Our second last day in Hawaii was actually my sister's birthday! We didn't have a whole lot planned in terms of activities but we made sure to do plenty of eating to celebrate. Starting with brunch!
Koko Head Cafe is one of the most popular brunch restaurants on the island. Headed by chef Lee Anne Wong, a Top Chef alumni, the restaurant is located in the charming neighbourhood of Kaimuki. The menu is an amalgamation of the many different cultures found in Hawaii. You'll find twists on Hawaiian and American classics with influences from Japan, Korea, and Portugal.
It was pretty much a full house when we arrived, so we put our name down and stuck around on the benches outside. It was 20 minutes or so before the hostess called us back in.
Everything on the menu sounded amazing but we were able to narrow it down to some of the restaurant's specialties. The donburi chen ($17.00) was one of our server's recommendations. It was a rice bowl topped with French-style scrambled eggs, miso smoked pork, five spice pork belly, house-made pickles, and a piece of chicharron. A very filling and meaty dish, but we all found the pork belly was a bit tough.
We also shared the koko moco ($17.00), their take on the Hawaiian classic, loco moco. It's a beef hamburger patty served over rice, smothered with mushroom gravy and topped with a fried egg. On the side were some pieces of tempura kimchi. Because it was served in the cast iron, the rice got nice and crispy along the bottom.
I love a good hashbrown and couldn't resist adding it as a side ($6.00). The hashbrown is served in triangle wedges with a side of ketchup. It's thick and crispy, but breaks apart into tender, fine shreds.
Our final dish is probably the restaurant's claim to fame. The cornflake French toast ($16.00) is breaded with cornflakes and deep-fried. It's paired with a couple strips of billionaire’s bacon, Frosted Flake gelato and a drizzle of creamy black pepper maple syrup. The crust on the French toast was nice and crispy but the inside was still soft and airy. While it was good, LT and I both thought that nothing could compare to the French toast we had at Le Passe Compose in Montreal. (That was life-changing.)
After brunch, we walked down the street over to Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery. We were beyond full but we wanted to make the most out of our journey to Kaimuki.
Like Leonard's, Pipeline is another bakery popular for their malasadas. Besides that, they offer homemade ice cream, cookies, mini Bundt cakes, and other treats.
I was planning on trying their malasada bread pudding but thought the ube haupia mac nut bar ($4.25) would be a smarter, lighter choice. The bar consists of a macadamia nut shortbread base, ube filling, and then a layer of coconut haupia pudding. It was delicious! Not too sweet with lots of different textures coming into play.
While we were sitting at the table, my sister saw they had affogato ($6.50) on the menu and quickly went back to the counter to order it. Affogato is an espresso shot poured over ice cream. She was able to choose from any of their homemade ice cream flavours but I was able to convince her on the malafrozada gelato. Malasada cream base with bits of malasadas and sugar throughout. They even trademarked the name!
We ended up walking around the neighbourhood for 20 minutes more before catching an Uber back to the hotel. We took it easy before our parents wanted to explore around some places in Waikiki that we haven't been to yet.
One of those places was the T Galleria by DFS. It's a duty-free shop that sells upscale Hawaiian souvenirs and designer brands. Not that we bought anything, but window shopping helped kill some time.
My dad felt like something sweet so we stopped by Island Vintage Shave Ice, a small stand located right in front of the Royal Hawaiian Centre. We ordered one of their signature creations, the heavenly lilikoi ($8.95). There's a frozen yogurt base surrounded by the shave ice, which gives it a tart, creamy taste. Their fruit syrups use natural flavouring and you can really taste the difference! They also add a bunch of different toppings including popping boba, homemade mochi, and condensed milk. Probably the best shave ice on the island!
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The buffet is priced at $62/person so a big appetite is a must!
A large draw of any buffet is the seafood! There was plenty of snow crab legs ready and waiting.
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It's not a buffet without a prime rib carving station! Other hot items included mussels, Korean fried chicken, sauteed mussels, and mushroom ravioli.
Every month, the buffet puts out a different special. During February, it was oxtail soup! I didn't try any but my mom said the soup had lots of collagen. Great for your skin apparently.
The dessert section wasn't too big, but I did manage to fit in some fruit, flan, a creampuff, raspberry cheesecake, and a strawberry tapioca pudding.
Also more cheese. Always have to get cheese.
I tipped them off that it was my sister's birthday and they brought out a special cake for her! We ended up taking it in a to-go box which they were happy to oblige with.
Not wanting to risk food coma, my mom encouraged us to walk off some of the calories but I knew she just wanted an excuse to shop some more. We ended up walking all the way to Don Quijote since it was only a 15 minute walk away. We were here just the day before but magically were able to find more stuff to buy!
Another ABC run to end the night! This lilikoi lychee juice sounded interesting but I found all the Hawaiian Sun drinks to be watered down with very little fruit flavour.
Only one more day in paradise to go!
- CT
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