Koi Catering & Takeout

Koi Catering & Takeout is CLOSING, their last day is on Friday 2÷13÷2015!
They are catering until their last day, but as they run out of things throughout the week they are taking it off the menu. They will continue to have their Lunch Wagon near Queen’s Hospital, but catering will not be available. (Lunch Wagon has a limited menu)
When we heard that there wouldn’t be any more Dynamite Shrimp (Dynamite anything!) we were devastated, but we were informed that the Chef would be going to OnStage Drinks & Grinds (Bar) on Kapahulu, the Dynamite Shrimp will be available as a pupu.
Oh and if you love their Oriental dressing, they showed us their last bottle, they will be out of that too :(

A gem. The Koi bento is a must.

I’ve been to Koi a few times, for both lunch and dinner. The one time I went for lunch was for a late lunch – around 2:30 p.m. – and I went for dinner at around 5:30 p.m. During both of my visits, I was pleased to see that the eatery wasn’t crowded. The commute was short, since I worked pretty close to the restaurant.
Koi is known for their delicious local plate lunch-​style cuisine, as well as their featured desserts. You gotta check their Facebook page, though, to see what’s being featured for that week/​day! Though I didn’t get any dessert during my visits to Koi … there’s always next time! I definitely want to try their delicious-​looking cupcakes one day.
Here’s what I got, as well as dishes I want to try:
«Furikake Mahimahi»: Mahimahi is one of my favorite fishes, so it made sense to order this dish on my first trip to Koi. It featured seared island mahimahi crusted with Japanese seaweed and served with tartar sauce. I normally don’t use tartar sauce, and I loved all the flavors that this dish encompassed. The mahimahi was seared and cooked perfectly – the interior was tender, moist and succulent – and the crunchy, exterior crust provided the perfect finish. I love anything covered in furikake! The plates come with your choice of white or brown rice, as well as tossed salad or mac salad. I went for brown rice and tossed salad with Ranch dressing (though next time, I would want to try the mac salad). I devoured my entire mahi for lunch (got the mini size), but if I were hungrier, I definitely would have opted for the regular portion!
«Garlic Ahi Caesar Salad»: My friend opted for this dish for lunch, since the eatery’s known for their ahi. The entrée features Island ahi crusted with garlic panko with signature Koi wasabi sauce on a bed of Romaine lettuce, topped with Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons. This lighter entrée looked delicious, but the seared garlic ahi definitely makes it unique. The next time I come to Koi for lunch, I want to get this salad. My friend said the Romaine tasted fresh and crisp, and the homemade croutons were delightfully crunchy.
«Pesto Mahimahi»: When I went with a different friend to Koi for dinner, he got this pasta dish … and it was the first time I saw someone order pasta from Koi. However, it definitely looked appetizing. It featured Island mahimahi perfectly seared with a seasoned Japanese bread crumb crust, topped with pesto-​infused linguini. My friend really liked his linguini and said the pesto taste was pretty strong. The mahimahi looked delicious with its breaded crust … if I’m going to Koi for dinner again, I would definitely want to order this entrée for myself.
«Shrimp Scampi»: I don’t get «Shrimp Scampi» very often, but if I’m in the mood for pasta and seafood, this would be my go-​to. It features tiger shrimp sautéed with garlic, butter and sweet basil on a bed of linguini and Parmesan cheese. I prefer creamy sauce over tomato/​marinara any day, so I know this pasta entrée is already right up my alley. I can’t wait to experience the succulent shrimp, and I’m sure the basil-​Parmesan-​garlic combo is amazing.
«Garlic Shrimp»: If I want a pure shrimped-​up meal, this is my go-​to. This entrée features shrimp sautéed in sweet basil, garlic and butter. I’m not sure how big the shrimp are – or how many come with the dish – but the basil-​and-​garlic sauce (of course, combined with melted butter) alone makes this entrée worth trying.
«Garlic Ahi»: Garlic flavor added to any entrée is sure to make it better … and ahi is no exception! This dish features island ahi with a garlic-​seasoned panko blend, served with signature Koi wasabi sauce. If you want to skip that salad and enjoy more of this ahi goodness, then this entrée is for you. I had a bite of my friend’s seared ahi and it was amazing, so I’m sure I’ll order this garlic ahi entrée for myself at some point.
«Crab Cakes»: This entrée features a mixture of Maryland blue crab claw and imitation crab with sweet chili aioli. Kudos for including parts of «authentic» crab in the crab cake … I’ve had crab cakes before that definitely tasted like pure imitation crab (which I do like, but I feel like crab cakes should be made with real crab). This menu item is definitely toward the top of my must-​try list.
«Garlic Chicken»: I do love a good local plate full of garlic chicken, but since this dish was located on the latter end of the menu, it was more of an afterthought. I definitely do want to try it one day, though! Based on the other entrees I’ve tried so far at Koi, I’m sure this chicken is coated with tons of flavor.

