Celebrating the cuisines of the world

McCully Shopping Center Celebrates its Culinary Culture.

Here’s an easy way to get the full flavor of Hawaii’s diverse food culture - head to McCully Shopping Center this weekend where its Cuisines around the World celebrates the unusually diverse group of restaurants within the center.

Terri Hansen, marketing director for the center, says the festival is designed to showcase McCully’s restaurants and lead diners to a greater understanding of different foods.

“We have so many really great restaurants within the center,” she says,“that this weekend we’re excited to encourage people to come down to try authentic foods.”

McCully has everything from some of the best-value Chinese food (Fook Yuen’s lobster specials are famous), to excellent Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and even Brazilian foods.

Here’s a quick guide to dining at McCully, with highlights of some of the restaurants’ signature dishes.

So Gong Dong

Arguably the best Korean food in Honolulu, So Gong Dong has an avid following of regulars who go there for the signature soondubu (beef and pork soup). “About 70 percent of our customers come for the soup,” says owner Steve Lee, who opened So Gong Dong (originally on Kapiolani) more than 12 years ago. Dine teppanyaki style, or choose

from a menu that features dishes like flavorful spiced chicken, kalbi and seafood pancakes. Service is speedy, dishes come to the table piping hot and the side dishes that accompany each order are plentiful and interesting. All of the recipes are original - created by Lee over the course of 30 years in the restaurant industry. The soondubu has many imitators - but his is hard to beat.

Daily 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. 946-8206

Bistro A Un.

If you’re a devotee of the kind of Japanese fusion dishes that have, in the past few years, invaded our dining scene (think Shokudo, Momomo, Restaurant Kai) then you’ll be delighted to discover Bistro A Un. Located on the shopping center’s ground floor, with the interior hidden by what appears to be a shower curtain (OK, I’m sure it’s not - but that’s what it looks like), this unpretentious Japanese restaurant offers great food, friendly, enthusiastic service and creative dishes that appeal to both local tastes (the tonkatsu is a contender for the best of its kind in Honolulu) and those with a more adventurous palate - natto topped with squid, tofu skin rolls and the now ubiquitous fried cheese. There’s a fabulous ahi tartar and plenty of small plates that go perfectly with pau hana cold beer and good friends.

Open for dinner only, this gloriously off-the-beaten-track restaurant is one of those finds that all foodies should mark on their culinary map of the city. Don’t be put off by the dark doors and the curtain - head on in. You’ll be delighted.

Daily, 6 p.m.-2 a.m. 947-4914

Curry House Coco Ichibanya. One of a chain of more than 800 curry houses in Japan, Coco Ichibanya has a steady following of locals hungry for a taste of true Japanese curry, and tourists who recognize the chain as being one of the best. Don’t go expecting the more intricate flavors of Indian or South East Asian curries - there are more sauces here, no coconut milk and lots of gravy on top each bowl, but do go if you love the taste of authentic Japanese curry. There are dozens of different toppings on an extensive menu - just choose your curry and start adding ingredients. If the formula reminds you of ordering pizza - then you’ll be pleased (or surprised) to note that cheese is one of the most popular curry toppings!

Great value, friendly staff, casual atmosphere - and lots of rice!

Daily, 11 a.m.-midnight

949-4950 Fook Yuen Chinese Seafood Restaurant.

Who hasn’t been to Fook Yuen in the wee small hours of the morning, when everywhere else is closed and your craving for lobster or rice soup needs to be satisfied? It’s the haunt of many an island chef, and a place where many in the restaurant industry head after a hard night at work. The $9.99 live Maine lobster remains one of the greatest deals of all time, and there’s a wide selection of Dungeness crab, fresh fish, scallops, shrimp, oysters, jellyfish and cuttlefish. Of course you can go for lunch (there’s an all-you-caneat-buffet daily for just $7.95), but there’s something fabulous about lobster at Fook Yuen when almost everywhere else is closed.

Daily, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 5:30 p.m.-3 am.

973-0168

Phuket Thai

With a menu that features most Thai staples - spring rolls, stuffed chicken wings, lemon-grass soup, tom yum, green papaya salad and a variety of red, green or yellow curries - Phuket Thai has built a reputation for serving the finest Thai food. Consistency is what’s most impressive about the restaurant - along with the fact that most dishes are boldly flavored with traditional Thai ingredients such as lemon grass, chili peppers, ginger and coconut. Heat levels ascend according to your own tolerance level - but you might want to order the green papaya salad mild, as some days it can be incredibly hot.

And yes, they do take reservations. I was seriously reprimanded by a reader a couple of years ago when I wrote that the only thing I disliked about this gem of a restaurant was waiting in line.“Pay attention - and make a reservation"came his curt response to my article. So nowadays I make reservations, and wonder why so many other people wait in line outside!

Daily, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. 942-8194

Regal Diner

Plate lunches rule here. Regal has been open for almost 15 years, specializing in local-style plate lunches, with great pricing and a hugely diverse menu. Rib eye or N.Y. steak plates ($7.50) come with two scoops rice and one scoop mac salad and you can add a green salad for just 29 cents extra. Regal has everything you’d expect to find in a plate lunch place. Meat jun, ($6.95) beef stew (3.95), garlic shrimp, ($7.50) mixed barbecue plates ($7.50), Chinese chicken salad ($4.50) saimin ($4.95) and naturally a loco moco plate ($6.25). There’s a vast catering menu too, for anyone who wants local food without having to cook.

Monday-Saturday 7a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

941-3883

Tudo De Bom

It means “all that’s good” and regulars have no reason the question the naming of this Brazilian restaurant. With “rodizio” service (meats are grilled on large skewers and then carved at table until diners beg servers to stop) and an all-you-can-eat salad bar, Tudo De Bom is the perfect stop for anyone who loves to eat - or anyone still following the Atkins way of life. A wooden marker placed on each table communicates to servers how much attention you need (green side up -keep the meats coming; red side up - please, no more) and there are a variety of tender, juicy meats to choose from in this fairly traditional churrasco. Make sure to try the fabulous grilled chicken - it really is the bomb!

Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

Dinner daily 5-10 p.m.

Lunch daily 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 942-0267

Viet Café

Simple, fresh, fast and flavorful are all trademarks of Viet Café. With a steady late-night crowd - especially on weekends - Viet Café offers some fabulous dishes. Regulars rave about the pho, the sugar cane shrimp and the abundance of fresh basil, bean sprouts, mint and lemon grass in accompanying side dishes. The restaurant is casual - and prices reflect the lack of pomp and circumstance. Staff is super friendly and service is fast.

Daily, 10 a.m.- midnight 949-8268

Yotteko-ya

If ramen is your thing, then head here. The house soup is simmered for 10 hours, according to the restaurant menu. A thick stock made from vegetables, chickens, pork and spices, the resulting broth provides a hearty background for a variety of noodles and additional ingredients.

Flavorful gohan, and okazu items like gyoza and ebi are popular too. The Yotteko-ya menu states that the intensely flavored soups will aid longevity; certainly they’ll make you feel warmer and happier.

Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

946-2900

Taco Bell

If you need a description of Taco Bell, then you’re probably visiting from another planet. One of the attractions of this busy spot is that the drive-thru is open until 5 a.m. - perfect for when those late night munchies come calling.

Daily, 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Drive-thru open 9 a.m.- 5a.m. 947-9595

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