HOKU'S
THE KAHALA HOTEL AND RESORT
5000 KAHALA AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI 96816
808-739-8760
HOURS: Tuesday thru Saturday 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday Brunch 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Closed Monday
The Kahala Hotel and Resort is one of my favorite places on Oahu. The property is absolutely beautiful and the beach is pristine. Throw in pools of exotic fish and a Dolphin lagoon and you have one of the best places to stay in all of Hawaii. Along with the beach comes some pretty good dining options with Hoku's being the fine dining restaurant within the Kahala hotel. Hoku's is an award winning restaurant and is always ranked on the Best Restaurant lists for Oahu. My opinion on Hoku's is that the food is good but not great for the price you pay. This is an expensive restaurant. Very expensive. Were talking fourteen to thirty two dollars for a salad. Entrees run forty plus bucks up to $108 for a 5 ounce Steak. Set dinners run $75 to $150 per person. Looking back now I think it is a better deal to go with the Prixe Fixe menu for $75. This includes a salad, entree and dessert. I have listed links to the dinner menus below so you don't get sticker shock when you go to Hoku's and open up the menu. I was fortunate to be hosted by business associates who made the night thoroughly enjoyable and cost effective for me. Your meal at Hoku's begins with fresh baked breads and three types of butter. One of the butters was made with anchovies and I loved it. The other was standard butter and the last was slightly sweet and pink with I think Lilikoi. The breads are followed with the Amuse Bouche house appetizer. On this evening it was a fried ball with Rabbit. Very bland and pretty tasteless and I could not taste anything that tasted like Rabbit. I was going over the salad menu over and over again looking for s simple Caesar or Green Salad. Ended up going with the Seared Scallop and Romaine Salad ($17) just because it had some Romaine in the description. Did not really want the Scallops in my salad and felt that $17 was an outrageous price. The salad arrived on a huge plate with a small serving of Romaine and sliced Scallops and Cherry Tomatoes. The greens were dressed with Olive Oil and were pretty darn bland. For this price I expected more flavor and more on the plate. My host enjoyed the Organic Kula Farm Greens with Roasted Taro and Bacon Salad ($14) and had no complaints. All three of us ordered the same entree which is rare. Kona Coffee Crusted Colorado Lamb Rack ($66). I had enjoyed a piece of Lamb at the Mid Pacific Country Club a few days earlier and I was craving that mild gamey taste again. When my $66 plate of Lamb arrived I was a bit disappointed with the presentation. For $66 I was expecting "wow". The plate really looked unfinished and like it was missing something. The Lamb was missing something too and it was "flavor". Really bland and lacking the Lamb taste that I was craving. Don't get me wrong, the food is good here but not great and worth these prices. I would go back again and again if someone else was paying but if I am putting out my hard earned pennies, I am probably going somewhere else.
Click links below for Hoku's menus and prices.
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| HOKU'S AT THE KAHALA HOTEL |
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| THE KAHALA HOTEL IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOTS ON OAHU |
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| ENJOYED A GLASS ON THE LANAI OFF THE MAIN LOBBY OF THE KAHALA HOTEL |
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| HOKU'S FEATURES BEAUTIFUL OCEAN VIEWS |
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| DINING ROOM AT HOKU'S |
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| THREE TYPES OF BUTTER SERVED WITH FRESH BREAD |
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| THE FRESH BREADS WERE DELICIOUS WITH THE BUTTERS |
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| ENJOYING SOME GREAT HOBEL WINE WITH MY WONDERFUL HOST |
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NICE BUSINESS DINNER WITH GREAT PEOPLE MADE THIS NIGHT A WINNER.
WE BROUGHT OUR OWN MAGNUM OF WINE AND THE CORKAGE FEE WAS $75 |
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| HOUSE APPETIZER WAS SOME TYPE OF RABBIT BALL |
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| SEARED SCALLOP AND ROMAINE SALAD |
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| ORGANIC KULA FARM GREENS AND ROASTED TARO SALAD |
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KONA COFFEE CRUSTED COLORADO LAMB RACK WITH PUMPKIN PUREE,
VANILLA SABAYON AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION |
