"Park in the yellow stalls" is my favorite late-night phrase. Why, you may ask? Because it means cheap, filling food at the right price even if it's two in the morning. Located along Ala Moana Boulevard in Waikiki, Wailana Coffee House is a safe haven for line cooks getting off of work at the stroke of midnight, late night club-goers, the occasional insomniac, night students, and of course the jet-lagged tourist. Being one of only a handful of restaurants here on Oahu that are open 'round-the-clock (there are so few that I actually count Zippy's as a late-night dining option) Wailana Coffee House is usually filled with people regardless of the hour of night you arrive (the location helps I presume).
The ambiance in Wailana Coffee House is spectacular to say the least. It's like taking a trip back in time to the 1970's. Floral print lined seats and carpet, well lit and spacious main room with a back room seating larger parties, it kind of reminds you of old Hawaii -- elegant and classy with it's beige colored rooms yet laid-back (which is classic 1970's Hawaiian architecture).
Being open 24-hours-a-day and serving both local and classic diner food, Wailana Coffee House's menu is hard to beat. A hamburger and milkshake at 8 AM, breakfast at 8 PM, what's not to like? Wailana Coffee House also always comes through with their specials. Be it fried ice cream or endless pancakes their specials always hit the spot.
Did I mention the salad bar? This is probably Wailana Coffee House's best kept secret. If you order an item that includes soup or salad I definitely recommend the salad bar. The salad bar includes your usual salad choices (leafy greens, various dressings, croutons, etc.) as well as a pasta salad, kim chee, potato salad, jello, and a few other choices. Did I also mention that it's endless? Think about it: endless. salad. bar. Not bad for ordering a ten-dollar entree. Just make sure you get there by 10 PM because the salad bar closes by 11.
Aside from the salad bar, breakfast, and endless pancakes, Wailana Coffee House also delivers on their local specialties. While the patty for Wailana's loco moco isn't the greatest (kind of tough) they make up for it with their amazing gravy and their heap of tasty mac-salad! Hungry? Then try Wailana's meatloaf which includes the endless salad bar (score!), butter-roll, and a chocolate-mac nut sundae all for around $12.
Wailana Coffee House also serves your classic diner foods such as burgers and fries, various sandwiches, and is probably one of the last places left on the island (that is NOT Quizno's) that serves a PROPER french-dip (note: I love my french dips).
Overall, Wailana Coffee House is a major contender in Waikiki's over-flooded restaurant scene. Open 24/7 (well, almost. They're closed from midnight to 6am on Wednesdays) and serving both local and classic diner fare as well as breakfast is hard to beat when you don't know what you're in the mood for. As for parking, take a right right after Todai and the garage should be on your left. Just remember, "Park in the yellow stalls."
Wailana Coffee House and Cocktail Lounge
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4.25 (friendly wait-staff!)
Food Quality: 2.5
Monetary Value: 3.25
Quality vs Quantity: Tie (huge menu selection)
Overall: 3.3
1860 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96815
808-955-1764
Showing posts with label cheap eats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheap eats. Show all posts
March 16, 2010
February 23, 2010
Sugoi
I'm usually not one who likes quoting local catch phrases but I feel that the only appropriate statement that I can make about Sugoi's garlic chicken is BROKE DA MOUT. For those of you that are not familiar with Pidgen English "broke da mout" translates to delicious or as I like to call it "serious eats". But I won't go into details about the garlic chicken just yet -- as always I like to start from the beginning.
"Disappointingly good" was my initial reaction when I took my first bite of Sugoi's garlic chicken. Why disappointing? Because it's located by the Dillingham DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) in Kalihi which (for me) is too far for a normal lunch break and the food at Sugoi's is... well, dare I say... "off the hook" (awesome). But at the moment I didn't care. I had garlic chicken.
Sugoi's garlic chicken is incredible. Most will agree that to make a good local fried chicken the batter must be light and airy yet flavorful, the chicken must be moist and not over cooked, and most importantly they skin should never be discarded! Sugoi's garlic chicken has this kind of amazing texture and flavor and to top it off, it's boneless! But what makes Sugoi's garlic chicken so special is the garlic sauce that they pour over the chicken (available at the counter in bottled form as well). I must warn you though, if you plan on going to an interview, giving a presentation -- any public speaking for that matter, talking to that girl you've been admiring from across the room, hanging out with friends, going on a date, taking your wife out, going shopping, karaoke, ANYTHING other than going straight home, I advise you bring some breath mints (strong ones at that) because after eating Sugoi's garlic chicken you will be reeking of garlic for the rest of the day. But trust me, it's definitely worth it.
