Aug 30, 2005

Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel

We never stay at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel, but we almost always visit. On Saturday, we had lunch at the Plumeria Beach House, an open-air restaurant with a great ocean view. I had the buffet, which was great except for the lack of prime rib (they had roasted lamb, roasted chicken, and a cooked-to-order shrimp pasta instead). There was a variety of salads, including Kahuku watermelon and cucumber salad, a couple of soups, some sushi and sashimi, manila clams in citrus butter, and even spinach and artichoke dip with salmon. There was also a pretty wide selection of desserts, some of which were very average (blueberry peach cobbler, brownies, and coconut cake) and some of which were delicious (bread pudding, strawberries with whipped cream, and chocolate chip cookies).

My husband ordered his usual, the Kahala cheeseburger. He said the fries were particularly good, but I was too full from the buffet to try them. For a drink, I ordered the passion fruit iced tea - if you do the same, be aware that refills aren't included.

After lunch, we walked around the grounds to see the dolphins and sea turtles. There's a lagoon that's the dolphins' play area, and when our son is older, I think he'll enjoy the Dolphin Encounter Program. And the next time, I might squeeze in a culinary class.

No comments: