JJ FRENCH PASTRY AND BISTRO
3447 WAIALAE AVENUE
HONOLULU, HI 96816
808-739-0993
HOURS: Monday thru Saturday 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM
UPDATE 2018. Sad to say but JJ French Bistro Closed.
JJ's is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants and a place that I always enjoy visiting. I have the utmost respect for JJ Luangkhot who is the Chef and Owner. As I have written many time before on this blog, there is no harder working man in the restaurant business than JJ. He is in the restaurant what seems to be 24/7/365. He cooks, he bakes, purchases, shops and on this visit was seen delivering plates to the tables. A true restaurant Rock Star if you ask me. JJ's has updated their menu and prices. While the Prix Fixe Dinners have gone up a few bucks, they are still a bargain. Where else in Honolulu can you get a quality four course meal for under $30? Not many with this quality and taste. I always bring a bottle of Vino to JJ's. There is no corkage charge and the staff happily uncorks your bottle and provides wine glasses. On this visit the waiter took my bottle to the kitchen and opened it. He returned to tell me that the cork had broken off in the bottle. I took a sniff of the cork and it had a very strong vinegar smell. One taste and I knew that the bottle was bad. Not to worry. I stepped out of the restaurant and walked about 50 yards to Tamura's Wine store and was back at my table right when our first course was served. The waiter quickly uncorked my bottle and offered new wine glasses. I ordered the Four Course Special Menu B ($32.95) with Beef Wellington which is not on the menu but the Monthly Special. Started with the House Salad that is served with a delicious Ginger Sesame Dressing. Next up was the Baked Lobster Avocado appetizer. I have eaten this dish a dozen times and I think this time might be my last. Don't get me wrong this is a delicious appetizer with small pieces of Lobster in each bite. Only thing I do not like is that there is a lot of mayonnaise on each piece of bread. Kind of overpowers everything else and as my readers know, I don't like a lot of mayo on anything. Love the bread and Avocado Dipping Sauce. I could not wait to try JJ's Beef Wellington. I had been dreaming about it since seeing an ad featuring it as the Monthly Special in our local dining magazine. The Beef Wellington arrived looking amazing. The Puff Pastry was pastry perfection and I cut in ready to enjoy a nice filet of beef and perhaps some liver pate. To my surprise the beef inside the pastry was almost non existent. So small that it at best be considered an appetizer. The beef was thin, overcooked and tasteless. Actually was difficult to chew so I left half of it on the plate. I liked the vegetables and sauce inside but this was not what I expected for a Beef Wellington at JJ's. While I was a bit disappointed this does not change my attitude toward JJ's. Still one of my favorites places on Oahu. I really like the Parisian Appetizer. The Liver Pate is delicious. Wish there was some of this in my Beef Wellington! The Laotian Rock n' Roll is a nice light, crisp and fresh appetizer. I absolutely love the Lobster Pad Thai here. The noodles are cooked perfectly and the citrus XO sauce is delicious. I tried a few bites of the Poached Lobster Tail. Liked the Fettuccine and vegetables. The lobster to me had an odd taste. You cannot dine at JJ's and not save room for dessert. The Prix Fixe dinners include your choice of anything from the showcase. I always stand in front of the showcase for minutes just looking at the amazing creations. On this visit JJ himself helped us pick out our desserts. I went for a light Strawberry Cheesecake and loved it. My Daughter ALWAYS goes with he Chocolate Pyramid and it never disappoints. So rich and full of chocolate flavor. I love this too. The Banana Haupia Cake was good but did not have enough banana taste for me.
Click links below for more posts on JJ's Bistro;
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| JJ FRENCH PASTRY AND BISTRO |
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| SOUPS AND SALADS |
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| APPETIZERS |
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| LUNCH MENU |
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| SANDWICHES |
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| JJ PIZZA |
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| SEAFOOD AT JJ FRENCH BISTRO |
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| ALWAYS GO FOR THE PRIX FIXE MENU |
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| FOUR COURSE MEALS FOR UNDER $30 |
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| CHEF'S HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SELECTIONS |
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| DON'T MISS DESSERT AT JJ'S |
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| HOUSE SALAD WITH GINGER AND SESAME DRESSING |
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| CRAB AND CORN SOUP OF THE DAY |
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| LAOTIAN ROCK N' ROLL |
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| BAKED LOBSTER AVOCADO |
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| PARISIAN DUCK MOUSSE |
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| POACHED LOBSTER TAIL WITH LINGUINE |
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| LOBSTER PAD THAI |
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| BEEF WELLINGTON |
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| PUFF PASTRY PERFECTION |
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| VERY SMALL PIECE OF BEEF IN THE BEEF WELLINGTON |
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| BEEF WAS SMALL, HARD AND PRETTY TASTELESS |
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| SOME OF THE BEST REASONS TO VISIT JJ'S |
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| STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE WITH CREME BRULEE |
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| CHOCOLATE PYRAMID IS THE BOMB! |
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| BANANA HAUPIA CAKE |
