 2 POSITIVES. The hostess was friendly and they even had a special menu printed out wishing my other half a «Happy birthday»
2^nd POSITIVE was a server (not ours) who helped us with taking our food and drink orders.
Now how to start this off without being very disrespectful…
Place was empty. 6 tables, 7 servers, 1 manager.
Our server GOIRGIO F.
PLEASE take a serving class. As a server myself, you did sooo many wrong things last night as I was trying to celebrate a special occasion. One that could not be relived.
–Within a period of 2 hours, he checked on our table 3 times. We looked to another server (2^nd server) to take our order and address our questions to.
— After the first 30mins of being there, our server offered us bread and forgot to bring it. The 2^nd server brought us more bread an hour and 20mins into being seated.
–My drink order was messed up and he didn’t come over to apologize for the mess up or let me know that it would take another 5mins for my drink to come. (Mind you, 6 tables and 3 of which were 2 tops)
–Had to ask a different server (2^nd server) for a dessert menu after he cleared our table. He also took our order for our dessert.
–Was over charged for an extra drink. Make sure you check your receipt.
–Waited 15mins after the check was dropped before the overcharge was address and I had to ask the hostess to check on the over charged drink for us because our server was very inattentive.
OVERALL,
Our first time to MW was very disappointing. When going to a more upscaled restaurant in Hawaii, you would expect amazing service for the price you’re gonna spend and especially when celebrating a special occasion. I’m very disappointed with my FIRST visit to MW as I heard many positive things about the restaurant and one of which was the «amazing service» which I failed to receive.
To end on a positive, food was good.

Chef Wade I’m happy to not only call him a colleague but a culinary friend as well. Chef & his wife team up to make your nights special and your day epic. Your palate will be pleased when visiting MW and make sure to leave room for dessert.
Chef D

This restaurant was recommended by a friend. Amazing food and service. Could easily be a more expensive restaurant in a larger city like Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc.
There is a private parking lot and there are limited free parking spots near the entrance.
The food is local and sustainable according to the menu. We were served slices of bread toast and it was amazing. I ordered a mochi crusted red snapper and it came with some somen noodles and veggies. So flavorful! I was impressed and my belly was very happy.
I later learned that there is a prix fixe menu for lunch at $ 25 which was more affordable than the dinner option at $ 75. Unfortunately time didn’t allow for us to return to the restaurant. Until next time!

We came in after seeing their plate du jour on Instagram; a portabello mushroom open face sandwich featuring local grown organic vegetable. The restaurant has nice atmosphere, beautifully decorated, with open kitchen and a full bar.
For lunch, the restaurant was half full, and were were seated quickly with a cheerful hostess.
The vegetarian nachos were delicious. The red bean, avocado, were flavorful, and the house made chips were so light and delicious.
The portabello mushroom sandwich were quite unique and delicious as well. The mushroom itself was flavored with balsamic vinegarate.
Loving the fact that MW is doing more vegetarian dishes.

Spectacular dining spot in Honolulu. I was lucky enough to be treated to a night out here during my recent visit and this place was a revelation. I had a pasta dish, Lobster carbonara, which was very nice (if a bit spicy), but my husband had a local whitefish and that was excellent. If I go back, when I go back, I will be sure to order the market fresh fish, as it will undoubtedly be something you cannot find anywhere else in the world. The starter course of fresh goats cheese with tomatoes was also out of this world. But the best thing of all were the desserts. We were a table of 8 and each ordered a different item and I don’t believe any of us could tell you who had the best one as they were all excellent.
Go here if you get a chance, you will not regret it.

First time visit to this fine eatery and was not disappointed at all; big thanks to my friends K. L& R.Y., for introducing the place and the treat. Their dishes were very well prepared and delicious. No complaints about their topnotch services; I didn’t have to ask for refills. My companion did repeatedly asked to refills and other extra services and they were graciously rendered.
Overall, I had a memorable experience and will not hesitate to return again in the future.

