Big Fish Dive Club
Situated in a historical building that once served as the Headquarters of the Korean Federation in the early 1900s, this eatery is a true find. With its unassuming entrance and modest dining area, you wouldn’t immediately peg it as a “foodie’s choice,” but the food tells a different story.
While the menu is limited, the two dishes we ordered were excellent:
• Wagyu Beef Dolsot Bibimbap: On par with some of the best versions found in Korea or Southern California.
• Pork Belly: The texture was near perfection. While it is easy to prepare decent fatty pork, it is notoriously difficult to make the lean portion tender and digestible; here, the chef did an excellent job. Both were well prepared, except it was just a tad too sweet. I suppose fusion in Hawaii generally means making your dish sweeter than before. The meal was accompanied by two side dishes: an excellent kimchi and a pickled cauliflower that was both interesting and tasty.
We sat on the back patio, which offered a breezy and enjoyable view of old brick walls and—yes—chickens. The service was friendly and attentive. This spot is a true “gem” in the heart of what was once a booming Chinatown.
… moreGrace Lee
First time visiting. The rating on Google was pretty high so we decided to try it.
Not sure if I’ll go back. Nice presentation on the food display and all but the prices were ridiculously expensive. It was not even anything specially made dishes either, just regular Korean food.
Average Hot stone Bibimbap costs around $15 anywhere else but here it was $31. Regular Bibimbap costs between $10 and $12 anywhere else but here it was $18. And that’s for only for veggie bibimbap. It will cost you extra $$$ if you want to add meat to your dish. I ordered chicken bibimbap which added up to be $21.
Average bibimbap comes with some kind a meat anywhere else but here it will cost you extra.
Galbi dish will cost you $31 but you only get a handful of cut up galbi pieces. For $31, you usually get a whole dish pile of Kalbi anywhere else. I usually order one order of galbi dish for around $30 and share it with someone.
I don’t mind paying a little more IF the dish tasted fantastic, even if it was just an ordinary Korean dish. But if it tasted average and expensive, then no way.
Bottom line, it was not worth the money for me.
… moreFrank Kirby
What a wonderful jewel! Had one of the best meals in all of Hawaii here. Very fresh ingredients, friendly staff & ample portions make up a delicious meal. Somewhat skeptical about the Elotes ice cream, we ordered it anyway. WOW! What a delight! An artistic creation almost too pretty to eat. Deliciously scrumptious, we savored every bite & would have ordered more if we had any room left at all. Don’t miss this place!
… moreMaka Sasaki (aquatako2006)
It was our first time, and we walked from our home since it’s only 15min away. The noise level was more in the front side and not so much in the back where their patio was. We are hungry and wanted to try as much menu as possible, so we ordered 3 dishes for two of us. It was a beef bibimpap, Kalbi and Korean Chicken. As soon as we sit down, water came and we ordered some hot teas. Banchan came right away after we ordered the foods too, so we started enjoying those banchan which consist of “Kimchee”, “Mizu-Kimchee with Daikon Radish & Carrots” and “Black Sesami Dressing Salad”. All of them you can order more and complimentary with dinner dishes. Beef Bibimpap was quite a lot portion we could not finish it so we took it home. it comes with “spicy source” so if you like spicier you can. Kalbi was so tender and super yummy and comes with pumpkin paste and some potato & carrot as well. Korean Chicken was my favorite since the chicken was so crispy and juicy inside and also comes with deep fried Brussel sprouts and cheesy potato. We got full so easy but we definitely want to come back for more dishes!!
… moreKawehi Clarke
They have two gluten-free options. The chef is a knowledgeable about celiacs and he comes out to talk to you when he has time. I had the veggie bibimbap and it was absolutely delicious only thing to make that gluten-free is to take off the mushrooms which is kind of a bummer. They also have a pork belly which they can make gluten-free which was also absolutely fantastic. He also told me that sometimes they have monthly specials that are gluten free and you just have to be in or check when you’re there. So for me being a Celiac this is a place I would definitely eat again and I can attest that at least two of their dishes are great.
… moreAris S.
Delicious Korean fusion! A little pricey but very good quality and generous portions, which balances this out. Love that they are a mom and pop, local restaurant.
… moreRebecca Dai
Salad and Miso eggplant were so good! Kimchi is the best I’ve ever had.
… morebrandon dengler
Really great, affordable Korean dishes!! The bibimbap is amazing, and for $20, you can beat it. Great service and the backyard deck seating is nice and peaceful from the busy streets
… moreAdam Franklin
Pork brullee was off the chain. Excellent and fresh-tasting pickles and kimchi. Just a great meal all around!
… moreBon Park
Chef changes menu every month based on what’s the freshest ingredients available monthly. Taste and presentation is very nice. We were lucky to find parking on the street which is free after 6PM.
Try the old Korean lady coffee and it was better than any other fancy coffee purveyor.
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