On the “Windward” side of the island, in the small beach town of Kailua, The Food Company Market & Cafe is a hidden gem that many locals treasure. From the outside, it doesn’t look anything special, but inside their menu is a plethora of meals ranging from pancakes to braised short ribs. The selection of food can be daunting. The easiest thing I can do, while navigating through this menu, is to figure out if I’m in the mood for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends how you look at it), after 11AM, the breakfast option is no longer available.
I got their famous pork chops (around $8) plate lunch. This meal came with two scoops of rice (I tried to be healthy and picked brown rice), one scoop of Hawaiian mac salad, and about 10 slices of tasty pork. The pork chops are nicely fried and crispy. The cafe included the bone, which I could do without. I didn’t notice excess oil coming from the chops, which is great. Although the chops are tasty on its own, I would’ve love some apple sauce.
My friend, the vegetarian, had an easy time with their menu, because almost all of the meals can be changed from animal-style to vegetarian. She choose the tofu katsu (katsu is Japanese for breaded), which (coming from a carnivore) is AH-mazing. Tons of flavor and the texture is crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside.
Sorry for the blurriness
The banana waffles came with three slices and topped with ripe mashed bananas, mac nuts (but I’m not 100% sure. It was some kind of nuts) and powder sugar. I found the bananas are sweet enough that I didn’t need syrup. The waffles are what you expected from a waffle. It’s a little crispy and light in the middle.
My other friend made her own omelet. I saw her meal as a breakfast wrap minus the wrap. The omelet is nice and thin and wrapped inside is all her fixings. I believe she got cheese, bacon, and peppers. The omelet plate came with a crispy hash brown.
Lastly, my friend ordered a loco moco. Hot rice topped with one piece chicken katsu, a soft sunny side up egg covered with brown gravy. It looks heavy, but it’s well worth the weight. Loco moco is super popular dish, which started on the Big Island. Loco moco can be made in different ways, but the rice, gravy, and egg always stay the same.
For the road, I picked up the mini musubi trio ($3). It’s about the size of a nigiri sushi. This trio is more of a snack than a meal. It came with spam and two different types of sausages. It is the perfect snack. I would go back for this.
The Food Company is small and homey and holds about 6 tables. The great thing is that they take reservations. The menu is vegetarian-friendly and pricing is average.
My takeaway:
I can see why the locals keep this spot a secret. This place serves great food for the on the go beach goer to the family of four. I can guarantee that you will find something on this menu, because it has a lot of options. The pricing is not cheap, but it’s worth it.
B+
The Food Company:
Info:
1020 Keolu DrKailua, HI 96734
(808) 230-2333
Hours:
Tue-Thu 10:30 am – 8:30 pm
Fri-Sat 10:30 am – 9 pm
Your food posts always make everything look like the most delicious thing ever. I’m so jealous I cant eat at that restaraunt now!
LOL
@Dan: Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t been keeping up with my comments. I don’t know how you can do it on your blog! Don’t you worry, you come down to Hawai’i, I’ll take you there. Any excuse to travel, right?
Awww cute the nigiri! I want to give you some claps for keeping up with the blog. It’s hard to keep up a full time blog with work/school/downtime/libidos, lol. To see you still doing it and doing it well is sex on toast !!
PS. I stumbled upon these last night. Cartoon blogs are great.
http://pigsinmaputo.blogspot.com
http://www.snotm.com
@Fayrn: OMG, I love these blogs! This is why I want to learn how to draw…to make cute and funny comics. Thanks for sharing.
I love bone-in pork chop, definitely homey style! And the vegetarian version looked great. Not oily. The omelet looked awesome, considering American restaurants thinks omelets are just scrabbled eggs rolled into a roll. I love the thinness of the omelet above. MM..hashbrown.
@Lisa: When you come and visit me, I’m adding this to our foodie around the island tour. LOL
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yes, please make a list and please let it include that raw salmon dish you all like to eat…what’s it called? Oh yea, poke!
@Lisa: I’m on it!
Looks so ono! You know I never would’ve guessed it was a plate lunch type of place from the name.
@Tania: Me too. If it wasn’t for my friend who lived in Kailua, I would NEVER know about this place. I totally understand why it’s a hidden gem. I wished their prices was a tad cheaper, tho.
I’ve never even heard about this place, lol! Those banana waffles look bomb!
@Tiera: WE go! Let’s work out, then eat back our calories! I’m down.