Very casual dining, you don’t need to dress up but many do. Alan Wong quality food, but a fresher concept. It lacks the atmosphere of AW but nothing else except maybe street cred.
They had two tasting menus that night. These are a great way to go but be advised, lots of food. As said by another Unilocaler, don’t eat it all or you will run out of gas before you reach the finish line.
Dessert is not only a must but you should have 1 ½ per person. Not for portion but for the experience. 2 people, order 3 desserts.
French wines are well chosen on the list by glass. Many dishes showed French inspiration. Tremendous team waiting, ask anyone for anything.

This review is solely on our afternoon tea experience.
Afternoon tea is held once a month, and the menu is basically a surprise until the day of.
We each chose a tea (I was in a party of 3), and it was nice, but we had to ask for sugar, and when we finally got it, it was literally only a spoonful. Very odd, and we needed more but hated to pester continuously.
Scones were yummy, but jam was a little too tart.
There was a huge selection of savory bites, some better than others, but we loved the presentation! Same for the dessert, although those are usually more hit or miss.
Probably won’t come to afternoon tea here again, but it doesn’t hurt to try at least once.

Came over this past weekend for our monthly Girls afternoon tea. Excited to try this place out as they only feature afternoon tea one every month.
Not a fan of the location, it’s on a street where a lot of bars are in the area and the Parking was small, so we had to resort to valet for four dollars. The building it’s located in doesn’t seem to be fit for the type of restaurant i were expecting.
Menu was not what I was expecting, per usual would entail small savory sandwiches. But it was a great difference than what we’re used to.
Small selection of tea, but I do know what flavors I’m not a fan of, so I was satisfied with my selection. I chose the Lemon Hamaki, my friends chose lychee Acai and strawberry hibiscus iced tea. We usually get different flavors from each other so we can try more flavors. I liked mine, I can drink my tea with no added sugar (we had to flag our waitress down for sugar for the other girls.) I sipped the strawberry iced and was taken back because the brew seemed as if it would be sweet (it was a fairly dark red) it wasn’t watery or salty but it seemed sour in a bitter way, I was happy I didn’t choose that tea, usually I would opt for a strawberry flavor.
Service was prompt and menu was a little complicated due to the fact I’m not used to dining that way, and I was afraid to try dishes only because I wasn’t familiar with the items but I did enjoy a handful of them. Although I do think could would work on a few dishes and he way they were meant to be eaten.
Desserts were amazing and different from what we’re used to, I enjoyed the MW candy bar very sweet but it was a really small portion so you weren’t too overwhelmed. Blueberry scones were really yummy, but wasn’t too much of a fan on the lemon curd it was served with, it could have definitely used more sugar. We also tried the MW donuts that is one of their more popular items, although I loved the presentation, I wasn’t into the flavor. It tasted like a biscuit that was deep fried. It came with a cream, but it tasted like raw egg, it could have used more sugar.
Priced at about forty dollars, I would say it was worth it for the amount of food we were served but I don’t think I would return, because I have had better after noon tea. I think they just need to tweak a few of the flavoring aspect of their dishes and I would possibly try again.

