When it comes to brunch, Koko Head Café is iconic. On any given weekend, you’ll probably see crowds waiting outside the Kaimukī-based eatery.
But now there’s reason to visit the café in the evening — the eatery officially launched its dinner menu, available from 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays to Mondays.
“The idea is that they’re familiar, but they’re things you just won’t get at other restaurants,” says chef Lee Anne Wong, of the dishes on the dinner menu. She says that dinner service has always been in the works.
The menu features a variety of seasonally inspired, locally sourced dishes. In fact, at the bottom of the menu, you can see the various farms and local purveyors the eatery partnered with, ranging from Eggs Hawaiʻi, Ho Farms and Mari’s Garden to Maui Gold Pineapple, Sun Noodle and Sweet Land Farm.
“We are inspired every day by the beautiful and unique agricultural system that surrounds us here in Hawaiʻi,” says executive chef Ben Rosicky. “The menu is a reflection of our passion for fostering a relationship between the customer and local farmers. We hope to accomplish this by presenting our guests with creative and innovative preparations of local ingredients. The menu is designed to be creative and unique, yet approachable.”
We start with ‘ahi tataki in Koji glaze, fennel oil, oranges and fresh fennel. The dish is refreshing due to its bright flavors, and the ‘ahi is extremely tender.
“I truly believe that every dish on the menu will deliver in big and harmonious flavors,” Rosicky says. “I am really excited to promote Mari’s Gardens' cara cara oranges in our seasonal ‘ahi tataki with koji glaze and local fennel.”
Poisson cru is a raw fish salad that usually comprises tuna marinated in coconut milk and lime juice. This version features kanpachi with coconut, lime, corn nuts and — wait for it — pineapple shave ice on the bottom. It’s completely unexpected, but it works — and this dish ends up being one of our favorites of the evening.
Wong says that whenever she cooks for events across the country, people respond well to shave ice; the shave ice component is inspired by halo halo.
“I take pineapple for granted because I live on Maui,” she says. “When people who live in a landlocked state taste a Maui Gold pineapple, it’s like a revelation.
“It’s literally like a party-in-your-mouth dish,” she adds. “The coldness of it is unexpected, but the coldness is also what makes it so awesome; it keeps the kanpachi nice and chilly.”
If you have to choose one hot appetizer, the ‘ulu fried feta ($22) would be it. The feta is encased in a crunchy ulu Kohalā Brewery batter and topped with local herbs and greens, including shaved zucchini, fennel and radish. The exterior is nice and crispy, giving way to the creamy feta underneath. The bright veggies add some zing and pair nicely with the fried cheese.
“Everyone likes hot cheese,” Wong says. “Hot crispy cheese? Even better.”
Dumplings are a hot commodity on the eatery’s brunch menu, so it’s fitting that a different version is available during dinner. These housemade dumplings are topped with Mama Wong’s chili munch, cilantro and green onions. If you’re wondering about the price, rest assured that each dumpling is a generous size. The addictive chili munch is its crowning glory.
This twist on butter chicken includes Makhani sauce, tamarind date chutney, and cilantro coconut chutney. The chicken is soft and tender, and the rich, creamy tomato-based sauce is aromatic and adds a slow-building heat.
This over-the-top bowl features Sun Noodle ramen topped with Westholme wagyu short rib, Maui onion rings, Aliʻi mushrooms, horseradish garlic furikake butter, Sumida watercress, green onions and shiso. It’s served in an umami beef bone dashi. As a whole, the dish is savory and fun to eat; it’s a nice way to enjoy steak without getting it the traditional way.
There are currently three dessert options — creameux with bittersweet chocolate and lilikoʻi ($12), ‘ulu vanilla cruller with haupia gelato and toasted coconut ($12) and Bottom of the Bowl ($8). The latter is designed to be reminiscent of a cereal bowl filled with milk and soggy, sugary cereal goodness. It comprises Via Gelato’s vanilla gelato topped with macadamia blossom honey, sea salt and cornflake crunch.
The creamy gelato is offset nicely by the crunchy cereal, and the sea salt prevents the dessert from being overly sweet. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty — after one bite, you’ll probably wish this bowl was endless.
“I’m so grateful to be a part of the next chapter of Koko Head Café’s development,” Rosicky says. “I look forward to continuing to share my love and passion for food with the local community through this new endeavor. I’d like to share gratitude for chef Lee Anne, our general manager Patrick Salmon, and our outstanding team that fosters the incredible and infectious energy that makes Koko Head Café so special and has allowed us to grow over the last 11 years.”
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CONTACT
Koko Head Café
1120 12th Ave. No. 100, Honolulu
808-732-8920
kokoheadcafe.com
Instagram: @kokoheadcafe
Dinner served 5-9 p.m. Fridays-Mondays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
