In my professional life, I have the opportunity to visit a wide variety of restaurants on a daily basis. Among them, there are some that I would like to visit again in private, and this time, on my anniversary, I went to a restaurant that I had vowed to visit again. I would like to mention it here because it met my expectations and was unexpectedly reasonably priced.
EL CIELO BY CHEF MASA is a Spanish restaurant that opened in Waikiki in May 2023 and became a hot topic. In Hawaii, where there were no authentic Spanish restaurants, Chef Masa Gushiken, who was born in Argentina and has experience in Japan (Ebisu), Los Angeles, and the home of Spanish cuisine, opened this restaurant.
The restaurant, housed in a 60-year-old mansion, has a chic and simple counter and table seating as well as a room in the back with a chandelier that has been passed down through the generations. I thought, “I’d like to try it, but it must be expensive,” but the restaurant has been well-received since its opening, with customers saying, “The paella and everything else we order is impressive and delicious. The quality of the food is well worth the price, so I’m grateful for that.
It was during this time that I had the opportunity to interview the chef. The food, which uses many Hawaiian ingredients and mixes Spanish cooking techniques with the chef’s taste, was excellent. So I thought, “Let’s make this year’s anniversary a big deal here! I went there last week.
First, we toasted with a draft beer ($12) from a beer brewery in Kailua and a sangria ($14) made from the chef’s secret recipe. The sangria, with its perfect balance of Spanish wine, fruit, and sweetness, was dangerously good if you drank too much.
The tapas (appetizer) was chicken liver pâté ($12) served with a homemade baguette. Smooth and rich, the liver pate had an impressive flavor combined with the aroma of garlic and fresh olive oil.
One of the reasons I ordered the chicken liver pate was the baguette. During the interview, I was told that they make their own baguettes to their own satisfaction, and they were so good that I wanted to try them again (the tasting after the photo shoot was naturally cold, so next time I wanted freshly baked ones! ).
A baguette with a savory crust, soft and moist inside, and liver pâté. I wanted to enjoy this dish and a glass of wine for about an hour. I am glad I ordered it!
For another tapas dish, we chose octopus alla galega (grilled octopus with homemade chimichurri sauce, $23). The chef told us that one of the things he learned in Spain is that cooking is simple. He also learned how to handle octopus the old-fashioned way in Spain, which makes the octopus tender. When I bit into the octopus, it was soft and elastic, and at the same time, the flavor was delicious. The octopus tasted better with the secret chimichurri sauce, which was handed down from his mother.
The paella arrived with perfect timing. We ordered the seafood paella ($38). Other options include squid ink, chicken, and mushroom (vegan). The seafood dish was loaded with fresh Hawaiian seafood and other ingredients. The heat on the ingredients was excellent.
The paella, a fusion of Hawaiian ingredients and Spanish cuisine, is a gem that can only be found here.
The volume of each dish and its depth of flavor made me quite full at this point (I really wanted to order another tapas dish, but it was a good decision not to). However, the homemade desserts are also popular, and I had heard during the interview that “Mont Blanc is delicious! I had heard that the “mont blanc” was delicious, so I made up my mind. The Mont Blanc ($16) was a work of art, and the homemade sweet chestnut puree with hojicha was light and savory. I heard that some people came late at night just to eat this.
When I made a reservation online, I chose “anniversary” to indicate whether it was a special occasion or not, and on the day of the event, I was in for a surprise. After our bellies and hearts were fully satisfied with the rich chocolate cake, we paid the bill, which was a surprising $115 for the two of us (tax and tip not included).
Finally, for reference, I will also introduce two more dishes, pintxos and tapas, which were photographed during the interview.
The prosciutto and potato croquettes ($8) were pintxos served with a red pepper and nutty romesco sauce. The shrimp ajillo ($21) was made with shrimp from Molokai and was great with the shrimp and garlic-laden olive oil on a baguette.
The name “El Cielo” means sky or heaven in Spanish, and I believe that when you visit this restaurant, you will be enveloped by the personality of the chef and the gentle and calm “chi” of all the staff, and spend a blissful time as if you are soaring to heaven. The atmosphere of local families and couples enjoying their meals in the restaurant is very comfortable, and Chef Masa is fluent in Japanese and has a Japanese menu, so Japanese people can feel at ease at this restaurant. I had no idea that it was such a casual restaurant. ……
© Source travel watch
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