Posts Tagged ‘Restaurant Reviews’

A few weeks ago, I paid my first visit to the Soul de Cuba Cafe, which had long been on my list of places to dine. Located in the middle of downtown Honolulu (at 1121 Bethel Street), Soul de Cuba is really the ONLY Cuban restaurant in Honolulu — maybe even in the islands, and it’s a true delight.

Sould de Cuba Cafe was founded by brothers Jesus and Robert Puerto, along with Yoon Kim. Jesus and Robert had the shared dream of owning a restaurant, enrolled in a 2-year restaurant management course over a decade ago. In the summer of 2004, they happened to meet Yoon, a hotel and restaurant menagement graduate who had grown up in his own family’s restaurant business. The three collaborated on the Soul de Cuba concept, and the first restaurant opened its doors in New Haven, Connecticut in January 2005, followed soon after by this one in Honolulu in July 2006.

The food at Soul de Cuba is both hearty and delectable. Having traveled to Cuba and eaten many Cuban dishes myself, I have to say that this food is authentic and truly delightful. I forgot that I had ordered the same dish while in Havana last spring, but when I ordered the “Fricase de Pollo” (marinated chicken sauteed with onions and Spanish olives), I was not only taken aback by the same flavors and aromas, but blown away by the authenticity of the dish. While Cuban cuisine is not particularly distinguishable from other Caribbean or Latin American dishes, there is something very tasty and addictive about the food from this special nation.

I would highly recommend any dish — or even cocktail — from Soul de Cuba. My experience there was so rewarding. I look forward to my next taste of Cuba, as I crave every and any reminder of Castro country.

An objective assessment of Mauna Lani’s Canoe House is no easy task.  It’s somewhat akin to assessing your dentist’s chair-side manner after being administered a liberal dose of nitrous oxide.  At the Canoe House, the “active” agent in the anesthetic is the setting… a mesmerizing combination of starlight, sea breezes and intermittent bursts of breeze-borne floral fragrances.  Immediately in front of the seating area, a small section of shoreline has been illuminated.  Diners can see as well as hear the rush and receding of the sea against the rocks. In this setting, chili dawgs — properly plated on a bed of roasted root vegetables (lightly tossed with sea salt and olive oil) and accented by the obligatory orchid blossom, perched just so — could likely pass for haute cuisine.  But it need not.

The food, beginning with the sashimi of sable and shiso, was delicious.  As entrees, we tried the grilled Moi and the Seared Ahi with Scallops; both were beautifully presented and delectably toothsome.  With dinner, we enjoyed a light but intensely flavorful bottle of Conundrum, a California white that adeptly blends varietals such as Chardonnay, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Muscat.  The Mango Shortcake is the perfect dessert choice – refreshing, tropical and sweet but not cloyingly so.   Dinner for two (with wine), shared appetizer and shared dessert cost approximately $225.

The service, at this price point, should be respectable if not impeccable. It was not.  The hostess was rude and the wait staff confused as to who was responsible for our table.  After being seated and waiting 20 minutes for a server, I reluctantly rose, located the nearest attendant and then requested a waiter.  Once our server appeared, our meal proceeded without incident.

Getting seated and then promptly forgotten by the wait staff is never a good start to dinner.  However, if one must be forgotten temporarily, if one must wait and wait, then do it here… at the edge of a lush island, beneath innumerable stars, buffeted by floral breezes.  An idle 20 minutes could hardly be better spent.

The Canoe House ~ Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows
68-1400 Mauna Lani Drive
Kohala Coast, HI 96743-9726
Phone: (808) 885-6622

Tired of Ken’s House of Pancakes in Hilo, four of us went to the Coconut Grill for breakfast a couple of times this month.  Between us we ordered the Eggs Benedict, waffles, pancakes, fruit cup, fried eggs, two omelets, and assorted side orders.  The general consensus was ~ the service and refills on coffee are a bit slow although we didn’t feel rushed to get out of there, the food was good but not great and the portions a bit small for the prices.

Of course this was only breakfast.  They serve lunch and dinner too.  The menu for lunch and dinner includes Prime Rib sandwich, vegetarian and other healthy choices.  In addition it has a pleasant family friendly atmosphere and the wait staff was nice. Plus it is conveniently located right next to Hilo bay and all the hotels on Banyan Drive.

