Hau Tree at Kamaina Beach Hotel

It was one of my BFF's birthdays and I wanted to treat her to brunch with a relaxing atmosphere and a creative menu. The Hau Tree fit the bill perfectly. After a 4 mile stroll around Diamond Head, we arrived at the restaurant just in time for our 8:30 am reservation.  That's one of the things that I like about Hau Tree - it is located just outside of Waikiki, making it more accessible for locals or those not staying right in Waikiki.  

The birthday girl ordered the shakshuka and toast .. an unusual dish that you don't normally see on brunch menus in Hawaii.  

She really liked this dish! She insisted that I try it, and I really liked it (I love red sauces). It was savory and full of spices (not hot spicy)!

If you're like me and like to start the morning with something sweet to eat, try the ube cinnamon roll! This cinnamon roll is BIG, and very sweet! The topping is ube cream cheese with candied Mac nuts. It's a cinnamon roll like no other! I ended up taking 1/3 of it home ..  it was that big!

To balance all that sweetness, I ordered a side of chicken sausage. 

The view was amazing as always. 

PC: TB

Hau Tree is also open for lunch, pupus (they call it Bar Bites) and dinner. 

Reservations are recommended. 

Parking: on-site is by valet only.  Street parking (free and metered) is also available.  

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HAU TREE at Kaimana Beach Hotel

2863 Kalakaua Avenue

808-921-7066

 

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New Menu at Waikiki Leia

 

I lucked out this weekend and was able to dine with friends at a media invite at Waikiki Leia showcasing their new "Nostalgic Cafe Lunch" menu.  I had heard how pretty the grounds were and had been wanting to dine there for awhile now.  The chapel and guesthouse are located on Monsarrat at the bottom of Diamond Head.  

The new menu is much more robust and offers new dishes of omelet rice, seafood rice gratin, beef stew, and pork katsu sandwich in addition to their popular souffle pancakes.  They are also offering new parfaits to their dessert menu.  The dishes were delicious, but my favorites were the pork katsu sandwich and souffle pancakes.

Beef Stew

Pork Katsu Sandwich

Mixed Fried Plate

Mixed Sandwiches: Bacon, egg, and cheese and Ham, lettuce, and tomato 

Seafood Rice Gratin

Omelet Rice

Add soup or salad or both to your meal

Souffle pancakes with three house made sauces

New Chocolate Parfait 

Japanese Sweets Trio: Matcha ice cream, Warabi mochi, and Sweet azuki bean

Front of Guesthouse

View from dining area

Both indoor and outdoor dining tables are available

We were seated outside under an umbrella that provided enough shade.  It was a cool and breezy day and made for a perfect lunch setting.  The ambience is very relaxed and the service was great.  This would be a great place for a ladies lunch or group gathering.

The restaurant is only open Saturdays and Sundays for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Reservations are recommended.

Waikiki Leia 

3050 Monsarrat Ave.

Honolulu, HI 

(808)735-5500

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Hawaii Sushi

At the foot of Diamond Head, is a little hole in the wall place called Hawaii Sushi that offers inexpensive, decent quality sushi in a casual setting. 

They have ready-made grab-n-go sushi and poke bowls for those in a hurry, or you can have it made-to-order if you have a few minutes to spare. 

Most people get their orders to-go, but they do have a handful of tables and chairs if you want to dine-in.

If you like salmon as much as I do, you will want to try their salmon poke bowl - super delish.

One of their top sellers is the avocado spicy ahi poke bowl.

Each day they have a different poke bowl on special which sells for only $6.  The catch? They are all pre-made and in limited quantities.


Hawaii Sushi
3045 Monsarrat Avenue
(808) 734-6370

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WW: Leahi

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