From Buenos Aires to Barcelona
Some might say there is a void of Argentinian or authentic Spanish cuisine in Hawai‘i. But for a chef who was born and raised in Argentina, this is an opportunity to turn a dream into a reality. Chef Masa Gushiken says, “I am Japanese by blood, but I identify as Argentinian. I was raised in Argentina, was the only Asian person in my school growing up, and my mom only cooked Argentinian food… There was no miso soup or anything like that.”
The relationship between Argentina and Spain goes hand in hand and dates to the Sebastian Cabot exploration days in the 1500s. Argentina eventually achieved its independence from Spain in 1816, but the influence of the Spanish remains to this day. However, being of Japanese descent and raised in Argentina led Gushiken on a path of both discovery and exploration from South America, to Asia, Europe and now here in Hawai‘i.
After growing up in Argentina, Gushiken eventually moved to Japan, quit school, and decided he wanted to work in restaurants. “My goal was to learn the European style of cooking which included French, Italian, Spanish, and eventually Japanese too.” He started from the bottom and worked his way up the culinary ladder: first as a dishwasher, then a line cook, and so on. “Then one day, one of my friends said the company he worked for wanted to open a restaurant in Hawai‘i… he asked, ‘do you want to go?’” Upon setting foot in the islands, he realized, “There is no Argentinian food here, mostly just fusion style.”
Interestingly, Hawai‘i does embrace the pupu-style of eating, which consists of small plates, grazing and fresh ingredients. In Spain and Argentina, this would be called tapas, but some say perhaps folks in Hawai‘i are not used to the spices, Spanish flavors or consider this cuisine unknown to them. But this didn’t deter Gushiken from perpetuating his passion for the cuisine he loved and was raised eating. Instead, he embraced the challenge.
Given the opportunity to create his own restaurant, Gushiken was inspired by a vacant clothing store hidden in Waikiki. He walked into the beautiful building and realized that the home, which was almost 60 years old, was created in the original colonial architecture style. “This is my dream to make a Spanish-looking restaurant.”
The construction elements, including the tiling in the back of the building along the terrace and a small flowing fountain, were all reminiscent of the revival in Argentina. For Gushiken, you could call this heaven on earth. But transforming a residence turned clothing store into an elegant dining establishment took time. In fact, it took two years and about a million dollars to create the El Cielo bar, dining room and open kitchen.
The menu is a mixture of traditional, familiar and unique. At the top of the “EL CIELO Tapas & Wine by Chef Masa” menu, you’ll find an item very close to his heart — the Empanada. This recipe is an exact replica of his mom’s home cooking from when he was a child. Made with ground beef, onion, paprika, raisins and citrus, it is flaky, savory and bursting with flavor. A standout starter was the Bacon-Wrapped Dates which combines a dried sweet date stuffed with rich, salty yet creamy blue cheese and wrapped with crispy bacon. My favorite pincho (small snack) was the Croquetas de Jamon, which was like a Japanese potato croquette deep-fried crisp, featuring pieces of Jamon de Bellota, and topped with a romesco sauce. The filling is decadent and melts while the crunch from the potato is enticing. Romesco adds the perfect amount of citrus and nutty elements to complement the bites.
Gushiken also proudly serves octopus from Spain, from which he learned hands-on how to best prep and boil the octopus using the traditional Spanish technique. He also imports sought-after ham from Spain featuring Jamon Serrano and Jamon Iberico de Bellota.
No Argentinian restaurant would be complete without a famous paella! Masa takes an all-inclusive spin on his paella, making it accessible to diners with all types of palates and preferences. The Paella menu includes Negra, Loco Pollo, Seafood, and Truffle & Mushrooms. Each paella is crafted using its own broth, so guests who have a shellfish allergy or those who are vegetarian can still indulge in this impressive and filling dish. Cooked to order, the paella is very impressive, colorful, and erupts with flavor and aroma.
Both the seafood and the pork are standouts here. The Sea Bream fish entree is delicate, beautiful, crisp, yet the meat is buttery. Gushiken finds a true balance between crafting dishes that are a blend of flavor, texture and elegance. The Iberico Pork Shoulder is moist, meaty and tender. For some reason, it was hard to comprehend that this was pork and not steak. The meat ate like a perfectly grilled piece of decadent New York Strip.
While the menu incorporates items like caviar, truffle, pate, crab and uni, Gushiken aims to enhance the menu over time with specials that feature local products like Hawaiian-harvested fish, Hawaiian produce, lobster, and Michelin-inspired pastas and carpaccios.
Overall, it took three years from concept to completion to officially open El Cielo. Gushiken’s hope is that the guests who visit are welcomed to, and enveloped in, heaven. The open kitchen aims to showcase the chefs and the freshness of their cooking abilities. The bar is complete with items of Spanish influence including the Ma-Sangria, Marianito, El Cielo Premium Tequila, and hand-picked bottles of wine from Spain.
“This restaurant was created to make the customers happy. Once they open the door, my goal is to see their smiling, happy faces here at my dream restaurant…”
El Cielo, 346 Lewers St. #1f, Honolulu, (808) 772-4533, elcielo-hawaii.com