Other reviewers praised the salad bar and dinner menu.  I would definitely go back to try lunch or dinner.

For more information and directions checkout our directory listing
Coconut Grill ~ 136 Banyan Way, Hilo Hawaii ~ Phone: (808) 961-3330

Nuuanu location

One of my favorite lunch spots is Bangkok Chef located at 1627 Nuuanu Avenue in Honolulu.  Hours of operation are Monday thru Saturdays from 10:30 am to 9:00 pm and closed Sundays.  Awkwardly located in a tiny strip mall Bangkok Chef is a even more tiny casual eatery that looks more like a garage then a restaurant.  What makes this place special is authentic Thai dishes contain fresh produce, are made to order on their fire woks, prices are very reasonable, and portions are huge.

Patrick Chang and Sansane Pornchairattanakun make up the husband and wife team of Bangkok Chef.  In 2001, this venue was known as the produce market called “Nuuanu Open Market.”  The idea of offering food at their venue started when Pornchairattanakun started teaching Thai cooking at Kaimuki Community School for Adults.  Pornchairattanakun is from Bangkok, Thailand where her family operates a food kiosk, so it was only natural for her to start her own restaurant here in Hawaii.  In 2002, their “open market” was turned into a bustling restaurant.

Bangkok Chef has 38 items on the menu to choose from and is made to order and served piping hot.  Try Bangkok Chef’s basil chicken ($5.70), pad ki mao, which are wide rice noodles stir fry, spicy ($6.95), panang pork curry ($5.70) or their fish patties ($5.70).  All entrees come with a hefty portion of food and jasmine rice.  Thai ice tea and a couple of desserts like tapioca pudding are also available.

Bangkok Chef is a great venue for an inexpensive place to get a quick well made meal on the go.  This place gets very busy during peak lunch hours, but the wait is minimal.  Bangkok Chef has recently added a new location in Manoa.  Located on 2955 East Manoa Road they are open from Monday thru Saturday 10:30 am to 9:00 pm and Sundays 12:00pm to 8:00 pm.

For directions and more information check out our directory listing for Bangkok Chef Express.

For more information visit Bangkok Chef’s website at bangkokchefexpress.com.

I’ve been to Side Street Inn a total of three times already. The first two times were pretty good, but the most recent time, I don’t think I’ll probably go back again.

Let’s start of with the wait. Yes, we should have put in reservations like we did in the past, but when we got there, it wasn’t super packed and when we asked the seater, he told us about 20 minutes. How long did we wait? Around 50 minutes. Yes, about an hour, as we see other people who arrived later WITHOUT reservations get seated first. They didn’t really have an answer when I asked when we will be seated. That was only the beginning.

Finally we sit down and we IMMEDIATELY order because we were really hungry by then. We ordered house salad, kal-bi (korean braised short-ribs), fried rice, and pork chops. It literally took about 30-40 minutes before our SIMPLE SALAD arrived. After scarfing that down, I asked the waitress (who never came to refill our water) how much longer it will take to get the rest of our food, because we waited almost 50 minutes after ordering and haven’t received anything. Her answer? “Oh, the kichen is really backed up” then she left. Thanks. She didn’t apologize, didn’t try to update us on our food, or offer us anything. She pretty much expected us to just accept it.

Finally our food comes a few minutes after I asked her. By then, the food was anti-climatic as we were already pretty upset that we got our food so late, didn’t get good service from the waitress (who wasn’t even running around like she was busy), and she never refilled our water until we basically finished our food. She wasn’t even around for us to call her to refill the water.

The first two experiences were good. This third experience was so horrible, it might cancel out how great the first two experieces were. Would I return? I would probably consider another place first, then if I’m peer-pressured to return, I might just cave in. But if this situation repeats itself, count me out for good.

I’m a big meat eater, and when after grocery shopping at the new and large Safeway in Kapahulu, we stopped by the brand new Burgers on the Edge restaurant. There were more than a few people there, so we figured why not give it a try. But man oh man, was I disappointed…on so many levels.

Burgers on the Edge is actually a gourmet burger restaurant from the creators of Formaggios (a GREAT restaurant and wine bar at Marketcity Shopping Center under the H1 Freeway), so I expected good things. The restaurant itself was very small, but they did have a decently cool layout with flat panel TV screens on the walls to show you the menu, rotating pictures of what they serve, and a make-your-own burger menu.

