ORCHID LANAI

ORCHID LANAI

HONOLULU, HAWAII

ORCHID LANAI

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

150 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD

HONOLULU, HI  96817

808-595-6331

www.oahucountryclub.com

Decided to take the entire family up to the Oahu Country Club one weekend to hit some golf balls on the driving range.  Prior to hitting the range, we enjoyed a great lunch at the Orchid Lanai.  The Orchid Lanai is an outdoor dining area located just off the main clubhouse.  The Lanai features comfortable open air seating with a view of the course and downtown Honolulu.  On a picture perfect   day this was really one of the best places to be on Oahu.  We started our meal with an order of Steamed Clams ($16.50).  This was a huge bowl of plump little Clams served in a butter and white wine sauce.  The Clams and broth were delicious.  One of the first times ever that there were more Clams in the bowl than our family could eat.  Loved the Steamed Clams big time.  I ordered the small portion Turkey Cobb Salad ($9.50) and was not disappointed.  The small portion was plenty big and included pieces of Avocado, Turkey, Bacon, Egg, Tomatoes and Cucumbers over Romaine Lettuce.  Served with Louie Dressing and crumpled Blue Cheese.  Salad was very good and filling.  My Wife enjoyed the Oxtail Soup ($15) which was a Daily Special.  She said it was really good and had better flavor than other places she has tried.  My Daughter went for the Lau Lau Plate ($16.95).  She loves Hawaiian food and especially the Lau Lau which is slowly steamed Pork wrapped in Taro and Tea Leaves.  The Plate included a large bowl of Poi which is pounded Taro Root.  I don't like the stuff but she ate a little bit of it.  She finished off the piece of Mahi Mahi on the plate and also the Lomi Lomi Salmon which is small cubes of Salmon with Onion, Tomato and Green Onion. Service is always good out on the Orchid Lanai and if the weather is good and there is a nice breeze it is a comfortable and relaxing place to enjoy great food, drinks and the view.  We finished our great lunch and jumped in a golf cart and hit the driving range.  

ORCHID LANAI

ORCHID LANAI AT THE OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

COMFORTABLE OPEN AIR DINING AREA

THE VIEW FROM OUUR TABLE WAS BEAUTIFUL ON A CLEAR MARCH DAY 

STEAMED CLAMS

OXTAIL SOUP

LAU LAU PLATE

UNWRAP THE LEAVES OF THE LAU LAU

STEAMED PORK INSIDE THE LAU LAU

SERVING OF POI AND LOMI LOMI SALMON

LAU LAU PLATE INCLUDED A PIECE OF MAHI MAHI AND RICE

SMALL PORTION TURKEY COBB SALAD

WIFE HITS THE DRIVING RANGE AT OAHU COUNTRY CLUB 

PHO KAPAHULU VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

PHO KAPAHULU VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

HONOLULU, HAWAII

PHO KAPAHULU VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

804 KAPAHULU AVENUE

HONOLULU, HAWAII  96816

808-737-2055

HOURS:  Monday thru Sunday 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

www.phokapahulu.com

We were walking down Kapahulu Avenue looking for a new place to try before a Wahine Volleyball game.  A sign for Lu Lu's Mexican food caught our eye so we headed towards the sign.  Turned out that the Mexican food was being served at the On Stage Bar.  We looked in the place and it just did not seem inviting or the place to take children.  Right next door was Pho Kapahulu.  A tiny little place with no air conditioning and around six tables.  We looked in and saw that it was very clean and empty except for one table serving a couple.  We were greeted by a smiling man that wore a shirt that said I love Pho.  Pho is the famous Vietnamese soup that is one of my favorite dishes.  Pho Kapahulu specializes in serving Pho and also they promote their Ox Tail Soup.  Will have to try these on another visit.  Since it was hot and the restaurant did not have air conditioning the entire family decided not to have a hot soup dish during this visit.  Instead we went for some lighter dishes that the family could share. We ordered the Spring Rolls ($9.50).  Served with lettuce for wrapping and cucumber, noodles and dipping sauce.  We place the Spring Roll on the lettuce, add the cucumber, noodles, dipping sauce and hot sauce to make a great little Vietnamese Burrito.  These Spring Rolls were good.  Better than most places we have tried.  One thing about Pho Kapahulu is do not go here if you are in a rush.  Takes a bit of time to get your dishes, but you can tell that they prepare things properly and care about everything on the plate.  Nice presentations and clean.  The Green Papaya Salad ($9.50) included fresh shredded Green Papaya, roast pork, boiled shrimp, mint leaves and cilantro.  I liked the shredded papaya and light sauce.  Didn't quite think the slices of pork went with the salad.  Good though, we all enjoyed it.  The Grilled BBQ Chicken ($11.95) was marinated in Lemon Grass and served with onion, cilantro and cucumber.  Needed to add some hot sauce to this for flavor.  I liked Pho Kapahulu.  You can tell that these are hard working people running the business.  The food is good and the place is clean.  I will be back soon to try the Pho.

