Visit Kauai: Ocean House by Roy Yamaguchi

Crab Mac Nut Crusted Local Catch

My friends and I are big fans of Chef Roy Yamaguchi's restaurants so we planned a quick girls' trip to Kauai so we could support his latest restaurant opening. Ocean House by Roy Yamaguchi opened in June at the Outrigger Kauai Beach Resort and Spa and is open for breakfast and dinner. Led by Executive Chef Samual Taganeca, the restaurant serves signature dishes featuring Kauai's finest ingredients.

During our one night stay at the hotel, we celebrated a friend's birthday at dinner and then enjoyed breakfast at the restaurant the next morning. The dinner menu offered appetizers, a selection of sushi rolls, noodles, and a nice variety of entrees. I ordered the rigatoni that was served with a tomato cream sauce. It was very tasty and generous in portion size. My friends also really liked their entrees and we thought service was great. My favorite was definitely the Halo Halo for dessert. It is a must order! 

If you are a Hawaii resident, be sure to ask for the Kamaaina discount. Reservations can easily be made on Open Table.

Rigatoni

Rainbow Roll

Luau Plate

Halo Halo

Chocolate Crunch Bar

Avocado Toast

Egg White Frittata

 

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GOEN Dining + Bar Weekend Lunch

Halo Halo

I finally made it to Goen after all these years! I don't make it out to Kailua very often, but we were in the neighborhood just in time for Goen's weekend lunch offered from 12pm to 3pm Fridays through Sundays. Goen is an open air neighborhood restaurant in Kauila by Roy Yamaguchi so you will be sure to find Roy's classics like the misoyaki butterfish on the menu. 

For lunch, we opted for the Avocado Toast that is served on focaccia with arugula, sunnyside egg and bacon; and the Goen Burger with onion ring, lettuce, and secret sauce. Kudos to Executive Chef Yoichi Saito because my son said they were the best french fries he had in his entire life. We completed our delicious meal with the much talked about halo halo. The strawberry, mango, and coconut flavors were refreshing and I especially loved the flan! Really enjoyed our dining experience at Goen! 

Avocado Toast

Goen Burger

GOEN Dining + Bar

573 KAILUA RD., KAILUA, HAWAII 96734

(808) 263-4636

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Roy's Waikiki Brings Back Lunch!

Roy's Signature Cocktail - Pineapple Dream

Starting this week, Roy's Waikiki will be open daily for lunch from 11:30am to 2pm. Dine in and be treated to live music while enjoying new lunch exclusives and complimentary valet parking at the Embassy Suites Hotel from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

New items on the lunch menu include the "Hapa" BBQ Duck Confit Monte Cristo and Chef's pick Sambal Plum Glazed C.A.B. 8 oz. Burger while Roy's Classics like the Bigeye Blackened Ahi, Misoyaki Butterfish, and Chinese Style Steamed Snapper will also be offered during lunch. After lunch, happy hour specials begin from 2pm to 4pm.

 

Sambal Plum Glazed C.A.B. 8 oz. Burger

Chinese Style Steamed Snapper

Misoyaki Butterfish

"Hapa" BBQ Duck Confit Monte Cristo

Bigeye Blackened Ahi

Frying Dragon Roll

Kanpachi Crudo

HK Style Crab Cakes

Roy's Waikiki
226 Lewers Street
808-923-7697

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Roy's Ko Olina

I hadn't dined at Roy's Ko Olina since just before the pandemic hit, so I was eager to go back. It's one of my favorite restaurants on that side of the island - the food and service are consistently good!

Complimentary Edamame

Misoyaki Butterfish

I ordered my usual at Roy's - Misoyaki Butterfish.  Flavorful, delicate, yet flaky fish served with a sweet ginger wasabi sauce.  I could never tire of eating it - it's so amazing!

Chinatown Chicken Spring Rolls

Miyazaki Seared A-5 Wagyu Tenderloin

Mac Nut Crusted Swordfish

Roy's still offers a Keiki "Prix Fixe" meal which comes with an appetizer, entree, and dessert!

Quesadilla, fruit, veggies

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

Ice Cream Sandwich

Haupia Blonde Brownie

If you love coconut, you will love the Haupia Blonde Brownie, which was covered in toasted coconut and drizzled with fudge.