I ended up ordering a burger with gruyere cheese, bacon, grilled onions, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, and garlic aioli in a ciabatta bun. Sounds good right? With that many toppings, you would think there would be a lot of taste. Guess again. It tasted really plain. I do have to agree that the burger was decently large and it was juicy, but I couldn’t really taste much. It kind of threw me off. The ciabatta wasn’t warm either, which wasn’t too pleasant since it was cold. Was it worth the $9? No, not at all.

My girlfriend on the other hand got the stuffed portabella mushroom sandwich. Whatever it was stuffed with, she told me it wasn’t good and that it looked like there was no stuffing to begin with. The worst part of it? She said it was COLD…no, not even luke warm, not room temperature…COLD. Pretty nasty.

We also ordered the regular fries, and wow, how can you mess up fries? They were hot but they weren’t crispy at all. In fact, they were kind of soggy and didn’t have much taste. If you like potatoes without salt, this may be for you, but we both didn’t like it. To give them some credit, it tasted like fresh cut potatoes instead of frozen potatoes. But that’s the only plus I can give the fries.

So the total ended up costing us $25 for the two sandwiches, one order of regular fries, and one drink. Was it worth it? Not even a little. The wait also took about 15 minutes to receive our food. REALLY?! That long for a burger? I could see people outside getting irritated that their food was taking quite a while as well. I can’t blame them.

So save your money and go elsewhere for a burger. You can find better for cheaper…MUCH cheaper.

Driving on University Ave one day, my girlfriend and I noticed a new store that took over what used to be Volcano Joe’s right across the University of Hawaii. Yogurtland…what’s that? There were a TON of people too, and it was around 9pm. So we decided to investigate, and this is what we found.

Basically, the concept is simple. You choose two different cup sizes (both are decently big), and then you go to one of the MANY yogurt stations (they look like soft serve ice cream stations) and serve yourself what ever combination of flavors you want. You then take it over to the next station, which is the topping station, where you can find a LOAD of fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc), sprinkles, chocolate, etc., as well as condensed milk and an array of liquid toppings. Finally, you reach the cashier where you weigh your item, and are charged 39 cents per ounce. Our yogurts were a combined 20 oz, which cost us a little less than $8. And we put A LOT of frozen yogurt in our cups.

Pretty much all the flavors are nonfat, and they have a bunch of flavors you wouldn’t think would taste good as a frozen yogurt. Some flavors are taro, pistachio, green tea, peanut butter, and New York cheesecake. Oh by the way, make sure you grab the sample cups by the register so you can taste all the flavors before you commit to one. I happen to like the pistachio and the green tea tastes like green tea ice cream. The mango was good as well. My girlfriend liked the plain yogurt flavor which was kind of tart, but was delicious nonetheless.

For more information about Yogurtland, you can visit their website at http://www.yogurt-land.com/. Make sure you stop by, since it’s been really hot these days!

Sometime last week, I got together with a few mainland friends and we all decided to head to dinner. We all chose Willows, since they are known for their popularity as a good place to get a buffet. At $35 a head, they have a LARGE variety of foods. Well, before I get into the food, let’s talk ambience. It’s actually a very nice place. There restaurant is surrounded by a nice tropical foilage and even a small waterfall that goes into a decent sized pond. The restaurant is covered, but uses ceiling fans and tradewinds (since it’s an open restaurant) to keep cool.

So what about the food you ask! You can get the entire menu at www.willowshawaii.com, but the food I really liked was the ahi poke, lau lau, kalua pig, portobello mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, and ALL their desserts, including their fried haupia (panko fried coconut custard), soft serve ice cream, cheesecakae, and strawberry panna cotta. They have LOTS more food, trust me, but those were my favorite items. All of the food comes with iced tea, hot tea, or coffee, which is definitely bottomless.

So was $35 worth it? For a buffet, it is one of the most worth it places to eat as much as you want. If you want more quality, I would suggest the Halekulani’s Sunday brunch, but that will set you back $50 a head. The only gripe? Parking for $3 across of Willows. Normally I don’t mind paying for parking, but it’s one of those parking lots where they basically drive your car 2 feet from where you dropped it off. Really, I’d rather much park the car myself.

