Mugen

“Jewel of Waikiki”

Mugen is located in the Espacio Waikiki, a property that is positioned as a 5-star luxury hotel with ultra-exclusive service. The service at the front desk (who helps confirms reservations at Mugen) and the valet staff does feel a cut above most hotels in the area. Everyone I interacted with prior to walking into Mugen was courteous and very welcoming.

Mugen

A French-Japanese restaurant located just off the lobby of the Espacio, Mugen is billed as a high-end restaurant offering “exquisite dining” with “world class ingredients”. If you follow me you know that I’m a big fan of tasting menus. This put Mugen on my list of new restaurants to try… and what better excuse for a nice dinner out than Valentine’s Day?

Set menu at Mugen for February 15, 2020

Mugen is quite the small restaurant right now, with seating for about twelve diners. Our server told us that the restaurant was being expanded to include a non-chef’s table menu with more seating in the future. When we arrived at Mugen we were offered the choice between a seat in the main area with a view of the kitchen or a table in the back that was larger and more private. Since we were celebrating Valentine’s Day, we opted for the more private table; a decision that would later prove ill-fated (more on that after my thoughts on the food).

Here are the dishes we had for dinner during our visit on February 15, 2020:

Sasanian Oestra Caviar - Imperial caviar, mochi blini, vanilla bean panna cotta, cured yolk

The amuse bouche to start, upgraded for Valentine’s Day to golden imperial caviar. This single bite was a nice balance of salty and sweet.

Red Sea Crab - Yuzu kosho aioli, edamame coulis, iri goma tuile

Probably my favorite dish of the night, with sweet crab balanced by peppery yuzu kosho and the savoriness of the edamame dashi broth. While I really enjoyed the flavors, the crab mixture did have a few shards of crab shell in it.

Heirloom Beet - XO plum, Purple Haze goat cheese, fine herbs

Visually appealing but the flavor was average, about the same as you might get from a beet salad at a more casual establishment.

Tagliatelle - Kona lobster, comte espuma, nori dust, black Perigord truffle

Another visually appealing dish that underwhelmed on flavor, even with the bonus Valentine’s Day addition of freshly shaved black truffle. The lobster was well cooked, but the pasta was overdone and a bit mushy. I felt myself wishing I could add a pinch or two of salt as the dish was under-seasoned.

Pineapple sorbet infused with shiso oil

A refreshing intermezzo prior to the main entree.

Chateau Uenae A5 - Hokkaido “snow beef” wagyu, spiced panisse, huckleberry, dehydrated ume

Another surprise upgrade. The menu online listed this course as local lamb, which was swapped out for the Hokkaido wagyu. “Snow beef” refers to this particular wagyu coming from the cold environment of Hokkaido. Some also say the white marbling of fat in the beef resembles snow. This beef is no doubt a premium ingredient, but one that ultimately fell flat. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of wagyu and found this particular preparation to be one of the least successful I’ve had. The beef was both under-seasoned and cold. The cold serving temperature caused the fat to start resolidifying, so instead of that wonderful “melt in your mouth” effect from all the marbling, we had a chewy experience.

Milk & Honey - Honey comb, fennel sugar cane, cacao rum

The ice cream with honey comb arrived at the table first and we were instructed to wait for the manager to come around and add the cacao rum. Well, that took some time so the ice cream started melting. Overall, the flavor of this first dessert was fine, but it was disappointing to have the ice cream partially melt before we could enjoy the complete dish.

Butterscotch Pot De Creme - Chantilly cream, hazelnut streusel, Maui caramel sauce

The final course of the night. Flavors were what you’d expect based on the description. The butterscotch “pot de creme” element had a nice texture to it.

Dinner rang in at $150 per person before tax and gratuity. All in, with a few bottles of Evian water, a mocktail, and a cup of coffee plus gratuity this was a $400 meal. While the upgraded ingredients used (imperial caviar, black truffle, Hokkaido beef) certainly match to the price point, the execution and flavors of the menu did not. Despite all the premium ingredients we received, I walked away hungry (portion sizes are quite small) and underwhelmed.

A Most Awkward Meal

This would normally be where I end my review, but sadly I cannot. While the table we selected did afford us more privacy from other diners, it also put us closer to the kitchen and the servers’ station. Even if we had loved the food, the entire evening would have been ruined regardless. Throughout the evening I could hear (and couldn’t HELP but hear due to the loud volume) many unprofessional comments and statements coming from someone I believe was one of the restaurant’s managers. At the beginning of the meal, I could hear repeated statements about some situation with a customer that was “full of bullshit”. As the evening went on, multiple other statements I could plainly hear from this person made me feel very frustrated and uncomfortable. Although our table was closer to the back, the volume of these comments was such that I probably could have heard them from any of the other tables as well.

I do not know, nor pretend to know, the validity of the statements being made (heck, maybe that situation being discussed was full of bullshit). But, I don’t believe that I, or any customer, should be subject to repeatedly hearing them made by a manager or staff member. Without going into the exact details of everything I heard (the “full of bullshit” example was actually the least offputting), I will say that it is my opinion that the entire situation was extremely unprofessional in any setting. But, it was particularly upsetting and disappointing for a restaurant at this price point and at a property that is focused on providing a luxury experience.

This was by far the most uncomfortable dining experience I’ve ever had and it was all due to one individual. The rest of the staff were very professional and provided a service experience on the level I would expect at an expensive restaurant.

Mugen
2452 Kalakaua Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815
808.377.2246
Website