With assistance from veteran pastry chef Jamon Harper and pastry sous chef Chiara Giordano, Mugen (pronounced “moog-en”) now offers an expanded breakfast service, allowing diners the chance to begin the day with beet-cured salmon or coconut granola. Mixologist Ricardo Barajas's new bar program further expands Mugen's infinite horizon. Together, the team's combined talents create an elevated culinary experience that will always be in season.
Our Inspector's Highlights
- A sense of place and a spirit for adventure guide Mugen’s tasting menu. The lineup changes along with the calendar, ensuring maximally fresh ingredients. Hawaiian cuisine’s fusion of world flavors inspires many dishes, best exemplified by the poke and caviar starter, a staple that is taken to sophisticated heights here.
- Mugen's recently refreshed dining room shares the restaurant's global sensibility. The intimate 34-seat space glows with the warm light of artisanal Moroccan fixtures accented by the bar's vivid splash of blue Carrara marble and a wall of live greenery.
- Brajas’ cocktail menu aligns with the restaurant’s emphasis on seasonal cuisine. Many of the drinks feature local fruit, such as the lychee puree used in the Hawaiian Honeymoon and the freshly pressed sugar cane and locally distilled Koloa Rum featured in the Dragon Wings.
- Mugen’s decadent breakfast is worth setting an early alarm for. The lemon ricotta pancakes served with compressed pineapple and a mango-lilikoi butter pack an unforgettably fruity punch, and the lobster eggs Benedict is indulgent, especially when washed down with a freshly squeezed mimosa.
- Sommelier Douglas Priesel offers impeccably paired pours from Mugen’s award-winning collection, which boasts more than 400 globally sourced wines.
The Food
- Unlike many tasting menus, Mugen’s offers guests flexibility with various choices for each of the five courses, allowing room for personal preference without sacrificing the chef menu’s integrity.
- Thanks to the inclusion of a designated cheese course, you need not worry about choosing between the sweet and the savory. Expect a mouth-watering sample of cheese varieties such as a 30-month-old Parmigiano; an herbaceous, truffle-stuffed sottocenere and a pecorino pepato.
- The Kona kampachi in the second course provides a perfectly timed moment of lightness. The fish, often called the "designer yellowtail," shines with a bright passion fruit ponzu sauce and a refreshingly clever hint of mint.
- A decadent selection of dishes awaits in the main course; however, the hedonistic pleasure of the lobster risotto is hard to resist. Sato demonstrates a masterful understanding of umami by combining kombu, Parmesan and maitake to achieve the remarkable depth of the risotto’s broth.
- End the evening with a show-stopping selection of sweets. Chocolate lovers mustn’t miss the black forest cake.
Amenities
Bar
Dinner
Private dining
Reservations required 
Resort casual
Valet parking
Getting There
