Izakaya Naru

Natto on Ice Cream

Hey guys, I'M BACK! I took a small hiatus, but I'm back and better than ever. Hopefully all of you have found me- I'm still The Fashionably-Forward Foodie; just add THE to my outdated fashionablyforwardfoodie.com. Don't go back to my old stomping grounds- there's nothing there except godaddy.com trying to steal my foot traffic!

Anyway, I thought I'd start back up by posting on an izakaya located in Honolulu. Izakaya Naru is situated right on South King Street between Glazer's Coffee and Shabu Shabu King. It's a teeny tiny place that has about 3-4 small tables and a bar seating 4 people (tightly). You should definitely make reservations before coming or you may wait a good hour to eat. I went with 3 good friends, 2 of which said that Naru is one of their favorite restaurants! I, of course, wanted to come with them since they know what's good!

Menu items that stood out? Well, between the 4 of us, we had quite a lot to eat that night! I love that my friends can EAT! While they started out with beer, I wanted to try their infamous Awamori. Hard to find in Hawaii, plus they had about 5 different flavors to choose from and even a sampler if you wanted to try more than one. I went with that- Shiso, Pineapple, and Kona Coffee. Pineapple was definitely the sweetest and I could taste the Pineapple the most. My favorite out of the three. As for the main eats, I highly recommend the Bacon and Spinach Salad with Poached Egg (mix egg into salad and eat!), Beef Tongue with Ponzu and Daikon (which was deliciously tender), Taco Rice in Hot Stone Pot, and also the Homemade Soba Noodles with Pork Belly.

As for dessert, well......I couldn't make up my mind. I wanted to try the Baguette stuffed with ice cream.....I love Creme Bruleé (Crema Catalana)......and the Natto with Ice Cream was definitely a yes. I couldn't choose just one, so we went with all three! All were great. Natto with Ice Cream you must try. Not only unique, but where else can you try this, right?! Second best was the Baguette, however I could have done without the Crema Catalana.

Verdict? Much, much different than your typical izakaya with subtle hints of Okinawan cuisine. My usual favorite is Gazen, but I like the variety here at Naru. Next time I'm here, I'm ordering their Mozuku (marinated seaweed), Shoyu Pork Belly, and homemade Peanut tofu (Jimami)!

PS- Parking. You can either park in the Sushi King lot or find street parking around there.

Shout out to my good friends, Shin and Mieko, for showing me the ropes at Naru and feeding me oh-so-well that night! Let's do it again, soon!

Flavored Awamori

Shiso, Pineapple and Kona Coffee Awamori! Pineapple was definitely my favorite. Sweet and flavorful!

Tako Wasabi

Bacon and Spinach Salad with Poached Egg. DELICIOUS!

Salmon and Ahi Carpaccio- Special for the day

Beef Tongue

Gyoza Pizza

Taco Rice served.......wait for it...

.......Stir it up in hot stone pot, and VOÍLA! Crispy Taco Rice!

"Edamame Catcher!" So fun. Put on glove, and grab as much edamame as you can!

Homemade Noodle Okinawan Soba with Shoyu Pork Belly. This was one of my favorites!

Dessert #1- Ice Cream and Natto- yep, you read that right! Natto on ice cream with Graham Crackers! Actually, very yummy.

Dessert #2 in the making- Crema Catalana. A simple Creme Bruleé.

Thick Caramel brittle, creamy filling.

Dessert #3- Baguette stuffed with Vanilla Ice Cream!