Added on October 31, 2019  Honolulu Vibes   ,

Do-ne: Japanese Food With Soul

Do-ne: Japanese Food With Soul
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Each meal is accompanied by small side dishes featuring kobacha squash, shrimp with edamame & gelatinous somen noodles, tofu, and pickled veggies at the Do-ne Japanese food restaurant in Honolulu, Wednesday, October 30, 2019. (Honolulu Vibes Photo by Ronen Zilberman)

This hole in the wall is hidden right under your noses. Located on busy Kalakaua Ave. in Honolulu, you’ve probably driven past on hundreds of occasions and never taken notice.  The nondescript facade is lost in a wall of mirrored storefronts with little to no signage. The only evidence of its existence from the exterior is a blue awning and small red lantern hanging at the entrance. Of course, if you happen by at the right time of day your attention may be drawn by a line of patrons out front waiting for an open seat!

Best advice is to take your lunch early and get there shortly before opening to put your name on the list that hangs on the front door.  Once inside, the ambiance and food selection are based on simplicity.  Space is limited (about 8 tables) and the menu is short yet, big on flavor!  

The marinated fried chicken will melt in your mouth at the Do-ne Japanese food restaurant in Honolulu, pictured here on Wednesday, October 30, 2019. (Honolulu Vibes Photo by Ronen Zilberman)

Seafood dominates the menu but there are also a few pork, chicken, and tofu dishes sprinkled between the lunch and dinner menus as well.  Each meal is served with hot tea, a bowl of miso soup, salad with a shoyu ginger vinaigrette, and a plate containing a trio of smoked salmon w/ garnish, small cube of tofu, and a shrimp with a small amount of gelatinous somen noodles.  Everything in just the right proportions to please your palate and send you away satisfied.

The ‘Seafood Don Set’ is a colorful and delicious combination of sashimi on a bed of sushi rice at Do-ne Japanese food restaurant in Honolulu, pictured here on Wednesday, October 30, 2019. (Honolulu Vibes Photo by Ronen Zilberman)

My partner brought me here specifically to try their spin on fried chicken which he said puts the standard local fried chicken katsu fare – to shame.  He was right! The chicken is marinated before being battered and fried and  melts in your mouth. Topped with a drizzle of creamy sauce and a side of shredded cabbage and lettuce it hit all the right spots to satiate one’s craving for fried food, meat, and a little roughage. 

Diners line-up outside for lunch at the Do-ne Japanese food restaurant in Honolulu, Wednesday, October 30, 2019. (Honolulu Vibes Photo by Ronen Zilberman)

We also sampled the ‘Seafood Don Set’ or I should say my partner sampled it since he didn’t leave any for me to try… guess that’s a good sign!  When I asked our friend Cory Lum (who first introduced us to Do-ne) to describe it for me this is what he had to say: 

Diners enjoy a variety of soulful flavors with each meal at the Do-ne Japanese food restaurant in Honolulu, Wednesday, October 30, 2019. (Honolulu Vibes Photo by Ronen Zilberman)
” The food at Do-ne is a living passion that transcends the soul. You can taste the love they prepare their food with in the ‘Seafood Don Set’ or in Japanese, ‘Bara Chirashi Don Sashimi Teishoku’. Not gigantic my any means, but its gigantic in the quality and balance found in the menagerie of chu toro (fatty tuna), salmon, scallops and other sashimi beautifully placed on a luscious bed of sushi rice that contains a light balanced rice vinegar added to the rice.
When you eat this chirashi, i recommend that you don’t dump shoyu on the top of the chirashi/sashimi! Please pour shoyu into the tiny shoyu dish.  First, pick up a random piece of sashimi, dip the sashimi into the shoyu dish, and then ‘paint’ the top surface of fish with the shoyu laden piece of sashimi.”

With such soulful food at such reasonable prices there’s no doubt I’ll be returning soon to Do-ne for more Japanese Food. I’ve got my eye on the ‘pork and eggplant stir fry Miso sauce set’ and one of Cory’s favorites, ‘chicken gizzards’ off the dinner menu. Stay tuned for updates or better yet, get over there and try for yourself.

DO-NE Japanese Food Restaurant
1614 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI, 96826
808-626-5782

Hours:
Tues – Sat
  – Lunch: 11am – 2pm
Mon – Sat
  – Dinner: 5:30 – 10pm
Sun – Mon: closed for lunch

 

 

by Honolulu Vibes

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