Brew Moon Restaurant and Microbrewery

Brew Moon is one of just a couple of restaurants on Oahu that actually brew their own beer on premises. Situated on the second floor of Ward Center, they have positioned themselves as an upscale brewpub, offering a mix of fusion pupus and entrees. I sometimes pop in for a light lunch and their free wireless internet access, but this was our first dinner there in nearly a year.

Our visit to Brew Moon just missed Happy Hour prices (3-6pm daily), but I felt obligated to order a pint of beer nonetheless. The Black Hole Lager ($4.75) is brewed in the style of a German schwarzbier, deep black but with a light body. I found the roasted barley and chocolate malts to be too strong. In contrast, the hops were nearly undetectable. The Black Hole Lager was drinkable, but not one to order again.

To start our meal, we ordered the Ahi Sampler ($14). Clockwise from top center, it contained spiked ahi, blackened ahi, a garnish of shrimp chips and ahi sashimi. Junko preferred the blackened ahi of the three, but I found myself wishing they had actually blackened it. The coating of spices was decent, but the cooks appear to have only waved the ahi near the grill for the blackening. A good blackened ahi is cooked briefly on an extremely hot pan so that the spices char but the instead remains rare. This ahi was just spiced and rare. The spiked ahi tasted of mild sesame oil and sat on a bed of avocado ride-- my favorite of the three. Overall, the quality of the fish was excellent in all three, but the preparations did very little to take the ahi to another level.

For my entree, I ordered the Kiawe Smoked Salmon Salad with Grilled Asparagus, Tomato, Capers, Hard-boiled Egg, on Mixed Greens with Lemon Pepper Dressing. Yep, they listed every last ingredient. The salad was simple, with a dressing that reminded me more of a caeser than a bright lemon pepper. They were generous with the salmon, piling long, thick slices of lox in the middle of the salad. Adding the capers is so common as to be cliche, but it's common beause it tastes good. There was nothing special about this salad, but it hit the spot.

Junko made the best choice of the evening: a Thai themed nightly special prepared by a visiting chef ($18.50). (I neglected to write down the chef's name.) The plate contained three preparations. The first was a Stuffed Chicken and Shrimp with Fried Tofu and a Sweet Chili Plum Sauce-- amazing, savory chicken and shrimp wrapped in a flavorful tofu pocket. Second, a Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce had pleasing ginger flavors. Finally, the Shrimp and Egg Pad Thai was the best pad thai I've had in Hawai'i. It's really too bad that this chef was just visiting because his dish beat the pants off the standard menu fare.

Overall, we were pleased but not overwhelmed by the meal. Brew Moon has all the right ingredients to be a hit: a great location, stylish decorations, fresh ingredients and the Asian/Western fusion that everyone seems to love. Yet it feels like a sonata played by computer; all the right notes but lacking passion. The dishes were competent, but with the exception of the Thai combo, failed to distinguish themselves. For the price, it could be even better. Don't get me wrong-- I'll be back, lured by the wifi and their IPA.

Brew Moon Restaurant and Microbrewery
1200 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, HI 96088
808-593-0088
www.brewmoon.com