This one will be a quickie...it's Tuesday already and Ive procrastinated :( so here's a quick review of Bella Mia.
Setting is SO CUTE it's like sitting on someones porch for dinner, didn't even feel like we were sitting on the side of Beretania street.
Parking was a little difficult because this restaurant is on Beretania right across Anasias where there's only street parking, and if you drive past it you have to go all the way around the block since Beretanias one way. I'd suggest parking in the residential areas on the right of Beretania.
On to the food...
Started with pizza fries, awesome because we were really hungry (as usual), but not the sole reason to come back.
Also had the Caesar salad which was also good, but not ridiculous good.
Pizza was halfway to ridiculous good, we got the Alfredo pizza, which was like cheese pizza with Alfredo and tomato sauce. Tasted great but very rich and will give you major issues if you have a weak stomach.
Eggplant Parmesan was good also, huge portion that's enough for 2 with big slices of eggplant that tasted like meat. Great, but not quite ridiculous good.
And now the best part....dessert! Got the Tirimisu, which was the reason why we came here in the first place. This is probably the only thing Id come back for. Seemed homemade, not the kind that comes frozen out of the box. Tirimisu is my favorite dessert, so its great to find a place with good Tiramisu...this is probably one of the top 5 places on the island for Tiramisu.
All in all it was good, not great. Not quite authentic Italian, but good food anyway :) Price wasn't too bad, about $14 for the "14 pizza (i think that's how big it was...and yeah, that's what she said...) haha. Eggplant parmesan was about $14 from what I remember, about the going rate for that kinda thing, and it was huge.
Would come back for the cute outdoor setting and the Tiramisu, maybe just come for dessert after dinner somewhere else?
It's also BYOB...big surprise, right? Haha. Had the awesome bottle of Dorn again.
Tomorrow is La Tour Cafe, the new place on Nimitz chosen because they have Beignets!! Yum!! Stay tuned :)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Olive Tree Review - Drea
So to start off...this place was awesome! Im sure they lace the food with heavily addictive drugs, because it's been almost a week and Ive been craving their food every day since we went last Wednesday.
While still going through withdrawals, I will continue on with this damn blog...haha.
Accessibility: Kui covered this already, but basically gotta get lucky with the parking since the lot has about 10 stalls. Otherwise walk over from the mall or park on the street.
Ambience: Cute, very casual restaurant. Order at the counter from the hand-written menu on the wall, seat yourself inside or outside, and wait for your name to be called.
Everyone seated had their bottle of wine open and were in strangely good moods. Really awesome positive energy in there...must be the bottles of wine and the large amounts of crack :)
Food Appeal/Presentation: Everything looked great on the plate, but I was so hungry it really didn't matter. Wasnt fancy, looked like typical Greek entrees in Hawaii (I say this because ive only eaten Greek food in Hawaii, don't know how a falafel is traditionally plated. Lou, maybe you can help me out with this one).
Tastiness:
Hummus and pita bread...Definitely not enough of this as Kui had said. And they definitely loaded this particular one with extra crack. The hummus had lots of garlic yet wasn't bitter or too overwhelming. Also had a hint of either sesame oil or tahini (There was so little in there I couldn't tell whether it was oil or tahini) with olive oil poured over all of it.
Interesting thing i learned today from a true foodie and a real Greek person...yeah, that's you Lou, haha. That adding the tahini flavor/sauce is a Turkish thing rather than a Greek thing. So apparently this restaurant is a cross between Turkish and Greek....making the sign in the restaurant that reads "mostly all Greek" surprisingly appropriate.
Whether it was Turkish or Greek though, that was some killer hummus.
Falafel...I always get this whenever I go to a Greek restaurant, because it's usually one of the only vegetarian items on the menu. The fried balls in there are always basically the same at other places in Hawaii such as The Fat Greek and others, but the sauce at the Olive Tree made it stand out. After hearing about the Turkish vs Greek thing, this was obvioiusly a Turkish falafel rather than a Greek falafel (I think...) because of the sauce.
It was more like hummus with tahini in it rather than the usual tzaziki yogurt type of sauce, and made the pita stick together with the falafel balls and the lettuce from the salad. So good when you eat all of that together. Yum!! (Want more now...must be the drugs...)
Price/Expectation Ratio: Food was an average of $10 per entree which is a fair price...probably good because if it were any cheaper, Id be here everyday. The three of us shared the hummus appetizer which was a little small for 3 people because it was so good, and the falafel was the perfect size for me, although people with larger appetites may need to order dessert (yeah, twist your arm, right?)
On a side note...Olive Tree is BYOB with a $1 per person corkage fee, and the wine that Kui brought added to the whole awesomeness of this particular Wednesday. He found a bottle of dornfelder!! (type of German wine that's impossible to find, especially in Hawaii). Its a sweet red wine that's so ridiculous good...my favorite :)
Luckily we found another bottle of dornfelder that we'll have tomorrow at another BYOB restaurant (and you wonder how we pick these places...haha)
Thanks for reading...stay tuned for Bella Mia Pizzeria!
While still going through withdrawals, I will continue on with this damn blog...haha.
Accessibility: Kui covered this already, but basically gotta get lucky with the parking since the lot has about 10 stalls. Otherwise walk over from the mall or park on the street.
