Cucina Moon Brings Legit Fresh Pasta Bowls and Gelato to McCully Shopping Center

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Reveling in the freedom of choosing where to lunch, a reward that has been more elusive to me of late, I found some time on a recent Friday afternoon to try a new pasta eatery at McCully Shopping Center.

Cucina Moon opened Nov. 1, sharing a space with ‘Ohana Poke Co in a mini food court. Because of its second-floor location, it’s not a restaurant you wander into because you saw it from the street, so it feels hidden. A wooden counter flanks the large open kitchen where a chef fastidiously tosses pans of pasta. A single-page menu with eight pastas presents the no-frills concept: focaccia, pasta and vegan gelato for one price, at least until the new year rolled up with new changes.

The meal sets are out, in favor of larger pasta portions after multiple customer requests. That now limits the daily servings and shifts the focaccia and gelato to a la carte add-ons. Personally, I preferred the sets which have more perceived value, but I understand and support the decision because a business needs to make money where they can. Green salads and additional focaccia rolls are also extra.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Granchio (crab) with spaghetti ($34), agnello (lamb) ragu with vesuvio ($26), arrabbiata with rigatoni ($22) are some of the options, all made fresh daily. After ordering the Bolognese with tagliatelle ($24), Cucina Moon’s co-owner Rina Tsukii brings over a platter featuring their available pasta shapes. Her husband, Takeshi Tsukii, says they rotate the pasta selection monthly and continuously work on new pastas. On the horizon: corn-based pasta, vegan alternatives (to go with their vegan gelato) and an intriguing pepperoncino-infused pasta that still needs work, Takeshi says.

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A seat at the bar counter gives you a prime view of the kitchen action. The chef, who I’m told has worked in other local Italian restaurants, prepares my bowl in minutes. It’s quiet during the lunch service, and service is quick. My Bolognese, accompanied by a cute focaccia roll, receives a generous shower of Parmigiano Reggiano and a dash of parsley before it’s brought over steaming.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

The meaty sauce clings to each strand of tagliatelle, a good sign they took the time to marry them in the pan. It has a distinct al dente bite, but the noodle isn’t as thin as I expected. Fresh semolina pasta is superior, so it’s already better than most packaged stuff. I enjoy the small hints of parsley that pop in with alternating bites, breaking up the heavy meat sauce. The bread—warm, salty and airy with a satisfying chew—is a highlight on its own. I consider buying more ($2.50 apiece) to bring home.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

The next day, I have pasta on the brain. I return to try the arrabbiata rigatoni, seduced by the promise of house-made pork sausage, heat and my favorite pasta shape. Though I come closer to closing, it’s much busier than the prior visit, but service is just as attentive. I savor each forkful of the spicy tomato sauce with bits of fennel pork sausage. Brightness in the form of fresh basil tossed in the last few seconds makes all the difference. The rigatoni is like the tagliatelle—the substantial bite holds up to the flavor-forward arrabbiata sauce.

Rina prepares the gelato herself in house. All the flavors are vegan, but the fruity ones could be considered along the lines of sorbetto. The chai māmaki gelato is a wonderfully dense and spiced gelato that also happens to be caffeine-free. She tells me she’s working on a recipe for tiramisu and hopes to add it to the menu.

Photo: Thomas Obungen

Cucina Moon closes after its lunch service and reopens for dinner at 5 p.m. when the menu expands with boards of prosciutto and cheese ($31), smoked fish ($27) and entrees with ribeye steak or grilled lamb chops ($54 each). After being open for more than a month, dinner reservations are necessary.

A Tokyo native, Takeshi is so fluent in English, it surprises me to learn Cucina Moon is his first restaurant in Hawai‘i. I learn that he owns a popular kaitenzushi restaurant in Yokohama that serves more than 800 guests a day. He opened Cucina Moon (tsuki 月 is Japanese for moon), to escape the madness and work on his pasta game. He also owns a cafe in Japan that prepares fresh pasta along with coffee, salads and sandwiches, which gave him the idea to open Cucina Moon.

I think I have also found my escape, at least for an hour.

Open noon to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday, 1260 Kapi‘olani Blvd, #210A, (808) 200-5933, @cucina_moon_