When we think of eating sumo-style, we normally imagine huge portions of steaming chanko nabe stew. Not so at Zuna Grill, former yokuzuna—that's where the name comes from—Akebono's first stab at the dining business and a collaboration with experienced restaurateur Alvaro Perez. The sleek modern decor by Idée combines a fresh green glow with wood paneling and proved to be as welcoming as the up-beat maitre d'. Once we'd pulled up one of the oversized seats, designed to accommodate the heavyweight owner who was schmoozing one of the other tables, we began the arduous task of choosing from Chef Dutch O'Neal of Sam Choys fame's menu of Cajun, Hawaiian and Californian cuisine. While not voluminous, the selection is filled with the kind of solid modern American dishes, all made with organic ingredients, that we have trouble picking between. Eventually we were swayed by the staff, who sang the praises of several of the meats cooked on the wood-fired grill imported from the US—reportedly the first to be featured in a restaurant here.

We opted to start by splitting the green salad with beets and goat cheese (¥1,400) and an anchovy bread with eggplant and olive tapenade (¥600). Both were delicious, especially the salty anchovies buried in the warm wholemeal bread, but they didn't take kindly to being divided so next time we'll order one of each. We continued with something more substantial, trying the grilled chicken (¥2,800), which had a wonderful smoky flavor imparted by the grill. The accompanying mashed potatoes benefited from a hint of cheddar and scallions and the vegetables were crisp and fresh. Our companion's pork chop (¥2,700) came with creamy polenta and a rich tomato-based sauce with hints of Cajun spice. It proved to be a hearty and filling main dish, perfect for winter. We washed things down with a glass of Semillon (¥1,000), while we watched Akebono (a.k.a. Chad Rowan) work the room, chatting to fellow Hawaiians and taking snaps with starstruck locals.

For dessert we faced further pondering and grappled with several choices before plumping for the unconventional pain d'epice with blue cheese mousse (¥1,000). The firm, spicy cake's sweetness balanced the mousse's sharpness—resist temptation to taste them betsu betsu. Our companion allowed us to sample a little of the bread pudding, which was divine. Crispy on top and creamy underneath, with an accompanying dulce de leche ice cream, it contained wonderful swirls of decadent caramel. Our only complaint was we wanted more. To round things off, and aid digestion, we took some port (¥700) with our coffee (¥500).