Ambience: Cute, very casual restaurant. Order at the counter from the hand-written menu on the wall, seat yourself inside or outside, and wait for your name to be called.
Everyone seated had their bottle of wine open and were in strangely good moods. Really awesome positive energy in there...must be the bottles of wine and the large amounts of crack :)
Food Appeal/Presentation: Everything looked great on the plate, but I was so hungry it really didn't matter. Wasnt fancy, looked like typical Greek entrees in Hawaii (I say this because ive only eaten Greek food in Hawaii, don't know how a falafel is traditionally plated. Lou, maybe you can help me out with this one).
Tastiness:
Hummus and pita bread...Definitely not enough of this as Kui had said. And they definitely loaded this particular one with extra crack. The hummus had lots of garlic yet wasn't bitter or too overwhelming. Also had a hint of either sesame oil or tahini (There was so little in there I couldn't tell whether it was oil or tahini) with olive oil poured over all of it.
Interesting thing i learned today from a true foodie and a real Greek person...yeah, that's you Lou, haha. That adding the tahini flavor/sauce is a Turkish thing rather than a Greek thing. So apparently this restaurant is a cross between Turkish and Greek....making the sign in the restaurant that reads "mostly all Greek" surprisingly appropriate.
Whether it was Turkish or Greek though, that was some killer hummus.
Falafel...I always get this whenever I go to a Greek restaurant, because it's usually one of the only vegetarian items on the menu. The fried balls in there are always basically the same at other places in Hawaii such as The Fat Greek and others, but the sauce at the Olive Tree made it stand out. After hearing about the Turkish vs Greek thing, this was obvioiusly a Turkish falafel rather than a Greek falafel (I think...) because of the sauce.
It was more like hummus with tahini in it rather than the usual tzaziki yogurt type of sauce, and made the pita stick together with the falafel balls and the lettuce from the salad. So good when you eat all of that together. Yum!! (Want more now...must be the drugs...)
Price/Expectation Ratio: Food was an average of $10 per entree which is a fair price...probably good because if it were any cheaper, Id be here everyday. The three of us shared the hummus appetizer which was a little small for 3 people because it was so good, and the falafel was the perfect size for me, although people with larger appetites may need to order dessert (yeah, twist your arm, right?)
On a side note...Olive Tree is BYOB with a $1 per person corkage fee, and the wine that Kui brought added to the whole awesomeness of this particular Wednesday. He found a bottle of dornfelder!! (type of German wine that's impossible to find, especially in Hawaii). Its a sweet red wine that's so ridiculous good...my favorite :)
Luckily we found another bottle of dornfelder that we'll have tomorrow at another BYOB restaurant (and you wonder how we pick these places...haha)
Thanks for reading...stay tuned for Bella Mia Pizzeria!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Himalayan Kitchen & The Olive Tree Cafe - Ichi
Since my fellow bloggers have already written pages of wonderful stuff, I suppose the last of the trio least busiest contributing to society and making the world go round, should take a stab at it already. Plus the less then subtle poking and prodding is taking its toll on my procrastinating mind. So here is my take on both the Himalayan Kitchen (H) and Olive Tree Cafe (O).
(O) The menu at this place was very limited and consisted of four or five of each appetizers, salad and entree. Kyle and I had lamb dishes and of course Drea had to have her veggie balls (falafels). We each cut our meal and like good little kindergarteners, we shared. I have never had any of these kinds of foods before coming here, but I found them to be of good quality and taste. Each of us had a side salad complete with sweet tomatoes and this mystery dressing that I completely fell in love with. Both lambs were cooked well done but not burnt or rubbery and even though they were similar in plating, wrapped in pita bread, the shaorma was cooked with peppers and spices to add a slight kick and had a creamy sauce adding to its depth. When Kyle wrote taht it reminded him of a hamburger, he was totally right, it does seem like the equivalent to the American burger. Drea's falafel was interesting to me, I was completely fascinated by its dark green tint and the way it tasted nothing like any combination of veggies I have ever tasted. The hummus as an appetizer was good, it just had too little pita!
Accessibility:
(H) Alright I must admit I dont spend too much time on this side of the island nor do I have the keenest sense of direction but if you dropped me off in the middle of kaimuki with directions to get there, it would be very difficult on the last stretch of it. There is no clear entryway or sign or even a direct door connecting the dinning area to the street. If I werent with Drea Im certain I would be walking around in circles. The restaurant is actually on the second floor of small corner building housing an Italian restaurant, pharmacy, and a couple of boutiques. There is ample paid parking and some street parking. We stayed at the restaurant for about 2 and a half hours and had to pay about three dollars so it wasnt too bad.
(O) The Olive Tree Cafe is also on a corner lot but is easier to find since you can see the big sign and entryway from on the street, but the parking sucks. There are about ten stalls designated for the entire building and two of three of us had to park in the kahala mall parking structure (drea you lucky son of a bitch...wait am I allowed to swear?).
