Hawaii Hospitality - May/June 2013 - (Page 16)

NEwRestaurants Ch e f Ch a i ’s 1 0 0 9 K apiolani Blvd. • (808) 582-0011 • chefchai.com C hef Chai Chaowasaree is a perfectionist. You can see it in his newly opened restaurant’s impeccable decor and in the artistic flair of his dishes. The award-winning chef says that presentation is very important because, “I believe we not only eat with our mouths, but also with our eyes.” From its urban-chic black and white interior with a small bar and piano to its elegant—yet Chef Chai Chaowasaree minimalist—lanai seating area, the new Chef Chai restaurant had to be built from scratch in the new Pacifica Honolulu condo on Kapiolani Boulevard, across from the Blaisdell Center. “We signed the lease back in september 2012, but we’ve been busy installing and constructing everything from the very tiles on the floor on up,” explains Chaowasaree, “so we just had our ‘soft’ opening recently (mid-February).” Famous on the local haute cuisine scene for his previous two restaurants—singha Thai Cuisine in Waikiki (open since 1989) and Chai’s Island Bistro in the Aloha Tower Marketplace (which closed after 14 years in december due to a lost lease) —the Bangkok native also wears the executive chef hat (literally!) for Hawaiian Airlines (“sometimes I don’t get much sleep,” he says). Despite his culinary reputation for fine dining, Chaowasaree is trying to keep the menu prices affordable ($10-$42) while offering a variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts. Pan-Seared Fresh Kauai Prawns with Beet Risotto “My focus is on balanced, healthy eating—no butter, no MsG—and using herbs and spices and education instead (the menu features an entire page on the effects of certain foods on your body). We do have meat here, but only the finest cuts: boneless chicken breast, beef tenderloin and fresh fish,” he says. Chaowasaree also makes a point of buying produce from local farmers and employing Kapiolani Community College culinary program graduates when possible. His signature dish? “I’ve got a new one: Kataifi and Macadamia nut-Encrusted Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns.” Perfect. ~ JacKie m. youNG Poached Pear and Rainbow Vegetables Salad with Raspberry Guava Vinaigrette Spicy Garlic Gochujang Shrimp and Apple Kimchee Summer Rolls 16 Hawaii Hospitality ■ May/June 2013 http://www.chefchai.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hawaii Hospitality - May/June 2013

Hawaii's Female Chefs
War on Waste
Big Island Hookipa
Hawaii’s Little Touches
HRA Excellence Awards
Talk Story with George Szegeti
New Restaurants: Chef Chai and Liko Lehua Cafe
News Briefs
Association News

Hawaii Hospitality - May/June 2013