Podmore — Restaurant in Honolulu

The world food tour continued at … Podmore, at the corner of Alakea and Merchant Sts. We’ve been trying to get a reservation for months. 5pm was great because we were seated at the bar; always a prime seat to see the the mixologist do his magic.

We started with It’s Just A Gin & Tonic ($30) and The Beet Goes On ($18); both based on gin. I wondered why a Hendricks gin & tonic would cost $30; now I know. It’s a multi-staged production. A ball of ice containing the gin, slices of cucumber and mint leaves is dropped from a derrick into a glass and a mini carafe of Fever Tree tonic water is served on the side. The Beet Goes On is served in a wine glass. It’s a concoction of Mahon gin from Manorca (Spain), Cynar (Italian aperitif), beet, Barrow’s Intense Ginger liqueur and an orange cordial. It looks like beet juice but my fellow foodie loved it.

We ordered the Foie Gras Parfait ($28), Hamachi Crudo ($30), Smoked Maui Venison Tartare ($30) and the Caviar Churros ($38ea)– savory. The foie gras parfait was stiffer in consistency than we expected and was layered between papaya compote and the lychee and lilikoi gelée. It was served with a basket of Yorkshire puddings (popovers), which because perfect little pillows of deliciousness. The cured Hamachi was topped with a slice of cucumber and a cranberry and was in a piquant orange and ginger vinaigrette. This was one of the best Hamachi dishes we’ve had. The Caviar Churros, or more accurately churro, was a visual and taste delight; a small round doughnut filled with egg yolk gel and onion, dusted with moringa and topped with Osetra Caviar. Pop into your mouth and luxuriate in one of the best combinations of food … egg and caviar. I wanted another, and another .. but at $38 a bite, one should eat with restraint.

The venison tartare arrived last and it looked like a bowl of the ground of a forest with the venison and pickled shimeji mushroom acting as the ground and green “sponge” as the cover. It was served with a basket of charred bread; perfect to hold the tartare. It was great but I wanted a little more moisture in the tartare; perhaps an egg yolk for added richness?

We ordered a second round of drinks; a Monkey 47 martini for me and something made with Rabbit Hole gin, imported London Dry gin aged in Kentucky Rye barrels, and Campari. My tablemate thought the Beet Goes On was better.

Our dessert was an order of Caviar Churros – sweet ($38ea). Similar to the savory version, this one featured white chocolate and vanilla. We thought the sweet version was less successful than the savory one because it was a sweet/savory offering.

In conclusion, we loved our experience at Podmore and want to return. There are many interesting food options and a wide selection of gins to try and Alex, our mixologist, was very informative and personable. Highly...

Okay, swing and a miss with this place, for sure.

My wife and son and I were walking around downtown looking for a brunch/lunch place after a boat trip. Podmore looked nice and had good reviews. I would guess that we are not the clientele they want. These guys are attempting to be a fancy business lunch for the downtown area.

We walked in right after they opened, only 1 or two tables sat, and were greeted by a little bit of an attitude that we did not have any reservations. No table, that's fine, we sat at the counter. Ordered drinks, but was told there's no soda or really any kid friendly drinks to be had. We mentioned lemonade and waitress said they'd ask the bar and we never heard back. Okay, we said water is fine anyway. I ordered an iced tea and never got it, with the lemonade answer not coming I just kinda assumed it was out or something also. But no, they tried charging me for it at the end. We ordered some food and it took forever to come out, the chips didn't come out until we were done with our food, even though it was an appetizer. That all being said, I must say that the food was pretty good. The chicken and waffles were different than I expected, but still tasted great. My 7 year old liked his salad which is also a good sign. My wife ordered the market sandwich which was a BLTA, which she said was good but definitely not worth 20 bucks. Portion sizes were definitely not worth the price and we all felt like they're trying too hard to be creative.

I wish they would have just said they couldn't seat us at the beginning, because it would have saved us an expensive waste of time. Definitely the worst meal of our week vacation so far, pretty disappointing considering the reviews. I'd tell them to do better, we have spent more for drinks/dessert etc if it was accompanied by better customer service. We love eating out and have spent a small fortune on vacation searching for great places to eat. And what's up with the kitchen appreciation fee? A disclosure in advance would have been more well received... It's at the very least not clear anywhere.

In closing, place seems to have promise, but you'd think they'd be more service oriented with it being so small and have so many food places around for competition. Maybe caught them on an off day, but not really an excuse for bad service...

Was hesitant about trying this place because I remembered reading that it was owned by the same folks as Senia, and that place is a gimmicky disaster. However, Podmore is far from that. Just ordered the pupus, since a few coworkers and I went for happy hour. My favorite was the turkey confit buns. A-MA-ZING! A great holiday take on Peking duck. The bun was so perfect, exactly like a lotus bun. It had just the right amount of bounce and biting into this little morsel really was an experience because it took me back to Legend's or Golden Duck as a child. I love trying a new dish and having that initial bite transform into a memory. The citrus of the cranberry sauce, sweetness of the bun, richness of the duck along with the slaw (which added just the right amount of texture variation, might I add). We ordered one of each of their happy hour pupus: the proper fries, scotch eggs, papadams, and another dish. For their house cocktails, I ordered a Golden Triangle, which was also amazing. A drink has no business being that delicious. The flavor profile was incredibly dynamic from the time it first hit the tongue to the very end. According to their menu it contains high west double rye, rothman & winter apricot, black sesame, tamarind, and lemon. The tamarind def was apparent at the end. However, the flavors together just completely Guy Fieri'd my tastebuds. My party got the Tea Thyme, St. George and the Dragon, and Found in Oaxaca - not as good. Lol. The service could be better. The place isn't that big, but the waiter seemed very frazzled and wasn't very attentive. They also walked away twice before we could finish placing our orders. But it doesn't change the fact that I really enjoyed this place. So glad I tried it out. Next time, I'll be back to try the actual brunch or dinner menu.

UPDATE: Came back for the dinner fair. Got the duck leg confit, lamb buns, and scallops. The turkey was definitely better. The cranberry kind of just overpowers the earthy natural flavor I love about lamb. However, the main entrée was excellent. I really enjoyed the duck with polenta, and the sauce did wonders to break up the heaviness of the dish. Also, service was much better this time around, so I changed the rating...