I was pretty excited to try MW Restaurant as they have some excellent specials/​deals if you come during lunch or later on in the afternoon. Famous as the two owners, Michelle and Wade Ueoka, worked at Alan Wong’s for over two decades! It’s not advertised on their website but they even have a three course lunch special ($ 25.00). I wanted to try their $ 5.00 small plate specials because how can you say no to that? Ah, to be a senior citizen when you can dine on a weekday between 2 to 5pm. Goals.
My sis couldn’t order from the Happy Hour menu as almost all of the dishes had gluten or was deep fried, so she went with the $ 25.00 lunch deal. I, on the other hand, stuck with the $ 5 small plates but should have ordered a mixture of items. I didn’t realize that everything was deep fried and heavy. It would have been okay if we shared but I was all on my own to eat my portion. Would have appreciated our waiter pointing that out, oh well, lesson learned for next time.
We came on a Wednesday afternoon and place was pretty empty. I’m sure it’s packed after work and during the evenings. Inside is very classy and modern. Cool that you can see inside the kitchen — pretty insane how many people they had working. There must have been a dozen and that was just kitchen crew. FYI, inside is weirdly cold so bring a sweater or scarf if you get cold easily.
— Tahitian lemonade — vanilla infused bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice and soda. This one packed a punch on first sip.
— «Spam musubi» — mochi crusted smoked-​pork-​arabiki-​meatloaf and quail egg. This was the best/​classiest spam musubi I’ve ever had! It was incredibly delectable. If someone cooked me eggs like these ones, I’d be an egg lover converter. The combined mixture of meats was delicious and the mochi trust was icing on the cake — the perfect crunch, crispy texture. This one was my favourite hands down.
— Ahi poke — the ahi poke was good but Ono Seafood can’t be beat in my books. This one I would say was aiming to be «high end». They had these crispy rice cracker balls that gave it a nice contrasting texture to the poke.
— Ahi poke mandoo — Hamakua eryngi mushrooms and garlic soy. These were decent but I’m not the biggest fan of deep fried mandoo. I’d skip it and try something else instead.
Unagi and butterfish arancini — nori tsukudani and kabayaki mustard. You get 7 arancini’s, which is absurdly good value for $ 5. Just thinking back home where you get 3 for more than double that price. These were nice
3 Course Lunch ($ 25.00)
— Trio sampler — ahi cracker, lobster bisque and greek salad. Presentation was beautiful and a nice way to start my sis’s meal off. I ate two thirds of it though, haha.
— Mochi crusted monchong-​sickle pomfret — somen noodles, assorted Condiments in a yuzu koshu soy vinaigrette. I had a bite of my sis’s fish and it was perfectly cooked. Super flavourful. It had the same mochi crust as my spam musubi — winner winner.
— Kula strawberry «shave ice» — haupia tapioca, strawberry lanten, mochi Ice Cream, strawberry-​yuzu sorbet and shaved «hibiscus strawberry». This dessert was BONKERS. The best shaved ice we’ve both ever had. This ain’t nothing like your mom and pop shaved ices you’ll find on the island. This is shaved ice 2.0. Or crack cocaine shave ice. Our spoons couldn’t get to this fast enough. The shaved ice was light and refreshing, the tapioca perfect bite size and best of all, I wasn’t expecting the sorbet hidden right in the middle! They generously switched this in so that my sis could eat dessert too. Great service!
MW’s weekday on-​the-​go menu sounds delicious. If I lived in the area, I’d be all over that. Seriously, how is it only $ 10.00?! But you can’t go wrong with any of their menus (seriously, so many options — lunch, dinner, on-​to-​go, small plates, Afternoon Tea ($ 35.00 Sunday once a month), 5 course tasting menu ($ 75.00) and chef tasting menu ($ 100.00)). Something for everyone. Definitely worth a visit!

MW is located on Makaloa Street, right next to First Hawaiian Bank. They have free valet parking right in front, or you can park along Makaloa and Kapiolani.
Loved the service here, all the staff was great! Very helpful when trying to decide what to order off the menu. Deon was also my life saver by finding me the perfect wine to go with my entrée (scallops). Thanks MW staff!
The Grub.
[[ OPAKAPAKA $ 36 ]]
The opakapaka is a popular dish to try. I personally did not care for this dish too much.
[[ SCALLOPS $ 45 ]]
The scallops were cooked to perfection. This dish was delish!
[[ ARANCINI $ 12 ]]
This was a great appetizer to start with!
Unfortunately we did not get a chance to try any dessert this time around because we had to catch a movie :(BOO!

Tried the 5 course tasting menus and nearly exploded because it was so delicious. My only advice is to try not to finish every dish because you cannot enjoy the absolutely delectable dessert at the end when you are beyond bursting. The portions looked like full size portions despite it being a tasting menu. They tricked me! It’s a bit pricey for sure so if you’re really looking to impress (but still save) I would go for just dessert because it’s like nothing I’ve experienced before. The lilikoi creamsicle brûlée is without a doubt the best dessert I’ve ever had.
Ambiance was also great as to be expected for the price. Very spacious as you arnt dining elbow to elbow with other guest.

