HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The Grand Lānaʻi Experience is fast approaching for Waikīkī's International Market Place. This venue is one of Honolulu's more interesting spaces with an open European style atmosphere that makes you feel like you're in a piazza. There are spaces to relax and listen to live music and oh so many delicious, open-air restaurants from which to choose. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You KHON2.com was invited to Eating House 1849, created by renowned chef Roy Yamaguchi, to preview some special creations that will premiere at this year's Grand Lānaʻi Experience. Eating House 1849 offers a unique taste of Hawaiʻi’s culinary heritage. Located in revamped International Market Place, this restaurant blends traditional Hawaiʻi flavors with modern techniques. Named after the year that the first sugar plantation opened in Hawaiʻi, the restaurant pays tribute to the islands' rich history. Guests can enjoy dishes made with fresh, local ingredients, such as poke, grilled fish and mouthwatering desserts. The menu also features a special focus on sustainability, using fish and produce from local farms. Roy Yamaguchi is a pioneer in modern Hawaiʻi cuisine and has won numerous awards for his cooking. At Eating House 1849, he aims to create a welcoming atmosphere where families and friends can gather to share great food and memories. With its delicious menu and warm ambiance, it’s a must-visit spot for both locals and tourists in Hawaiʻi. According to staff, that is just the case. Many locals come to enjoy the culinary creations at Eating House 1849, and lots of locals get a good taste of some of Hawaiʻi's most unique foods. For our preview we had some dishes that have not been served before. Before moving on to the exquisite food review, we must make comment on the team that sustains the Eating House. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with aloha. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable; and regardless of what was happening, they remained attentive and welcoming. KHON2.com would like to thank all of you for being an amazing staff. The menu created for this event is quite amazing. From fresh, locally sourced seafood to traditional Native Hawaiian foods and delicious cocktails, Randy Bangloy, who is the executive chef, has certainly captured Hawaiʻi's eclectic cultural fabric in his cuisine creations. So, what have we been raving about? Let's begin with the pupu (appetizers). We began with inspiration from the Philippines. Bangloy created kinilaw with smoked salmon and coconut cream which was so tender it was like butter melting in your mouth. We moved on to the pipikaula, a dish inspired by the paniolo (cowboys from Hawaiʻi Island). Pipi is the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi word for beef while kaula is the word for rope. Essentially, it is like beef jerky but much more tender and delicious. For this dish, the pipikaula is served on top of fresh poi and topped with lomi tomatoes. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds. Finally, we tried the tempura inari bomb. This was by far our favorite pupu (appetizer). It's a deep-fried sushi experience. What more do locals ask for? But in all seriousness, this dish was excellent. All the flavors from the manguro spicy ahi to the kabayaki (Japanese style of cooking fish) made us want to devour this for our entire meal. After these delectable pupu selections, we were presented with two of Bangloy's specially crafted entree dishes. First, we tried the shellfish gnocchi delight. This is an incredible red Thai coconut curry served atop perfectly fluffy Okinawa sweet potato gnocchi that simply knocked our socks off. It was topped with copious amounts of giant, fresh shrimp; perfectly steamed Manila clams; and a juicy lobster tail. Honestly, we could have eaten an entire bucket of the dish; this is how amazing all these flavors were together. Then, we moved on to the chicken inasal. To be honest, at first, we were, like, the chicken? Really? But we cannot even begin to explain how wonderfully complex and ono this dish is. The chicken is absolutely perfectly marinated with flavors pouring out of every juicy, tender bite of the chicken breast. It's grilled to perfection and really temps you to save as much of it as you can so you can eat the leftovers the next day. Served atop the grilled chicken breast is a garlic compound butter. Just like with steak, the butter creates a rich and ono texture that really bound all the flavors together. So, let's talk about the rice that's served with this dish. Rice is rice, right? We have rice with nearly everything we eat in Hawaiʻi. So, when we saw that the chicken dish comes with rice, we were expecting the typical fare. But that was such a wrong assumption. This rice was so good, it was otherworldly. The flavors were garlicy but subtle with a wonderfully chewy rice texture. As a matter of fact, the texture really highlighted just how amazing Bangloy's creations are. It was chewy and flavorful and simply made this dish stand out as a superstar. Finally, we were greeted with our dessert: a slice of skillet ube cheesecake topped with house made whipped cream and toasted coconut slices. We were so full from our meal, we weren't sure if we'd be able to stuff down any dessert. But Bangloy's cheesecake creation was absolute perfection. With the ube texture, the sweet treat is not overpoweringly sweet. It ends up being light and fluffy and the perfect way to cleanse the garlic from our pallets. It quite simply was the perfect to way to end this meal. There are two other dishes Bangloy created for this event that we did not get to try. The wave + land duo is blackened ahi, braised beef shortrib with butter sauce; and the 16-ounce grilled ribeye is served with smashed potatoes and foie truffle butter. We can only assume these Bangloy creations are just as amazing. Roy Yamaguchi was born in 1961 in Tokyo, Japan and later moved to Hawaiʻi, where he developed his culinary style, blending traditional Hawaiʻi flavors with influences from Asian and European cuisines. Yamaguchi gained fame for his innovative approach and opened several successful restaurants, including his flagship, Roy's, which helped popularize Hawaiʻi's regional cuisine. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious James Beard Award. The Grand Lānaʻi Restaurant Week takes place from Oct. 4 to Oct. 13. You can click here for more information and to book tickets for those events that require an RSVP. You can click here to learn more about The Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi and here to see the special menu for Grand Lānaʻi Restaurant Week. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 In addition to his restaurants, Yamaguchi has authored cookbooks and appeared on various cooking shows, sharing his passion for food and the rich culinary heritage of Hawaiʻi. He is also committed to sustainability and uses fresh, local ingredients in his dishes.