Rokkaku Hamakatsu — Restaurant in Honolulu

Believe it or not, I actually refused to eat ramen for lunch while on Oahu in order to explore another eatery. No, I'm wasn't sick. No, I didn't have a fever. I was actually in the mood for katsu, so Rokkaku Hamakatsu sounded like a great idea.

ATMOSPHERE: I walked by the place and missed it as it looked like a vacant spot due to its inconspicuous signage. The interior was a total surprise with its contemporary and trendy decor. There are a few low tops, counter seating with kitchen view and a semi-private tatami-like room at the rear.

LUNCH MENU: Tonkatsu sets, donburi, tempura, fish, eel, sashimi.

FOOD: Tonkatsu Set D (Hamakatsu) I was concerned that the portion would be small but it was anything but. Pickled vegetables of two different cuts of cucumber and what I believe to be was seaweed were brought out first, along with a ramekin of sesame seeds with no explanation. About 20 minutes later the server tells me that the katsu is coming soon. The tray finally arrived, showcasing three different breeds of breaded pork, a single shrimp tempura, miso soup, pickled cucumbers, rice and tartar sauce. Again, no explanation on which pork was which, what condiments were on the table, or what those sesame seeds were for. The three types of tonkatsu were quite different in fat content and texture. The ones filled with some kind of cheese were the juiciest and most tender, which was the Holland cutlet according to fellow Yelpers. The ones with obvious fat and marbling was the Berkshire cutlet according to my research. And finally the cut that had the mainstream texture I'm used to was the pork fillet. The breading was light, crispy, a bit oily, with the pork cooked perfectly through. Same went for the shrimp. After dipping everything into the tiny ramekin of tartar sauce, I noticed a bottle of some kind of yellow-brown sauce and a teapot-looking container. The yellow-brown sauce had an odd, fermented flavor. Pass. Expecting shoyu to be in the teapot, low and behold it was katsu sauce! I was beginning to wonder if katsu sauce was taboo in this joint. The miso soup was tasty, garnished with tofu and seaweed. The rice, perfectly steamed.

SERVICE: I had a short wait to be greeted and seated as they were fairly busy. Since I was solo I had a seat at the counter. The female server was friendly, apologized for the delay in food delivery, and only checked on me at the end of the meal.

Only after reading other reviews after the fact did I find out that the sesame seeds were for use with the katsu sauce after grinding them with a pestle which I did not receive.

OVERALL: Nice ambiance, great katsu. The mediocre service brought this otherwise stellar joint down...

I've been here once before and I really like their hirekatsu. The issue is staffing. On my prior visit, I came during the weekend for lunch and the staffing level was adequate, although it was not busy with many tables empty. I would estimate the place to be at about 60% capacity.

On my latest visit, I went on a weekday evening and all tables were taken so we sat at the counter. Staffing was about the same as lunch and the place was completely full so it is popular. I again ordered hirekatsu after a slightly long wait to place our order (not a problem at that point). Once ordered, my wife received her order in a reasonable amount of time. After that, it took a very long time before my order came out. To the point that she was already done eating. Even at this point I would not feel compelled to complain as I see how busy it is.

After I finish my meal, we wait at least 15 minutes before I had to wave down the hostess for a box and check. She was apparently very annoyed that I had the gall to bother her and stormed off coming back a few minutes later with what I had asked. By this point the waitress that was serving us had disappeared for about 30 minutes, which is why I flagged down anyone who passed us (remember we are sitting at the counter where it is a thoroughfare to the back tables and kitchen).

Once receiving the check, I immediately put my CC in the sleeve and set my timer. No one came to get my check. After 20 minutes I flagged another person (a waiter for another table) to ask for a manager. He comes back and says that the manager is downstairs and there is no one in charge of the restaurant at that time. I ask that he take my payment so that I can finally leave. At this point, i am over 30 minutes past the end of my meal.

So a couple of observations. It is very clear that they are understaffed and overworked. They do not seem cheerful and to be honest they look miserable. The workload seems to be too much for them and they take it out on the customers, resulting in bad reviews like this one. Moreover, aside from the hirekatsu (which is why I came here), the rest of the food was just ok for me and my wife.

I hope they can take this constructive criticism and use it to improve. For the rest of us, avoid peak times and you should be ok with service. As far as the taste, that's just my opinion and other people will feel otherwise. Make your...

Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment!!! My friend I have been going here for a long time and we were pretty happy with the food service and atmosphere but oh no, not this time. I ordered the soba but it came with a piece of steel scrubber inside of my saba. We told our server and she offered a new soba so I took the offer. This time the soba came with a piece of plastic inside. I couldn’t believe that they would make the same mistake twice in a row!! Now this time the Server offers another sober so of course I said no because I’m already turned off as I lost my appetite. She continued to offer me dessert and I turned it down so she brings a bill with a 10% discount of my soba that I couldn’t even finish because of those piece steel scrub and plastic! Unbelievable!!!!! And as we were leaving, no one even bothered to say thank you or apologized. Come on, do...