Kō Restaurant

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"The Fairmont Kea Lani is one of the most visually striking resorts in Wailea, and its signature restaurant adds to this out-of-time feeling, especially at night, when the ocean breezes lull guests into a blissful state of happiness. Kō executive chef Jonathan Pasion, a Maui native, has put together a plantation-era style menu that reflects the immigrant culture of Hawaii and demonstrates the culinary influences of Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, and Hawaiians. The menu is not broken down into starters and entrees, but rather “mo’ono”, delicious and favorable small plates; “pupu”, appetizers; “lawai’a”, fresh catch served in two different ways; “makai”, from the sea; and “mauka”, from the land. With rich options in each category, it’s possible to have one mo’ono and one pupu and be completely satisfied, and everything is made with the freshest seafood, meats, and  local produce. A few standouts are the coconut curry soup, the fresh catch served in the lemongrass coconut broth, the lobster tempura and the crispy pork shank. If you have room for dessert, opt for the Maui take on a cheesecake, which is slightly deconstructed and made with a toasted coconut-graham cracker crust." - Juliana Shallcross, Kris Fordham