Ambiance:
(H) The restaurant's dining area consisted of a small inside dining room which was painted bright yellow and decorated with various Indian wall art, hindu deities, and black and white stills of people I should probably know. Most of the seating however is outside. There were several round tables seating six comfortably under large umbrellas in the front with long stringed lighting connecting the tables. There were large parties of people celebrating, talking, or unwinding from the day, each equipped with a bottle of wine, and smiling faces. There is even a large gazebo to the left of the entryway for bigger parties, adding to the "come together" atmosphere. We were fortunate enough in my opinion to sit in the best area in house, the back balcony. It was a very different feel altogether. There were only four tables and they all overlooked the street and park below. The more intimate setting of the balcony was a huge contrast from the buzzing conversation and roaring laughter of the other two areas even if they were just yards away from each other.
(O) This restaurant has a more casual feel. It is a place you would go to more on a whim than for a planned party but the social atmosphere is very similar. Groups of four or more put together tables and sit in huddles around the bottles of wine they bought right next door owned by the same people as the restaurant. When you enter the glass doors of The Olive Tree right in front of you is a white counter top with a glass display attached with the days appetizers that dont require immediate consumption and above it is a whiteboard with a handwritten menu. There is a seemingly jolly red bearded man smiling back at you, waiting for you to make up your mind. You order at the counter, give your name, but dont pay right away, then find an open seat and wait. The decor is typical for what you would expect a greek restaurant to look like; grape vines and sky blue and white strips but my favorite part of the whole place was the huge signs that said "The Olive Tree, mostly greek food" and "Good food, not so fast food" Hey, at least their honest.
Food appeal/presentation:
For both restaurants they stuck with the common theme of simple food presentation, very clean and not too much pazazz. Our entrees at the Himalayan Kitchen were served family style in deep ceramic bowls and the naans on simple white round plates. The Olive Tree was single serving items that were very similar in presentation to one another, we even had trouble deciding who's was who's.
Tastiness:
(H) Since my fellowmen have gone through the logistical part of the foods we ate, I wont bore you with the same information, just my naive opinions on them. First of all there were no subtleties in any food we ate, they all had a distinctive punch of flavor, and if we had ordered our food spicy instead of mild I dont think I would be able to eat as much as I did. You must know I personally am not a fan of spicy, I believe you should actually taste your food not burn your tastebuds, but that's a whole other debate. The biggest theme that tied everything together was the amount of sauce they used to drench the meat, and that, I think, was the heart of the dish. The lamb and veggie balls were cooked well and added substance but it was more of a side note to the thick, cpice packed sauces. The naan was essential to the dinner for many reasons, first it is delicious on its own and if need be, I would eat it all by itself and be just as satisfied. Secondly the more delicate flavor is the perfect counterpart to the entrees to balance out the flavors and thirdly it is the vessel in which you use to slop up any of the delectable sauce still left on the plate
(O) The menu at this place was very limited and consisted of four or five of each appetizers, salad and entree. Kyle and I had lamb dishes and of course Drea had to have her veggie balls (falafels). We each cut our meal and like good little kindergarteners, we shared. I have never had any of these kinds of foods before coming here, but I found them to be of good quality and taste. Each of us had a side salad complete with sweet tomatoes and this mystery dressing that I completely fell in love with. Both lambs were cooked well done but not burnt or rubbery and even though they were similar in plating, wrapped in pita bread, the shaorma was cooked with peppers and spices to add a slight kick and had a creamy sauce adding to its depth. When Kyle wrote taht it reminded him of a hamburger, he was totally right, it does seem like the equivalent to the American burger. Drea's falafel was interesting to me, I was completely fascinated by its dark green tint and the way it tasted nothing like any combination of veggies I have ever tasted. The hummus as an appetizer was good, it just had too little pita! Everything else:
Both places are BYOB which is not a problem for us as we can bring any wine we like and not have to choose from their house selections. The prices are reasonable considering its contents. The bill at the Himalayan restaurant for the three of us came out to be about $40 and each of us walked away with the next day's lunch. The greek place was about $10 a plate. They both wouldn't be places where you would go on a daily basis but for the occasional splurge they are perfect. Sunday, February 6, 2011
Olive Tree Cafe Review - Kui
So I've always passed by this place, but could never get around to going... since it was always closed when I'd pass by. According to yelp-ers though, it's great... and they're RIGHT!
Accessibility: The location is actually kind of terrible as far as parking goes. There's probably about 12 stalls (and I'm probably overestimating) for about three restaurants... Thankfully though, you can park at McDonald's or Kahala Mall and walk. It's not very far at all, but you won't be able to see your car from the restaurant if you're the paranoid type. I guess this is a good place to mention that they're only open from 5PM to 10PM, so don't count on lunch, but it's a great dinner.
Ambiance: It's not a fancy place and the decor is very minimal, however, it all works pretty well. The majority of the seating is outside on the "porch" so it feels very much like a cafe in Europe. There are actually some Christmas lights strung up outside, but for some reason it doesn't feel very tacky. They somehow come out feeling very quaint and rather cute. The tables are kind of close together so as to maximize the amount of patrons that can fit, so I hope no one is claustrophobic. Despite that though, it doesn't feel cramped or crowded or like you're sitting with the next table over.
The place is really lively and friendly and the other patrons seemed to be having a really great time (most looked like regulars). Skipping ahead a bit though, when we left, it was a fortunate coincidence for a couple as they scored a pretty good table. They did mention that it was the first time they'd come and got a table so easily as it's usually full and really crowded. When we got there, there were quite a few people there, but a couple of tables were clear. As a note, we got there about 5:30, so it was sort of cheating.
