Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge

When Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge opened in the Gaslamp in 2004, it brought a refreshing playfulness to a block filled with serious dining destinations. Taking cues from the mid-century fondness for Island culture, the restaurant aimed to offer a hint of the exotic and a lighthearted vibe that would let guests feel as if they had been swept across the Pacific. But while the restaurant has cemented its reputation as a playful, vacation-like dining destination, it recently stepped things up a notch, debuting a revamped menu and an array of culinary offerings that are making guests swoon.

The interior of the restaurant is an urban refuge, a transporting escape that has all the elements of an island cabana except for the surf and the sand. The vibe begins at the corner entrance, when guests step between two Tiki sculptures to enter the bar area. Suddenly, Tiki structures are everywhere—mounted to walls, standing between rooms, watching over the vast, open space. Many of the pieces are the work of Escondido-based Tiki artist Bosko Hrnjak, but Tiki aficionados will recognize sculptures from New Zealand, Hawaii, and the Easter Islands.

Amid Tiki relics, the room is awash in pale, muted earth tones. The décor is testament to the beauty of natural materials, utilizing wood, leather, and woven fibers. Much of the design is sustainable, including floors made of polished reclaimed wood and tables artfully constructed of bamboo. Cabana-like walls stretch up toward high ceilings, while palm frond fans lazily churn in the space above. It seems impossible not to relax here.

The seating itself is divided into two main spaces—the bar and lounge area and the main dining room. Both offer booths as well as freestanding tables; the bar area boasts views of the sushi bar while the dining room affords views of the open kitchen. In each there are a handful of oversized booths whose curved forms offer near-complete, highly coveted privacy.

If the setting isn't enough to convince guests they're on vacation, the beverages will. Nearly every drink on the extensive cocktail list is worthy of sipping poolside. Bar Manager John Boyle is a talented mixologist, infusing tropical juices with exotic liquors and herbs. His sweet, tantalizing creations tend toward the playful, with names like "Cool as a Cucumber," "Dragon's Fire," and "Blushing Buddah." The Lilikoi Mojito is a refreshing treat, a blend of rum, mint, and passion fruit juice that puts a traditional mojito to shame. And how can you visit without a mai tai? The restaurant offers two, a sweet version made with pineapple juice and grenadine and a stronger version sweetened only with lime juice and almond-flavored syrup. Those enamored with the cocktails may want to visit during the daily “5 on Fifth” happy hour, when from 5 to 7 select cocktails, appetizers, and sushi rolls are just $5 each.

The entire menu is filled with a creative blend of "mainland" and Polynesian flavors, with dishes that infuse traditional American ingredients with exotic flavors. Take, for example, the grilled crab legs, a seafood standard that gets an exotic twist with an accompanying bowl of shisho-leaf drawn butter. Two enormous crab legs sprawl across the plate, each conveniently filleted for easy and elegant access to the tender meat inside. Telltale grill marks cover the crab shells, while inside, the pearl-white meat proves plump, moist, and succulent. The crab barely needs the accompanying butter, but a quick dip lends a decadent richness and a hint of elusive, fennel-like flavor from the Japanese herb.

Crispy Shitake and Goat Cheese Wontons are a house favorite, featuring plump, crisp wonton shells filled with a fluffy blend of creamy goat cheese and earthy mushrooms. The presentation is enticing, each golden-brown, bulbous form rooted in a bed of tangy ponzu sauce, and surrounded by a colorful garnish of carefully shaved cucumber, vibrant carrots, and a stunning purple orchid. A bite is sublimely comforting, the velvety filling proving an intoxicating blend of creamy, tangy, and sweet, surpassed only by the sweetly rich crunch of the delicate shell.

The Stuffed Sashimi Trio, a dish from the sushi section of the menu, offers a light way to begin a meal. A creative twist on sashimi, the dish features three flavorful sculptures made from glistening raw fish and varied accompaniments. In the first, pink ahi wraps around a pale white, creamy crab on a bed of rice, offering a soft, comforting introduction to the dish. Beside it, the presentation is reversed: a pale piece of yellowtail embraces a salad of bright pink ahi cubes tossed with mango and garnished with paper-thin scallions. A dollop of spicy mayo leaves a lingering spice, which transitions into the last delicate sashimi sculpture—two thick pieces of ahi sandwiching a tender shrimp coated in a textured, sriracha-flavored sauce. Each bite-size sculpture is subtle in flavor and delicate in texture, with a small kick of intrigue.

