Fooki (Pearl Kai)

Map of Taiwan.

This is Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

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Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, is an island 100 miles off the southeastern coast of China. It is mainly populated by the Han Chinese, and the official language is Mandarin. Though it is a prosperous capitalist democracy, Taiwan is not recognized by many nations. The reason is that China has threatened to cut off ties to any nation that recognizes Taiwan. China considers Taiwan theirs and wants to incorporate it as part of China. The USA does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but we have vowed to defend it militarily against China.

As of 2011, Taiwan has a population of 23 million.

About 1 million Taiwanese live in the USA. I don’t know how many of them live in Hawaii.

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My friend, Karen, recommended a restaurant close to our home. It’s called Fooki, located in the Pearl Kai Shopping Center on Kamehameha Highway in Aiea. There is ample free parking.

It specializes in Taiwanese Fusion Cuisine.

“Foo” is a Chinese word for “Blessing,” and “Ki” means “Double Happiness.” What a beautiful name for a Taiwanese restaurant!

Fooki was established here in 2020. It has a funky, industrial type of vibe and decor.

This is Fooki:

Here we are:

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We shared the appetizer: Holy Pork Nachos (Pork stir fried with basil, tomato, and cheddar cheese) served with Scallion Pancake. The pork was very spicy, 8 on a scale of 1-10. The pancake was crisp but delicate, so delicate that it could barely hold the weight of the pork. We ended up eating the pork and pancake separately. Delicious! I must say this dish was quite unusual in terms of taste and appearance:

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I ordered Wonton Noodle Soup, which consisted of noodles and dumplings filled with shrimp, pork, and water chestnuts. The beef broth had been simmered with veggies and 20 spices for 12 hours and was, therefore, very spicy, about 8 on a scale of 1-10. Excellent! I loved the tender shrimp inside the wontons and the cilantro, green onions, and bak choy in the soup. The noodles were filling and rounded out this dish:

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David ordered Boom Boom Fried Chicken Plate, which came with rice and bak choy. It was seasoned fried chicken, very crispy and made a flaky mess on David’s shirt. Crumbs everywhere! But, he enjoyed this dish:

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Dessert was Boba Vanilla Fudge: We shared this dessert, as it was too much for one person. The boba consisted of tiny black tapioca pearls, adding another dimension to an otherwise typical hot fudge sundae. Boba is a Taiwanese invention, originating in Taiwan and spreading to the USA with the diaspora:

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This Taiwanese Fusion Cuisine reminded me of Sichuan cuisine because of the spiciness of the food. The spiciness was totally unexpected, but so addictive. It was incredible!