Food appeal/presentation: The plating was very simple. They use oval plates, so everything ends up fitting perfectly. I wish there was a bit more space on the plates though as it made it kind of difficult to cut the food without sending the salad flying. That bit aside though, since it really didn't affect the food otherwise. Everything we ordered more or less looked the same. All of our dishes were served wrapped in pita with sauce and a side salad.
Tastiness: Now for the best part! I cannot put into words how much I liked the food. I will say though, we only got a picture of our hummus... we shoveled our entrees before we remembered to snap a picture........
Appetizer:
-Hummus - Since we were quoted about a 15 minute wait, we decided to order some hummus as an appetizer... I know, twist our arms right? Anyway, it was an easy decision to get the hummus and it was soooooo good. It was your basic hummus served with some warm pita bread. The thing they do differently, and I'm not sure if they do this anywhere else or if it's the authentic Greek way of eating it, but they drizzle some olive oil and sesame oil on the hummus. I've never had it that way before, but it was amazing! I definitely can't imagine eating it any other way now. My only gripe is that there wasn't enough pita bread... but I should mention that I say that every time I get hummus.
Entrees:
-New Zealand Lamb Souvlaki - Haven't had a whole lot of lamb, but this wasn't my first time having it before. This was my first time having souvlaki though. Must say, I really enjoyed this dish. The lamb was cooked perfectly, wasn't tough, chewy or gamy. Very good ratio of meat to pita in this one. Also, I noticed that there really wasn't a whole lot of fat on the meat, but it was still really flavorful. My first bite was kind of chewy though, but that was the only one.
-Falafel - I know Greek uses a lot of veggies, and I always see lots of fresh produce when I see Greece on travel shows, so I was expecting these to be pretty good. They actually really were. I've never had Falafel before, so I don't know what kind of flavor I was expecting. I only had a small piece, so I'm not sure what the spice factor would be if I had had the whole dish. From what I had though, they weren't that spicy, but that could have been the tahini sauce. Even though it was a vegetarian dish, it really was filling and didn't feel meatless. I could definitely eat it if I had to go vegetarian.
-Shaorma - This dish was very similar to my Lamb Souvlaki, but was a lamb patty and spiced. It sorta made me think "if Greek met hamburger". The spices didn't really jive with me, but like a lot of other things I've eaten, it wasn't that it was bad, just not my thing. The patty was actually well cooked though, it was done. It wasn't undercooked in the slightest, but it wasn't done and dry either. The sauce actually worked really well with this dish. In the Falafel, it just tasted creamy, but in the Shaorma, it was nutty and kind of sweet.
Helpfulness: Due to the format of this restaurant, I'm not sure this is really applicable, but the staff was very friendly from my limited contact with them. We didn't really need anything though so this category is kinda without substance behind it.
Price:Expectation Ratio: For the size of the food, it's just a slight bit pricey, but the quality and flavor are definitely worth every cent. I was hoping for more pita bread with the hummus, but it was kind of a lot of hummus.. and like I said, I always end up needing more pita anyway... All in all though, very satisfied with this ratio.
Drink selection?: This place is BYOB, which you might think would be a total drag, but it's not. There is a dollar per person fee for "corkage", but considering it's not per bottle, that's pretty good. Also, the cups they give you for your booze are kinda awesome. They remind me of scaled down empty furikake bottles. Now, you would think it would be a real drag to be stuck at a mall that only has Longs to provide wine, but there's a very "conveniently placed" Greek wine and cheese shop RIGHT next door (Hi marketing tactics, nice to see you again). We didn't check out the place until after we ate because we brought a bottle of wine purchased the night before. I could actually write a whole review on just that bottle of wine, but that's not the kind of blog we're doing here. I will say though, it was a Dornfelder, it was cheap, and it was delicious. As for the "soft drinks", we actually didn't have any. I went with the intention of trying the Ginger Brew, but since we started the wine once we got to the table, the idea of ginger + wine was kind of a no no. I do intend to go back and try it though. Otherwise, they do offer your usual sodas and assorted juices (mango, lemonade, apple juice), but they also serve coffees, teas, and coffee drinks. As I don't drink coffee, you'll have to rely on someone else to review those.
Dessert selection?: There is actually only one item on their "dessert menu" and that's Baklava. I had every intention of trying it, but by the time we were done I was a little too buzzed to think I'd be able to taste it properly. That and I ran out of cash... Will try on my next visit though.
Come-back-ability: Definitely coming back here. I love the crowd and the atmosphere of the restaurant. It really made me feel like I was in a little part of Europe (I say Europe because I've never been to the Mediterranean before and America really does not have a grip on the concept of an outdoor cafe...). I'm dying to try the Baklava and Ginger Brew and I definitely will not be able to pass up the Hummus. I will either end up going for a dinner entree or just doing a sampler kind of thing on the appetizers. Either way, I'm sure I'll be very happy and very full. Last bit I'd like to mention, if you're old enough to drink... and granted that you do consume alcohol... this is seriously a place to bring a good bottle of wine. I am not kidding when I say that every table had at least one bottle with them. There was also a party that sat inside with about 8 people and at least 5 bottles of wine. We witnessed one lady sitting near us smash a whole bottle on her own in about 15 minutes. In order to stop myself from assigning the label of alcoholism, I will attribute it to the cute, tiny booze cups.
