Chef Chai — Restaurant in Honolulu

My partner and I had our wedding reception at Chef Chai. From the moment we stepped foot in our wedding reception, we knew we were in for an extraordinary experience. The ambiance was brimming with warmth and elegance, creating a perfect backdrop for our special day. The decor was impeccable, adding an extra layer of sophistication that our guests couldn't stop praising.

We started the service with an array of appetizers. The jumbo black tiger prawns, served with the freshest of pineapples, were a hit. The prawns were flawlessly crusted, providing the perfect crunch, and the pineapples were a sweet counterpoint. The smoked duck tacos, an unusual but delightful surprise, were met with much appreciation. But the star of the appetizers was the toasted brioche with foie gras mousse and berries confit. The balance of sweet and savory was perfection, and the brioche was satisfyingly crunchy on the outside, yet delicately moist within. Truly, it was a culinary delight that sent our taste buds into overdrive.

As for the main course, the miso Chilean sea bass was nothing short of stellar. It stood on par with the renowned dishes of Nobu's, which speaks volumes about the quality and skill put into its preparation.

For dessert, we served the heart-shaped white gelato with fresh raspberry guava puree. The symbolism was not lost on us or our guests, making it a fitting end to our wedding feast. The fruit and gelato combo was a refreshing palate cleanser after a hearty meal, and it was heartily enjoyed by all.

Beyond the exceptional food and ambiance, the courtesy and professionalism of Chef Chai stood out. He was incredibly helpful, providing suggestions that made our night perfect. His expertise and hospitality added an extra layer of brilliance to our celebration. He even helped decorated our wedding cake!!!

The staff's attentiveness and professionalism deserve a special mention as well. They went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly, contributing to the great service that characterized our experience at Chef Chai.

All in all, our wedding reception at Chef Chai was an unforgettable experience. The exquisite food, the mesmerizing ambiance, the top-notch service, and the personal attention from Chef Chai and his team left us and our guests thoroughly impressed. We can't thank Chef Chai and his team enough for making our special day even more special. We highly recommend Chef Chai for any special occasion - you will not be...

Our world food tour continued at Chef Chai, in the Pacifica condo. It was dinner before heading over to the concert hall to hear and see Final Fantasy VII: Remake. Thus, dinner was at 5pm and the place was already almost full. I guess others had the same idea. On the way back we saw that there was an event at the arena … no wonder the restaurants nearby were busy.

We started with a bottle of 2012 Latour Gevrey-Chambertin from Burgundy; a nice wine that opened up after being decanted. To me, a good buy at $120 (around $60 in the wine store). Our server brought a tray of pita bread and skewers of chicken satay … a nice start. We ordered the Toasted brioche with Chilled Foie Gras Mousse and Berries Confit and the Smoked Duck Breast Taco after learning that they did not have the Hamakua Mushroom and Black Truffle Risotto Cakes. The foie gras mousse was okay but I didn’t get much hint of the berries confit. The toasted brioche was the best part of the dish. The duck tacos were very subtly flavored; they came on a puree of avocado … I added the avocado to the taco to enhance the flavors.

Our entrees were the Miso Chilean Sea Bass with pickled vegetables and the Grilled Mongolian Style Lamb Chops with Brandy demi. The sea bass came as a steak cut; I’ve never had sea bass served in this cut. The miso sauce was subtle … I thought this tasted more like misoyaki butterfish than sea bass but I liked the dish. The lamb came as two double chops atop mashed potatoes and a mélange of vegetables. It was great but somewhat difficult to cut for my tablemate. Chai doesn’t have steak knives so I cut the chop for her. We couldn’t determine the spices …. I thought there was star anise. It was very good.

As we were heard to the concert hall, we skipped dessert and I finished the meal with a cup of coffee. It was fine though I would have preferred a slightly stronger roast. My thoughts? I’ve been to Chai many times but it’s been a few years … for me the appetizers weren’t flavorful enough; I think they need to tweak the recipes a touch. Service was fine in spite of the restaurant being full. IMO, it’s a good but not...

A few details about my visit that will ensure I would never recommend this place to friend or family. My first issue is the unspoken dress code. To prepare for the evening, I had my significant other call ahead to check for a dress code as I felt appropriate for a pricey menu. Over the phone, the lady informed us of no dress code and as with most places we've tried this Hawaii trip, I showed up well-dressed but still very casual. Upon arrival and greeting the gentleman looked me up and down as I asked to be checked in for our reservation. Could be my youth, could be my clothes but judgement is judgement. After being seated and given time to browse the menu, we had to change one of our orders for a different item due to availability. I guess I could excuse that based on popularity, but didnt think an oxtail soup would be such a large attraction. My lambchops were subpar. Didnt expect the medium-cook prepared meat to be so tough for a typically tender cut. The New Zealand salmon was bland and quite underwhelming. The appetizer set we had was great, it was a sampelr style of their spread and we thoroughly enjoyed it. For the price paid, food was abysmal. Service was great. Our server and the hostess were both very kind and actually felt interested in serving us, they were ofcourse younger. The dude that judged our clothes looked to be a manager or bartender, couldnt really tell as he was dressed differently from the wait staff but an older one. Lastly the man who served our entrees was prob one of the worst ones as he didnt seem one bit excited to serve us or even have any interest in us as customers vs as he served the table next to us prior and many of the others he was very smiley and interactive. After he served us, i made it a point to watch his interactions and the difference was apalling. The worst way to waste money was to eat here for me.

TL/DR: save your time and money, Chai ain't it. Plus i guess you gotta dress formally to be completely welcomed.

Hostess and guy who served us, i hope you find a better place for employment whose food is as great as...