Gohan Is Honolulu’s First Craft Musubi Bar, and It Just Opened in Makiki
Warm, soul-soothing onigiri and hand rolls with classic and deluxe fillings are made to order at Gohan.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Team Rice, assemble! Two years ago, you couldn’t find a single hand roll bar in Honolulu. While Los Angeles, New York and Miami each had a few, somehow sushi-loving, musubi-obsessed Honolulu had none. Then Obake opened in April and Nori Bar in December—and on Nov. 1, Gohan opened in the Interstate Building on King Street. Its made-to-order musubi edges Gohan ahead of the pack.
SEE ALSO: Fresh, Crackling-Crisp Hand Rolls Make Nori Bar Worth a Visit
A warm rice ball made to order in front of you has very little competition. For this experience, dining at the bar at Gohan is necessary. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a beautiful space to boot, a complete transformation from the former Annabel Snack. The cooks start with fluffy, aromatic and slightly sweet Tsuyahime rice steamed in one of five induction rice cookers that line a wall of the kitchen. They form the rice into a triangle musubi, a loaded temaki wrapped in nori from the Ariake Sea off Kyushu, or a grilled (yaki) onigiri.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Classic musubi choices include shio salmon ($3.50), tuna mayo ($3.50) and yuzu ikura ($5.50). Specialty hand rolls consist of shrimp tempura ($4.95), chicken karaage ($4.25), pork kakuni ($4.50) and grilled unagi ($5.95). Grilled onigiri, which take 10 minutes to prepare, are worth the wait. Three of them are stuffed with cream cheese and toppings of shoyu, mentaiko or bonito flakes ($3.95 to $4.50). Daily specials have included overflowing hand rolls topped with spicy ‘ahi ($6.75), tonkatsu ($5.95), seared o-toro ($9.99) and other luxe toppings. Yes, there’s a Spam and egg musubi ($4.25). No, I did not order it.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Gohan lacks a full kitchen, so many of the fried and braised toppings are made at Golden Pork and Sushi Que, its sister restaurants across the street. These are reheated in the air fryer to match the warmth of the rice, a nice touch that makes the rolls that much more tasty.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
For a fulfilling meal, start with two nori musubi like tuna mayo or salmon ($3.50 each). Add a bowl of pork miso soup ($4.95) and a side of tsukemono pickles ($2.50) to round it out. This reminds me of my meal at Misojyu, a cozy shop in Asakusa, Tokyo, that serves essentially the same combination as a breakfast set for less than a cup of coffee. The tuna mayo musubi has a slight hint of citrus while the salmon hits all the right salty notes. The tonjiru, brimming with daikon, carrots, gobo and pork belly, is deliciously hearty.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Hand rolls arrive like folded tacos in stands that give them an aesthetic look while preserving the nori’s crisp texture. Eat them immediately. If you know me well, it’s no surprise that the pork kakuni hand roll, based off Golden Pork’s chashu, is my favorite; the chicken karaage roll is a close second. These are substantial: three can easily cure those lunchtime hunger pangs.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
It’s difficult to pinpoint why a lunch of warm rice balls, crunchy pickles and steaming soup is so soul-soothing. But it’s why I’ve already returned and will continue to return to Gohan.
Open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1314 S. King St., @gohan.hawaii
