Once a year, usually during the "winter," Kristen, Monica and me gather together for a meal. Kristen lives in San Francisco, and Monica lives in DC...so it's very nice to "re-ground" at home in Honolulu during the month of December.
This time around we did afternoon tea at Monana Surfrider, our favourite spot on the island. (with
The Kahala Resort coming in second, and
Halekulani third for afternoon tea). We started coming to tea here around middle school, and I remember it used to cost just over $20 in the late 1990s. Now it's somewhere in the mid $30s!
White glove tea service, a selection from eight different teas, and gorgeous tables looking onto Waikiki beach. It's scenery like this that sometimes, really makes you wonder why you left the islands ;)
Start off with a trio of tea sandwiches. Smoked salmon on rye, curried chicken on croissant, and Virginia ham on focaccia...
...so pretty, just one more shot!
Then out comes the sweets: cakes and tarts on the bottom, scones in the middle, and cookies on top. That's Monica in the photo :)
Fruit Tarts and Lilikoi Cakes.
Warm Currant Scones, Lemon Curd, and Devonshire Cream.
Salted Chocolate Macadamia Nut Shortbread and Cream Puffs.
And finally, a finish of Lemongrass-Matcha Sorbet. The sandwiches and sweets selection change from time to time, but this lemongrass-matcha sorbet has stayed consistent since my first visit in 1998.
Moana Surfriderafternoon tea2365 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 922-3111
Chocolate-Chocolate Loaf Cake with chocolate chips from Alan Wong's. Christmas leftovers. I wiped out the whole loaf my own. All it took was two days, a big metal spoon, and plenty of hot tea to accompany. This stuff is intense ;)
Once a year, usually during the "winter," Kristen, Monica and me gather together for a meal. Kristen lives in San Francisco, and Monica lives in DC...so it's very nice to "re-ground" at home in Honolulu during the month of December.
This time around we did afternoon tea at Monana Surfrider, our favourite spot on the island. (with The Kahala Resort coming in second, and Halekulani third for afternoon tea). We started coming to tea here around middle school, and I remember it used to cost just over $20 in the late 1990s. Now it's somewhere in the mid $30s!
White glove tea service, a selection from eight different teas, and gorgeous tables looking onto Waikiki beach. It's scenery like this that sometimes, really makes you wonder why you left the islands ;)
Start off with a trio of tea sandwiches. Smoked salmon on rye, curried chicken on croissant, and Virginia ham on focaccia...
...so pretty, just one more shot!
Then out comes the sweets: cakes and tarts on the bottom, scones in the middle, and cookies on top. That's Monica in the photo :)
Fruit Tarts and Lilikoi Cakes.
Warm Currant Scones, Lemon Curd, and Devonshire Cream.
Salted Chocolate Macadamia Nut Shortbread and Cream Puffs.
And finally, a finish of Lemongrass-Matcha Sorbet. The sandwiches and sweets selection change from time to time, but this lemongrass-matcha sorbet has stayed consistent since my first visit in 1998. 
Afternoon meal with my mom and Bobbie. Beautiful as always ^_^
town Lemonade - green comes from parsley juice.
My mom's order of Linguini with Pancetta, Hamakua Mushrooms, Green Chile, and Tomatoes.
Bobbie had the town Salad with Grilled Mahi Mahi.
And for myself: Hand-Cut Pasta, Pork Sugo, and Parmigiano.
Crepe Cake...serious competition for Lady M ;)
The Banini: Portuguese Sweetbread, Chocolate, Apple-Bananas, Whipped Cream.
...and a back view, just for you ;)