So if you have a big appetite, maybe you can make Willows your next buffet!

Since my girlfriend is a vegetarian, we both were looking at other places that serve vegetarian plate lunches that aren’t the usual bland tasting plates that I have tasted in the past. Welcome Well Bento. I consider this place a hole in the wall type of takeout restaurant. We’ve been hearing from several people that this place is a gold mine of delicious food, so we decided to check it out.

Well Bento is located in a kind of obscure location. They are located at 2570 S. Beretania Street, Suite 204. To give you a better sense of where this is, it’s in the vicinity of Puck’s Alley. It’s actually in a building that is surrounded by Burger King/Jiffy Lube, and the little shopping center that has Blimpies, Kit-n-Kitchen, etc. Once you see the 2 story building, just walk on up and you can’t miss it.

First impressions of this place was “wow, this place is SMALL”. Not only is it small, but it’s SUPER HOT in there. I don’t think they really invested in anything that would keep the cooks comfortable. They have two fans on high blast rotating, but it doesn’t offer much cooling at all. The kitchen was not only small, but very simple…in ways, it looks kind of dirty, but it could be because the kitchen looked dated. The cooks were definitely sweating, and it kind of concerned me if their sweat would ever reach our food.

Well, before I start turning you folks off, let’s talk about the food. Despite what I described above, the food was fantastic. I ordered the grilled chicken, which was served over a bed of brown rice with tahini sauce (a fantastic gravy), macaroni salad and cole slaw (they don’t use mayonaise), and broccoli, carrots, gobo, and potatoes. I got the chicken grilled Louisiana style, which was kind of peppery and spicy at the same time. The chicken was absolutely tender and delicious, and the Louisiana style definitely fit the bill. Although I’m not a big fan of carrots, all their vegetables including the carrots were very tender and tasty at the same time. The vegetables were also very bright in color, and they also let you know that they only cook fresh ingredients…that means NOTHING out of the can. Crazy. The tahini gravy over brown rice was AWESOME. I could eat that everyday. And to think all this was healthy…it was mind blowing.

My girlfriend got the grilled salmon which came with the same sides. The salmon was perfectly grilled, very tender on the inside, and was seasoned with tamari sauce and olive oil. Man, I would definitely order this the next time.

The prices were very reasonable as well. The chicken was $7.95 and the salmon was $8.50. Very cheap and very good. They also have a large selection of vegan dishes as well. Check em out or visit their website www.wellbento.com.

If you ever drove on Beretania St. and wondered what that little Chinese restaurant on the corner was, let me tell you about it.  The Northern Chinese cuisine restaurant is called Dew Drop Inn, and it’s a great place to dine if you are a big Chinese food fan.

The restaurant is VERY VERY small.  About 8 tables total.  It’s a cute little place, and it gets even cuter when you look at their menu.  They do have a traditional large menu as seen in all Chinese restaurants, but what sets this place apart is a little photo album that has pictures of many of their dishes with their prices.  This gives you a better idea of what you are eating, especially if you don’t frequent Chinese restaurants.  I think it was a great idea!

My mom and I bought their Drunken Chicken, Jia-Jiang Mein, and Shao-Bing pockets with pork filling.  The flavor of the chicken dish was really awesome, and the “drunken” part of the dish does live up to its name with a very alcohol taste.  Some may not like this dish, but it tastes a lot better than it sounds.  The ginger on top of the cold chicken was also a nice touch.  The Jia-Jiang Mein is basically a noodle dish with a ground pork sauce and chopped cucumbers.  They give it to you in a pretty large bowl, so it was worth it.  The dish wasn’t as salty as other restaurants, so I would recommend this dish since it was perfectly seasoned.  Lastly, the Shao-Bing pockets are basically large pieces of flat dough with seasame seeds on top, and cut on the inside to make a pita-looking pocket.  You fill the pocket with their ground pork and tofu, which was more sweet than salty.  I loved the shao-bing pockets, since they were large (size of your palm), and they gave you four hot pieces.  The pork filling was a bit too sweet for me, and was almost like char-shiu.  If you want the best place for shao-bing, go to Kirin on Beretania across Star Market.

If you are feeling Northern Chinese Cuisine, look no further!  They are located on 1088 South Beretania.