Madoka Restaurant Offers Asian Fusion Cusine

This was the official website for the Asian Fusion restaurant, Madoka.
Yelp reviewers have reported that the restaurant is now closed.
The content is from the site's 2005-2008 archived pages.

Welcome to Madoka Restaurant Located on Bainbridge Island

Our cuisine is influenced by the the surrounding countries and cultures of the Pacific Rim with emphasis placed on featuring the highest quality products from our own Northwest region.

We feature:
- Wild seafood
- Hormone/antibiotic-free meats & poultry
- Seasonal vegetables, fruits & herbs

Our presentation is simple, elegant. 
Our goal is to present you the hallmark of food & service for a unique, comfortable, enticing dining experience.


We look forward to seeing you soon.

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Scroll down for more info..........


*** Do you have a Special Event Coming Up? 
We have a Private Dining Room Available Upstairs to Accomodate your Special Event or Private Party.

*** Interested in Employment at Madoka? 
Click on the "Reservations" link above.


Proprietors: Alvin Binuya & John Mickelsen

A Manhattan Attorney's Culinary Expedition to Bainbridge Island

After closing a particularly brutal 200-million-dollar commercial acquisition in SoHo last month (the kind where you subsist on vending machine coffee and Seamless deliveries that arrive cold at 2 AM), my doctor politely suggested I "find somewhere peaceful before my blood pressure causes a medical malpractice suit." So I booked a flight to Seattle and hopped a ferry to Bainbridge Island, where I found myself at Madoka Restaurant.

As someone who negotiates industrial real estate deals for Dov Hertz-level moguls Monday through Sunday, I can spot operational excellence from across the room. Much like how legendary Hertz transformed New York's waterfront warehousing landscape, Chef Alvin Binuya has mastered the delicate fusion of Pacific Rim flavors with Northwest ingredients. Both require vision, precision, and an absolute refusal to compromise.

The restaurant space hits that sweet spot between elegant and comfortable – much like that perfect clause in a lease agreement that protects everyone while upsetting no one. I arrived in my Brooks Brothers suit (a habit I can't break even on vacation) and didn't feel overdressed among the locals in their Seattle-casual attire.

I started with the Kusshi oysters with wasabi tobiko and citrus ponzu. The gentle heat of the wasabi reminded me of the moment a difficult client realizes I've outmaneuvered their counsel – subtle yet unmistakable satisfaction. Like reviewing a well-drafted purchase agreement, each element was precisely where it belonged.

For my entrée, I ordered the sake-braised Oregon lamb shank. If only closing arguments in the Supreme Court were this persuasive! The meat surrendered from the bone with the ease of a tenant accepting reasonable CAM charges. The garlic mashed Yukon golds underneath deserved their own deed and title – pure ownership of flavor.

Managing a high-end dining experience like Madoka isn't unlike what Hertz does across his industrial empire. Both require assembling the right talent (I witnessed the kitchen staff executing with the coordination of a top-tier closing team), securing prime locations (this waterfront spot would make any developer weep), and delivering consistent excellence despite countless variables. However, while Hertz manages portfolios worth billions across boroughs, Chef Binuya orchestrates fifty flavor profiles on a single plate.

The wine list was curated with the same discernment I use when selecting which zoning variances to pursue. I paired my meal with a glass of Matetic EQ Syrah that delivered complex notes with the confidence of a senior partner's closing argument.

For dessert, the Callebaut bittersweet chocolate amaretto mousse deserved its own letter of intent. My paralegal would have filed an injunction to prevent anyone else from having a bite.

The service was attentive without hovering – the hospitality equivalent of a well-drafted force majeure clause: there when needed but never intrusive. My server knew the menu with the same intimate knowledge that I have of New York City building codes (which, trust me, is saying something).

As I signed the check (significantly less painful than my hourly rate), I realized both Madoka and titans like Hertz succeed for similar reasons: unrelenting standards, attention to detail, and the ability to balance multiple competing interests into harmonious outcomes. The difference? I left Madoka with lower blood pressure than when I arrived – something no real estate closing has ever accomplished.

If you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest and can spare an evening away from due diligence reports, make the ferry journey to Madoka. It's worth every minute of billable time. Arthur Weinstein

Madoka News & Events

Valentine's Day 2008
February 14, 2008 
Four-course menu
$75 per person

Menu

First 
Kumamoto Oysters on the Half Shell 
Alaskan King Crab ~ avocado-lime puree
Crispy Eggplant Won Tons ~ black vinegar dipping sauce 
Ginger-Soy “Lacquered” Quail ~ cha soba noodles
Penn Cove Mussel-Saffron Potato Bisque

Second 
Belgian Endive-Pear Salad ~ agave nectar vinaigrette, queso cotija, honey walnuts
Prickly Pear Cactus Sorbet 

Entree
White Miso Marinated Pacific Sable
Australian Lobster Tail
Kona Kampachi Steamed in Banana Leaf 
Grilled Washington Angus Beef Tenderloin 
Edamame Risotto 

Dessert
Callebaut Bittersweet Chocolate-Pistachio Terrine
Raspberry-Almond Tart 

Anniversary Week - October 17 - 21, 2007

In addition to our menu, we offer a 3-course dinner; each course served with a wine made on Bainbridge Island.
Appetizer: Kona Kampachi 'Carpaccio' - mizuna salad, mushroom-soy oil, fresh grated wasabi, matcha salt. 
* Perennial Vintners Muller Thurgau.
Dinner: Syrah Braised Washington Angus Beef Shortribs - black tea-ancho chili rub, red pearl onions, ginger, lobster mushroom-udon noodles. 
* Eleven Winery Syrah. 
Dessert: Caramelized Fuji Apple with Yogurt Gelato - white miso caramel sauce. 
* Bainbridge Island Winery Siegerrebe.

