Some Q&A for those of you who want to know more about EbiNomi....

What type of 'cuisine' are we? 

Japanese?  Chinese?

Being Hawaiian means the Aloha spirit which means "cross-culture" so we see ourselves as Hawaiian cuisine if we have to be pigeon holed.  In reality our recipes are inspired by the menus of the world - unrestricted by cultures nor borders.

If we are not a Japanese restaurant

why do we have a Japanese name?

Our intent from the start to do a handful of "really good" dishes regardless of its origin or ethnicity.  So we ended up with an international menu.  One of our partners is Japanese and she came up with 'EbiNomi' and so here we are.

Why shrimps?

Shrimps and shrimp farms are things Oahu is known for.  We hear of tourists and locals alike taking the one-hour drive to North Shore to eat shrimps at the shrimp trucks.  So we thought, why not in Waikiki?  Perhaps we can do as good a job, if not better, than our brothers and sisters on the North Shore?  With a more spacious, properly equipped and sanitized kitchen?

Do we really serve nothing but shrimps?

No.  We are good with other dishes besides shrimps but shrimp dishes are our focus.

We also understand that our shrimp lover fans may come with friends who may not be shrimp lovers or perhaps allergic to shrimps, so even though we are named EbiNomi, we will have at least one 'non-shrimp' dish prepared - equally well and delicious.

Are we a dine-in restaurant? 

Our pilot store in Waikiki will primarily be a 'take-out' restaurant, but we are located in a nice shaded courtyard where there will be picnic tables and chairs for our guests. 

Our goal is to provide as much value as possible so we put our resources in the food rather than a fancy dining room.  Hawaii has such nice weather year-round so enjoying shrimps in a nature setting is a wonderful experience.

Who is our chef?

We don't have only ONE chef.  The different dishes we offer are from recipes developed by a panel of foodies whose passion is to travel around the world and experience different cuisines.  We have been collecting recipes for years, we would take the recipes into our test kitchen to refine them for a commercial operation.

Macy Yamamoto training in Blue Elephant of Bangkok, Thailand

Are we "fast food"?

If "fast food" is defined as "easily prepared processed food served in snack bars and restaurants as a quick meal or to be taken away", then we are not.

We use wholesome ingredients and as little processed stuff as possible.  We do cook the shrimps fast because shrimps are not something that need a long time to cook.

Are we owned by Google? Starbucks? 

Amazon?  Monsanto? the CIA?

No.  Not yet anyway.  So come and visit us before we get swallowed up by the evil-doers of the world.

Our parent company SKE is made up of a number of professionals in industries other than "food".  But one thing we have in common is the love of food and the principle of providing our guests with quality and value.