Extra comments...
Bring lots of cash. This place is cash only. Thankfully, there's a BOH about a 2 minute walk away and the mall itself has ATMs inside. I'd suggest taking a look at the menu and planning accordingly because believe me, it's a real bummer when you can't order everything you want to. Oh, and you pay when you get your food, not right when you order. Not sure why this is and not like it matters, but just so you know.
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If you would like to take a look at some reviews or pictures of the menu (sadly, they don't have an actual website of their own that I could find) check out their Yelp page. The link I'm providing is a picture of the main and beverage menus posted by Yelp user Pomai S. Part of the board is blocked by the flash, but it's only one or two side dish items.
Olive Tree Cafe's menu via Yelp
Accessibility: The location is actually kind of terrible as far as parking goes. There's probably about 12 stalls (and I'm probably overestimating) for about three restaurants... Thankfully though, you can park at McDonald's or Kahala Mall and walk. It's not very far at all, but you won't be able to see your car from the restaurant if you're the paranoid type. I guess this is a good place to mention that they're only open from 5PM to 10PM, so don't count on lunch, but it's a great dinner.
Ambiance: It's not a fancy place and the decor is very minimal, however, it all works pretty well. The majority of the seating is outside on the "porch" so it feels very much like a cafe in Europe. There are actually some Christmas lights strung up outside, but for some reason it doesn't feel very tacky. They somehow come out feeling very quaint and rather cute. The tables are kind of close together so as to maximize the amount of patrons that can fit, so I hope no one is claustrophobic. Despite that though, it doesn't feel cramped or crowded or like you're sitting with the next table over.
The place is really lively and friendly and the other patrons seemed to be having a really great time (most looked like regulars). Skipping ahead a bit though, when we left, it was a fortunate coincidence for a couple as they scored a pretty good table. They did mention that it was the first time they'd come and got a table so easily as it's usually full and really crowded. When we got there, there were quite a few people there, but a couple of tables were clear. As a note, we got there about 5:30, so it was sort of cheating.
Food appeal/presentation: The plating was very simple. They use oval plates, so everything ends up fitting perfectly. I wish there was a bit more space on the plates though as it made it kind of difficult to cut the food without sending the salad flying. That bit aside though, since it really didn't affect the food otherwise. Everything we ordered more or less looked the same. All of our dishes were served wrapped in pita with sauce and a side salad.
Tastiness: Now for the best part! I cannot put into words how much I liked the food. I will say though, we only got a picture of our hummus... we shoveled our entrees before we remembered to snap a picture........
Appetizer:
-Hummus - Since we were quoted about a 15 minute wait, we decided to order some hummus as an appetizer... I know, twist our arms right? Anyway, it was an easy decision to get the hummus and it was soooooo good. It was your basic hummus served with some warm pita bread. The thing they do differently, and I'm not sure if they do this anywhere else or if it's the authentic Greek way of eating it, but they drizzle some olive oil and sesame oil on the hummus. I've never had it that way before, but it was amazing! I definitely can't imagine eating it any other way now. My only gripe is that there wasn't enough pita bread... but I should mention that I say that every time I get hummus.
Entrees:
-New Zealand Lamb Souvlaki - Haven't had a whole lot of lamb, but this wasn't my first time having it before. This was my first time having souvlaki though. Must say, I really enjoyed this dish. The lamb was cooked perfectly, wasn't tough, chewy or gamy. Very good ratio of meat to pita in this one. Also, I noticed that there really wasn't a whole lot of fat on the meat, but it was still really flavorful. My first bite was kind of chewy though, but that was the only one.
-Falafel - I know Greek uses a lot of veggies, and I always see lots of fresh produce when I see Greece on travel shows, so I was expecting these to be pretty good. They actually really were. I've never had Falafel before, so I don't know what kind of flavor I was expecting. I only had a small piece, so I'm not sure what the spice factor would be if I had had the whole dish. From what I had though, they weren't that spicy, but that could have been the tahini sauce. Even though it was a vegetarian dish, it really was filling and didn't feel meatless. I could definitely eat it if I had to go vegetarian.
-Shaorma - This dish was very similar to my Lamb Souvlaki, but was a lamb patty and spiced. It sorta made me think "if Greek met hamburger". The spices didn't really jive with me, but like a lot of other things I've eaten, it wasn't that it was bad, just not my thing. The patty was actually well cooked though, it was done. It wasn't undercooked in the slightest, but it wasn't done and dry either. The sauce actually worked really well with this dish. In the Falafel, it just tasted creamy, but in the Shaorma, it was nutty and kind of sweet.
Helpfulness: Due to the format of this restaurant, I'm not sure this is really applicable, but the staff was very friendly from my limited contact with them. We didn't really need anything though so this category is kinda without substance behind it.
Price:Expectation Ratio: For the size of the food, it's just a slight bit pricey, but the quality and flavor are definitely worth every cent. I was hoping for more pita bread with the hummus, but it was kind of a lot of hummus.. and like I said, I always end up needing more pita anyway... All in all though, very satisfied with this ratio.
