Lyla D.
Yelp
Recently, one of my eldest sister's BFF and former colleague was visiting Honolulu, so we got together for lunch and browsed at O'ahu's North Shore community, Hale'iwa. It's funny that even as locals, we've rarely driven around our island or spent time in other neighborhoods past Central O'ahu. However, after picking up my sister and her friend, we continued our drive to Hale'iwa while seeing how much the landscape had changed. Fortunately, we took the Kamehameha Highway route, which is one of O'ahu's main highways that leads to the North Shore, so there weren't any chances of us getting lost.
My sister had made lunch reservations at the Haleiwa Beach House, but I still had to ask her for the restaurant's location. She said the restaurant occupies the former Jameson's By The Sea, which closed in 2015. Ahhh, we were familiar with the former restaurant's location since we would frequently dine there post-golf tournament play at Turtle Bay's Links Course. When we pulled into the adjoining parking lot, there was already a crowd and few open spaces.
Entering the renovated and updated restaurant space was a pleasure as there seemed to be more natural light shining in, and the nautical décor appeared to be brightened with more local artwork. The welcoming hostess escorted us to a table on their patio with great views of Waialua Bay and Hale'iwa Harbor. There was a relaxed and comfortable breeze wafting through the terrace and grounds, so no air-conditioning or ceiling fans were needed on this sunny and hot day.
Our server, Courtney, exuded a friendly and smiling Aloha Spirit. As she described some of the signature menu items, she mentioned the background of this restaurant site and the native Hawaiian cultural significance of the Loko Ea fishpond that the restaurant overlooks. She may have thought we were visiting the island and not the residents, but it was refreshing to learn more about historic Hale'iwa town and community.
FOOD:
- Calamari: this appetizer plate featured crisp fried seasoned flour-dusted calamari rings and tentacles. Its accompanying dips were a yuzu aïoli and spicy Vietnamese nước chấm. We liked the refreshing yuzu aïoli, but the spicy nước chấm appealed more to our tastebuds. Fortunately, the flavor and aroma of fish sauce wasn't overbearing in this dip, yet its umami paired well with the crispy fried calamari. $17
- Thai BBQ Crispy Chicken Sandwich: Tender and juicy chicken breast meat was marinated in coconut milk with Thai spices and herbs and then fried. The fried chicken was topped with a tamarind BBQ sauce, green papaya slaw (similar to Thai som tum), fresh cilantro, and kewpie mayonnaise and sandwiched in a fluffy taro bun. A mound of sidewinder fries complemented the sandwich. My eldest sister and I ordered this sandwich and were impressed by its flavors, textures, and value. $22
- Island Po Boy: The crispy and crunchy battered shrimp were perfectly cooked as the shrimp meat was silky and tender. The shrimp was topped with sengiri (Japanese julienne-cut) cabbage, house-made pickles, and rémoulade on a hoagie roll and served with sidewinder fries. My husband demolished this sandwich and fries, although I offered him half of my fries since he enjoys eating fried foods so much. .$24
My sister's BFF ordered the market-priced fresh ahi poke bowl that was colorful and tasty. She was impressed with the clean-tasting fresh ahi topped with briny sea asparagus, tobiko, scallions, and yuzu aïoli. She had never eaten or tasted yuzu before, but she found herself enjoying this citrus flavor that was more complex than lemons or limes.
My eldest sister was surprised that we hadn't eaten at the Beach House since its renovation but, we claimed it's because we're "Townies." Now that we've tried this restaurant, we'll make plans to return.
4.4-Stars