The food here is off the charts! Every single item we’ve ever ordered is exceptionally delicious and consistent. We’ve tried the grilled steak, furikake mahi, garlic chicken, opah dynamite special, shrimp dynamite special, mochiko chicken. We would’ve tried other items, but they’re so good about quality control and they’re so popular, they sell out by the time we get there after peak-​lunch hour. This place is a keeper!

Great place for some Ono grinds at great prices. I enjoyed the hamburger steak; lots of taste, a little on the salty side but not over cooked and moist. Crab cakes were the best — the sauce makes it a winner!

I ordered koi bento. The cashier was friendly and food was really good!
Parking is really small so it will be hard to find a spot when you go there lunch time.

Aloha Unilocalers,
I’ve visited here for lunch a bunch of times. Great food… parking is very difficult most of the time. I think if their parking situation was better, they’d get more business. Often I’ll spin around a few times and if I still can’t get a space, forget it… next!
Absolutely love their Garlic Ahi and their bentos are awesome. It seems like their servings have gone down a little the last few visits. They’re food is delicious and the friendly smile when you walk in the door is always a plus.
They have a lunch wagon that parks along side of Queen’s Hospital on the Ewa side of the Board of Water Supply Bldg. on Beretania St. I’m sure they’re busy too.

Great salads. Garlic Ahi salad with the wasabi sauce was winner. Wasabi sauce had a little bit of a bite too but wasn’t overwhelming but just perfect. Romaine lettuce with other geens were well worth the $ 8.00 and change. My partners said their Furukaki Mahi plate was excellent. The staff was very friendly and the order didn’t take very long either. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Even though the a/​c in this restaurant is practically non-​existent I’ve still been here twice and plan on coming back. And that’s seriously saying something about how yummy the food is here!
On my first visit I brought my mom, dad, and uncle. This was a risky move on my part because I’d never eaten a KOI (not even the truck) before! But I trusted in my fellow Unilocalers and am really glad I did!
My uncle was unimpressed with the restaurant’s appearance (it’s pretty beat up) and he said that this was «working class» food. (I forgave his grumpiness because his doctor had just told him to go on a diet and eat salads.) He half-​heartedly stabbed at his salad and eyed out our plate lunches hungrily…
My mom, on the other hand, really liked her food (garlic chicken). She was a little annoyed about the a/​c situation but at least she’s willing to go back with her friends because the food is good and decently priced. My dad didn’t say anything (as usual) because he was too busy eating…
My most recent visit was one of my best friends and he LOVED the food. Koi is just a 5 minute drive from his house so he’s thrilled that I introduced him to this place!
«I never get full when I order fish but I’m actually full from that!» [That] was the garlic ahi plate that he ordered. I got a mini seared poke bowl and was so HAPPY that I almost cried.
Food so good it’ll made you cry. I think that’s a great slogan!