Every time I come here, the atmosphere & food always hits the spot, and the service is consistent. So far, over the past year or so, I've had their Taro Burgers, Greek Omelet, Summer Hash(?) w/ Eggs benny, Ube Pancakes, Lemon Ricotta Bubble Waffle with Berry Compote, Strawberry Mac Nut Stuffed French Toast, the Parmesan Crusted Fish with Risotto, Okonomiyaki style fritters, & their savory pancakes (specifically the shrimp & lobster with cream cheese). Right off the bat, their french toast and waffles are amazing! The french toast is huge in portion, and that Lemon Ricotta waffle was so fluffy and tasty. Their taro burgers are also one of the best veg burgers I've had; outweighs a typical bean burger or a veg burger that uses lots of grains. It's seasoned very well and has a nice texture. Though it's not made in-house, I appreciate them outsourcing a small & locally owned company (from Kaua'i I think) that makes these patties. My only issue is that they CAN taste oily sometimes, but the veg toppings and sauce really helps to combat it! The Greek Omelet that they served back in March was also stellar; great balance between the veg and the feta in the omelet, and a nice portion alongside toast AND potatoes! Their summer hash w/ eggs benny from early June was quite good. The hash was seasoned nicely, albeit a little too oily. The hollandaise couldve had a little more acidity and salt to it as well, personally. However, the eggs were poached perfectly. We also had the ube pancakes that same day; the ube flavor couldve been stronger, but they were undeniably moist and fluffy, vibrant in color, and I liked the pairing of coconut syrup and haupia pudding on top. Their shrimp and cream cheese crepes from early January were also super delicious. I like the addition of roasted potatoes, but I would love to see more fresh flavors or greens on the plate in the future, because it can be quite heavy. During that same week I also ordered the Okonomiyaki fritters and the Parmesan Crusted Fish with Risotto. These two were probably my least favorite dishes that Ive had so far. The texture of the Okonomiyaki was quite pasty and thick from the batter(would've liked more cabbage), and the fish(can't remember what kind) was slightly overcooked and underseasoned. I also didn't have much broccolini on my plate. But the caper sauce and risotto ratio to fish was good! I think another gripe I have overall is that some dishes are more generous with its portions than others, which can be underwhelming or unfair depending on the person eating, especially if the price is high. All that being said, I love this restaurant's approach to utilizing local produce and their creativity and passion really shows in their food. I really hope to see that Greek Omelet and Lemon Ricotta waffle on the menu again in another season! So thankful to have a wonderful local restaurant in cozy...
Read moreThe menu is creative, and we were excited to try new things. We've been here twice, but the last time was extremely busy. I still have a good impression but want to give a heads up to be understanding and patient during busy or short staffed times.
We arrived on a weekday at 12:30 with closing time at 2 pm, and 4 brunch menus and 1 lunch item were sold out. The kitchen seemed slammed that day and couldn't tell the staff what was sold out until the last minute. This was frustrating because it took us three attempts to order since both our first and second choices got sold out (while other tables ordered in between our attempts. It felt like a race to order!). That process took almost half an hour since we had a party of three and had to keep deciding on new backup items.
Our starter, avocado tempura, was excellent and served at the right temperature. The rest of the meal was tasty overall but there was uneven seasoning of the components. For instance, the gravy for loco moco was excellent and made thoughtfully, but the chicken itself could have used more seasoning. The shrimp egg benedict had a salty shrimp cake (which was ok when eaten with the cornbread) but the side potatoes had no seasoning.
The kitchen appeared busier than expected, so this may have contributed to our experience of uneven seasoning. I hope these mishaps can be smoothed out for busy days in the future. I enjoy the creativity of the food menu, and clearly other customers do too since we kept picking items that...
Read moreThis place would usually get a 5 star review from me. We've been going for a few years and it has been consistently excellent. But not today. This is a heads up for Mark, the Chef...if you've got a new cook, he needs to uplevel his game.
The benedict special has always been one of our go-to breakfasts. the cornbread, eggs, hollandaise and potatoes were all good, but the special protein was short ribs which were papery, dry and unseasoned. My partner usually asks for a side of spinach to balance all the starch and they were out of spinach by 11:30.
The hash is my go to, and while it's always a little small for me, it's been consistently delicious, And I usually get more than enough food by cleaning up after my wife with her abundant benedict dish. Today's pork, taro, sweet potato and cabbage hash was watery and also under-flavored.
I ordered a salad which was tasty but minimal for $19: A small bowl of greens, 4 pieces of shrimp, with a few (under)charred corn kernels.
Oh, and the orange juice tasted like it came from a can. For a place that's all about fresh and local, you'd be better off not having it on the menu if it tastes like that.
When you drop most of $100 for breakfast, this is the kind of disappointment you don't want to have from a favorite...
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