Of course, no visit to Roy's would be complete with out indulging in the signature Chocolate Souffle!

Roy's Chocolate Souffle

Served with a raspberry coulis and vanilla ice cream, this dessert (we had 3 orders!) was the highlight for many.

Service was great, the food was wonderful, and it was nice to be back at Roy's Ko Olina!

Roy's Ko Olina 

92-1220 Ali'inui Drive

Kapolei, HI 96707

(808) 676-7697

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Roy's Waikoloa

Whenever we visit the Big Island, we always make it to Roy's Waikoloa for dinner. It's one of our favorite restaurants of all time. The food is always amazing, and the service is always top notch.  On this particular visit, we treated the in-laws to dinner, and here's what we ordered:

Clams appetizer (off the menu)

Ahi Poke Nachos

Mix Grill 

Misoyaki Butterfish 

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi 

Ribeye Steak

Keiki Meal - appetizer

Keiki Meal - braised short ribs

Keiki Meal - pasta with butter and cheese 

Keiki Meal dessert - ice cream cookie sandwich

Pineapple Upside Down cake

Roy's Chocolate Soufflé

We were all STUFFED by the time we finished dessert. The twins really liked their Keiki Meal - especially the dessert!  We can always count on having a great meal at Roy's Waikoloa!

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ROY'S WAIKOLOA

KING'S SHOPS

250 WAIKOLOA BEACH DRIVE

808-886-4321

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Beach House by Roy Yamaguchi

Sunset Sashimi with Seafood

It's been years since we've dined at the Beach House by Roy Yamaguchi or visited Turtle Bay Resort.  The resort has recently gone under renovations and looks amazing.  We stopped off to enjoy some cocktails before heading over to the Beach House for dinner and we were just in time to witness the beautiful sunset.  

Sunset view from the Beach House

Our group started off with some appetizers.  The steak and cheese spring rolls was especially yummy and so different from the usual pork spring rolls.  I really enjoyed my entree of Furikake Seared Ahi which was seared perfectly.  For dessert, we couldn't pass up on the classic Molten chocolate cake, but I highly recommend you indulge in the Beach House Specialty, the Crispy Banana Bread and coconut gelato. It's amazing!   

Steak and cheese spring rolls

Rustic Spiced Ahi Tataki

Furikake Seared Ahi

Surf n turf

Crispy Banana Bread and Coconut gelato

Another wonderful experience at the Beach House with great service.  It really feels like you are on vacation at the Beach House!

Beach House by Roy Yamaguchi

Kahuku, HI

808-293-7697

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Happy Hour at Roy's Ko Olina

My friend and I were in Kapolei for an afternoon event that ended early, and as we were searching for a place to go for happy hour on the Yelp app, we came across Roy's Ko Olina, and saw that they had a check-in offer for a free chocolate souffle, so we booked it over to Ko Olina and made it just in time for last call (for the happy hour menu).  

Happy hour and pupus are offered daily from 2-5 pm on the outside lanai of the restaurant, overlooking the Ko Olina Golf Course. 

The weather could not have been more perfect for an afternoon of drinks, good food, and good company.

I was in the mood for something sweet to drink, so I ordered The Ultimate Raspberry Lemon Drop - it was the perfect thirst-quencher on this sunny Saturday afternoon.  

Also on the happy hour menu (which the restaurant calls the "Aloha Hourz Menu") are these Garlic Butter Seared Shrimp & Garlic Fries. It's an interesting combination (two pieces of shrimp and french fries?!) but they were both delicious.

We also ordered the Ko Olina Dragon Maki and Y Hawaii Kai Style Crispy Crab Cakes, even though they were not on special. 

I always order the crab cakes whenever I dine at a Roy's Restaurant. Their crab cakes are full of real crab meat and not a lot of fillers. 

We finished off our meal with Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle, which is one of the main reasons for us coming here. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it, but there is a picture of one in Gem's previous review (click here).  Don't forget that it takes 30 minutes to prepare, therefore if you plan to order this for dessert, inform your server ahead of time.

Roy's Ko Olina

92-1220 Aliinui Drive

(808) 676-7697

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