La Cucina’s wait was an estimated 1.5 to 2.0 hours wait to get a TABLE… this did not include the time it takes to actually order and wait for food! They don’t take reservations for groups less than four, so we decided to leave and try MW Restaurant due to Unilocal recommendations and reviews… not disappointed!
We parked on the street since the parking lot was small and it looked pretty filled up. There was valet parking but street parking on a Saturday night, after a certain hour, was free, so free was better than paying + tip.
We didn’t have reservations, being the rogue couple we were, but they were nice enough to sit us at the bar for dinner, where I promptly had my fill of exotic drinks — the Speyside Spice. I like savory spicy things so this drink was more like a meal than a drink! It had a smoky, spicy layer to it that I absolutely loved and I don’t think it’s something I can re-​create at home.
The Beet salad appetizer I ordered was so pretty it was something from a food glam magazine.
My husband does not like beets but he gladly ate some of my «salad» A.K.A. artwork.
My husband ordered the Scallops and I ordered the King Salmon — didn’t know there was such a thing called a «King» Salmon — thought it was only crab. The only problem is that I don’t like my fish raw or anywhere near raw, so when I ordered the dish, I was very specific that it should be cooked well-​done, which it wasn’t. I flaked the fish and tried to eat only the cooked spots, which were on the outside of the fillet of salmon (small but tasty). I sent it back to the kitchen to be microwaved but apparently they threw it away as I did a number with my fork but they were nice enough to replace it with another piece of salmon. They also comped my drinks, which was really nice of them.
Will definitely be back to try their other dishes!

Afternoon Tea Service– the first thing that came to mind was a scene from the movie, «The Music Man» (1962) where these women are dressed up in their Sunday best singing a song called «pick a little, talk a little» (check it on YouTube) and you’ll see what I mean.
So when I was contacted by Unilocal friends Jules Y. and Fran C. to attend an afternoon tea at the MW I gleefully said «yes» after checking with da Boss. Of course a question mark did pop into my head (in much the same way it did for Mel B. in an earlier review he did) as to what an afternoon tea was, as that «pick a little talk a little» song was humming through my head. The only other thing I could think of was small finger sandwiches and tea in chinaware, and the lady hens chirping in the Music Man.
Fast forward to the designated Sunday in February. This was our first experience with the MW restaurant in any form. Well, afternoon tea at the MW is not your Mother’s afternoon tea. MW is a contemporary, modern and chic unassuming restaurant that is usually open on Sunday only for dinner but does offer a monthly afternoon tea service.
The Afternoon tea consists of seven different tasty bites, seven different sweet bites and a scone as an interlude between the two groups of bites. Think amuse bouche size servings. Like going through a buffet line where you can only take a «spoonful» of each item, fifteen items in all plus the tea.
At first glance, any plate lunch aficionado would say this doesn’t look like it’s gonna be enough to fill me up but rest assured, you will be full (not exploding opu full) but satisfied full as the three guys at the tea can attest.
My understanding is that afternoon tea is suppose to be a refined occasion for conversation with a bit of beverage and sustenance to enhance the conversational experience. (Refined bruddahs, refined– no rubbah slippers and no tank tops. No embarress your «boss» ’cause bosses never forget. I know.) The MW afternoon tea gets high marks for both by offering pleasant surroundings, good service, delicious bites and delightful teas for patrons.
Some examples of the February tea bites included: Tokachi Azuki Bean Ragout, Mac and Cheese, Lamb Sausage, Neopolitan Mousse Cake, Frozen Meyer Lemon Meringue and Artisan Kona Coffee «Tiramisu». As a picture is worth a thousand words please see my pics of the menu, bites and tea for more specifics. It was worth the $ 40 charge and we can’t wait to go back for dinner in the future.
A big Mahalos to Yeeps Sistah Jules and Bruddah Fran for organizing and inviting us to this informal Yeep get together. Double thumbs up to MW for a very nice first time afternoon tea experience for this normally two fisted plate lunch kinda guy– was ono!