Drink selection?: This place is BYOB, which you might think would be a total drag, but it's not. There is a dollar per person fee for "corkage", but considering it's not per bottle, that's pretty good. Also, the cups they give you for your booze are kinda awesome. They remind me of scaled down empty furikake bottles. Now, you would think it would be a real drag to be stuck at a mall that only has Longs to provide wine, but there's a very "conveniently placed" Greek wine and cheese shop RIGHT next door (Hi marketing tactics, nice to see you again). We didn't check out the place until after we ate because we brought a bottle of wine purchased the night before. I could actually write a whole review on just that bottle of wine, but that's not the kind of blog we're doing here. I will say though, it was a Dornfelder, it was cheap, and it was delicious. As for the "soft drinks", we actually didn't have any. I went with the intention of trying the Ginger Brew, but since we started the wine once we got to the table, the idea of ginger + wine was kind of a no no. I do intend to go back and try it though. Otherwise, they do offer your usual sodas and assorted juices (mango, lemonade, apple juice), but they also serve coffees, teas, and coffee drinks. As I don't drink coffee, you'll have to rely on someone else to review those.
Dessert selection?: There is actually only one item on their "dessert menu" and that's Baklava. I had every intention of trying it, but by the time we were done I was a little too buzzed to think I'd be able to taste it properly. That and I ran out of cash... Will try on my next visit though.
Come-back-ability: Definitely coming back here. I love the crowd and the atmosphere of the restaurant. It really made me feel like I was in a little part of Europe (I say Europe because I've never been to the Mediterranean before and America really does not have a grip on the concept of an outdoor cafe...). I'm dying to try the Baklava and Ginger Brew and I definitely will not be able to pass up the Hummus. I will either end up going for a dinner entree or just doing a sampler kind of thing on the appetizers. Either way, I'm sure I'll be very happy and very full. Last bit I'd like to mention, if you're old enough to drink... and granted that you do consume alcohol... this is seriously a place to bring a good bottle of wine. I am not kidding when I say that every table had at least one bottle with them. There was also a party that sat inside with about 8 people and at least 5 bottles of wine. We witnessed one lady sitting near us smash a whole bottle on her own in about 15 minutes. In order to stop myself from assigning the label of alcoholism, I will attribute it to the cute, tiny booze cups.
Extra comments...
Bring lots of cash. This place is cash only. Thankfully, there's a BOH about a 2 minute walk away and the mall itself has ATMs inside. I'd suggest taking a look at the menu and planning accordingly because believe me, it's a real bummer when you can't order everything you want to. Oh, and you pay when you get your food, not right when you order. Not sure why this is and not like it matters, but just so you know.
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If you would like to take a look at some reviews or pictures of the menu (sadly, they don't have an actual website of their own that I could find) check out their Yelp page. The link I'm providing is a picture of the main and beverage menus posted by Yelp user Pomai S. Part of the board is blocked by the flash, but it's only one or two side dish items.
Olive Tree Cafe's menu via Yelp
Himalayan Kitchen Review - Kui
Sorry for the late review, but exams suck. Anyway, as a bit of background, I'd like to start by saying I've never eaten here before and I've never had anything labeled "Himalayan" so I can't comment on the authenticity of the dishes we ate. However, I will say I am a big fan of Indian food and I did notice that the dishes were very similar in taste and execution. Also as a note, I did arrive to this meeting late, so I didn't order anything, but I did sample the food that Andrea and Ashley/Ichi ordered (yes, I mooched).
Now, taking all of that into consideration, here's my review!
I borrowed this from Andrea because I really have no idea what the names of anything I ate were...
-Appetizer: Himalayan Naan
-Entree: Lamb Bhuna & Malai Kofta & Garlic Naan
-Dessert: Rice Pudding
-Entree: Lamb Bhuna & Malai Kofta & Garlic Naan
-Dessert: Rice Pudding
Accessibility: The location is very easy to miss and it did take a bit for me to actually find the entrance. Granted, if I don't know where something is, I will usually look everywhere else before finding it. I do wish they would have put a sign with an arrow or some small instructions somewhere on the building, but I did end up following my nose and that worked out in the end. As for the parking, it is in the kaimuki shopping center, so the parking really depends on the shopping season. I do live in the area and frequent quite a few of the shops in the center, so I do know how to find parking in and around. The fee to park is pretty cheap though, but if you'd rather not deal with it, find street parking on 12th ave or car pool with someone.
Ambiance: I always passed their balcony while walking on the street, but I never actually knew what the place was. I will say though, I always thought it looked like a nice place to eat (yes, even in Kaimuki). We ate on the balcony, so we did get the atmosphere of the main dining room, which quite honestly, looked like it could get really loud. There is another set of tables outside in their entry way. If it had been earlier and busier, it probably would have been a nice opportunity to people watch. The balcony where we ate was very cozy though. It isn't completely separated, but for the most part, you are in a much quieter area (granted that there aren't any loud cards, ambulances, police cars, or fire trucks whizzing by... this is still Kaimuki after all). Since it does add to the ambiance, the crowd seemed very happy, kind of trendy, but very diverse (of about six parties, I think we were one of two comprised of locals). This didn't apply to me, but I did notice that there is a slight breeze from the balcony, so if you get cold easily (which I usually don't), you may want to bring a jacket just in case. Lastly, I really liked the chairs and the tables on the balcony, very comfy and added to the "warmth" of the dining area.
