5/5 Nicholas Q. 1 year ago on Google
Firstly,
I
will
say
that
I
absolutely
appreciate
owners
and
chefs
who
try
to
do
something
special
and
something
uncommon.
This
is
always
refreshing
and
while
I
understand
the
economic
and
commercial
consideration
and
pressure
most
owners
face
with
trying
to
make
a
living
and
support
themselves,
I
always
give
plentiful
credit
to
owners
and
chefs
who
really
put
it
out
there
and
try
to
deliver
an
experience
that’s
different
and
an
experience
that’s
unique
in
nature.
We
have
far
too
many
owners
and
chefs
and
who
play
it
“safe”
and
give
in
to
the
pressures
of
the
business
and
economic
fortitude.
Too
many
owners
and
chefs
who
create
menus
that
are
practically
a
shoe-in
to
success
and
acclimation.
It’s
disheartening
to
see
throughout
the
world,
far
too
many
owners
and
chefs
who
take
the
road
well-travelled
instead
of
the
one
rarely
travelled.
So
for
this
alone,
I
give
AV
and
the
chef/owner
very
positive
points
and
my
gratitude.
To
start,
the
location
is
a
little
bit
away
from
the
hustle
and
bustle
of
Waikiki
which
is
totally
fair
and
honestly
a
positive
note,
but
with
that
said,
when
we
arrived,
we
were
confused
on
where
to
go,
how
to
get
in
and
what
to
do.
We
came
to
what
appeared
to
be
the
front
door
and
it
was
locked.
We
called
the
restaurant
main
line
but
hit
the
voicemail
almost
immediately.
We
were
left
confused.
Was
the
restaurant
open?
Did
we
go
to
the
right
spot?
It
was
only
until
other
parties
arrived
that
we
all
deduced
that
we
had
an
8pm
reservation
and
we
were
all
at
the
right
place.
A
person
then
came
out
and
explained
it
would
be
a
few
minutes
and
to
wait
outside.
Long
story
short,
all
of
the
parties
waiting
outside
were
confused
when
they
arrived.
There
definitely
needs
to
be
an
improvement
to
explain
to
guests
when
making
a
reservation
what
the
process
will
be
when
arriving
at
the
restaurant
so
no
one
is
outside
trying
to
gather
how
to
enter
the
restaurant,
etc.
Once
inside
though,
our
experienced
turned
out
very
positive.
It’s
clear
the
chefs
care
about
their
work
and
it
translates
to
the
plates.
They
were
informative
and
friendly.
The
food
was
also
well
put
together.
My
wife
is
a
vegetarian
and
I’m
a
“meat
eater”
and
altogether
we
were
satisfied
with
our
meals.
Some
courses
were
beyond
phenomenal
and
some
were
“just”
good.
The
evening
was
paced
well
and
ultimately
it
didn’t
feel
like
a
tremendously
long
experience
which
was
nice.
Be
prepared
though,
that
this
is
a
completely
different
style
of
dining
than
you
may
be
used
to.
It’s
highly
interactive
(when
it
needs
to
be)
and
it’s
far
more
of
an
experience
than
a
cozy,
be-alone-at-your-table
kind
of
night.
There
is
room
for
improvement
on
some
of
the
courses
in
complexity
and
flavour
balancing
but
overall
the
food
was
excellent.
The
portions
are
definitely
on
the
petite
side
of
things
so
if
you
have
a
tremendous
appetite,
you
may
feel
hungry
afterwards
so
be
prepared.
The
price
was
on
the
line
for
us.
Perhaps
a
slight
bit
higher
than
it
should
be.
Our
meal
was
$400
altogether
with
tip
and
in
retrospect,
it
seems
a
slight
bit
high
for
what
we
experienced.
We
do
however
understand
the
nature
of
the
effort
and
the
offering
so
we
accept
the
pricing
structure
is
higher.
Overall
our
rating
is
closer
to
four
stars
given
a
few
areas
of
improvement
but
for
the
creativity,
care,
friendliness,
diligence,
and
overall
experience,
AV
deserves
a
very
positive
rating
and
they
deserve
the
benefit
of
the
doubt,
hence
the
five
star
rating.
I
will
say
in
closing
that
YOU
SHOULD
try
this.
Highly
recommended,
especially
if
you’re
in
Hawaii.
You
won’t
be
disappointed,
especially
if
you
have
the
correct
mindset
and
expectation
of
what
this
dining
style
is.
You
should
be
expecting
an
interactive
multi-course
culinary
experience
for
the
open-minded
and
not
a
choose-your-own-plate
and
be-by-yourself
experience.