Destination Dining: Herringbone, Honolulu

One of the highlights was the buffalo octopus, as recommended by the server. Photo / Facebook

HERRINGBONE
International Market Place, 2330 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu

We arrived… on our last night in Hawaii, hoping to experience something special to celebrate the end of a fabulous holiday. We weren't disappointed.

We chose here because… we were surprised and impressed to discover the rooftop restaurant earlier in the week when we were exploring Waikiki's shopping precinct. Herringbone , specialising in fresh local seafood, is one of six restaurants that sit atop the swish shopping centre.

Our first impression was… man, they've nailed the tropical plantation decor. Padded linen stools sit alongside worn leather chairs and various seafaring paraphernalia - including strings of puffer fish that hang from the ceiling. That probably doesn't sound as cool as it looks but you'll just have to trust me, it's very, very cool.

One of the highlights was the buffalo octopus, as recommended by the server. Photo / Facebook

We started with… the yellowtail crudo, which was thinly sliced to perfection and came topped with finely diced mango, chilli and dressed with truffle yuzu ($23). Outstanding. We also treated ourselves to a final farewell cocktail, including the Smoke and Spice ($15), which was a punchy yet balanced mix of smoked mezcal with cucumber juice, mint and chilli. It was lip-tinglingly good and easily the best cocktail we'd had all holiday.

The highlight was… everything was exceptional but the buffalo octopus, as recommended by our server, was something really special. Perfectly tender tentacles marinaded in a tangy buffalo sauce, served over black eyed peas. We also couldn't fault the Alaskan king crab scampi ($32), which was especially decadent, served with a small pot of melted butter for dipping the sweet, soft crab meat into.

The yellowtail crudo, which was thinly sliced to perfection and came topped with finely diced mango, chilli and dressed with truffle yuzu. Photo / Instagram

Dessert was… equally outstanding. The mango sweetbread pudding came covered in sticky caramel sauce with macadamia crumble and was utterly unctuous. The Lilikoi creme brulee was also top notch, delivering a tart passionfruit punch to temper the sweetness of the scorched sugar topping.

The mango sweetbread pudding came covered in sticky caramel sauce with macadamia crumble. Photo / Facebook

Come here if… you want to treat yourself to some of Hawaii's freshest seafood, served with a creative twist. It's by no means the cheapest meal you'll find in Waikiki but it could just be one of the best.

The bill… came to USD$167 for four sharing plates, two cocktails and two desserts. Add to that the standard 20 per cent tip and you're looking at about $250 all up.