After 5.3 million renovation this year of his restaurant, Kō, at the Fairmont Kea Lani, award-winning Chef Tylun Pang is enjoying the success. As I quickly learned –don’t ask him about his menu, his restaurant or his ideas. Pang credits the success of the restaurant to his team, not himself. Smart move considering this shared credit also comes with shared ownership and pride in the product. While much of the menu including the steamed Whole Fish and House Cake Noodles with vegetables and ginger oyster sauce comes straight from Pang’s father’s recipe armory. The Portuguese bean soup and Lumpia Filipino Spring rolls are from Rick Texeria in purchasing. Chef De Partie, George Agcolicol contributed his family’s recipe for Filipino Pancit Noodles and Chef Eddie Domingo, came up with the Island Mahi Mahi Wrap.
“It’s not Hawaii Regional Cuisine, it’s not Pacific Rim, it’s Plantation era cuisine,” he explains. As Pang is the first to point out the menu items are not new –but longtime family recipes gathered from his Fairmont team. The sugar plantations in the islands especially in Maui attracted immigrants from China, Portugal, Korea, the Phillipines and Japan to help tend the fields, they in turn brought their recipes from home. While this sounds like Pacific Rim cuisine to me – the main difference to me is there are stories tied to these dishes, which adds to the appeal.
Expect the menu to evolve, as Chef Pang explained. I tell the team what we have, and they create a dish. Think Iron Chef without the drama. Last week recalls Pang with a gleam in his eye, “I brought in shrimp caught just off the coast and they made Chinese shrimp dumplings paired with steamed ginger fish, Oh my God it was so good! Because of the concept of the restaurant all these flavors makes sense.” These become specials and if popular become ‘greatest hit’ and eventually can find their way onto the regular menu.
As part of an ongoing property restoration, Pang is able to showcase his self-described mixed plates (common term for local food reflecting the various ethnic dishes meeting together on one –usually paper- plate) with a swanky new space designed by Roger Gagon of Wailuku’s Island Design Center. “What we do with food, he does with design,” says Pang, “We tell the story of our culture, he tells the story of the island.” The rounded roof, for example, mimics clouds; sheaths of tiny silver beads represent misty rain; green upholstery – the leaves of the sugar cane and the lined tiled floor is what Gagon saw as he looked down on the linear fields from an airplane. While much of this symbolism was lost on me, the result was an inviting, hip décor that screamed ‘special occasion.’ Locals don’t forget to ask for the kamaaina rate. korestaurant.com
Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl, two perspectives of the dining space
Mimi Towle has been the editor of Marin Magazine for over a decade. She lived with her family in Sycamore Park and Strawberry and thoroughly enjoyed raising two daughters in the mayhem of Marin’s youth sports; soccer, swim, volleyball, ballet, hip hop, gymnastics and many many hours spent at Miwok Stables. Her community involvements include volunteering at her daughter’s schools, coaching soccer and volleyball (glorified snack mom), being on the board of both Richardson Bay Audubon Center. Currently residing on a floating home in Sausalito, she enjoys all water activity, including learning how to steer a 6-person canoe for the Tamalpais Outrigger Canoe Club. Born and raised in Hawaii, her fondness for the islands has on occasion made its way into the pages of the magazine.
