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Photo by Jimmy Forrest

Yudi Weinbaum is a man on a mission.
The 25-year-old executive chef is on a campaign to introduce authentic deli food to the people of Hawaii, and you might say that he’s doing it with a religious conviction.
Weinbaum trained for three years at Sharrett Catering, one of London’s top kosher catering firms. After this apprenticeship, Weinbaum moved with his Hawaii-born wife, Estee, to Florida, where he managed a kosher steakhouse. A year-and-a-half later, in early 2006, they relocated to Honolulu, which had lost its only kosher food establishment a year earlier.
Yudi’s Deli, which opened its doors in November 2006, shares a converted gas station in Manoa with a pizza place and a drive-through coffee stand. It’s a kapakahi establishment with a small kitchen and service counter, where the service station’s office used to be located, and outdoor furniture spread out in between the concrete islands where gas pumps once stood.

A small group of us from the office visited Yudi’s on a quiet, breezy Thursday. Not knowing much about deli food, we left our choices up to Yudi, who minutes later began bringing out a procession of European and Mediterra-nean dishes served family style. We started our meal with the best item of the day, a Falafel Platter ($9.99), a mini feast which featured two types of cabbage slaws, hummus, babaganoush and a cucumber salad accompanying a half-a-dozen or so perfectly fried falafel nuggets.
The hummus was one of the best that I’ve had. The chickpea dip had a velvety smooth mouth feel throughout, almost as though it had been whipped. It also had hints of lemon and garlic. This consistency of textures and flavors were reflected in the falafel as well, which was also one of the best I’ve ever had. The outer crust of the fried nugget was crispy, still hot and nearly oil free, while the inside was tender and soft, not grainy like most falafel.

Next, we sampled Potato and Spinach Knishes ($1.99 a piece). The plump potato-filled dumplings were pillowy and pleasant, satisfying and surprisingly light. We then moved on to the Skirt Steak Platter ($17), which featured a healthy portion of well-done beef and a small mountain of french fries. To meet the kosher requirement, Yudi had to salt the meat generously. It was a little too salty for me.

We also split two sandwiches, Pastrami and Corned Beef (both $8.95), which featured lean and tender cuts of meat. I preferred the pastrami. Yudi also brought out a couple of Grilled Chicken Wraps ($8.50). They were very simple items, but I was struck by the freshness of the ingredients, which enabled the rolled sandwiches to hold their form till the last bite.

YUDI’S DELI 2740 E. Manoa Road Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Saturday 988-6700

We finally surrendered and asked him for the check. Since it was a slow day, he joined our party and chatted for a few minutes. He showed us a long list of kosher wines he was hoping to bring to Hawaii, gave us a very abbreviated definition of kosher (no meat with dairy, no shellfish, and cattle have to be slaughtered quickly and humanely) and told us a story about introducing real deli to an enthusiastic little boy and his mom, who had come by after karate lessons at the neighboring Japanese school.
Even though cars and trucks were thundering down East Manoa Road, Yudi’s Deli felt peaceful, warm and welcoming. I’m not sure what they call that feeling in London or Tel Aviv, but in Hawaii, we call it aloha.