Earlier this month, Andy tipped off readers via the Tachiai twitter account that sumo legend Konishiki would be hosting a stall at the BB (“Beer & BBQ”) Fest, which takes place from now until May 6 in Odaiba:
April 27- May 6 BB FEST 2018 in Odaiba it’s going to be fun fun fun, we are all fired up. 4/28 Konishiki Live 1900 皆さんよろしくお願いしますね〜〜無料 https://t.co/tq1is14vIN
— KONISHIKI 小錦 (@KonishikisWORLD) April 22, 2018
The festival is taking place out on Symbol Promenade Park in Odaiba, and I decided to head out there today to check it out. Getting there took about 15 minutes from Shimbashi station in central Tokyo on the unique Yurikamome line (a must-ride for transit enthusiasts, owing to its looping track that goes out over the Rainbow Bridge).
There are three festival areas running concurrently during Golden Week on Odaiba: an Oktoberfest, a large section of the BB Fest that is dedicated to Japanese-style BBQ vendors, and then a section of the BB Fest on the eastern part of the island featuring international BBQ food and craft beer. Konishiki’s Hawaiian BBQ is located in the latter area.
As for the menu, Konishiki offered a couple selections: a meat plate (featuring BBQ pork, spare ribs and chicken) and then a combo platter which contained all of the meat items plus rice, slaw and the classic Hawaiian macaroni and egg salad. Obviously, I opted for the latter choice:
Konishiki has long been one of the most flavorful names in sumo, and puts out a dish to match. All of the meat selections were very succulent, very moist and well coated in the right amount of marinade and sauce. The macaroni salad was delicious as well. I opted to wash it all down with a bottle of water from Konishiki’s stand owing to the hot weather, but there were a number of craft beer vendors also in the park and Konishiki’s BBQ would surely make a great pairing for many of them. When he says he knows how to have a good time cooking up Hawaiian BBQ, he’s not joking.
Konishiki has also provided a video that takes you behind the grill, in promotion of the event (in Japanese):
The event also has plenty of other food vendors offering BBQ from a variety of regions and countries. I was too full from Konishiki’s Ozeki-sized platter to take in any of the others, however a man at the Texas BBQ stand was offering free samples which were also delicious. Hopefully, up and coming Texan sumotori Wakaichiro can make it out to the festival to get a taste of home!
As for the man himself, Konishiki, he was off to the side of the stand, relaxing under a tent near the festival stage with family and friends. A number of his fans ambled up from time-to-time throughout the afternoon to request photos, which he graciously provided. I was able to get a few moments to chat with the man to let him know just how good the BBQ was, and ask if he had any words for Tachiai readers.
Konishiki says he wants everyone to come on down to Odaiba, and adds: “Bring your hungry on, and bring your thirsty on!”
Konishiki’s Hawaiian BBQ is located at the BB Fest on Odaiba in Symbol Promenade Park, located just off the Odaiba-Kaihin-Koen station on the Yurikamome line, and the Tokyo Teleport station on the Rinkai line. The festival runs through May 6 during the Golden Week. For more info, check out bbfest.jp
Additionally, for those readers who will be in Tokyo during the upcoming Natsu basho, Konishiki will be appearing at the Island Music Festival in Symbol Promenade Park on May 18 and 19. For more information, check out islandmusicfestival.jp
Sounds like fun. As anyone from KC will tell you, we love to debate BBQ. So it was marinated as opposed to Rubbed? And this video looked like it was grilled as opposed to smoked. I guess that is what Hawaiian style is. But it doesn’t seem right to me 😁
I thought Hawaiian style was buried underground? But I also thought that was pork like Mayan pork. Pibil k’eek’en is good stuff!
You talking about the imu (in Samoan “umu”) there, that’s more like a big roast, wouldn’t call that BBQ.
Correct – this plate seemed to be marinated and grilled.
It’s awfully hard to beat Texas BBQ for me but Hawaiian is just its own beast, totally different sides and flavor profiles – BBQ on the islands is almost a different style of food for me and I love it
Score one more point for Bruce. I gotta work hard to start turning people to Carolina style.
Putting cabbage on perfectly good meat doesn’t seem right either. 😁
I would refer you to my post yesterday on the 🍷 and how I enjoyed it with buta kimchi. Or good old Japanese katsu…often served on a big ole pile of cabbage. I go for vinegar-based slaw instead of the mayo stuff. Ewwww… But this gives me an idea for trying my next BBQ pork platter with some kimchi. Hmmm…that could work real well…
Bring your hungry on, bring your thirsty on, bring your doctor on.
I grew up in Hawai’i and I’ve never heard of Hawaiian BBQ. That just looks like a grill up on a plate lunch. I’m sure it’s delicious tho.
Your local cuisine is what some of us live for on our visits!
I would just take it to mean marinated and grilled up in a Hawaiian style, perhaps rather than a dedicated genre of BBQ (though, perhaps that makes it a genre), but there are definite Hawaiian flavor profiles. The Mac Salad as a side with a scoop or rice has always been a key component of this as well for me, I don’t think that combination happens in most other BBQ genres (but I’m open to learning!).
It certainly was a unique tasting plate, and in any event, it WAS delicious!
Macaroni salad is a key component of the Hawaiian plate lunch. In fact as long as you have rice and macaroni salad, you can literally have anything else and it will still be a plate lunch.