At Hawai‘i Banchan Co., It’s All About Premium Side Dishes
The new shop’s hand-picked banchan, kim chee, frozen seafood, pantry staples, snacks and delicacies are flown in twice a week from South Korea.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
The ground floor of a low-rise office building on Kapi‘olani Boulevard, next to a hair salon and a veterinary clinic, seems like an unlikely location for a banchan shop. But that’s just where Hawai‘i Banchan Co. might be if it were in a neighborhood in Seoul. In South Korea’s cities, where many young people may not cook, banchan shops are neighborhood staples. In Honolulu, where they’re more limited, this new shop sets itself apart with a premium selection of kim chee and other side dishes flown in regularly from the motherland.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
While we’re more used to the Palama Supermarkets and the H Marts with their aisles of ramyun noodles, gochujang pastes and marinated meats for grilling, Hawai‘i Banchan Co. strikes a balance between a specialty Korean deli and a convenience store. It’s upscale, down to the look and feel. Its dark walls contrast with bright cold cases lined with frozen foods on the right and refrigerated goods on the left. Wooden crates hold carefully arranged bags of colorful dried veggies and fruits. The use of track lighting, as opposed to the sterile look of more typical fluorescent tubes, is luxe for a banchan shop.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
A small selection of soups includes seaweed soup and kim chee chige; these are made locally using products sold at the store. Half of the offerings are kim chee and banchan prepared by Michan, a 30-year-old banchan brand found in Lottemart and other stores across South Korea, and flown in twice weekly. Slide open the doors to tubs of kim chee—cut and whole cabbage, turnip and cucumber—plus soy sauce-marinated crabs and shrimp. In the banchan case, I find half-pound containers of side dishes ranging from stir-fried anchovies to braised lotus roots and seasoned perilla leaves. You can assemble an entire meal with sides from here. Just add rice.
SEE ALSO: AYCE Nights: My Favorite All-You-Can-Eat Korean Barbecue Spots in Honolulu
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Also hanging out in the refrigerated case: doenjang soybean paste, naengmyeon noodles and chige stew kits, plus the viral convenience store coffee and fruity drink pouches to pour over ice. On the other side of the store is a plethora of frozen seafood, also imported. I picked up some frozen chive and zucchini pancakes and dduk mandoo to crisp in the air fryer at home. Perfect for snacking with a light beer in the evening. Variations of frozen kimbap rice rolls, that are all the rage at Trader Joe’s, are here, too.
Photo: Thomas Obungen
The hand-picked assortment stands out against other local Korean markets and makes all the difference. Hawai‘i Banchan Co. is not so much a competitor as a shop that fills the void for specialty items. I don’t think I’ve seen cold-pressed sesame and perilla oils, nor a liter bottle of jeju honey, for sale elsewhere on O‘ahu.
What I picked up:
- Braised lotus root ($6.83)
- Seasoned pickled cucumber ($6.89)
- Ssamjang in a tube ($5.99)
- Chige stew paste ($3.29)
- Frozen zucchini and chive pancake ($8.99)
- Dried veggie and fruit chips ($4.99)
- Dried sweet potato chips ($4.99)
Online reviews in Korean claim Hawai‘i Banchan Co. is the closest taste of home, with reasonable pricing. We’re told the selection is still in beta phase as more hand-picked discoveries are flown in.
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., 1347 Kapi‘olani Blvd. Suite 105, @hawaii_banchan_co