Once your garlic chicken craze has settled down, you will realize that there is a lot more to the menu at Sugoi than you first noticed. Sugoi's tonkatsu (pork cutlet) as well as their chicken katsu is worth mentioning. Again, they score an "A+" on their sauce as well as a solid "A" on their breading proceedure. Sugoi also features a breakfast menu as well as a bento option (includes rice, teri beef, hot dog, egg, ume, and your main entree) in case you don't feel like a plate lunch.
Probably one of the first things that I noticed once I opened my plate lunch is that Sugoi's does not skimp on their portion size. For $9.25 I ordered their mixed plate (I chose garlic chicken and tonkatsu) and found to my surprise that I couldn't finish the whole thing. Their regular plate lunch costs ~$8.25 so I was pleased to find that for a dollar more I received a full serving of tonkatsu as well (they put my garlic chicken in a separate container because there was so much food and so that the garlic sauce wouldn't spill all over my tonkatsu. How thoughtful!). In fact, there was so much food to be eaten than it took me two full meals to consume the whole plate.
Overall, Sugoi is a force to reckon with. On an island filled with hole in the wall eateries catering local style plate lunches, Sugoi has them bested. Good food at a great price what more could you ask for? Well... maybe some breath mints!
Sugoi Bento and Catering
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4 (Note: Food came out quickly)
Food Quality: 4
Monetary Value: 5
Quality vs Quantity: Quantity
Overall: 4.3
1286 Kalani St #B-106
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-841-7984
Hours
Monday-Thursday: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday-Saturday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: Closed (Catering Only)
Website: http://www.sugoihawaii.com/
Menu: http://www.sugoihawaii.com/menu_current.pdf
(Note: Orders for catering may be placed online with at least 2 days notice)
"Disappointingly good" was my initial reaction when I took my first bite of Sugoi's garlic chicken. Why disappointing? Because it's located by the Dillingham DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) in Kalihi which (for me) is too far for a normal lunch break and the food at Sugoi's is... well, dare I say... "off the hook" (awesome). But at the moment I didn't care. I had garlic chicken.
Sugoi's garlic chicken is incredible. Most will agree that to make a good local fried chicken the batter must be light and airy yet flavorful, the chicken must be moist and not over cooked, and most importantly they skin should never be discarded! Sugoi's garlic chicken has this kind of amazing texture and flavor and to top it off, it's boneless! But what makes Sugoi's garlic chicken so special is the garlic sauce that they pour over the chicken (available at the counter in bottled form as well). I must warn you though, if you plan on going to an interview, giving a presentation -- any public speaking for that matter, talking to that girl you've been admiring from across the room, hanging out with friends, going on a date, taking your wife out, going shopping, karaoke, ANYTHING other than going straight home, I advise you bring some breath mints (strong ones at that) because after eating Sugoi's garlic chicken you will be reeking of garlic for the rest of the day. But trust me, it's definitely worth it.
Once your garlic chicken craze has settled down, you will realize that there is a lot more to the menu at Sugoi than you first noticed. Sugoi's tonkatsu (pork cutlet) as well as their chicken katsu is worth mentioning. Again, they score an "A+" on their sauce as well as a solid "A" on their breading proceedure. Sugoi also features a breakfast menu as well as a bento option (includes rice, teri beef, hot dog, egg, ume, and your main entree) in case you don't feel like a plate lunch.
Probably one of the first things that I noticed once I opened my plate lunch is that Sugoi's does not skimp on their portion size. For $9.25 I ordered their mixed plate (I chose garlic chicken and tonkatsu) and found to my surprise that I couldn't finish the whole thing. Their regular plate lunch costs ~$8.25 so I was pleased to find that for a dollar more I received a full serving of tonkatsu as well (they put my garlic chicken in a separate container because there was so much food and so that the garlic sauce wouldn't spill all over my tonkatsu. How thoughtful!). In fact, there was so much food to be eaten than it took me two full meals to consume the whole plate.
Overall, Sugoi is a force to reckon with. On an island filled with hole in the wall eateries catering local style plate lunches, Sugoi has them bested. Good food at a great price what more could you ask for? Well... maybe some breath mints!
Sugoi Bento and Catering
Rating System: 1-2.5-5 (poor-average-excellent)
Service: 4 (Note: Food came out quickly)
Food Quality: 4
Monetary Value: 5
Quality vs Quantity: Quantity
Overall: 4.3
1286 Kalani St #B-106
Honolulu, HI 96817
808-841-7984
Hours
Monday-Thursday: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday-Saturday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: Closed (Catering Only)
Website: http://www.sugoihawaii.com/
Menu: http://www.sugoihawaii.com/menu_current.pdf
(Note: Orders for catering may be placed online with at least 2 days notice)
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