Okome — Restaurant in Oʻahu

This place used to be the best in Ka Makana. Service has gone way down, food was not good quality anymore. We got the rib eye bento and the meat was mostly fat, overcooked and under sauced. They put everything on top of everything else. Salad on top of hot rice in a bowl with the meat(fat) covering the daikon and namasu. We no longer live here and when we come back this is always on the list of must haves. Today was probably the last time we will go here. The first staff member as you walk in was standing far from the entrance so we had to get him to come over and even then he was barely interacting with us. The bar with the tempura was almost empty. The shrimp were so manini that there was mostly batter on them. The zucchini was soggy on two sides where it sat hot and then cooled. The items were not fresh. You have to ask several times for gyoza sauce and tempura sauce. There are no napkins available to grab and the place is filthy. Another customer came to us while we were waiting for our two bento (30+minutes)and offered us his food. He said they had made the wrong thing and then charged him for remaking it. He ordered mochiko chicken which is boneless but they gave him chicken wings instead. There was a woman there that got in a fight with the girl at the register (about sitting inside)and the owner finally came out and took care of the situation and got everyone’s food made. The music was super loud and terrible. They used to play Christian music and family friendly music but now it’s just trashy pop and rap music. I really hope that the owners are able to bring it back to its glory. The food and atmosphere, as well as the staff, used to be amazing. Here’s hoping. Update 6 months later: No such luck. Things have gotten increasingly worse. The rib eye steak meal is grisly thin pieces that are obviously overcooked due to the manini pieces that would be impossible to cook anything but well done. The Teri sauce was like a thick garlic sauce which I’ll admit it may have said on the menu but it is not good compared to the Teri sauce. The salad was included and tsunomono with daikon was a welcome surprise. Their dressing is still as incredible as it ever was. Everything else, including the tempura, is bad. Greasy and overcooked tempura and gyoza. They no longer serve asparagus tempura. I am sad to say we will not be back next time we visit. Music and attitudes in the restaurant are terrible. I am disappointed to see such a great restaurant go down in flames. The place is also run...

The food is decent and the fish is cooked well. However, there are inconsistencies with the serving. Sometimes I get a lot of rice and everything when I get the bento and sometimes it's less. I don't really care to have more but I like consistency cause then I can expect the same thing every time I visit. I like going here because I like to eat fish every week. But sometimes the fish is smothered in sauce. I had teriyaki salmon and it was just too much sauce that I couldn't taste the fish. Personal preference I guess... Service is good but a little slow so by the time we're ready to eat the food we get from the fried foods section is already cold.

Edit: Minus 1 star because of inconsistent serving size! I paid 12.99 bento for misoyaku butter fish and got like less than 4 oz while I remember getting more before. I checked photos uploaded and a photo of a bento for misoyaki butterfish had larger servings than mine. The person who “helped” us gave me sass. I think he was upset that I asked the cashier if they take apple pay instead of him. He gave me fish pieces with tons of bones in them. Awful. Also too much sauce. At least they’re consistent with being heavy handed in that aspect.

I realized that my first review is similar to this experience. I probably shouldn’t expect consistency here. I’m gonna stop wasting my time and money if they can’t use a kitchen...

Nice to have some Japanese food at Ka Makana Ali'i. The Tonkastu portion was generous and the Unagi was prepared and flavored well. Their sesame seed dressing for their salad is delicious too! I was a little surprised that their rice was dry...considering the name of their establishment is "okome" or "rice". But hey...the quality of everything else is certainly worth going back for!

The line moves smoothly...so even if it looks a little long, it's actually enough time for you to look, decide and then place your order. The Unagi does take a few minutes...but while we were making our way down the line choosing a salmon musubi, shrimp tempura and croquet, the worker from the front found me and handed me my Unagi plate...just in time to pay. Smooth!

The prices for their sushi varies on what type it is, but they are also reasonably priced. You do not have to purchase a plate if you just want sushi...so there's actually a few more choices than the main entree selections.

I'll be back for sure. I want to try other items, but we were very happy with the Tonkatsu and the Unagi...so I'll probably have it again before I venture to the...