Honest reviews of Hawaii restaurants and travel experiences from the Santos family in Honolulu, Hawaii. Please join to follow this blog and leave comments about the places you read about.
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Our second visit to Ama Ama at Disney's Aulani Resort in Ko'Olina was just as bad as the first visit. Was happy to see that the main entrees we did not like the first visit are no longer on the menu. Seems like the menu has been shortened a bit.We started with a dozen of oysters that the waiter was kind enough to bring from the adjoining bar menu. The oysters were a bit salty and fishy tasting. Don't think the table finished the dozen. I went in on a Bone In Rib Eye dinner for two that was around $100 plus. Served with platter of four appetizers including ribs, poke and two things that I don't know what are. Nothing was good on the plate but the ribs. The entire table picked at these appetizers but did not finish a single one. Pretty bad. The Bone In Rib Eye was large. They cut it at the table and split it onto two plates with mashed potatoes and broccolini. Mashed potatoes were salty but when mixed with the bland beef Rib Eye it woke up the flavor. The Rack of Lamb was cooked perfectly but the diner said it was "way too salty". Liked the Chopped Salad. There was enough for two people. The highlight of the meal was the warm chocolate dessert with a peanut brittle top. Everyone loved this. Ama Ama missed it on food and service. I have no plans of ever coming back here. Especially if I am picking up the tab.
Click links below for more posts on Ama Ama; http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2011/09/ama-ama-aulani-disney-resort-koolina_19.html http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2011/09/ama-ama-aulani-disney-resort-koolina.html
APPETIZER PLATTER. PRETTY BAD. NOT ONE OF THE ITEMS WAS FINISHED BY TABLE OF FIVE PEOPLE.
We were blessed to be treated to dinner at the new Disney Resort in Ko'Olina. Aulani is a huge resort that dominates the once calm skyline of the lagoons at Ko'Olina. The place sticks out like a sore thumb and will forever change the face and fabric of West Oahu. Ama Ama is the fine dining restaurant within the resort. It is situated in a perfect location overlooking the lagoon. Our table was perfect and so was the service. Our waiter was Isaac from Molokai. Isaac was the perfect gentlemen. He was knowledgable about the menu and always was there to take care of us in a professional and relaxed manner. To start our meal, we were served a complimentary spoon filled with a fresh lobster and seafood. This was good. Could have eaten a dozen of those spoons. The complimentary bread is served with sweet butter and two kinds of sea salt. You put the salt on the butter and then on the bread. Wow...this was really good. We split the Hirabara Farm Greens with Papaya Seed Vinaigrette ($12). The salad is served in a large bowl. Isaac was nice enough to split our portion into two bowls. The salad was crisp and fresh. The dressing was light and just tangy enough to satisfy. For my entree, I ordered the Grilled Lobster served with some sort of pancake and Korean vegetables ($63). This dish was a mess. It tasted worse than it looked. Probably one of the worst lobster dishes I have had in my life. While the lobster was a bit undercooked and cold, the surrounding things on the plate should be outlawed. The lobster was set on top of some kind of mush patty. The thing had no taste and was uneatable. There was a pool of sauce with Korean cucumber and other tart vegetables. Look at the picture below. Would you pay $63 for this dish? What a huge disappointment. My friend enjoyed the Whole Salt-Crusted Island Sustainable Catch with Limu and Tomato and Maui Onion Vinaigrette. Don't know how much this cost, but I guarantee it was expensive. The presentation was beautiful. The fish was brought to the table and un-crusted by a waiter. Our friends also ordered the Fresh Hawaiian Sustainable Catch at Market Price. Why they have to put "sustainable" in all of the descriptions is beyond me. You catch a fish and you eat the fish. What does this sustain? My wife had the Paniolo Rack of Lamb ($53). Served with a pineapple, mango and Poha Berry Chutney. This was delicious dish. For dessert most had a scoop of sorbet. I ordered a scoop of chocolate ice cream but they only had vanilla with chocolate sauce. This is one expensive restaurant that I probably will not go back to again. Sorry Mickey Mouse.
MENU The gourmet chefs use fresh local ingredients and island flavors to create distinctive Hawaiian dishes that juxtapose the traditional with the contemporary—for breakfast, lunch and dinner.While the menu rotates to highlight seasonal ingredients, the dinner menu focuses on sustainable seafood, steak, duck and pasta. For lunch, enjoy hot and cold sandwiches, soup, salads and pasta. Hawaiian-inspired breakfast specialties feature omelets, waffles, pancakes, grains and freshly-made bakery items. Delicious vegetarian options are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All desserts are house-made daily! Something special to drink? Treat yourself to a classic island cocktail updated with a unique twist or a glass of fine wine!
ATMOSPHERE The restaurant features an open-aired seating section with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. Gather your loved ones, dine on amazing food, enjoy a tropical sunset and watch as rolling waves crash against the shore.
NAME The restaurant is named after the ʻamaʻama—a tasty local mullet fish immortalized in popular Hawaiian songs. Our signature dining restaurant celebrates not only the fish, but also the fishing settlements along the leeward coast dating back to the 12th century.
MENU (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
HOUSE APPETIZER WITH LOBSTER
HIRABARA FARMS GREENS WITH PAPAYA SEED VINAIGRETTE
