Kauai Eats

Hukilau Lanai
520 Aleka Loop
Kapaa, Kauai

At the end of our first activity-filled day in Kauai, we were in the Kapaa area trying to figure out what to do for dinner. With the help of Google Places, we decide to eat at Hukilau Lanai at the Kauai Coast Resort. We didn't have a reservation, but they were still able to seat us quickly.

While browsing through the menu, we noticed a smaller menu promoting a 5-course tasting menu for $28. For only $12 more, each course will come with a wine pairing. This menu is available to early diners (from 5-5:45 PM). We decided that I would order the tasting menu, while Andrew would order off the regular menu so that we could share and try more items from their menu.

We started off with Andrew's appetizer: Adam's Poke Nachos, an ahi tuna nacho dish. These were nothing like the typical Mexican nachos we're used to. The nacho chips were actually deep fried won ton wrappers. topped with ahi poke, avocado, tobiko, tomato, and a sweet wasabi sauce. They were eaten with chopsticks and were very tasty.

ahi.tuna.nachos

We were also given focaccia bread which was delicious. It was light and fluffy and had a nice cheesy topping.

fluffy.focaccia

The first course in my tasting menu was an Island Gazpacho with a rum, pineapple, and sorbet. I'm not a big gazpacho person to begin with, so I wasn't a fan of this stuff. It tasted more like a fine tomato salsa to me, but the sorbet was very nice. The Mosel Riesling it was paired with matched well. At the same time, Andrew had the lobster bisque.

gazpacho.and.lobster.bisque

Course #2 was a candied ahi on top of a bed of rice with a coconut chipotle sauce. It was good, but I didn't like the Vinho Verde it was paired with. Course #3 was something I could have done without. It was sausage with warabi (a local vegetable). The sausage was nothing spectacular and I didn't like how the warabi was pickled. The Chilean rose it was paired with was too dry for my liking.

Left: candied ahi
Right: sausage with warabi

Course #4 was memorable, but I can't remember the name of the fish (short name starting with a t). It was served with a kale salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette, on top of summer quinoa. It was surprisingly paired with a red wine (Italian Sangiovese), which I enjoyed. Andrew's main course was also fish based - the catch of the day. It came with mahi mahi, shrimp, and one more fish that we couldn't recall, on top of tender orzo.

fish.entrees

For dessert, I opted for the Artisan cheese duo (goat cheese, which seemed to be bordered with brie, with honeycomb; and a hard cheese which I can't remember the name of, with macadamia nuts. It was served with a few slices of baguette. The wine it was paired with was gross (orange muscat). It was way too strong for me, and I shuddered each time I tasted it. I really tried to work on it, but it just wasn't going to happen. Andrew's dessert was the macadamia nut tart with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. I'm not really into tarts but the ice cream was yummy.

cheese.duo.and.macadamia.nut.tart

This was a really great experience overall and we felt that it was a much better value than Mama's Fish House, with similar quality food. Though I didn't catch the exact price of each of Andrew's selections, our meal cost about 40% less than at Mama's Fish House. Plus, it was fun to try the variety in the tasting menu. A reservation is not necessary, but I would recommend it just to be safe.

5/5

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Hamura Saimin
2956 Kress St
Lihue, Kauai

We met a friendly middle-aged Hawaiian woman and her daughter at the airport in Kahului. While our flight was delayed, we got to have a nice, long chat with them. The pair were returning to their hometown of Waimea in Kauai. They suggested that if we wanted to try some local food while in Kauai, we should go to Hamura Saimin. Having not had saimin before, they described it as noodle soup with vegetables and Chinese BBQ pork. It sounded a lot like Japanese-style ramen to me, which is what it essentially was. It was pretty cheap ($5-9 for a bowl depending on the size and if you want any extras in it). We both chose bowls of the Specialty Saimin ($7.50 for a regular size, $8.50 for the extra large bowl). In addition to the noodles in soup, it came with a some colorful sides including vegetables, green onions, roasted pork, wontons, egg, and fish ball. I wasn't blown away by the saimin, unlike many of the positive reviews stated on various websites from both locals and travellers, so I don't have much desire to return for the noodles.

specialty.saimin

The mother and daughter from the airport also told us to try the lilikoi (passion fruit) chiffon pie. Now that was something that I enjoyed. It was a light and fluffy taste of heaven, topped off with Cool Whip. The lilikoi filling was airy, fruity, and not overly sweet. I'm also not normally a fan of pie because I don't like pie crust, but this pie crust was also amazing! This is something I would return for.

delicious.pie

If you do decide to go to Hamura Saimin, it is a small place, and you do have to stand and wait until a section of the winding table is free. The servers are 2 slow moving old ladies who may be hard of hearing, as they brought us the wrong saimin and I had to repeat my pie order multiple times. They also run on a cash only system.

seating.at.hamura.saimin

Bottom line: while the saimin didn't meet expectations, it is definitely worth going for the pie.

2.5/5

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Kalapaki Beach Hut
3423 Rice St
Lihue, HI

After our helicopter tour of Kauai, we went to Kalapaki Beach Hut in Lihue, where I tried the Loco Moco ($6.95). Our friend Xueming, who was also in Hawaii at the same time as us, described it to us as being a fried egg and a hamburger patty topped with gravy on a bed of rice. Since it's a traditional breakfast here, I figured I had to give it a go. I actually really liked it!  Who knew that something this simple could taste so delicious? My favorite part was the gravy on top of the sticky short grain Japanese-style rice.

kalapaki.breakfast.and.loco.moco

Andrew had the Kalapaki #2 breakfast with scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage and breakfast potatoes ($6.25). Portuguese sausage seems to be a big thing here, but I wasn't much of a fan as I found it to be too salty. We also tried the taro fries ($3.95). I liked how they were sliced into half rounds instead of the typical elongated fries. They came with a nice spicy mayo.

taro.fries

Here, they serve breakfast and lunch all day, the seating is a free-for-all, and there is no service to the tables. There are a few spots on a picnic bench and eating bar in front of the ordering counter, and small booths and an eating bar area upstairs (good for a view of the bay area). Andrew waited for and saved us a table while I ordered and waited for our food.  While this place wasn't exceptional, I wanted to write about the popularity of the loco moco and Portuguese sausage in Hawaii.

3/5

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JoJo's Shave Ice
Kaumualii Highway
Waimea, HI

For our second shave ice adventure in Hawaii, we went to JoJo's Shave Ice. This time, I was more adventurous and had the Halo Halo, which was shave ice combined with red beans, fresh coconut, coconut and pineapple jelly, and coconut syrup.

jojo's - outdoor seating only

While I quite liked the crunchy coarse ice, I found this flavor of shave ice to be overwhelmingly sweet a third of the way in. Andrew had the rainbow shave ice (mango, guava, lillikoi) on top of macadamia nut ice cream. His was fruity and delicious, though he prefers the fine, delicate texture of the shave ice from Ululani's Shave Ice, like most people I've spoken to.