The acclaimed chef-restaurateur hooks up to a large pelagic fish in waters off Ko Olina on the island of Oahu. -- Michael Mina Restaurants photo
Michael Mina’s Hawaiian dream restaurant concept has come to life: a fish house in the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina.
Situated oceanfront on the spectacular leeward coast of Oahu, it’s the place where local fisherman come to the back door of the restaurant with the fresh bounty from pristinely clear Hawaiian waters daily. The partnership with the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Mina and Four Seasons has every seafood lover talking about his newest line-to-table seafood restaurant concept in Hawaii, the third restaurant in addition to The Street Food Hall by Michael Mina and Stripsteak Waikiki both at International Market Place in Waikiki
True to its name, so called line-to-table cuisine is at the forefront of what top seafood houses are doing nationwide.
Some menu highlights are cold Kona lobster and coconut bisque, Hawaiian abalone over spaghetti and fresh butter-basted swordfish with Pono brand Portuguese Sausage
One of west Oahu’s young expert fishermen has become the restaurant’s fish sommelier, working with local fishermen and connecting guests with the daily catch and best menu choices.
Craft cocktails are as creative as it gets with If Can, Can Mai Tai in a Spam can and more. -- Michael Mina Restaurants photo
“Jared Chang is someone on staff who grew up on island, and fish is his passion,” says Head Chef Garrick Mendoza. “For instance, he just entered a fishing competition. He has a unique position as he helps guests navigate the menu. He makes it more approachable for them. He has whole fish on ice and he walks around with it. It always elicits oohs and ahhs throughout the restaurant from diners.”
One whole fish that Chef Mendoza excels at is broiled whole Kona kampachi with Chinese black bean sauce and ginger with Singapore street noodles. He will serve it at the Evening With Michael Mina Showcase (see side bar), an event to highlight each of his three Oahu restaurants. And he serves it at Mina’s Fish House at Ko Olina
Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina’s General Manager Charlie Parker appreciates the local fishing and sustainability focus of the chef.
“Mina’s Fish House is a culinary staple for visitors and locals looking to experience elevated, authentic Hawaiian cuisine,” Parker says. “It’s an honor to partner with Chef Michael Mina — whose vision for an award-winning culinary experience centered on Hawaiian fish will be instrumental in the evolution of our restaurant offerings.”
Based on a traditional fish house, the menu features from pupu to small plates to Mina’s signature Hawaiian seafood tower, and whole Hawaiian-style grilled and baked fish dishes.
Mina’s Fish House boasts fish sommelier Jared Chang who goes to each table to explain what’s fresh and how it will be prepared. -- Michael Mina Restaurants photo
A few classic fish dishes from Chef Mina’s repertoire are signature ahi tuna tartare reimagined as a contemporary poke, his celebrated lobster pot pie and a phyllo-crusted fish with crab brandade.
In addition, Mina’s Fish House also offers a selection of wood-broiled dry-aged steaks and seasonal sides. Desserts proudly feature local products such as chocolate from Hawaii’s original chocolate factory in a Criollo chocolate pudding and fresh coconut from Oahu in a coconut meringue with tropical fruit salad.
“The menu will change seasonally to reflect the best local products Hawaii’s producers can deliver,” says Mendoza, who moved to Oahu from New Mexico.
“Considering it’s a land-locked area, we did have quite the variety. However, some of the same things I was using there are used here, but they are not called the same things. So when I first heard ‘opakapaka’ and ‘onaga’ and ‘hijiki,’ I was a bit intimidated like, ‘What are they saying?’ “
But Mendoza figured it out fast under the expert tutelage of Mina.
“Mina’s Fish House is a true passion project of mine,” says Mina. “This partnership with Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina in a place that’s very close to my heart is incredibly exciting and we look forward to welcoming guests from around the world as our friends and family.”
With a fresh design by the Studio Collective, Mina’s Fish House offers guests a unique beachside dining experience. It’s aged with a warm patina throughout, and it seamlessly connects the inside with the outside. The open-air interior bar and dining room and tiered multiple exterior decks round out the restaurant experience with “feet-in-the-sand” seaside dining.
From a large, custom bar with signature tiki inspired cocktails to comfy clustered “living rooms” in the interior, to the terraced, sun-bleached deck leading down to the beach, it beckons.
At the heart of Mina’s Fish House is an acid-washed zinc bar with a custom-glazed ‘fish scale’ tile bar face.
Happy hour happens daily from 3 to 6 p.m. and the bar menu features specialty craft cocktails and small bites of smoked local marlin fish dip and Pacific oysters.
With more than two decades of influence and achievement, Chef Mina continues to dazzle the culinary world with bold dining ventures..
His Four Seasons concepts are featured in Dubai; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Washington, D.C.; and Baltimore.
* For more details, call (808) 679-0079 or visit www. foreseasons.com/oahu.
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An Evening with Michael Mina Showcase:
The MINA Group will present restaurateur and James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the International Market Place in Waikiki as he personally walks guests through his three current Hawaii restaurants: Stripsteak Waikiki, The Street Food Hall by Michael Mina and Mina’s Fish House. Reception small bites, signature cocktails and a four-course seated dinner paired with select wines from the sommeliers will be $175 per person. For tickets, visit https://aneveningwithmichaelmina.eventbrite.com/?aff=PRHI.
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