CUBE Seafood

What just happened there?
The spicy ahi was okay. But those sides have got me feeling I’m in the «5^th dimension». Had the «Spicy Ahi Bowl» ($ 5.95 + tax) for eat-​in dinner. The place occupies the NE corner of the Kaimuki building that houses Jawaiian Irie Jerk Restaurant, and Himalayan Kitchen. The small dining area is dominated by a counter with 5 chairs on one side, and a chalk board on which is written the limited menu. I get why they call themselves «Cube». A nice touch is the several small pots of flowering plants situated just beneath the windows on an extended sill. They brighten the view of… the parking lot.
Back to the food. The «Spicy Ahi Bowl» comes with «shushi rice, multi grain rice, salad, miso soup, seasonal fruit». The motley collection is served on a long rectangular dish; like a sampling platter you’d see at Roy’s or some such place. [In Rod Serling voice] «submitted for your perusal,» from left to right, was a small fan-​shaped piece of pineapple — ahh. The «seasonal fruit” — a salad of finely shredded cabbage and carrots, and green leaf lettuce; a small portion of spicy ahi topped with a dollop of tobiko and some green onion; a small scoop of what looked like sekihan; and a larger scoop of white rice topped with a sprinkling of furikake — the „shushi rice“.
The salad was dressed with a weak Thousand Island-​tasting dressing, and ground black sesame seeds. I had to look closely to see that they were black sesame seeds and not moving. An odd addition I thought. Odder still was a lone, thin, round wafer of what looked to me like beet in the salad. I was told it was pickled radish. Whatever it was, it had no taste.
The „multi grain rice“ was the taste and texture of mushy brown rice. I did find 2 red beans in the rice, but I don’t think those count as grain so no „multi“ that I could see/​taste. The „shushi rice“ was virtually plain white rice so faint was the taste of „shu“…er…“su». Or is there actually a «shushi rice» that’s supposed to taste like that? If so, what the heck is «shushi»?
The ahi of the spicy ahi was more diced than cubed. Freshness questionable. Taste okay.
«A» for the effort to provide diners with a more balanced and healthy alternative to the typical local plate lunch of fat, salt, carbs, and more fat. And for a reasonable price. «OK» for the result. The spicy ahi «bowl» was just odd to me. One of the things that make this diner go «huh?» I think they would have done better to simply serve their spicy ahi atop a bed of SUSHI or brown rice in an actual bowl or in a hand-​roll. No need for all the other distractions.
And the flavors need to be cubed. As in, raised by a power of 3.

I’ve been searching for 5 months and I finally found a place in Kaimuki that offers a decent lunch for under $ 10. CUBE is a small little dine in and take out place that’s located behind Happy Days Chinese Restaurant. The entrance faces the parking lot so if you’re driving down 11^th Ave, you won’t be able to see it.
Their specialty is poke but they have other items on the menu. Most of the lunch plates are under $ 10 and they give a good amount of food. My favorite so far is the ahi poke bowl. The ahi is fresh and the don’t overload it with too much onion and shoyu. I also tried the kalbi burger plate but I thought the meat was too lean. So besides getting the poke and the rice, there’s also a scoop of Korean rice (the rice is pink and there’s beans), a salad, and a tiny serving of pickled vegetables. The presentation for the plates are pretty too.
There was one week where I visited them twice and the lady who was the owner came out to talk with my coworkers and I. She was super friendly and happy that we were returning customers. We also asked if she could modify one of the plates for us and she was happy to do it. I highly recommend visiting this place for lunch if you’re in the area.

My wife and I love this place. The quality and amount of food you get for $ 7 is unbelievable. Seared Ahi and spicy poke bowl are the highlights thus far. Super friendly and welcoming staff. Definitely worth checking out.

