Hale serves healthy, organic, macrobiotic meals

On Mother’s Day, I was treated to a night out at the Hale Modern Macrobiotic Cuisine restaurant in Honolulu. The folks at Hale describe themselves as “modern macrobiotic cuisine,” a title that may deter diners who may mistake it for boring and vegetarian. My boyfriend, who found the place, had stuffed himself with a roast beef sandwich and french fries at home in fear of getting “tiny servings of vegetables” at the restaurant—something he didn’t admit until he was asking for his Hale dinner to be put in a takeout box because the portions were so big.

The space was modern and reminded me of something out of New York City. With an open kitchen lined by a bar where diners can eat and watch the chefs steam veggies, I could see that everything was clean and neat. Organic wine and beer, sake, and a good local beer selection was available.

Hale’s head chef Moco Kubota harnessed her craft in her family’s restaurant in Tokyo, and expanded on her palette at Honolulu’s Kai. Kubota decided to close Kai in 2008 to follow her dream of creating a healthy and natural restaurant. After receiving her Macrobiotic Certificate of Concierge, she opened Hale as a macrobiotic restaurant that would “abandon the use of refined sugar all together.”

Hale’s menu offers several soy protein main courses. I ordered one of them that was served with an apple miso sauce, which was rich and tasty. Each entree we saw coming out of the kitchen was served on a pretty glass plate that was similar to a luau plate with six or so separate sections filled with different elements of the meal.

The highlight for me was the kale and strawberry salad topped off with sesame tofu dressing—a flavorful mix of fruits and veggies. Other salads were offered, along with several soups, and appetizers like organic french fries with homemade ketchup and deep fried lotus root. Hale serves fish, and my dining partner—who was raised eating fish on Oahu—said his ono was some of the best he’s ever had. All of the delicious sounding desserts were egg, diary, and refined-sugar-free, but we were far to stuffed to try it. A sad thing really.

Starters like the veggie gyoza dumpling and black beans nato were $4.95 and up, salads $11.45 and up, soups$ 3.25 and up, sandwiches $13.75 and up, and a la cartes $12.45 and up. Dinner entrees like the teriyaki tempeh and kuruma-fu cutlet with apple miso sauce are priced at $18.45 and up. The dinner entrees come with grilled vegetable, greens, beans, seaweed, brown rice and miso Soup.

Our waiter told us that business was up-and-down. “Some days are so slow and other days we are pretty busy with no clue as to why,” he said. It was sort of sad actually, to see a unique restaurant that offered healthy, local, and organic meals suffering.

According to Hale’s website, the word “macrobiotic” is Greek in origin and means “long life.” The macrobiotic diet and philosophy were developed by George Ohsawa, a Japanese educator who believed that simplicity and balance were the key to optimal health. Ohsawa developed a diet that recommended 10 progressively restrictive stages—the last stage consisting only of brown rice and water, something macrobiotic diet counselors don’t recommend these days.

Hale describes the macrobiotic guidelines:

- Whole grains typically make up 50 to 60 percent of each meal. Whole grains include brown rice, whole wheat berries, barley, millet, rye, corn, buckwheat, and other whole grains.
- Soup. One to two cups or bowls of soup per day.
- Vegetables typically make up 25 to 30 percent of the daily food intake. Up to one-third of the total vegetable intake can be raw. Otherwise, vegetables should be steamed, boiled, baked, and sauteed.
- Beans make up 10 percent of the daily food intake. This includes cooked beans or bean products such as tofu, tempeh, and natto.
- Animal products. A small amount of fish or seafood is typically consumed several times per week. Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy are usually avoided.
- Seeds and nuts in moderation.
- Local fruit can be consumed several times a week. Includes apples, pears, peaches, apricots, grapes, berries, melons, and other fruit. Tropical fruit such as mango, pineapple, and papaya is usually avoided.
- Emphasize naturally sweet foods such as apples, squash, azuki beans, and dried fruit. Natural sweeteners such as rice syrup, barley malt, and amazake can be used. Sugar, honey, molasses, chocolate, carob, and other sweeteners are avoided.
- Cooking oil is typically unrefined vegetable oil. One of the most common oils used is dark sesame oil. Other oils that are recommended are light sesame oil, corn oil, and mustard seed oil. Never use canola oil, as it is not a natural oil, does not come from a plant, and can cause allergies for some people. Canola oil is a variant of rapeseed oil, used during World War II as a machine lubricant.

Hale was an unexpected find on a side street near Ala Moana Shopping Center. If you’re ever in the neighborhood and looking for something filling and healthy, be sure to check it out.

For more information, visit http://www.halemacro.com.

Hale Modern Macrobiotic Cuisine
1427 Makaloa St.
(808) 944-1555