Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Kukui’s on Kalapaki Beach - Lihue, HI

Our arrival back to Kauai is the smoothest we can imagine. Airport on time, straight through security, found out you no longer have to remove your liquids for TSA as a bonus. 

Get to the gate, find out the father-in-law has independently booked the same flight, and has also independently selected the row of seats directly behind us. 

So far so good, but we’re talking three generations of Ottens on the same small island for either the longest or funnest five days of our lives. A recipe for success or a drama of disaster? Five days to find out, five hours now before the rest arrive. 

We are starving in the meantime, gnaw-your-own-fingers-off starving. I hate resort food for the exorbitant prices but Kukio’s is closest and its all we’ve got at this odd afternoon hour. 


The Spicy Ahi Tuna Rice Bowl is a terrible order if you’re starving. The tuna is fresh but for $16 you’re getting 3 ounces max. The spicy mayo is as expected, a foolproof combination except it irks me that it’s drizzled over instead of mixed in. It’s nothing special at best, but the fish is fresh and it’s fireworks in a starving mouth.


The Makaweli Meat Company Burger is an excellent choice if you’re starving. It’s well done but not done that well. The bacon is nice, but the patty is dry side, and overcooking beef seems to be a recurring theme. 


Breakfast is better, but they need to stop over cooking the beef. The Harris Ranch Loco is a variation on a theme, with mounds of rice replacing a burger bun. The mushroom gravy is good, but I could use more than a couple tablespoons - it’s a rare thing for me to ask for more sauce. The promised kimchee is nowhere to be found, and compared to the hearty, hefty loco mocos I’ve had in Oahu, this one is disappointing. 

The buffet is probably better as it offers an unlimited spread of everything you could possibly want, but $30 is a hefty price to pay. 


That Omelet Station tho. Egg whites, ham, onions, extra mushrooms, and a chunk of creamy Brie all for me. 

There’s sides like smoked salmon, which isn’t smoked that well, a spread of fruit and all sorts of starch. The tater tots are great, and I love the little Portuguese sausages that mix sugar with spice. 


The waffles are made fresh, and the bacon is crispy. 


The dessert tapiocas are more meh, and the baked goods and Benedict are the way to go.

In a pinch, Kukio’s will do, but it’s more a meal of convenience. The breakfast is pretty good, and the lunch and dinner are okay enough, but everything comes at a premium price. 
Kukui's on Kalapaki Beach Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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