The sushi menu is peppered with many such creative combinations. "The Bomb Tuna Special" is easily a favorite, a plump spicy tuna roll topped with a festive medley of fresh ahi and mango, topped with a spicy mayonnaise and daikon sprouts. The Lobster Fantasy roll is another winning sushi combination, featuring a crispy interior of tempura lobster and cucumber, delicately wrapped in rice paper and topped with a small but feisty spicy shrimp. Sushi fans will want to visit Mister Tiki on Monday evenings, when the restaurant offers its $19.95 all-you-can-eat sushi special. The weekly event offers a rotating selection of at least six different sushi rolls, starters such as edamame and miso soup, as well as a selection of hot dishes.

Any other day of the week, it's hard to pass on the main courses. Ahi Tuna Two Ways offers a lighter entree, featuring sushi-grade Ahi served both grilled and tempura-battered alongside a citrus mint salad. Encircled in a crispy wonton shell, the salad is a lively blend of mixed greens, slender cucumber slices, and pulled pieces of orange, with a light mint dressing that lends a refreshing tang to each bite. The playful array of colors and textures combined with the sweet, vibrant flavors demonstrate the kitchen's mastery of fresh ingredients.

Wasabi-Crusted Filet Medallions is a hearty, satisfying dish. A thick, perfectly round filet mignon is served on a bed of pale wasabi mashed potatoes amid a pool of steak sauce. Even before slicing into the tender filet, a dark sear and a textured crust of wasabi and salt suggests the meat will be full of flavor—a hint that proves satisfyingly true upon just one bite. The filet cuts to reveal a glistening pale pink interior, which marries with the salty crust to bring the satisfaction of both tenderness and flavor. While the wasabi moniker may turn away the spice-wary, the dish is surprisingly tame, with the wasabi lending more flavor than heat. Nevertheless, if a drink pairing seems in order, the Yangtze Rainforest martini—an elusive blend of Absolut Pear, lychee syrup, apple liquor, and mint—is refreshing, and just complex enough to match the bold flavors of the dish.

The Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops are stunning and sublime. Plump U-15 scallops sit amid crisp shitake mushroom slivers, crowned by a deep, woodsy Chinese sherry sauce. The dish is as decadent as it is gorgeous, the flavors a carefully chosen marriage of silky, buttery scallops and resonant, hearty mushrooms. Textures are intriguing as well, the predictably soft scallop contrasting the uniquely crisp mushroom slivers, so that each bite seems both familiar and delightfully new. The dish pairs ideally with the Coconut Kiss martini, each refreshing sip of the libation leaving the palate in sweet repose for the next bite.

The sweetest treat of all comes at the end of the meal, when a tower of mousses arrives at the table. The flavors here are as playful as the mixed drinks, with concoctions that are both tame and extraordinary. Those who like their desserts traditional might opt for Kona Coffee Tiramisu or Dark Chocolate Raspberry mousse, both of which prove classic and satisfying. A bit further down on the adventure scale are Orange Strawberry Cheesecake mousse, which offers a subtly fruity finale, and Mint Chocolate mousse, which boasts a sea-foam green color, a crushed Oreo topping, and a flavor that explodes on the palate like an Andes mint. For the extremists out there, there's the Rocky Road mousse, complete with miniature marshmallows, and the Peanut Butter mousse, which tastes like a peanut butter sandwich pureed with fresh cream.

Languid conclusions are my favorite kind, and it doesn't get more languid than slowly savoring a sweet dessert in a cabana-like setting. The only thing difficult about a relaxing, exotic meal at Mister Tiki is the very end, when it comes time to return to the hectic world outside. But there is reassurance in leaving—once you relinquish this slice of paradise, you know you can always return for more.