Restaurant Guide

Artistry is present in every dish on the kaiseki menu at Nanzan Giro Giro, the Honolulu outpost of a Kyoto restaurant whose only other location is in Paris. And it's not just the food: Because Nanzan, the restaurant's namesake, is a potter, each course is served on handcrafted dishes that are by turns delicate and vibrant, rustic and subdued. Its address on the outskirts of Honolulu's industrial warehouse district notwithstanding, the space is bright and modern, with clean lines and industrial chrome and glass finishes everywhere. Diners eat at a long counter that curves around an open kitchen where cooks and servers plate each intricately conceived dish; a lounge area in the back offers a bit more privacy. Nanzan is a kaiseki-only restaurant, so expect a series of about seven tiny courses that change every month, reflecting seasonal ingredients from Hawaii and Japan.

Honolulu Weekly: "Dinner here is the equivalent of a Terrence Malick film--it unfolds slowly and appreciation is in the details: the flair of the handmade ceramics; precisely-plated courses; movement in the spotless, grease-free kitchen (some cooks even wear geta, the wooden-platform slippers); the novelty of ingredients not often found in Honolulu restaurants; and unusual flavor pairings."