Food appeal/presentation: As I mentioned earlier, I came late, so the only "presentation" I was exposed to was the rice pudding. However, I was very pleased to see that the garlic naan was in a basket lined with paper, rather than on plates, which is usually a good indication that it was recently cooked (to absorb any excess oil or steam to minimize sogginess). Although everything comes in kind of small plates and bowls, it adds up to kind of a lot. Well, it ended up that way, since the two ordered for three and the order was intended to maximize the sampling...
Tastiness: I thoroughly enjoyed almost everything I ate. I'll do this in bullet points to make it neater.
Appetizer:
-Himalayan Naan - I really enjoyed this stuff. It wasn't too much of anything. It was a nice balance of flavors and I didn't notice it being overwhelmingly chicken or spinach flavored. It had a nice weight too (not too heavy, but it didn't leave you feeling like you didn't eat anything at all), since it was more of a side dish/appetizer, it wasn't something that could stand alone as an entree (unless you ate the entire plate yourself), but it wasn't like it was lacking in anything either.
-Lamb Bhuna - Very "simple" dish. It went well with the garlic naan, but that's probably because it was in a garlic sauce. I remember it was sort of like eating pesto, but it didn't have the same kind of bite. It was actually rather mild. At this point, I don't really remember much else about the dish. Although, it was good as leftovers...
-Malai Kofta - Since Andrea is a vegetarian, we usually have some kind of pure veggie dish on the table and this was it. Usually I'm pretty good with vegetarian dishes and rather enjoy them, but I wasn't too crazy about it. It was good though, just not my cup of tea. I really like Masala, so it didn't totally miss with me. I was expecting something that tasted like veggies, or was at least spicy and/or savory, but it turned out to be kind of sweet. It wasn't sweet in a dessert kind of way, but sort of like coconut milk (which it very well may have had). The menu's description is kind of vague on what's actually in the Malai Kofta, so I couldn't quite put my finger on where the sweetness was coming come. It could have been the nuts, because it was a sort of nutty sweetness, but it also (to me at least) tasted kind of like sweet coconut...Overall, it's an interesting dish, but it's not for me. I won't say that it was bad though, because it wasn't. Side Note: I've only written a lot on the dish because it was different.
-Garlic Naan - Probably my favorite thing... It was kind of sweet from the cooked garlic, and didn't have a bite. In addition, it wasn't overly garlic-y (like some other garlic breads...) and not oily. It complimented all of the food that was ordered very well. As I remember it though, it was actually almost crispy. I know it's flat bread, but it seemed to be a bit thinner than I normally see with Naan. The taste was great though. Nice garlic fix.
Dessert:
-Rice Pudding: So I had a bit of an issue with this dish. In general, I love rice pudding and I can't get enough of it, but this was a bit different. As most "ethnic" foods go, dessert is usually an iffy area. This was definitely no exception. the pudding was sorta spicy/almost savory. Not sure if it was from just eating the entrees, but it also wasn't so sweet. Oddly though, it wasn't that it tasted bad, it just didn't feel like a dessert. What Andrea and I found though, was that it kinda grows on you. Eventually, I was eating it just because I couldn't stop. The cardamom was definitely an interesting flavor to be in it. It was kinda like there was curry in the rice pudding... A final note though, is that it sort of reminded me of having the sweet rice tea at Sorabol...
Helpfulness: Since I missed most of the meal, I don't have too much to say, but the wait staff was really friendly and had a good sense of humor from what I was exposed to.
Price:Expectation Ratio: Again, since I was late, I'm not sure how full the dishes were when they first came out. The dishes did seem kind of small though, and I don't know if the rice came with the entrees. Probably best to check Andrea and Ichi's reviews for this bit.
Drink selection?: According to the girls, there's no alcohol on the menu, but it is BYOB. I believe they had picked something up from the gas station across the street, but if you go early there is Tamura's a block or two down the road. The non-alcoholic drinks offered did look good though, but I just stuck with water since I got there late. As per the usual, they did offer Lassis. I was kind of interested in the Rose Lassi (yogurt drink with rose water), but I am one of the few people who has been desensitized to the concept of drinking rose water. They also offer a "Nepali Chai" that I assume would go really well with the curries.
Dessert selection?: Like I said, I wasn't too enthused by the rice pudding, but I wouldn't mind trying the 4 Spice Chocolate Cake, which is marked on the menu as being the chef's special. I do believe I've had Rasmali before, but it was with honey. I wouldn't mind trying the one here though.
Come-back-ability: This place definitely has a great charm to it, especially from the balcony. There are definitely a lot of dishes I would love to come back and try. There's definitely the impression that you could spend hours here picking at food and having a nice lengthy conversation without even noticing. Even though we were in the middle of Kaimuki, I really felt like we were in a very isolated place, away from all the gunk of Waialae Ave.
Extra comments...
