Moonga Asian Bistro — Restaurant in Hawaii

We came in to eat on Sunday 7/14 and wow, after trying the food and the level of service we received, I'm REALLY surprised how this place is not PACKED with guests!

First off, they did an AMAZING job renovating the old Pah Ke's restaurant. Inside is sleek and modern while still embracing Asian design. The staff was extremely friendly, we were checked on several time throughout our dinner by not only our waiter, but almost every staff member who walked by to make sure we were enjoying our dining experience. You never felt like it was overbearing, they just genuinely seemed to want to make sure that you were satisfied with your meal and happy.

Food! We did it family style and ordered a variety of plates. Started off with the Monkey Brain roll (deep friend avocado with crabmeat and spicy tuna) and (I believe) the Black Dragon roll (shrimp tempura, spicy crab, eel, avocado and eel sauce). My family went absolutely insane over both of these and we had to stop ourselves from ordering more because we had a whole bunch of other food on the way. I would like to also state how impressed I was with the Sushi bar in the corner of the restaurant where you could see the sushi being prepared and all the different cuts of fish available. I heard that they fly their fish in from Japan and if that's so, I'm doubly impressed!

Then we moved into egg drop soup (super hot and mellow, can that be a thing?), which was delicious, and then some yummy chicken lettuce wraps. I would have liked a larger portion of lettuce to use to scoop up with, it felt as though we got the inner core of the head of lettuce, since we only had a few sizeable leaves before they became extremely small. Plus they are so generous with just how much chicken they give you, we ran out of lettuce before chicken! When does that EVER happen?! Both dishes were perfectly cooked and we happily devoured every last bite.

Afterwards we had Panang Curry, Szechuan Beef and Sesame Shrimp. The fact that all of these were brought out at the same time and ALL were perfectly cooked and steaming hot is a testament to the kitchen's timing and expertise.

The Panang curry was 100% my favorite dish, but only because I've never had a Thai curry before and therefore it was an entirely new flavor profile for me. The curry was creamy and thick with a spicy kick that caught you off guard but left a pleasant burn down into your tummy. The Sesame Shrimp were juicy and the amount of sauce on them was just perfect, not too much where it's overly sweet and makes the shrimp soggy, but not too little where the shrimp is dry and tasteless. The Szechuan beef and the veggies accompanying it were absolutely a delight, little baby corn and water chestnuts mixed in with green snow peas and carrots. Each bite of beef took on a different flavor profile depending on what veggie you were eating with it and all of them complemented each other perfectly.

I can't say enough how good this meal was, and when we left, every staff member we passed thanked us profusely for coming in. It really made us feel like honored guests and to the staff at Moonga, thank you for the amazing meal and service, we'll be back soon!

Before I forget! Until their bar is up and...

My cousin and her husband took me to dinner at Moonga Asian Bistro in Kaneohe. It’s the old Pah Ke’s location and was completely remodeled into a bright, contemporary space with a myriad of seating options. There is a bar directly inside the entrance but as yet they don’t have a liquor license. I wish we were informed of this because I could have brought a bottle of wine from home.

We ordered three starters and three main dishes: • Yellowtail Jalapenos ($18) – Five pieces of yellowtail with thin slices of jalapenos, micro greens and a yuzu garlic sauce. A nice refreshing start to our meal. • Lettuce Wraps with Chicken ($12) – Minced chicken and vegetables in a piquant sauce, served with lettuce leaves. This was delicious! Savory with a hint of sweetness. I just wish we were provided something other than iceberg lettuce. • Fried Calamari ($10) – Large rings of battered, deep-fried calamari served with a orange-colored dip. Perfectly cooked and seasoned; a step above the average calamari dish. • Drunken Noodles with Shrimp ($18) – Flat rice noodles (like chow fun) stir-fried with a spicy chili sauce and basil leaves. We omitted the bean sprouts. I don’t care for chow fun but this dish was delicious! I just wished for a bit more heat. • Peanut Sauce Curry with Beef ($18) – A peanut-based curry with coconut milk and mixed vegetables, including large pieces of broccoli. My cousin loved this dish; I wished for a bit more heat to offset the sweetness of the coconut milk. However, it was a good dish. • Thai Basil Tofu ($15) – Triangles of fried tofu, hot and spicy vegetables in a sweet and savory basil sauce. Finally, the heat I was seeking; a very good dish.

Service was efficient and courteous … no issues from us and we were able to dine in a relaxed manner. When we left, there was a line of people waiting outside … It’s great to see another dining venue in Kaneohe. We all said we’d return; that’s the bottom line. Four...

We’ve waited fifteen years since we moved from NYC to Kaneohe, (our second best thing we’ve ever done) to finally get a truly sophisticated restaurant. Moonga Asian Bistro is exactly what we wanted.if you could Relocate it to Williamsburg/Greenpoint Brooklyn getting a reservation will be very difficult. We came during their soft opening and no liquor license. We are Wine Educators and Consultants so we really take the Food Industry very seriously. Loved being able to bring a fine rose’ from the Provence region in France. Perfect with their slightly spicy and assertive food. Everyone here knows that the Hospitality/Food Industry is our #1 industry,maybe our only one. Our experience that evening was five stars. Oh, room for improvement but we’ve never been to a soft opening without any hiccups. What we did get is the true aloha spirit from everyone. The ambiance and comfort were as good as the best restaurants in Town and Chinatown. I can only describe the service for us as perfect. But of course if the food isn’t on par with everything else why return. The food was a total success. The rock shrimp Tempura was perfectly cooked, served really hot and with a soft interior. Possibly better then what was served at Nobu before it closed. The Crispy Rice w/Spicy Tuna was superb as was the Gyoza with its paper thin wrapper. They nailed Szechuan cooking which is difficult to do authenticity. Their use of curry in the Singapore Noodle helped prove that those on the line know what their doing. Hallelujah, finally we don’t have to always...