Café Duck Butt in Kakaako has been on the map for the past seven years, serving Korean-inspired tapas and soju mixology.
Henry Yoon, a Harvard graduate and ex-equity trader, teamed up with Jin Hyuk Hong, who received a masters degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii and is an eligible bachelor, to take over a space unknown to many and make Café Duck Butt one of Hawaii’s hot nightlife spots visited by many celebrities.
The bond between the two goes several layers deep, much like a K-drama, as they are friends, business partners, co-workers and brothers-in-law.
They just opened their second location, DB Grill, aka Duck Butt Grill, at Kapolei Commons. The difference? They planned and collaborated from concept to construction and created a menu unique to the islands, with Korean-infused specialties.
My favorite items on the menu?
Barbecue pork, ramen-crusted chicken burger, duck fat fried rice and the diverse soju carafe selection. The most difficult choice will be choosing which you will like better — Café Duck Butt or DB Grill.
Both share the same “Seoul,” but DB Grill is the younger brother that’s “first date” friendly and next to neighbors such as Regal Cinemas and Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi.
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“Breezy Love”
Episodes 4 and 5
6:30 p.m. today: Keumshil, in an effort to hook up Jango and Heera, asks Cheongja to bring Heera to a meeting. To her surprise, at the meeting place, an altercation between Heera and Jango happens in the parking lot. Seunghee does a background check on Jango, and Jango also ponders the idea that Seunghee might be Mipoong. 7:45 p.m. today: Jango goes to Mipoong’s warehouse room to pay respects to Youngae. There, he finds out about Daehan’s and Youngchul’s deaths. Cheongja asks Keumshil for an additional loan of 10 grand. Keumshil asks Cheongja to get Jango and Heera together. Jango takes Mipoong to his house, telling her there is a house to rent without the security deposit.
“My Sassy Girl”
Episodes 5 and 6 (Monday); 7 and 8 (Tuesday)
7:45 p.m. Monday: Kyun-woo finds out the location of the jade ring and heads for the lantern festival. The Princess also heads for the festival to find the ring. The situation takes a wrong turn when she shows up unexpectedly. 7:45 p.m. Tuesday: Kyun-woo locates the Princess and successfully rescues her. The King returns to the palace. Upon hearing about his return, they rush back as well. Furious at discovering that the Princess has gone outside again, he orders that she be kept in the palace guarded. The Queen schemes to cause trouble for the Princess.
“Love In Trouble”
Episodes 21 and 22 (Wednesday); 23 and 24 (Thursday)
7:45 p.m. Wednesday: Ji-wook professes his feelings for Bong-hee, and she says she’ll reply after giving it sincere thought. Ji-wook becomes anxious, waiting for the day she’ll answer. Hyun-soo follows around Bong-hee in secret. 7:45 p.m. Thursday: Ji-wook drives a wedge through Bong-hee with another confession. Meanwhile, Hyun-soo targets the next person to go missing.
“Band of Sisters”
Episodes 17 and 18
7:45 p.m. Friday: Dal-hee secretly adds another ingredient in Ha-ri’s sample for the event. Ha-ri asks Se-joon to pick up the sample for her. Hwan-seung embraces Eun-hyang and her facial expression is a mystery. 7:45 p.m. Saturday: Dal-hee is cornered and ends up telling Ki-chan that she stole his chamomile. Ki-chan is furious, telling her she has to go to the police with him. Deul-re goes to the accident site to face her stalker.
Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD-TV on Oahu, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles.
