PAI Honolulu
For obvious reasons 2020 was not a big year for dining out. We did manage to sneak in a few meals, either in outdoor seating or in private dining rooms. 2020 was also the first year since 2012 that I did not dine at a Michelin starred restaurant (since travel was also not in the cards last year). While the case numbers for COVID here in Hawaii are declining to a safer level, we’ve also been hesitant to dine out since we weren’t sure how our newborn daughter would handle it.
But, after months of being cooped up at home with takeout or home-cooking, it was time to take a chance and venture out to a restaurant. Although it was one of the meals we had last year, we chose to return to PAI Honolulu for its outdoor seating and for the relative ease by which we could step out of the dining area to walk around with a potentially fussy baby. This strategy worked out well as we felt very safe dining at PAI, and did in fact take advantage of the open courtyard area to walk our daughter around when she was getting a little loud.
Even with baby and a little crying, we managed to order a full set of dishes including dessert during our visit! Here are the dishes we enjoyed during our dinner on February 6, 2021:
Salmon Mousse - Yuzu ikura, radish sprout, herbed focaccia
120 Day Dry Aged Beef Truffle Dan Dan Noodles - 120 day dry aged beef ragu, black winter truffle, peanut, Korean chili, garlic chive, bean sprout, handmade noodles, pecorino cheese
5 Spice Pork Belly - Roasted Fuji apple, bacon and lup cheong jam, Chinese mustard potato gratin, pork jus
Vanilla Custard French Toast - Japanese sweet bread, vanilla custard, shoyu maple syrup, mint, honey roasted strawberries, coconut powdered sugar
Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie (compliments of the chef)
As I said in my last post about PAI, if you’re looking for a very COVID-safe environment to enjoy a meal then the outdoor seating here is definitely a top choice. It’s open and breezy. The staff are very careful to maintain distance and are following all the proper procedures, including getting some information for contact tracing purposes should it be needed.
PAI Honolulu
Harbor Court
55 Merchant Street Ste. 110
Honolulu, HI 96813
www.paihonolulu.com