Overall, I'd say this is a pretty good place to eat. There's a lot here that most local eaters will not have heard of or even bothered to try before. It's a great place if you're lookin for a quiet, romantic place for a date (if you eat on the balcony) or just want to de-stress with some friends and a nice bottle of wine. Although we didn't have anything that was labeled as "spicy" on the menu, I would say that the dishes we had would be a nice introduction to this type of food for those who have never tried it before. As I am not a fan of spicy foods (with the exception of Indian curries), I look forward to coming back and trying the Madras dishes and if I'm really adventurous, the Vindaloos.
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If you'd like to check out the menu, or read about the restaurant, please visit their web page at the following address:
Himalayan Kitchen Honolulu
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If you'd like to check out the menu, or read about the restaurant, please visit their web page at the following address:
Himalayan Kitchen Honolulu
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Himalayan Kitchen Review - Drea
So I let the Himalayan food experience set in for about a week before writing...still feel unworthy of judging and honestly hate to write, but here it goes.
The restaurant was easy to find, in Kaimuki Shopping Center tucked upstairs in a corner near the Pillbox Pharmacy. Parking there is only about 75 cents an hour, or you can find street parking for free at night.
The restaurant is very cute/cozy...had outdoor and indoor seating, and was byob! Almost every table there had a bottle of wine on it, so of course we asked the host if we could grab a bottle and come back. He recommended we go to Chevron across the street (yes, the gas station) because he claimed they had a very good wine selection. seriously?!
We walked in the dark, in heels, to the gas station in Kaimuki...sketchy....and they had surprisingly good wine! Grabbed a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag, put it in my purse, and walked back to the restaurant. Talk about classy :)
So onto the food...here's what we ordered...
-Appetizer: Himalayan Naan
-Entree: Lamb Bhuna & Malai Kofta & Garlic Naan
-Dessert: Rice Pudding
Himalayan Naan was great, cheese, chicken, and spinach inside the Naan bread (almost like a quesadilla). Best thing was the cilantro/lime/sour cream type of sauce that came with it. So good!
Waiter didn't speak much English and wasn't very personable, but made a good recommendation of the Lamb Bhuna, which was creamy, yellowish greenish curry with very soft pieces of lamb inside. Also VERY good.
Chose the malai kaftan because it was vegetarian and had balls In it. Of course we all love balls, so that was a no brainer. Haha. Also ridiculous good, creamy curry with veggies balls that seemed like they were made of meat.
Portions were deceivingly large, the 3 of us couldn't finish everything and took home leftovers (which were awesome at work the next day).
Price was decent too considering the portion size, ambience, and adventure of eating something different. Not something you would eat everyday, but I would definitely take friends and family here often. Great date place too :)
Rice pudding was the only disappointing part for me...there was a spice in there that I didn't like, but i'm sure it's great if you've grown up eating Indian/Himalayan food.
So nothing really bad to say about this place, top of the list to take someone on a date or to go out with friends...killer Indian style curry (I'm still not sure of the difference between Himalayan and Nepalese food, if someone knows please explain so I don't feel so ignorant).
VERY excited for Olive Tree tomorrow...Greek! Yum!
Stay tuned :)
The restaurant was easy to find, in Kaimuki Shopping Center tucked upstairs in a corner near the Pillbox Pharmacy. Parking there is only about 75 cents an hour, or you can find street parking for free at night.
The restaurant is very cute/cozy...had outdoor and indoor seating, and was byob! Almost every table there had a bottle of wine on it, so of course we asked the host if we could grab a bottle and come back. He recommended we go to Chevron across the street (yes, the gas station) because he claimed they had a very good wine selection. seriously?!
We walked in the dark, in heels, to the gas station in Kaimuki...sketchy....and they had surprisingly good wine! Grabbed a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag, put it in my purse, and walked back to the restaurant. Talk about classy :)
So onto the food...here's what we ordered...
-Appetizer: Himalayan Naan
-Entree: Lamb Bhuna & Malai Kofta & Garlic Naan
-Dessert: Rice Pudding
Himalayan Naan was great, cheese, chicken, and spinach inside the Naan bread (almost like a quesadilla). Best thing was the cilantro/lime/sour cream type of sauce that came with it. So good!
Waiter didn't speak much English and wasn't very personable, but made a good recommendation of the Lamb Bhuna, which was creamy, yellowish greenish curry with very soft pieces of lamb inside. Also VERY good.
Chose the malai kaftan because it was vegetarian and had balls In it. Of course we all love balls, so that was a no brainer. Haha. Also ridiculous good, creamy curry with veggies balls that seemed like they were made of meat.
Portions were deceivingly large, the 3 of us couldn't finish everything and took home leftovers (which were awesome at work the next day).
Price was decent too considering the portion size, ambience, and adventure of eating something different. Not something you would eat everyday, but I would definitely take friends and family here often. Great date place too :)
Rice pudding was the only disappointing part for me...there was a spice in there that I didn't like, but i'm sure it's great if you've grown up eating Indian/Himalayan food.
So nothing really bad to say about this place, top of the list to take someone on a date or to go out with friends...killer Indian style curry (I'm still not sure of the difference between Himalayan and Nepalese food, if someone knows please explain so I don't feel so ignorant).
VERY excited for Olive Tree tomorrow...Greek! Yum!
Stay tuned :)
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