This dining experience is designed for the whole ‘ohana

While I’ve gone to many restaurants on O‘ahu, I tend to be a creature of habit — meaning, once I’ve found a favorite dish at a particular eatery, it’s hard to ditch my “regular” order and try something new.

Such is the case at Arden Waikīkī, located on the second floor of the Lotus Honolulu. My favorite dishes there are the steamed Kona kampachi ($45) and brownie bar ($22) for dessert, but the eatery just launched a new ʻOhana menu that sounded too good to resist.

Priced at $80 per person, the new ‘Ohana menu is Arden Waikīkī’s way of creating a family-style meal that’s easily shareable and at a lower price point than ordering individual entrees and appetizers. The ‘Ohana menu requires the participation of the entire table, and it’s only available Friday to Sunday.

Starters include spicy ‘ahi tuna poke served with chili aioli and sweet potato chips and a rainbow salad, which is just as colorful as it sounds. This spicy ‘ahi was definitely on the spicier side, as it’s topped with a Gochugaru paste and onion confit. The spicy aioli takes the spice to the next level, but it was so addictive that I couldn’t help but want more — even when I could already feel the heat. The light, crispy sweet potato chips delivered the perfect crunch.

The rainbow salad is a medley of mixed lettuce, radish, spiralized cucumbers, carrots, Kamuela tomatoes and tofu with a drizzle of sesame-ginger dressing. It’s light and refreshing, and the sesame-ginger dressing is something you’ll want on all salads from now on.

This is no ordinary fried chicken. Restaurant manager and wine director Jonathan Carlile referred to this course as “designer chicken,” featuring a cross between a Cornish hen and a classic chicken. The chickens are sourced from J. Ludovico Farm on O‘ahu’s north shore.

“The chicken is brined and fried; this is something chef (Makoto Ono) grew up with in Winnipeg (Canada),” he explains. “In Manitoba, they eat fried chicken with a honey dill sauce, so this is his version with fresh dill and Lehua honey. This is a regional specialty there; it’s a nod to his childhood.”

The cornbread is moist and fluffy, and the butter on top of it is sprinkled with smoked salt. It’s the perfect complement to the chicken, which is unctuously crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Roasted butterfish with is shiro miso glaze is the second entrée, and it’s served with nori-shiso rice and sesame bean sprouts. The moist butterfish is pan-roasted with a white miso sauce, but it doesn’t have an intense miso flavor, allowing the flaky fish to shine. Meanwhile, the nori-shiso rice features a nori paste that’s mixed in with the rice, resulting in a starch with lots of umami flavor.

To balance out the heaviness from the fried chicken, dessert is on the lighter side. The Aloha bowl features Lāʻie vanilla cream, liliko‘i curd, coconut-kalo and mango, with bits of meringue on top. It’s nice balance between sweet and tart; the meringue provides a welcome contrast to the velvety vanilla cream.

While this dessert doesn’t top the ultra-chocolaty brownie bar, as a whole, the ‘Ohana menu was worth deviating from my regular order for. I’m already trying to figure out which weekend I can return to get more of that irresistible fried chicken.

CONTACT
Arden Waikīkī
Lotus Honolulu
2885 Kalākaua Ave. Floor 2, Honolulu
808-791-5151
Ardenwaikiki.com
Instagram: @arden_waikiki
Open 5-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays
Complimentary parking at Lotus Honolulu Hotel

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.