Category Archives: FOOD
RUMFIRE POIPU BEACH KAUAI
Last night I had such a good time with 10 friends at KAUAI’S newest restaurant called RUMFIRE. We got the best seat in the house that sits 12 people very comfortably overlooking Poipu Beach also known as The Point at Sheraton Beach to locals like me. The view is gorgeous. Palm trees, black hawaiian rocks, sand and the moonlit ocean was the evening backdrop. I couldn’t have asked for a better view. I’m not an alcoholic drinker so I usually order virgin drinks but I was very impressed with the RumFire Mocktails that were offered to me shortly after being seated. There’s about 6-8 drinks that are on the menu that are made to look like a cocktail but there’s no alcohol in it. I ordered the Sunny Aloha Fizz which was very good. It’s a blend of orange juice, pineapple juice, sprite and a couple other ingredients. The food was really good. We ordered a lot of what was on the menu. My favorites of the night for appetizers were the Barbecue Ribs, Bacon & Beets and Char Sui Salad. For the main entrees, my favorites were the Crab Crusted Opah and Steak. For dessert my friend requested a special dessert to be made for the entire table and the chef granted his request earlier when he made the reservations. The chef was so sweet. He introduced himself to our table and checked on us 3 times throughout the night. Service was excellent. We had one main waitress and she had several helpers. We started the night at 7pm and live music started at round 9pm. I think they have live music a couple times a week. The night was so much fun, we closed the place down. RumFire reminds me of being in a big city with its swanky decor and dress codes. It’s a place I look forward to visiting time and time again. The pictures I took were the best I could get and it captures very little of my experience there. It will give you the general idea but of course everything looks way better in real life.
Pardon the flash. This is the table we sat at. Part of the table is behind the curtain.
Section of the restaurant that is close to the bar
The Crab Crusted Opah was so delicious and moist.
Cool seating area outside the restaurant.
This is where we met our hostess
JOSSELLIN’S TAPAS BAR AND GRILL
Today I’ll be sharing about Josselin’s Tapas Bar and Grill because it’s fairly new and different from the other restaurants on Kauai, Hawaii. It opened it’s doors for business for the first time approximately a year ago, maybe more. I’ve been to this restaurant 3 times. Each time, I’ve gone with a big group of people. Most of the dishes are served in small portions so it’s fun and most practical to order many dishes. Me and my friends order dishes at different times during the few hours that we are there and share each dish. The table comes with a large lazy susan in the middle so it makes it perfect for when the food is served for each person to easily access each dish. I’m not much of an alcoholic drinker but my friends are. The restaurant has 5 signature sangria drinks that are served from a rolling cart right at your table. It’s a hit with my friends. They waste no time getting their drinks as soon as we are seated. Out of the 5 flavors, I like the lychee sangria best. The food is very delicious. My favorite dish is the roasted asparagus with a poached egg and bacon. I didn’t get a photo of it because I was so excited to eat it that I forgot. My second favorite dish is the butter fish which is available when they have it on hand. The online menu that I’ve linked to below does not have the butterfish listed on it but you can special request it. I love pretty things and the restaurant is very pretty to look at. The theme is classy and modern with a light touch of the islands which is shown in the beautiful artwork. The prices are a bit steep. Most of the appetizers range from $12-$15 and the main dishes range from $20-$36. For me, the atmosphere, food, service and experience makes it worth the price. For a list of what’s on their menu, use this LINK.
I can't remember the name of this dish. Inside the fried pockets were shrimp and shredded lamb.
Poached Pork Dumpling
Korean Style Seared Short Rib. It does look rare but it's cooked to perfection. Very good.
Raw and barely touched tapas
Raw and barely touched tapas
The Butterfish. One of my favorites on the menu.
This is available on the dessert menu. It's a pistachio gelato served with a side of chocolate sauce.
My favorite decorations were these lights above the main dining area.
BIG ISLAND CANDIES
My most recent trip to one of Kauai’s neighboring islands was to HILO HAWAII, also known as the BIG ISLAND. My main reason for going over was to celebrate my god son’s birthday but I got to do a lot of other things too. One of the places that I got to visit for the first time was the BIG ISLAND CANDIES factory and store. Before entering, I fell in love with this place. I already knew their candies were super good because I received Big Island Candies as gifts in the past. It’s a factory and a store all in one so from the outside it kind of looks like a really nice warehouse but to soften up the look as you enter the front door, I was met with big floral bamboo bouquets on either side of the door. Me and my friend love taking pictures and we started going crazy with taking shots next to the bouquet and of the bouquet before even opening the door. When we did finally enter the door, we were met with the winter holiday season decorations which we later found out from one of the workers that it is one of the few times a year the owner goes big with decorating the store. The store was so pretty. There was decorations hanging from the ceiling, there was big beautiful vases everywhere and big glass bowls and decorative boxes carrying candies. Again me and my friend went crazy with taking pictures because everything looked so good. We almost forgot about the reason why we went, CANDY. The chocolates are a must to get. My favorite is the milk chocolate. A treat that I would never leave without purchasing is the CHOCOLATE DIPPED ORIGINAL SHORTBREAD COOKIE. These are so heavenly and sinful at the same time. Sinful because you can so easily eat too many and end up gaining 10 pounds in the process of consumption. The ORIGINAL SHORTBREAD COOKIE is a must to get also. These buttery, perfectly made cookies are what makes all of the cookies so divine. For take home gifts, the HAWAIIAN TREATS are fun to get because they take hawaiian snack favorites and dip each in chocolate. True hawaiian snack eaters go for the LI HING MUI. It’s a sweet salty snack dipped in chocolate. It’s a bit much for me. I’m not much of a seed eater but it’s a favorite among many of my friends. The next time that the owner of BIG ISLAND CANDIES will go big on his decorations will be during the MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL which will be held during the month of April. So if you are in the area around this time, stop by and grab a treat and let me know all about how they decorated. I would love to see pictures.
THIS SHOT WAS TAKEN FROM ONE OF THE BOUQUETS OUTSIDE
ANOTHER FLOWER SHOT TAKEN FROM THE GIANT BAMBOO BOUQUET
A FUN PLACE TO VISIT. THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY WAS NOT OPEN DURING OUR VISIT
BECAUSE WE SHOWED UP DURING CLOSING TIME BUT THE STORE WAS OPEN.
ONE OF MANY DECORATED TABLES. THIS WAS THEIR WINTER HOLIDAY THEME.
HAWAIIAN TREATS. PERFECT FOR GIFTS TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS
KULA LODGE & RESTAURANT
One of my favorite places to eat and a place that’s dear to my heart is the KULA LODGE & RESTAURANT in Maui, Hawaii. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Maui 19 years ago and one of the things we did was drive to the top of HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK to experience the amazing views of Maui at an elevation of over 10,000 feet. On our drive down from the mountain, we stopped at Kula Lodge & Restaurant. I immediately fell in love with the place because it was freezing outside and we were met with a warm fireplace as we entered the doors which made us feel at home. I had a simple dinner. Steak, mashed potatoes and vegetables. It was delicious and exactly what I wanted after our adventure. While dining, we gazed at the beautiful views of upcountry Maui. Years after our honeymoon trip, my sister moved to Maui in a small town called Makawao. Whenever I have the chance to visit her, we fit it in our plans to have breakfast or lunch there. I do prefer the dinner meals as opposed to breakfast and lunch meals. But the views are the best during day hours. You can use the Kula Lodge & Restaurant link that I’ve included in this write up for full restaurant details.