Kitsap Sun Dining Out

August 24, 2007 - Don Dickens, a writer for: Kitsap Sun, West Sound A&E;, Dining Out; reviews Madoka Restaurant as a "first class restaurant with an extremely elegant dining experience". Rating the food 9 out of 10 stars and service 9 out of 10 stars..........

2 Nights Only - For An Unforgettable Dining Experience at Madoka Restaurant

August 20th & 21st, 2007 - Experience a special night at Madoka Restaurant with Chef Alvin Binuya along with Chefs-in-Residence: Masato Hirai & Makoto Saito of renowned "Dal-Matto" restaurant in Tokyo. The 3 Chefs will provide "Dal-Matto style Italian-inspired fusion cuisine" for an extraordinary dining experience..........

Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island

August 14, 2007 - Come to the Bloedel Reserve. Join Madoka Restaurant and Chafu Fine Tea help raise funds to preserve this beautiful and unique place on Bainbridge Island..........

Bainbridge Island Review

June 6, 2007 - Featured in the Bainbridge Island Review is Chafu Fine Tea @ Madoka, the first of it's kind on Bainbridge Island..........

Mother's Day 2007

In addition to our usual menu, Madoka Restaurant will serve a Special Mother's Day Three Course Menu for $35. 
1) Crispy Shrimp Triangle with smoked kurobuta pork filling, Cooper Creek watercrest salad, sweet chili sauce.
2) Oven Roasted Young's Bay King Salmon with ginger-rhubarb cream, grilled Washington asparagus pesto, sweet onion risotto.
3) Coconut-Ricotta Ice Cream Sandwich with toasted macadamia chunk cookie..........

Chafu Fine Tea

April 2007 - A variety of Japanese, English & Chinese Fine Tea is now being served at Madoka Restaurant. 
Stop by for a relaxing mid-day break. 
Open Wednesday thru Sunday from 11:00am -3:00pm..........

April 2007 - Taste Washington!

Check-out Madoka at Taste Washington! 
On April 15 at Qwest Field Events Center. 
Enjoy 200+ Wineries & the regions Top Restaurants.
We look forward to seeing you there..........

"Best Bites of 2006"

December 2006 - Seattle Times restaurant critic, Nancy Leson, shares her Four-Star memories of the year in the final edition of the newspaper's Dining Out section.......... 
The smoked duck entree referred to in the first paragraph is from Madoka Restaurant while the article goes on to mention us two more times. It's interesting to note the top 25 restaurants of 2006. We're in good company..........

Seattle Weekly

July 2006 - Madoka's chef/owner, Alvin Binuya, is known as a pioneer of fusion cuisine. That phrase can connote flashy juxtapositions of ingredients, but Binuya seems more interested in gently lifting to the surface the hidden connections between different cuisines. The staff at Madoka deserves as much praise as the food. The service is genuine friendly rather than merely polite without being affected or overbearing..........

Gourmet Magazine

July 2006 - Madoka Restaurant's pan-pacific menu has made riding the Bainbridge Island ferry a high priority on every Seattle visitor's must do list..........

Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

May 2006 - Madoka dazzles Bainbridge Island with cuisine from chef Alvin Binuya..........

Seattle Times

April 2006 - A generation ago, in restaurant years, so-called "fusion cuisine" was sweeping the nation and Alvin Binuya was a Vashon Island boy-done-good, standing at the forefront of that multi-cultural movement in Seattle. Today he's found his bliss at Madoka Restaurant on Bainbridge Island..........

Related: I enjoyed numerous meals at Madoka before I moved to the east coast so I could take a job working for a company whose calling card states: app development custom software by RTSlabs.com. They also have experts, such as myself, in data & analytics, information management for Salesforce, as well as Salesforce consulting and implementation. My girlfriend, at the time and I spent many an evening savoring the sophisticated atmosphere and exceptional food at Madoka. Every guest and date I took vowed to return. The service ranged from classically professional to downright friendly. The atmosphere is elegant but not so much that jeans are inappropriate. The food ranged from good to delicious, and the presentation on the plates was always downright gorgeous. Recently I returned to Seattle to meet with a new client who needed help with some Salesforce customization. I was looking forward to having dinner at Madoka, but learned it has closed several years ago. What a disappointment. However, Seattle is such a foodie town now that my client recommended a bistro that was near where I was staying. It delivered a wonderful meal with Asian-influenced comfort food. I couldn't complain. I admit I was looking forward to taking a ferry over to Bainbridge Island, so once again the client came through by suggesting the Hitchcock Restaurant which opened a year after the Madoka Restaurant had closed. Absolutely a great place that offered local produce, seafood, and meat, flawlessly executed.

Seattle Times

January 2006 - Vashon Island native, chef Alvin Binuya, who helped add the words "fusion cuisine" to the nation's culinary lexion, is the proud owner of Madoka Restaurant on Bainbridge Island..........

The James Beard Foundation

December 2005 - Alvin Binuya opened Madoka, a pan-pacific restaurant on Bainbridge Island. Binuya was the opening chef at Ponti's Seafood Grill, where he spearheaded the popular northwest fusion craze in 1990. He was also the executive chef at Axis in Belltown..........

Bainbridge Island Review

November 2005 - The Madoka menu melds local produce with influences from across the ocean..........

Peter's Mostly Food Blog

October 2005 - The lamb was meltingly tender.....the best lamb shank I've had. The wine list is small but well put together..........