Matsumoto’s Okazuya by JV Kitchen is giving out free chow enjoyable

For enterprise proprietor Vanessa Pascua, taking on Matsumoto’s Okazuya final yr was a full-circle second. She heard the okazuya was on the market, however didn’t severely ponder shopping for it at first.

“I was still pregnant with my son (when I found out it was for sale),” she says. “I worked for Todd (Matsumoto, the owner of Matsumoto’s Okazuya) when I was 15; it was actually my first job.

“I joked with Jay (my business partner), ‘It would be crazy if we took it over,’” she remembers.

The okazuya stayed on Pascua’s thoughts, and he or she ended up reaching out to Matsumoto in regards to the area.

“I texted him, ‘Do you remember me, I used to work for you,’ and he was like, ‘Yes, Vanessa, how could I forget you?’” she chuckles. “I told him that I was interested in buying. We bought the business, but we didn’t buy the property. If we hadn’t taken over, he would have closed by December 2025, and that would have been it.”

Pascua and Jay Palma formally took over the enterprise final August. Matsumoto’s Okazuya opened in 2005, so the duo took over throughout its twentieth anniversary.

“The day we took over, we did free chow fun with every purchase,” Pascua says. “It didn’t matter if you just bought a drink; it was one free order of chow fun per person. We want to do that every year, in honor of us taking over.”

On Aug. 1 — the enterprise’s one-year anniversary below Pascua and Palma’s possession — prospects can get pleasure from a free chow enjoyable order with buy. The enterprise is now known as Matsumoto’s Okazuya by JV Kitchen — for Jay and Vanessa — however its menu is generally the identical, in line with Pascua.

Customers can select from an assortment of okazu gadgets — starting from chow mein ($3.63) and fried hen ($3.63) to fish patty ($3.12), kimchi sausage ($2.86) and croquettes ($2.08) — or select from pre-set bentos.

When it involves the okazu choices, Pascua recommends the vegetable tempura, kimchi sausage, garlic hen and chow enjoyable noodles.

“Our kimchi sausage is good; I don’t think a lot of other places have that,” she says.

She additionally encourages prospects to maintain an eye fixed out for featured specials.

“Jay is really good at cooking,” she says. “Even prior to purchasing the restaurant, he’s at all times made his personal concoctions; that’s the place the specials come from. Sometimes he options Filipino dishes and fish gadgets like butteryaki and furikake ‘ahi katsu.”

While the biz often sells out of its okazu items by noon, they do their best to accommodate customers, Pascua says.

“If you give us a call, we’ll put the meals off to the facet,” she says. “If someone wants to pre-order, we place it (their food) on the side and put it in heaters.”

The okazuya’s Matsumoto ($15.52), Tyler ($14.49) and Taylor ($15.52) bentos are nonetheless on the menu, in line with Pascua; the latter two are named after Matsumoto’s youngsters. Newer additions embody the JV bento ($14.49) — which incorporates white rice with furikake, JV garlic hen, hoki, tofu nuggets, teriyaki hamburger and takuan — and the fish bento ($16.10). The latter options chow mein and white rice with miso butterfish, teriyaki beef, hoki, a fried oyster and a tofu nugget.

“We just came out with the JV bento,” Pascua says. “We were brainstorming what we wanted in the bento; I like teri hamburgers and smashburgers, so we did a hamburger patty and teri sauce. I love the garlic chicken; not a lot of people get it because they don’t know how good it is.

“The prices on our menus are all card prices; it’s cheaper if you pay cash,” she provides.

The biz additionally options every day plates — that are extra plate lunch-style — and embody two scoops of white rice and one scoop of potato mac salad. The barbecue combine ($17.60) — barbecue hen, teriyaki beef and kalbi — JV garlic hen ($15.52 common, $13.47 mini) and kalbi ($17.60 common, $15.86 mini) plates are the most well-liked choices, in line with Pascua.

“We introduced the barbecue mix, kalbi and garlic chicken (plates) about two months ago,” she says. “Those really hit it off, I think, because of the portions. He (Jay) doesn’t skimp on the portions.”

In June, the okazuya closed briefly for renovations. New cupboards have been added and the inside structure was altered, in line with Pascua.

“It’s (the interior) shaped as an L-shape now, so customers can face us directly,” she says. “Previously, there was no ‘hand off/pay station,’ so we were maneuvering around the old display case and it was awkward. We also take card now as well.”

The biz is open for catering any day of the week, in line with Pascua, who says that supply is on the market.

“We get a lot of inquiries regarding catering; we do a live sushi bar and bento and pan catering,” she says. “We deliver to any celebration of life/mortuaries for free as well.”

CONTACT
Matsumoto’s Okazuya by JV Kitchen
1323 Gulick Ave., Honolulu
808-848-7464
Instagram: @matsumotosokazuya
Open 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 5 a.m. to midday on Saturdays

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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta will be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.