My milestone 100^th Unilocal review is for Valentine’s Day 2016! :)
For all the times and different delicious items I’ve tried here, I confidently give this restaurant 5 stars.
I am beginning to have fond memories of this place. In the short time I have been Unilocaling, I have attended the following events & occasions:
A. MW Afternoon Tea
B. Christmas lunch
C. Valentine’s Day dinner
Tea occurs every third Sunday, is now $ 40 (was $ 35pp) and comes with choice of tea flavor in refillable pot & assorted savory and sweet bites with option for additional supplemental items.
When I think of this place, the following thoughts & ideas come to mind: Modern :) Chic :) Inventive :) Creative :), all which equate to a FuN yet refined dining experience.
This M & W chef duo really know their business stuff. They’re smart; they know how to take feedback & turn it into wonderful. It seems they are always trying new & different ingredients & flavor combinations. It’s neat to taste their taste twists. Much less often it doesn’t work so well but most often they completely tantalize my tastebuds leaving me wanting — scratch that! — drrreaming for more. In their hands, I am willing to take their flavor risks! :D
For this review, I am writing about their Valentine’s Day dinner.
Unbeknownst to bf Fran C., I booked Valentine’s Day reservations two months ahead. Although Fran C. absolutely loves fried chicken & heavier meals during the day, by evening he turns vegetarian. Knowing that, I made 4pm reservations to give time to digest his meal & we’d still have time to catch a movie.
Our plans worked out perfectly. That morning we went to Egghead Café with Nadine C. and a bunch of Yeeps to earn their breakfast badges and by early dinner, Fran C. & I were just about ready for more.
That night there were two dinner menus, a Valentine 3-​course ($ 65pp) & a 5-​course ($ 100pp). We opted for the former which included choice of one of 6 main course dishes.
I’ve dined here a bunch of times and mostly enjoyed their various dishes. While the taste of today’s dinner overall was good, I wish it had been more flavorful. Perhaps what was missing is just some salt, olive oil, &/​or pepper.
Service was thoughtful helpful and efficient. There were four helping us with our table service.
Appetizer samplers:
1) Hawaiian Hearts of Palm Panna Cotta (3−5÷5)
— Tried this here before a few times and think whether I like it just depends how it’s seasoned; needed more seasoning this time
2) Osetra Caviar (⁵⁄₅)
— Hard to taste the teeny tiny eggs but on top of the ahi ball & little round cucumber, it all was delicious
3) Kusshi Raw Oyster (⁵⁄₅)
— Fresh! Yummy! Sweet! Wanted more! The juice was fresh and slightly lemony
4) Coconut Ceviche (⁴⁄₅)
— A soft, mildly crunchy ball of goodness. I didn’t realize this was coconut
5) Unagi Arancini (⁵⁄₅)
— My favorite of the 5! It seemed like kim chee on top chicken but I guess it was actually unagi (eel)! YuM!
Main courses:
6) Seafood Bouillabaisse (3.5÷5)
— The bowl was huge but the contents only filled the bottom of the bowl. I would have liked a lot more Kauai Shrimp, Kona Abalone, crab, & scallops especially since there did not seem to be much, a couple medium-​sized shrimps, less than half an abalone, one scallop cut up cross-​section-​wise, & a v. small amount of crab I barely noticed
— The sauce was a good tomatoey but the flavor, enhanced by some kind of bitter melon, didn’t agree with my tastebuds. Fran C. didn’t seem to notice.
— The flavor was good but not as deliciously flavorful as I’d expected
7) Truffle Mashed Potatoes (⁵⁄₅)
— I chose the truffle mashed potatoes
— Ohhhhh sooooo good! Buttery, light yet deep truffle & potato flavor. Smooth consistency. Glad I got a whole bowl full :)
8) Colorado lamb chops (⁴⁄₅) ($ 10 upgrade)
— Fran C. initially ordered this with the intention of letting me try but while I ate my (6) above, he could tell that I was not enjoying it much so he talked me into switching. [Isn’t he the best bf?! Thank you, Fran C.!! :)] I really enjoyed this dish. Usually I love lamb and this was a bit gamey. Is it bc it was from Colorado. jk jk!
— The lamb were cooked perfectly medium-​rare. Soft moist easy to cut with both steak knife & butter knife.
— Sauce was really good; could have been made a lot more flavorful.
— Mini fingerling Potatoes accompanied this dish along with onion asparagus & sea asparagus stir fry. Both could have been flavored better.
Desserts:
9) Strawberry Meringue (³⁄₅)
— Li-​Hing Kula Strawberries, Yuzu Curd, Strawberry Sorbet
— A huge meringue shell covered the contents but not much content. Tastes good all mixed up. I’m not a sweets person.
10) Tropical Fruit Creamsicle Brûlée (⁵⁄₅)
— Lilikoi sorbet & custard, tapioca, fruits, guava air cake
— Delish! I’d order this next time!
After dinner, we decided to run errands at Walmart just up the street.
Thank you for joining me for dinner & for the dinner treat, Fran C.!! :D
Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone!:

