Rinka Restaurant

The world tour duo dined at Rinka Ward Village. I just returned from 3 weeks in Japan so it would be a stern test … Japanese food in Hawaii versus that from various locales in Japan. We were seated at a small table for two so we asked our wait staff to space out our food orders. This was partially successful. One of our pet peeves is restaurants rushing food out; it’s one thing if we’re dining on a large table but we were hard pressed to deal with just two dishes at a time; three was impossible. I ordered a half bottle of 2021 Kenzo Estate asatsuyu, a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc, full of fruit, with depth and body. We started with Toro and Green Onion maki sushi and the Roast Beef Salad Japanese Style; the latter not a perfect pairing for a white wine; more about this to come. The remainder of our order consisted of Grilled Beef Tongue, Grilled Miso Butterfish and Fried Tofu with four kinds of miso. I ordered a half bottle of one of my favorite Napa Valley wines, a 2019 Kenzo Estate rindo, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%), Merlot (22%), Petit Verdot (9%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Malbec (3%). This wine exudes notes of dark fruit, soft tannins and chocolate. I wish the kitchen did a better job of releasing dishes in an order that matched the wines on the table. I don’t know if it’s the responsibility of the expeditor or the wait staff but this was a miss for me. As to the food; the Negitoro sushi was okay; the rice was a bit too mushy in comparison to the rice I had in Japan. The Roast Beef Salad was excellent; no issues of any kind. The Beef Tongue was good but by the time we got around to trying it, it was cold. Again, an issue of dishes being delivered too quickly. The miso butterfish was sublime, perfectly prepared a generous portion. The fried tofu could have been grilled a little longer … I had a similar dish in Tokyo that was exquisite; the offering from Rinka paled in comparison. We ended our meal with a Strawberry mochi for me and a Mochi with Green Tea Ice Cream for my tablemate. Both were very good. Final thoughts: The food is good to very good; my major complaint was the dishes not coming out in an appropriate sequence and at a pace that would have allowed us to savor each dish at its peak. We’ve experienced this issue at other Ward Village restaurants … this is what separates the good from the superlative restaurants. 4.25 stars from me.

Very good taste. I should have order early on kamameshi. Which will take about 40 min. Portion are small, Japanese portion. I ordered 5 items and rice for family of 4. Miso butter fish was good.

Very high quality, fresh sushi and beautiful presentation! We got a private room in the back which was very comfortable. The servers were very attentive and hospitable.

Aloha; new place in town and it's delicious. The staff is awesome and super kind. The place has an upscale japanese feel and the food is amazing. I recommend doing many pupus instead of one dish ... better to try all the small dishes.. so worth the time and money. Enjoy

Second time coming here for lunch and getting the seafood chirashi. The portion size and taste is consistent, although the price has gone up. The fish is fresh, no fishy taste, the side dishes and chawanmushi were also good. Would definitely get the seafood chirashi again!