***4.5 STARS***
I have driven past On On Chinese Restaurant (OOCR) many, many times when on Kapahulu Ave and never gave much thought about dining here.
Then, I saw Fran C.'s post of minute chicken with chow funn noodles, which did look good but didn't motivate me enough.
The deciding factor? Auntie (aka Nadine C.) who planned a mutual friend's birthday celebration. More than half of the attendees were traveling from Windward side so this is a bold statement.
Located in the strip mall next to Leonard's Bakery, OOCR has been in business for over 15 years and the staff mentioned they are not related to the previous On On at McCully Chinese restaurant. We went to celebrate Deborah P.'s birthday and Auntie previously pre-ordered the food but couldn't remember the menu. We arrived 25min earlier than our reservation and was placed in a round table with a lazy Susan. The waitress served us with hot tea and water and reviewed the menu with us, where we made some adjustments as single orders wouldn't suffice.
It had been some time since I last saw some of the attendees, so we chatted and discussed current and past events before the food was served.
THE VERDICT:
The food and service at OOCR exceeded my expectations. Despite seeing local Chinese food offerings on the menu, they do have old-school and difficult to find menu items such as kau yuk (braised pork belly) with taro and steamed pork hash with either duck egg or salted fish. Here's a summary of what we ordered.
KAU YUK w/ TARO (4.5/5)
This dish really reminded me of those 9-course meals I attended as a kid. The braised pork belly was tender, and the fat had been rendered so it melted in your mouth. The taro was sliced just right where it was tender and didn't fall apart when picking up. It was seasoned well with five spice and oyster sauce. The gravy was delicious with rice.
HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP (5/5)
This was my favorite dish of the evening. It was served piping hot with a crunchy exterior but not excessively battered. The mayonnaise sauce was lightly applied so the dish didn't get soggy. The caramelized walnuts were slightly sweetened and had a great crunch. One of the best honey walnut shrimps I've eaten on Oahu.
STEAMED PORK HASH w/ SALTED DUCK EGG (4.5/5)
This is another dish that's hard to find at Chinese restaurants. Many of the mom-and-pop restaurants in Chinatown are no longer in business. The pork hash was flavorful, tender without gristle, seasoned just right. I was somewhat caught off guard that the restaurant didn't dress any dark soy sauce on top and they took the liberty of portioning the dish by cutting them into triangles for easy serving and was surely appreciated.
SWEET AND SOUR CABBAGE w/ SQUID (4.5/5)
It's quite interesting as I like to compare this dish with other Chinese restaurants and OOCR also executed this dish very well. The chef here is skilled in controlling the wok's temperature. I really appreciated the smokiness from the wok hei and the controlled tanginess of this dish. The squid used was also very tender.
ONG CHOY w/ HARM HA SAUCE, or fermented shrimp paste (4/5)
Another great dish that was cooked in high heat and you could taste the wok hei in this dish. The vegetables weren't overcooked so you still had that crunch, but it was a tad bit salty to my taste.
MINUTE CHICKEN w/ CAKE NOODLE (3/5)
I found this dish to be the less desirable for me. The cake noodle was cooked the "lazy" method where the noodles were formed in a small circle so it piled high, making the cake squares large and tall. I'm accustomed with restaurants spreading the noodles farther, making it flat and fried golden brown with more crunchy exterior. The choy sum vegetables were boiled and slightly overcooked. As the chef inserted the veggies into the dish, it was soft and not pleasant.
E-MEIN NOODLES (4/5)
Ordering noodles for long life is a must during a birthday when eating Chinese food. This dish was also executed well with the noodles braised long enough so it was tender and still with a chewiness to it. The noodles were seasoned well and tossed with some chicken, bean sprouts and Chinese peas. Sadly, this dish came out last and most of us were pretty much full.
Service was above average. The staff repeated came to our table to check up on us, refilled our tea pot and water glasses, removed excess dishes and even nicely packed our leftovers for us. The staff knew we brought our own birthday cake, so they made it a priority to clear the table for the cake presentation.
Overall, a surprising first visit to OOCR that has me wanting to bring my family here to sample the food. I am hoping for the food here will also bring back memories of our childhood days as we were raised on Maunakea Street in Chinatown. read more