Customer Reviews

Roy's Feasts from Hawaii

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who has eaten at Roy's will undoubtedly get excited at the prospect of making something out of this book. The layout alone will be inspiring with all the beautiful pictures of Hawaii and the food itself. However, novices beware, this is not cooking 101. There is quite a bit of prep for most recipes - sauces that need to be made requiring a multitude of ingredients before you even get to the core of the recipe - resulting in hours of work. I could see this being ok in a restaurant environment where many of these things are made in advance and put together on order, but for the haole home cook it is a little much. Additionally, I have never been that happy with the results of my labor. My husband and I are fairly good cooks and always look at each other as we ponder why it is just not as good as we think it should be. Maybe it is missing the view of Molokini, I don't know.

OK, I know it's kind of weird to write a review for a cookbook, but there are a few criteria on which this genre can be judged.

Roy Yamaguchi operates a chain of restaurants around the Pacific Rim. He is one of the originators of "Hawaii Regional Cuisine," and my wife and I have eaten at two of his restaurants in Maui. Our fear in buying this book was, "can we, mere mortals, create food on par with that in the restaurants?" Well, our presentation leaves something to be desired, but the flavor is fabulous when we re-create his recipes.

This cookbook has a wide variety of dishes, many centered around seafood. Among the best are the curry soups, ahi entrees, and Roy's signature chocolate souffle. Some of the ingredients are difficult to find on the mainland, and this isn't a "quick and easy" cookbook, but for those who like to attempt gourment cooking, this is an excellent buy.

This book is fabulous but one caveat - if you are just getting started with Asian/Pacific Rim I would recommend starting out with something more elementary. I found myself getting frustrated (I am definitely more on the beginner's side of things)with the fact that things weren't turning out right, etc. The Williams-Sonoma Asian Flavors book was much more suited to my level of inexperience. However, I am definitely looking forward to working my way up.

At any rate, even if you are just a beginner, this book is worth buying just for the pictures - they are BEAUTIFUL. Also, Roy adds a lot of insight about local merchants and how he gets so many items locally.

My husband and I love eating at Roy's, and now hopefully (with a little practice) we can enjoy some of our favorites at home, too!

I bought this book after eating at the restaurant in Palm Springs. I'm in no way the most experienced cook out there, but I had no trouble understanding the directions - even to fix his Peking-style duck - and the recipes I prepared tasted almost as good as the restaurant.

If you don't live near an Asian grocery, you may have trouble finding some ingredients. However, most of the "foreign" ingredients called for are very common at any Asian store - even a very small one. I was even able to get the specific brand of red chile paste he recommended at a tiny Asian market by my house without going to the larger Asian grocery downtown.

Plus, most of his recipes do call for the same basic chili pastes and spices, so I wasn't discouraged by the thought of buying a whole bunch of bottles only to use a teaspoon out of each one.

Excellent book, and well worth the money, in my opinion.

I've owned and used "Feasts from Hawaii" for several years. Roy's combination of asian flavors and french cooking techniques brings new excitement to your dinner table. Yes, the recipes are labor intensive and it is essential to have a source for asian ingredients as well as excellent seafood, but the results will make you feel you have discovered NEW FOOD! His pizza dough, which is sweetened with honey, is one of the best. You can pare down the recipes and serve interesting food or go for the presentation and cook like a pro. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels their cooking is growing stagnant with repeat flavors and themes. The recipes are challenging enough to make the work interesting and your family or guests will be completely content. Also, many of the sauces required for "a drizzle or drops" can be frozen and used as needed, or be a basis for other dinners during the week.

Although the recipes are not for the faint of heart and do take some time until you are familar with them, they are worth the effort. The recipes are clear and concise and the results delicious. Along with being a very well written cookbook, it is also a beautiful cookbook. Just looking through it is a pleasure. Roy Yamaguchi introduces us to Hawaii in a warm and friendly way. A book with this kind of visual beauty, friendliness and above all recipes that actually work and taste fantastic is well worth the price.

I just wanted to provide the opinion of a Hawaii local. Roy Y. is among the top and most popular Pacific Rim chef's here in Hawaii. I just bought this book as a Christmas gift after comparing it to those of Sam Choy and that of Alan Wong. I haven't tried any of the recipes but am certain that I'd never be able to top Roy's presentation. However, the recipes don't appear to be too difficult or too fancy, while still being sort of elegant...of course, when you deal with Pacific Rim food, you need to make sure that you have access to the seafood ingredients. Also, this probably makes a better coffee table book than the others I mentioned since it has really nice pictures of both the food and of Hawaii.

our food didn't look as good, but it was tasty and fun to try it. we were able to take some short cuts without messing it up too badly. loved his cabernet sauce and tuna!

This book is a great resource for island cooking. The recipes are delicious although some of the fish varieties might be difficult to find after leaving the islands!

This is a must have for every library of cookbooks. The recipies translate very well in the home kichen. Although Roy's "Roy's Fish and Seafood: Recipies from the Pacific Rim"(a newer book) share some of the same recipies and has many that are new and wonderful, "Roy's Feasts from Hawaii", is the first book to add if you dont have it. it tends to be a little more simple and focused.