It’s new! It’s white! The lunch is beauuutiful! And the world has never seen a Spicy Ahi Bowl (sit-​down or take out!) for $ 5.90! (That’s $ 6.23 with tax).
And it’s not just any Spicy Ahi Bowl. It comes on a white porcelain circle, with purpley textured multigrain rice, and glisteningly scrumptious sushi rice. Homemade pickled pink ginger lumps prettily on the side. And the mama-​san graces every dollop of ahi with a flash of orange tobiko, lovingly diced green onion, and an entire shiso leaf! Could it get better? Yes! Homemade healthy salad dressing and sliced cabbage slawsalad carefully topped with shavings of red beets/​? HOW DOES THIS COST $ 6?!
It’s healthy, it’s pretty, and it’s probably not enough for the hungry jack, but for a hole in the wall that’s whitely Korean enough to eat in at, I am off the auction block and salivating at the door. Only half kidding.
The seared ahi plate (about $ 8) was yummy and just as beautiful. As was their fresh (yes! truly fresh!) squeezed lemonade, served in a mason jar with a sprig of fresh mint and wedge of real lemon!
CUBE is my new go-​to. Please try it out and help them stay in business! I seriously think it’s going to be the next Unilocal wet dream.

Honolulu needs more of these hole in the wall eateries that surprise you and are attentive to detail.
Fresh from my eye exam and dazed by bright sunlight after dilation, I was really hungry and wanted to grab something before I head back to work. I stumbled on this spot as I was walking past.
Menu is very simple here and I picked up the Ahi Poke with the Kalbi Burger combo take out.
Even for take out, the food is still beautifully presented. The kalbi burger was delicious but the poke was above average. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was because of the poke. You could find better out there but CUBE’s poke is better than some places.
They kept their menu nice and simple but I would love if they expanded their menu or just have a display case for other seafood items.

This place is awesome. Really fresh food, good service, and good prices.
CUBE is the best seafood restaurant in Kaimuki.

Holy crap this place is good! Why aren’t there more stars?! Need more stars here!
This cute, hole-​in-​the-​wall eatery replaces a smoked meat lunch place and is nestled in the same small shopping center which houses a few other one of a kind Kaimuki restaurants.
~7 $ gets you their signature spicy ahi poke «bowl,» which actually comes with two kinds of rice, mashed potatoes, kim chi, salad, miso soup, and of course, a heaping pile of fresh, delicious poke. It’s alot of food, and it’s healthy, and it’s tasty, and it’s pretty!
The few metal chairs in the restaurant are small and a little uncomfortable, but the colors and overall vibe make this a fun lunch stop on my work break, and the Korean family who run the restaurant seem like really sweet, happy people… even if the older man doesn’t seem to speak much English (order from one of the women! :)

Quick summary: Kaimuki has some of the best poke places; Ono, Fresh Catch and Tamura’s and I think this place has the ability to hang with the big boys. Their poke is fresh, they have a different take on flavoring that isn’t found at other locations, and it has a nice mom and pop feel that will keep me coming back for more! Location is the old Hog Island BBQ place, where Himalayan Kitchen and Jawaiian Irie Jerk are located.
More detailed summary: Small, quaint, cute inside. I ordered the Cube Original Ahi Poke, the Ponzu Ahi Poke and the Spicy Ahi/​Natto Bowl.
The cuts of poke are great, no chewy strings, just nice soft cubes. The original has a bit of a Korean spicy kick, not overwhelming but actually a pleasant surprise, I like spicy.
The Ponzu Ahi was great. I never had a ponzu poke before and I love ponzu. I didn’t eat the poke right away, I waited a few hours until dinner and the ahi started to tenderize and cook in the acidic ponzu sauce, kinda like a cerviche and I think this actually made it better. I will get this again.
The Spicy Ahi/​Natto bowl was great too. It’s not your typical spicy ahi that’s drenched in mayo and tobiko. I personally dislike globs of mayo in fresh poke. This ahi was more diced up, which made it easier to mix into the natto and it did have a good spicy kick, not just your typical shoyu and wasabi. It also came with a scoop of white, sushi rice (it was vinegared) with nori, a smaller scoop of multigrain rice, a side salad, miso soup and an egg custard/​sweet potato something that was tasty, but I really don’t know what it was.
Parking is in the lot that you enter on 11^th or 12^th Ave, or metered street. If you park in the lot, less than 30 minutes is free.
Overall, great place, new flavors and the poke is fresh. Welcome to Kaimuki, Cube, hope you’re around for a while.