Opened last Memorial Day weekend, Chef-owner Alan Wong’s Amasia, serenely set amidst the koi ponds and gardens in the Grand Wailea Hotel, is the new kid on the block. Taking over the former Japanese restaurant space, four different kitchens (robata grill, sushi, salad and main) deliver Eurasian-style tapas to the table.

There are several different rooms for seating options (sushi bar, tatami rooms, sake room, etc.), but we opted to sit at the long wooden bar and catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunset:

Cucumber Cocktails in Maui definitely have a trend that hasn’t crossed the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco. Most use Hendrick’s Gin as a base (it’s perfect with cucumber), but many add an interesting twist with some spicy element. Merriman’s uses Tabasco, Westin’s Tropica uses cayenne pepper and Amasia uses jalapeño to add some kick to the refreshing drink:

The Potato Chip Pupu (appetizer), served in a white paper bag, was a combination of taro and potato chips dusted with mustard and onion powder. This snack went really with the cocktail:

The Ahi tuna “meatballs” came smothered in an “angry sauce.” The fusion of the Italian arrabiata sauce worked with the fish balls topped with parmesan cheese and basil:

The house made pickles offered spicy variations of kimchee, daikon and cucumbers with enoki mushroom:

The Duck Bao came with hoisin-sriracha sauce. It was an expertly made dim sum dish:

The Chirashi Sushi plate was a fairly large dish that contained some tasty fresh seafood and sushi rice beautifully arranged. The tamago was more like a custard dessert rather than the typical rolled omelet:

The Kurobota Pork Tenderloin from the robata kitchen came with eringyii (trumpet) mushrooms and a spicy miso sauce:

The food paired really well with a German Reisling:

A few of Chef Alan Wong’s signature dishes from his King St. (Oahu) restaurant are available here, but it’s nice to have the option of ordering many different fusion style small plates for variety.

Note: The BarFlys are vacationing in Hawaii. SF posts will return soon; in the meantime, hope you enjoy these travel-related posts.

http://www.wailearesortdining.com/alan-wongs-amasia/