If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know that Roy Yamaguchi is one of the pioneers when it comes to delicious, fine dining. His flagship restaurant, Roy’s in Honolulu opened in 1988, picked up a James Beard award, and today has 31 locations worldwide.
Roy’s is defined as Hawaiian fusion cuisine: European techniques, Asian cuisine, and Hawaiian hospitality. I define it as: delicious. In fact, since I’ve been down here in San Diego for Comic-Con (for my “real” job), I’ve been to Roy’s twice.
The first night, I started with the watermelon salad with baby vegetables, watercress, and saporoso. The salad was not only pretty to look at, but it was really crisp, light, and refreshing.
For my entree, I opted for one of Roy’s signature dishes: Roy’s roasted macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi with lobster butter sauce. The fish was beautifully cooked: flaky, moist & buttery with a crispy crust, and seasoned exactly how I like it. Amazing.
For dessert we opted for one of each of their signature desserts that require a little more TLC (cooking time). We got the pineapple upside down cake, and the chocolate lava cake. Both were outstanding.
The second night, I started with the strawberry salad with feta cheese, hazelnuts, lolla ross a, frisee, and finished with a Thai basil dressing. This salad was outstanding. The dressing was light, interesting, and booming with flavor, while the tartness of the frisee and the strawberries balanced it out quite well.
For my entree, I decided to try the surf & turf, which had a nice filet, and Maine lobster tail served over a poblano mash with asparagus. The meat was a little more well than I asked, the lobster was slightly overcooked, but still tasted great. The highlight of my plate was the poblano mash…it had a really nice, unexpected heat to it.
Roy’s has great service, an energetic dining room, nice patio, and overall, a great vibe. Because this one is located inside a hotel, it’s not the easiest to find, however, overlooking the harbor was a nice treat after working all day.
Roy’s Restaurant – San Diego Waterfront
333 West Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-7697
Roy’s Restaurant – San Diego Waterfront website
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