From the outside, you’d never think Ichiriki Japanese Nabe Restaurant would be as good as it really is.

But as the saying goes, you shouldn’t judge a book — or, in this case, a restaurant — by its cover.

Outside the restaurant on Pi’ikoi Street.

Inside the eatery, which specializes in nabe, a Japanese comfort food.

A few friends have raved about this contemporary nabe house, which opened in August 2006 across from Ala Moana Center.

The menu features a variety of dishes, from chicken tsukune to a spicy, kim chee-based poke.

But its specialty is nabe.

Simply put, nabe are dishes cooked in a hot pot — and usually on the table. Typical ingredients include vegetables, mushrooms, seafood and meat. Oden, sukiyaki and shabu shabu are common nabe dishes, and are popular especially during the cold winter months.

You can have your meal in a metal pot — traditional — or kami style — in a bowl with a washi paper that looks like a giant funnel. This version of nabe costs from $45.95 for the restaurant’s signature dish to $83.95 for one with king crab.

However it’s served, think of nabe as Japanese-style comfort food.

So when the guys I surf with started talking about Ichiriki the other day in the water — early in the morning, so thinking about something warm to eat was very comforting — I encouraged the plans to have dinner at this spot I had heard so much about.

Here are scenes from last night’s meal:

At first I thought we had to sit Japanese-style at the low tables. But I was pleasantly surprised that there were large holes beneath the tables for our legs to dangle. Genius!

Two ordered the nabe. One opted for Ichiriki’s signature shoyu-based nabe ($21.95) that featured 15 different ingredients including leeks, mushrooms, bok choy, scallops, shrimp, aburage, tofu and homemade tsukune meatballs. The other got Kei’s Pirikara Spicy Nabe ($21.95), which came with a dashi consisting of sliced garlic and chopped red peppers for kick.

The pirikara nabe ingredients also came with homemade tsukune meatballs — an Ichiriki specialty.

You’re supposed to make your own meatballs — smaller is better — and placed them into the boiling broth.

I ordered the shabu shabu ($20.95), which came with Chinese cabbage, shiitake and enoki mushrooms, chives, bok choy, tofu, kuzukiri (arrowroot noodles), rice, and thinly sliced beef.

The USDA choice beef was perfect, with just enough fat to make it juicy and flavorful.

Two others in our group shared the beef sukiyaki ($21.95), which featured generous portions of beef, tofu, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, leeks, enoki mushrooms, kuzukiri and udon noodles.

It was the only nabe dish where the server prepared the meal. (You’re supposed to cook your own nabe.)

At the end of the meal, the server brings you either udon or ramen noodles to finish the broth. You place the noodles in a bowl and pour the broth over it. If I had known that was going to happen, I would’ve have eaten so much!

Ichiriki offers ujikintoki ($4.95) — a dessert consisting of shave ice topped with green tea, sweetened azuki beans and mochi balls.

Here’s an up-close look at the dessert.

I wasn’t feeling like shave ice, so I opted for two small scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. It’s the best way to finish any meal — including nabe!

Ichiriki Japanese Nabe Restaurant, 510 Pi’ikoi St. Phone: 589-2299. Reservations recommended.

You’ve heard the line: Men are from Mars and women are from Macy’s.

Well, how true is that gender gap between men and women? And how are these differences affecting our relationships?

A CNN story yesterday took a closer look at five gender-specific behaviors and, using science, helped explain how this widens the gender gap. The purpose: maybe we can all understand each other better.

Here they are:

Women want to cuddle

What you think: Women love to cuddle after sex, whereas men just want to fall asleep.

What the experts say: During sexual intercourse, oxytocin is released in both men and women, and that encourages bonding within the couple. Oxytocin is a hormone often associated with love because its levels increase during intimate acts like hugging, kissing and intercourse. However, testosterone neutralizes the effect of oxytocin, so men are less likely to want to prolong contact after orgasm.

Men hate shopping

What you think: Men hate to go shopping with their mate because they think it’s a waste of time.

What the experts say: Men do enjoy shopping when they get to “hunt” for a specific item, whereas women enjoy “grazing” for items. This goes back to our hunting and gathering days, when losing focus could mean losing the week’s meal.

Women make mountains out of molehills

What you think: Women obsess about every little thing; men seem to have it all under control.

What the experts say: Men are problem-solvers and tend to bring up a problem only in order to search for its solution. The “eureka” moment of problem-solving increases the level of dopamine, a pleasure-inducing chemical, in the brain. (This also explains why men will wait until it’s absolutely necessary to stop and ask for directions.) Women, on the other hand, relieve stress by talking and relating their problems to others, which produces serotonin, said to enhance moods and ward off depression.

Men are impervious to cold

What you think: Men are content to freeze, while women always want to turn up the thermostat.

What the experts say: According to the Mayo Clinic, women are more sensitive to cold than men are, but not because they like to feel warm and cozy. Because women on average are smaller than men, their metabolic rate tends to be lower. This means their bodies generate less heat. They also tend to have less fat, which acts as insulation, on their upper bodies and around their waists, as well as less muscle mass, which also helps keep the body warm.

Women Love “chick flicks”

What you think: Women prefer romantic movies (aka “chick flicks”) while men like action and adventure.

What the experts say: Women may like romantic movies better than men, but in a 2007 study at Kansas State University, men rated romantic movies higher than most people would have guessed. On a scale of 1 to 7, men gave the movies a 4.8, while women rated them a 6.

Agree?

I’m at a crossroads.

My 2000 Honda Civic is all paid off — but it needs a new timing belt, new tires and probably an engine overhaul.

But the mileage is too good to give up. I get about 26 miles per gallon — and that’s driving in town!

With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, my little beach mobile is saving me from spending my entire paycheck on fuel.But I’m also considering getting a new car, preferably a hybrid, which can get more than 45 miles per gallon and cocst about $50 to fill up. (Read Lynda Arakawa’s article on the growing popularity of hybrids in yesterday’s paper.)

We have among the highest gas prices in the nation, according to the American Automobile Association.

Already, it costs me about $41 to fill up my tank. And I’m pulling into the gas station just about ever week.

I commute from Hawai’i Kai, which is about 22 miles roundtrip. And I have a fairly fuel-efficient car. But I’ve heard horror stories about people putting in $75 of gas into their big trucks or SUVs at least once a week. That’s insane!

So what are your horror stories about gas, commuting, gas-guzzling cars? And is anyone else out there toying with the idea of a hybrid?

This vid of a buffalo surviving an attack by a lion — dubbed “The Battle at Kruger” — aired on the National Geographic Channel. But it’s real claim-to-fame is garnering 33 million views on YouTube.

Check it out. But warning: you have to be able to handle “nature.”

(Thanks, Mom!)

Girlfriends (and yes, some men, too) are gearing up for the highly anticipated “Sex in the City” movie, opening Friday.

Even me — and I barely watched the first two seasons!

New Line Cinema

There’s just something about this seven-year hit HBO series that changed us in some way. We talk about “frenemies,” about Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos, about sex in a way that I can’t even discuss on this blog! It was a cultural phenomenon! (Read more here.)

I have friends who didn’t miss a single episode. They’d skip family get-togethers, came late to baby showers, dug out early from weddings. (This was before everyone subscribed to TiVo.) It was insane!

But I also know people — mostly guys — who just didn’t get it.

Where are you in all of this? And are you going to see the movie (despite less-than-stellar reviews)?

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