KO

Since it opened in 2012, the brightly decorated restaurant at the Fairmont Kea Lani has caught everyone’s attention, winning rave reviews. Ko means sugarcane in Hawaiian, and Chef Tylun Pang focuses on dishes handed down from Maui’s 19th Century sugar cane plantation era, and the various ethnic groups – Hawaiian, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese and Chinese – that populated the island. Portuguese bean soup might be followed by Maui-raised beef ribs in Korean seasonings. Desserts include pão doce frito, fried Portugese sweet bread with coconut gelato and black raspberry jam. Ko also has a popular bar with tempting, not-too-sweet tropical cocktails.