Afternoon tea you say? Quite an affair you say? No, never had the good fortune to have been to one. Should I go? Yes, yes, of course I will accept your formal invitation.
When a beautiful host invites you to such an affair, you can play hard to get for a little while before giving in and saying «yes». I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, or what this was all about really. I never even heard of the establishment until now. My cup was empty with no expectations of anything except to be in good hands of good company. That alone I believed would be more than enough to compensate for any short falls.
I am fortunate to be accompanied by Lady L who seemed eager to attend. It was a little difficult to find. We eventually got there having the car valet parked. If I wasn’t in a rush, I would park else where. I stated the party we were with that led us to a private room for larger parties to sit in a more quiet setting. I was happy to see our host, Jules and Fran, and bid our welcome salutations and went through introductions meeting Gary N. and Kuuipo. It is always a pleasure to have Lyla D. and Ed by us again.
Everyone has their tea and we quickly order ours. I order the lilikoi black tea. It was the only black tea available from the selection. I do prefer black over green, and I lilikoi is one of my fave flavors. The lilikoi flavor is light, almost fleeting against the over bearing black tea but delicious. You can have your tea pot filled with more water, just ask your server and it will be happily done.
A apple scone was served to occupy our palette while preparations were under way. I must say that scone was delicious. Didn’t really need any jam with it but I do have a sweet tooth. I added just a tad. Yummy.
As the plates were brought out, our waiter, Jaime, explained each one in detail. Presentation was flawless. Perfectly colored almost hard to accept it could taste good. It just wasn’t adding up in my linear thinking. However, neural connections were properly made once I took a bite. Each one, each small slice of deliciousness, packed not only flavor but engaged your mind to decipher what exactly are you eating. Then, you begin to notice other patterns that may have been overlooked. There was always a contrast in texture and taste like soft, creamy vs crumbly, crunchy and slight bitter vs peppery sweet. Ingenious! What a tantalizing adventure. So engaging, thought provoking, deliciousness. Although these were bite size morsels, I took my time getting 2 to 3 bites to savor the flavor, and attempt to understand what was going on in my mouth.
The overall service reminded me of 5 star restaurant service. Very tentative and accommodating. I made several requests for myself and Lady L. All were accepted graciously and handled in an expedient manner as if our lives depended on it. Dukes and Duchesses we were attending an exclusive dining with the King and Queen.
I didn’t think there was enough to fill me but I walked out satisfied without a craving for anything else. And when dinner time came, I still did not have a desire to eat much of anything. Just a little here, a little nibble there, a soft bite, maybe a little taste of that…
Thank you Queen Jules and King Fran for having us dine in your court. The pleasure was truly ours indeed.
And to MW, I shall return.

