Banchan (Lahaina, Kauai or Hilo)

[debby]

I'll be coming to Hawaii in October and I'm hoping to find a Korean restaurant that serves banchan in or near Lahaina or Hilo or somewhere on Kauai. I'm from San Francisco and traveling with someone from Connecticut. I have told him about banchan and he is eager to try it. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Mahalo.

[missvenuz]

Cham Cham Korean BBQ in Hilo. Get the meat jun. Excellent.

[Mag454]

There are 2 Korean restaurants in Kauai- Kimchee #9 (not my fav) in Lihue and Korean BBQ in Wailua (the better of the 2). Neither of them really serve banchan- just kimchee and pickled veggies with dinner.

[saturngrrl]

I can't personally vouch for it yet, because I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to on an upcoming trip. Isana is a Korean BBQ place that also has sushi. It's in Kihei, south of Lahaina. I read some reviews of it on Trip Advisor and one person - a self-professed foodie who works in the industry - said the food and the banchan were good there. It's on our list for a trip in a couple of weeks. If we make it there, I'll take notes and report back! Chances are good, since we are actually staying in Kihei, and when I told my SO about the place, his eyes really lit up. He digs the cook-at-your-table style.

BTW, where in Connecticut? If anywhere near Danbury, there's a very good little (I mean, TINY) Korean place called Edo II that we love. No cook-at-your-table, but all the usual Korean staples, like Bulgogi, Bibimbap, etc. I quite enjoy the banchan there - and since my SO doesn't like it, I get it ALLLLLL! :-D

[debby]

Thanks. Not near Danbury, but I'll pass on the info. Lucky for you that you get all the banchan! Would love to hear your report of Isana if you make it there. I found a menu online, but no prices were listed. That seems to be common with restaurants in Hawaii.

[saturngrrl]

Yeah, I couldn't find prices, either. I'll try to remember to take notes! :-)