PHO KAPAHULU VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

PHO KAPAHULU - A SMALL HOLE IN THE WALL THAT WE ARE GLAD WE FOUND

SMALL RESTAURANT WITH 6-7 TABLES

VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT CONDIMENTS

SPRING ROLLS WITH DIPPING SAUCE

GREAT TASTING SPRING ROLLS

PLACE SPRING ROLL IN LETTUCE AND MAKE SURE
YOU ADD SOME HOT SAUCE FOR KICK

WRAP UP LIKE A BURRITO AND ENJOY!

GREEN PAPAYA SALAD

BBQ CHICKEN

ANYTIME CAFE - HONOLULU, HAWAII

ANYTIME CAFE

HONOLULU, HAWAII 

We have been wanting to try the Anytime Cafe in the Market City Shopping Center in Kaimuki for quite some time.  When my daughter said she wanted some pasta I remembered seeing pasta dishes advertised here so we tried it.  Anytime Cafe does have probably a dozen or more pasta dishes on the menu plus a whole lot more.  They serve soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, ramen, risotto, chinese specialties and more.  Pretty diverse menu including two pages of desserts.  The restaurant itself is clean and modern.  The staff was all smiles and very friendly.  From the guy who keeps your water glass full to the waitress and cashier, they were all very nice.  We tried the House Green Salad ($3.50).  Nice Italian Dressing.  The Spaghettini with Clams ($9.95) had some nice plump clams plus chopped clams in the sauce.  The sauce was a bit "fishy" tasting and flat.  The Pork Chop Risotto ($12.95) was delicious.  The Risotto was cooked perfectly and filled with chunks of moist and flavorful pork chop, onions, mushrooms, green and red bell peppers.  Two nice pieces of boneless pork chops were placed on top.  The pork chops were seasoned well and tasty.  Just a bit dry.  I loved this dish.  Really good Risotto!  Anytime Cafe offers around six or more different Risotto dishes.  I would like to try them all.  The Oxtail Soup ($11.95) was "all right" according to my wife.  She would have like more flavor in the broth.  Prices are reasonable here and the service is fast and friendly.  Really cannot go wrong trying Anytime Cafe.

ANYTIME CAFE

ANYTIME CAFE IN THE MARKET CITY
SHOPPING CENTER

CLEAN AND MODERN INTERIOR

HOUSE SALAD

PORK CHOP RISOTTO WAS REALLY GOOD!

SPAGHETTINI WITH CLAMS

OXTAIL SOUP

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

OAHU COUNTRY CLUB

HONOLULU, HI

It is nice to have rich friends with fancy country club memberships. Since I am not a member, my money is no good at this place. This means everything is free for me. Kind of like Obamaland where someone else picks up the tab. The Oahu Country Club is set in a beautiful valley surrounded by spectacular mountains and a view to the ocean. We enjoyed a great lunch in one of the three dining areas. There is a terrace restaurant with great views, a fine dining restaurant and a lunch/pupu place that is kind of dated but comfortable. My friends opted for the Oxtail Soup which was more like a stew. Looked and tasted delicious. I tried a cup of the Portuguese Bean Soup. It was filled with flavor and delicious. I then had a steak sandwich with some cole slaw. The sandwich was big and tasty. Served with grilled onions, tomato and lettuce on a fresh bun. Splits of champagne were served for free too. After lunch, we exited to a table overlooking one of the golf holes. As the cigars were lit, the beers began to flow and a pizza appeared. Free pizza too. This is heaven. We had half pepperoni and half tomato and basil. While a bit greasy, the pizza was pretty good. I had to hit the restroom and found that the club has everything available for members. I even got a toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed up before leaving. This is a nice place to visit with friends that are members. I can't wait to return to this great place where my money is no good. Next time I will go to the Golf Shop and pick up a nice Tommy Bahama shirt. On the house of course.

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