This review is based solely on MW’s Afternoon Tea Service.
Few things are more British than Afternoon Tea. In Honolulu, if one wanted to enjoy afternoon tea service, there has been only two places that have reigned the scene — the Kāhala and Halekūlani. Of course, smaller and independent tea rooms have come and gone. But, in late 2014, MW Restaurant debuted its tea service and the local dining scene was changed for the better. Every third Sunday of each month, MW Restaurant holds Afternoon Tea between 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Thanks to fellow Unilocal Elites Jules Y. and Fran C., we (along with 7 other Unilocal friends) were invited to partake in this month’s Afternoon Tea. It was our first time to enjoy MW Restaurant although we have, in the past, reveled in the flavorful and creative offerings from chef pair MIchelle and Wade Ueoka and their team. They are veritable local Hawaiian Regional culinary stars.
MW’s teatime is different from the traditional British service. Different how? There aren’t any dainty sandwiches that come out on a three-​tier curate stand nor is there the «usual» food placement protocol that comes with the use of these stands. Instead, the service is in the form of «one bite» or amuse-​bouche style. Each month, the menu does change so it’s like a gift-​opening for your tastebuds… from what I’ve been told, there have not been any repeats so, the chefs continually challenge themselves to please the customers.
Our waiter was Jaime who was personable, attentive and efficient. As he brought out each savory and sweet bite, he identified it and provided a brief description of its ingredients. I won’t bore you with all of the details but suffice to say, every bite was a feast for our senses. MW’s culinary team creatively put together eye-​appealing and palate intriguing bites.
THE MENU:
Savory bites
— Ho Farms Grapefruit Salad
— Taro Potato Gratin
— Abalone Gelée
— Achiote Chicken
— Vichyssoise
— Mung Bean Cake
— Crispy Pork Belly
Freshly baked scones
— Apple Scones with Apple Jam
Sweet bites
— Butterscotch Ka’u Coffee Opera Cake
— Peanut Butter and Tokachi Kinako Banana Cheesecake
— «Coconut Cake»
— Meyer Lemon Pound Cake
— Buddha’s Hand Salad
— Matcha «Meringue»
— Blueberry and Honey Mousse Cake
— Ho Farms Grapefruit Tart
Each tea service included a choice of ONE tea:
— Sencha
— Lemon Mamaki
— Mango Peach
— MW Chai
— Lychee Açai
— Maui Earl Grey
— Jasmine Pearl
Although the bites were considered amuse bouche style, we were sufficiently filled and we didn’t order any supplemental items. I chose the lychee açai tea which was light and slightly sweet yet paired well with both savory and sweet bites.
We were seated in the private room along with 2 other large tables of happy tea drinkers. Since our group were all Unilocalers, we all managed to take pictures of the dishes before anyone «dove in». Our teatime was casual and no one had to «worry» about sticking to traditional or formal etiquette. There was NO etiquette police about… however, we still respected the civility of Afternoon Tea.
From reading other reviews, I noticed that there was a $ 5 price increase for this stellar tea service… The cost per person is now $ 40. Well worth the gourmet palate excitement in this beautiful restaurant space. Even more important was taking the time out from busy schedules to have fun with good friends on a lazy Sunday.
#519

MW is an upscale restaurant with a creative Asian fusion menu, modern ambiance, and great service. I have been here several times over the past couple years and have always left impressed.
MW’s menu has changed over the years but their mochi crusted opakapaka has remained a staple, and for good reason! I am not sure if this is MW’s official signature entrée but from my personal experience and from reading other reviews, it certainly seems to be their most popular entrée. This dish, from its perfectly light and crispy mochi and furikake crust to the delicious pickled condiments, is perfection on a plate. I cannot imagine coming here for dinner and not ordering the opakapaka because it’s THAT good. I have tried other entrees – the twice cooked tonkatsu and the hudson valley chicken breast – and while they were also delicious, they could not take the crown from the opakapaka.
The desserts here are gorgeous and amazing. I have tried their strawberry cheesecake, MW candy bar, tropical fruit «creamsicle» brulee, and banana cream pie. All desserts here are aesthetically pleasing and delightful. My favorite is their tropical fruit «creamsicle» brulee.
I recently came here to try MW’s happy hour with my friend, Steph. On Mondays through Fridays from 2 – 5 PM, MW offers a variety of $ 5 small plates and a few $ 10 plates for a nice tasting of their menu. Our choice of beverage was their mint limeade and Ho Farms vegetable punch. Of the two, the limeade was more refreshing and tasty.
For food, we got their ahi poke, tomato bruschetta, crispy butterfish skin salad, unagi and butterfish arancini, and «spam musubi.» We were blown away by the freshness and flavor of the ahi poke – amazing! I didn’t like the unagi and butterfish arancini too much because there was hardly any unagi and butterfish. The bruschetta and salad weren’t extraordinary but they were solid. We had to ask the waiter about the «spam musubi» because it was taking a while (it finally arrived half an hour after all our other dishes came out). I liked the twist on this one – MW used smoked pork arabiki to make their own spam, fried it in their famous mochi crust, and then topped it with a sunny side up quail egg. Delish!
Fun fact: President Obama and his family had their Christmas Eve dinner here this past Christmas! Sadly, we didn’t get to see him because they were tucked away in MW’s private room. Nevertheless, it was still exciting to have dinner at the same restaurant as the first family!