Name: Pub Benizuru Address: 3435 Waialae Ave. #102 (Kaimuki) Call: (808) 737-7747 Plate Lunch Prices: $5.00-$5.50 Hours: 10:30 am to 2:30 pm (lunch) Macaroni Salad Alternative?- no mac salad period! Specialties: Garlic Ahi, Miso Ahi AND I SEZ: Looks as well as names can be deceiving. Take Pub Benizuru for instance, who would think a great plate lunch place would be found in a pub. From the outside, the place looks like a typical Karaoke bar (which it is at night), inside there's a full service bar, a couple of lounge type seating and a television with Karaoke sound system. An acquaintance, Gordon, mentioned that the place had some of best pupu platters that they made as plate lunches for the mid-day crowd. Gordon was right!
The Benizuru miso ahi/ fried pork kim chee plate
Benizuru offers about eight selections ranging from the more typical beef tomato to the exotic omu rice. Their specialty has to be the ahi plates and the ponzu chicken. The ahi plates are prepared garlic style or with a miso sauce. I have tried both and prefer the miso sauce because the ahi stays very moist. The ahi plates are probably quite healthy- especially when you compare it to a deep fried pork cutlet with mac salad.The omu rice is a japanese omelet with flavored rice folded in the middle- I am not aware of any other plate lunch place offering this selection. With your "entree" you get the typical two scoops rice and a nice toss salad made with a miso sauce. They do not offer mac salad at all. Anything you see listed on the wall behind the bar can probably be made into a plate lunch. Two of the more popular pupu conversions are the fried tofu in miso sauce and the fried kim chee pork. I could see why the fried kim chee pork is a pupu dish, on the salty side but it would be good with beer.
Omu rice with garlic ahi combo Hey! That's not a catsup sauce either!
What's really nice about the plates is the prices- a uniform $5.00 single and $5.50 combo, tax included! Really easy to remember. They've been open since around 2/97- I hope they make it!