On a roll at Fukuya deli
Friday - October 05, 2007
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It’s easy to stop by Fukuya Delicatessen - with its famous white painted façade and deli counter full of local favorites - and be tempted by handmade mochi, fat, flavorful chow fun noodles and tender, sweet, miso butterfish. Fukuya’s has been around for almost 70 years, and nowadays that kind of a statement carries so much more weight than it used to.
The restaurant scene in Honolulu is changing so dramatically, and dozens of family-owned restaurants have closed in the past few years. Fukuya’s, along with a handful of local restaurants that have passed the 50th anniversary mark, is like a living culinary treasure, preserving food traditions that have been part of our culture for decades. Arrison Iwahiro, whose great-grandmother founded Fukuya’s, knows better than anyone how difficult it can be to keep a family business going.
“So much of it is just business today,” he says, “that it’s hard for mom-and-pop places that were just about good, home-cooked food to survive.” In the old days, Iwahiro’s great-grandmother and then his grandparents would cook in the early morning and close up shop just after lunch when everything was gone.
“They just cooked what they had and when it was gone, it was gone,” he says with a smile. Good thing, too, in a way, because back in the day, Fukuya’s wedding catering was so busy they needed everyone on board to cope with demand.
“Sometimes we’d do three weddings in a day,” remembers Iwahiro, whose first job as a small boy was making bentos and helping to deliver them. “It was a lot of work,” he says. “We had to start early in the morning, deliver all the paper goods to each place, come back and prepare the food and then get that out on time,” oftentimes catering to weddings with 500 or more guests.
Today the wedding pace has slowed down, but the catering side of Fukuya’s is as popular as ever. “We still make everything from scratch, and still have most of the same dishes on the menu,” he says. “But, of course, it’s different from when my great-grandmother ran it.”
Local mom-and-pop restaurants have to work incredibly hard to survive in today’s competitive culinary climate, and providing great service and outstanding food is one way to ensure longevity. Everyone comments on how friendly the staff is at Fukuya’s, and ask any of the regulars their favorite dish and you’re sure to hear a dozen different responses.
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Annually voted the best okazuya in Honolulu by several local publications, the clean, simple deli attracts a daily crowd of regulars and foodies tempted by the original dishes.
Soft, salty noodles, crispy fried chicken, beef teriyaki and a selection of side dishes that includes a signature potato salad make for a colorful display and an irresistible plate lunch.
Among the newer deli items (those less than 20 years old) are specialty “rolls.” Think sushi sandwiches and you’ve got the idea.
“People love them,” says Iwahiro of the hot dog, teriyaki and vegetarian rolls. The fillings are wrapped inside rice and nori, sliced and then packed in plastic containers, just like maki sushi. They sell out quickly, especially on Saturdays if there’s a UH home football game, so call ahead to order if you’re tailgating or need something tasty for a potluck.
Fukuya’s huge menu features everything from miso butterfish to shrimp tempura, potato hash, gobo, mochiko chicken, crab cakes and miso tofu, fried fish, kurome, beef teriyaki and shoyu chicken - to name just a sampling of dishes.
As part of life in Moiliili, Fukuya’s is a busy small business; as part of our culinary heritage, it’s one of those irreplaceable places we should be thankful we have.
Fukuya Delicatessen and Catering
2710 S. King St. www.fukuyadeli.com
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