Wood & Bucket Tapas Bar & Grill

 

Located across from Ala Wai Boulevard in the Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel is Wood & Bucket Tapas Bar & Grill.

Named after the wooden buckets Hawaii's plantation workers carried their homemade lunches in, Wood & Bucket offers a variety of tapas and Pacific-regional dishes with an emphasis on local ingredients prepared by Executive Chef Winston Madayag.

Last week I was invited to try some of Chef Winston's creations at this newly-renovated, open-air restaurant.

Spacious, open-air restaurant

The Bar is open until 3:30am!

Cheese Platter

The Cheese Platter included Pecorino Romano, Brie, and Gorgonzola cheeses, along with prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, pepperocini, pickles, raisins, and crackers.  Such a pleasing platter of bites, especially if you love cheese!

Foie Gras Burger Slider

I rarely eat burgers, but the Foie Gras Burger Slider was great.  Two Kobe beef sliders were topped with Hudson foie gras and caramelized pineapple.  The rich foie gras-topped mini burger had a little kick to it, and the accompanying sweet potato shoestring fries provided a nice, crunchy contrast.

Garlic Kahuku Shrimp

Each bite of the Garlic Kahuku Shrimp, which was tossed in a garlic-chili butter sauce, was firm and garlicky good!

Lamb Chop Lollipop

Surprisingly, my favorite dish was the Lamb Chop Lollipops.  Having never eaten lamb before, I was quite hesitant to try this dish, but I was blown away by how yummy the lamb was.  5 Spice, Asian style lamb was served atop a bed of potato au gratin.  The lamb was so flavorful, and I loved the potatoes as well.

Seafood Curry-Risotto

I also really enjoyed the Seafood Curry-Risotto.  I love risotto, and the curry gave it a deep, fragrant flavor.  Along with the abundance of seafood, the dish could easily be a hearty meal by itself!

Beef Wellington

Chef Winston's interpretation of the popular Beef Wellington was quite impressive - seared tenderloin coated with a black truffle pate, cream cheese, and Gorgonzola cheese between puff pastry - delicious!

Wood & Bucket Tapas Bar & Grill would be a perfect spot for pau hana with friends.  You can order a bunch of different dishes to share from the extensive tapas menu.

With reasonable prices for both the tapas (the dishes featured in this post range from $7 to $13) as well as entrees (steak, chicken, seafood, and more from $12 to $16), the restaurant would also be a great place for a family meal.

I must've passed this inconspicuous restaurant numerous times, but I'm glad I finally got to try Wood & Bucket.

Be sure to follow Wood & Bucket on Instagram so you can see more photos of delectable dishes!

No plans for Valentine's Day yet?  Check out Wood & Bucket's Prix Fixe Menu here.


Wood & Bucket Tapas Bar & Grill

2375 Ala Wai Blvd

Honolulu, HI  96815

808-922-4744