"My friends thought I was nuts opening a restaurant in Hawaii on the 3rd floor of an office building with no parking and no ocean view.” (AW) Yet nearly 15 years later, the unique location of Alan Wong’s Restaurant Honolulu continues to be the heart of where it all started and where it all happens.

By day, the restaurant is a culinary studio experimenting with new flavors and new ideas. Where dishes are tested and born; where brainstorming sessions give rise to innovative methods and partnerships; where staff is trained and goals are set; where meals are shared with the senior citizens of our local community; where preparations are made for large charity event dinners; the center point from which AWR is able to explore, learn and serve.

By night, the kitchen orchestrates a buzz of simmering flavors amidst the sounds of sizzling pans, chopping knives and culinarians forewarning hot dishes or an opening oven door. Unbeknownst to the guests, this energetic whiz of activity is evidenced only by the aromatics of the dishes that seem to effortlessly arrive, beautifully plated, on the linen covered table before them. Ah, delight!  >>

Photograph by Alan Wong