Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas

Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas, a European take on Asian Cuisine. By utilizing different cooking techniques with some ingredients makes the fusion of two worlds harmonious. Tapas are obviously the most common items ordered here (hence the name) but they also have a wide variety of entrees and other delectables! Fish is definitely a specialty here because Hiroshi himself is an avid fisherman and sometimes catches his own seafood to be served at the restaurant!

After a long look at the menu, my party decided on what we wanted. We basically decided to embrace the tapas and order a bunch of those. I asked our server for recommendations and he gladly recommended what tapas to order. Just be prepared that this blog entry will definitely be a long one because we ordered about 10 items!



Before we even ordered we were given “house bread” or what symbolized house bread. We were given House Made Rice Crackers with a Wasabi Aioli. I've really never had Rice Crackers as a chip before and they were probably the best thing you could dip into this wonderful sauce! It had a nice strong feel of wasabi but wasn't an overpowering heat where I needed to drink my water after every bite.


Our first course that came out was the Sizzlin' Hamachi Carpacio. Now this was a great start to an awesome dinner! Thinly sliced Hamachi, Ginger, Tomato, Tofu and a Truffled Ponzu! With my first taste I thought that the Truffled Ponzu was a little overpowering but it became after a few more bites it started tasting a lot better. Definitely something everyone needs to try whenever they dine at Hiroshi.



The next course that came was Hiroshi's Tofu Salad. Now let me first say that I am not a big fan of cold Tofu and was a little bummed out that this wasn't your “ordinary” Tofu Salad. I was expecting different greens with cubes of Tofu, not a big block of Tofu with toppings on it. But my job is to try things and I did and I FREAKING LOVED IT. I think it's only when I get a bite of everything though. I tried the Tofu by itself and the dressing and didn't like it too much but when I tried it with all the different toppings especially the Salmon Skin it made this Tofu Block INSANE! Not only did this salad taste great but just look at the presentation. I was a huge fan of this plate because it just looked spectacular!



The Spicy Tuna was the next dish we had and that was just a little above average then your typical Spicy Tuna you find in most places. I wasn't extremely blown away by it but I did enjoy their homemade Taegu that's featured on top.


We had a couple of Sushi dishes next. The Pepper Seared Ahi Sushi and the Duo of Contemporary Sushi. Not only were these pieces of Sushi complex and looked extremely sexy but they tasted wonderful! The Ahi Sushi is probably the most complex thing I ate that entire dinner. There is like seven or eight different components to just one piece! I didn't fully understand how everything worked till the second one I ate. It has a good amount of spice but there are other components like the Yuzu Vinaigrette that help tone it down.




The Duo of Contemporary Sushi is comprised of Torched Cold Smoked Island Hamachi and Miso Glazed Salmon. Oh my goodness was that Hamachi delicious! Slightly smoky and extremely tender, this piece of Hamachi literally melts in your mouth. As far as the Miso Glazed Salmon though, I found that it had a bit to much Miso for my taste buds and I just wasn't to fond of it. But a small little bird told me that if you're lucky, you might be able to substitute the Salmon for Hamachi and that is a great deal!



Portuguese Sausage Potstickers was our next item to indulge in and quite honestly the only reason why I ordered it was for the Kim Chee Foam. Sometimes I just order a dish because they have a component that I really want to check out! The Foam was intense with an immense amount of Kim Chee flavor coming out of it. The Potstickers on the other hand I didn't really care for too much. I found them to be little dense and overcooked making them dry on the inside. Unfortunately unlike the Hamachi Carpacio, I don't think this dish needed the Truffled Ponzu. Maybe the Ponzu would've been okay but it didn't need the Truffle Oil.




Next up was my favorite of the whole meal, the Steamed Kurobuta Pork Belly. This dish basically consisted of Pork Belly, Tomato Poke, Torched Brie Cheese and Mini Musubis. Yes I know it probably wouldn't sound great in you head but think....Kalua Pig, Lomi Lomi Salmon and Rice. That's what my mind thought of when I was eating this. The Pork Belly was so tender, it just broke apart as soon as you bit into it. And the hidden treasure in that was the Torched Brie. After torching it, it really tasted like Mochi. At first I couldn't tell what it was so I had to look at the menu and was amazed to find out it was cheese! Lastly was the Tomato Poke. I'm not an avid fan of Tomato, especially when it's just a piece of Tomato like you would find in a burger or a salad. However, at first glance I thought this was actually Poke. My first bite of this was heaven. By removing the seeds and the juice of the tomato all you get is flesh and it loses most of that nasty Tomato Taste. They take it to the next level by mixing in different ingredients to make it taste like Poke! I was amazed and delighted because it tasted so good!



Our last Tapa was the one that I was waiting for the longest and was a little disappointed after eating it. It was LaBelle Farms Foie Gras and Crispy Hamakua Mushrooms. They used three different sauces which in my head went harmoniously. Raspberry Reduction, Kabayaki and White Truffle Oil. All three are great by themselves but when mixed together they are unbelievable! Anyways the reason why I was sadly disappointed by this dish was because my Foie Gras was just overcooked and I wasn't happy. It was dry and tasted like if I were to order Liver and Onions from a diner. The mushrooms for me were a little...too big as well. A little hard to eat but I managed.

After the disappointment from the Foie, it just lead to more disappointment going to dessert. We decided to get three different desserts; Haupia Lemongrass Crème Brulee, POG Cheesecake and Island Banana Mousse Cake. Aside from the Crème Brulee, I didn't really care for the desserts.



The Haupia Lemongrass had a nice mixture of both flavors that didn't overpower each other at all. For me the POG cheesecake needed more “POG” taste and the cheesecake was definitely way to dense. I found the Guava Foam a little disturbing also cause it reminded me of Fluoride : ( but it had good taste, it was just a texture thing for me.




The last dessert was the Banana Mousse Cake. I didn't care for this one either. At first I thought it needed more Banana Taste but the sauce helped bring that out. The Cake itself was good, it was like Banana Mousse on top of Banana Bread, super banana-ridiculous. They served a Chocolate Truffle on a Stick which was basically a ball of fudge. Knew I should have ordered the Pannacotta when the waiter suggested it!

Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas is a great restaurant and everyone should try it out. Even though I think most of their menu is safe to call Asian food, I like the twist on some European ingredients and styles. Another thing notable is that on Sunday and Monday they do like a “Eat Local” Menu which is basically a set menu showcasing local products. Something I definitely want to try.

Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas
500 Ala Moana Boulevard
Restaurant Row
(808)533-4476

Taste: 4
Appearance: 4.5
Location: 4.5
Value: 4
Overall: 4.25 (rounded up)
*Based on a 5 point scoring system with 1 being Not So Good and 5 being Great*]

-Chef B