Red Pepper Restaurant - Red Pepper Mix

Red Pepper Restaurant is a new (less than a month old) spot on Fort Street Mall, in a strip of storefronts that has turned steadily into a food court for nearby Hawaii Pacific University.  There is already another Korean BBQ in the vicinity, the venerable 2-Go-Bar-B-Q.  This newcomer distinguishes itself by being a "fresh and healthy" version.

Red Pepper Mix

Is it a worthwhile distinction?  Well, the Red Pepper Mix ($9.59) does feel a little cleaner, less sauce heavy, and has an interesting piece item, i.e. "pepper jun."  Pepper jun turns out to be a piece of bell pepper, coated in egg batter and deep fried . . . a Korean chile relleno.  Very tasty and lots of fun.

The rest of the food is, to Umami's palate, a bit under seasoned and nondescript, which is not how Umami thinks of Korean cuisine.  Two nicely grilled, but under seasoned boneless chicken thighs, bulgogi that could have used a little more time marinating, pepper jun (winnah!), a piece of mandoo (pretty good, but "healthy?").  You get three vegetables, but unlike other Korean BBQs, you don't get to choose.  And the macaroni salad ("healthy?") is also on the bland side.

All in all, a lot of food, but disappointingly unentertaining.  Maybe opening day jitters.  Maybe Umami's palate is not in step with fresh and healthy (though that's not really a surprise).

Because Elle asked, Umami will go back to see if they have a Pepper Jun plate . . . but, if not, hard for him to see choosing Red Pepper over 2-Go.

Red Pepper Restaurant
1150 Fort Street Mall
Honolulu, Hawaii  96815
808-536-1200

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