Av - Honolulu

I have been to many fine dining restaurants in Europe and the US and the New Years dinner I had with my husband at AV was absolutely our favorite! I understand the critical points in the other reviews, the seating options could definitely be optimized a bit to allow more privacy, yet, there is really nothing critical i could say about the staff. They were very attentive and made our dinner possible even though there was a mistake with our reservation. The food was an absolute highlight, every dish was full of flavor and delicious. Also the surprise dish is a very creative and much appreciated idea. From all the dining out experiences I had in Hawaii, this is the one that left a lasting impression.

We enjoyed the location and service at AV which are two sticking points in other reviews. The chefs were friendly and talkative about the food if you engaged with them. It wasn’t too difficult to get to this small cozy location from Waikiki. The food was quite good with a range of different cuisines and flavors. Not all of it was my cup of tea but there were a few standouts including: Turkish eggplant and truffle mushroom bao. This is upscale expensive dining and it felt like that. It’s hard to determine whether the high price is worth the experience food, but we didn’t feel ripped off by any means. We were the only people in the restaurant that night which can feel a little isolating opposed to feeling special.

We came here on our honey moon. It’s expensive but we loved every bite. It was magical. Each chef tells you about the different courses, there’s little things to prepare for each course. We were enchanted .

Satisfying, interesting tasting menu, however, I would say it is overpriced as the location and service is not on par with the price of the tasting menu. Especially loved the mushroom dumpling!

Great experience, only bummer is the mediocre decoration of the place which does not do justice to the food. The lighting is pretty terrible. I can only image the next level of experience if ever a great interior designer creates a space aligned with the quality of the food. Too bad the owner does not invest in a holistic experience. If this was a dinner in the dark it would be in my top 5...