The Veranda

Our world food tour continued … at The Veranda at The Kahala Resort. I come here when I’m staying in the hotel and want a light meal and music. This time it was a pre-Valentine’s dinner with my fellow foodie and we wanted to hear live music. We opted for seating outside and chose a table quite a way down from the entrance. This proved to be the nice, quiet spot we wanted but the music was background level at best. We started with a bottle of 2018 Stag’s Leap Hands of Time, a red blend from Napa. Dark, with a sense of prunes and raisins, it needed some time to open up. Accompanying the wine was the Charcuterie platter, a nice mix of cheeses, sliced meats and fruit with crackers and small squares of lavosh. We ordered the Foie Gras Musubi, Crispy Brussels Sprouts and the Hawaiian Mushroom Flat bread with truffles. Service was leisurely (which was fine with us) but it took a long time for the flat bread to appear, I can’t say exactly, but it felt like an hour after the first dish arrived. The foie gras musubi was great, a little crunchy on the exterior, offset by the creamy foie gras … We always order anything with foie gras or truffles. The brussels sprouts were large and firm, with just the right amount of char; they were flavorful without losing the slight bitterness of cabbage. The flat bread was round like a pizza and I considered it to be a white mushroom pizza with a generous layer of black truffle; the scent of the shaved truffle was intoxicating and the taste matched the aroma; heavenly. We ended our meal with the Hoku’s Warm Chocolate Coulant and the Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Each was served with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, these desserts didn’t live up to the rest of the meal. The pineapple cake was fine but not special; the warm chocolate coolant wasn’t warm and appeared dry. What did we think? The food and drink were fine with a few exceptions (dessert); service was very good though our server (Cenisaliza) seemed to have too many tables; the music was less than we expected. I will continue to patronize The Veranda when I stay at the hotel but will choose a table closer to the musician for a better overall experience.

Afternoon Tea time at no better place in Hawaii. Sit in the cool shade and watch the dolphins and people watch the pool. The 3 tiers of delight is heavenly and matches well with the delicious tea. I love to visit this property located in the Kahala Hotel at the end past Diamond Head.

Friday nights at the veranda are my favorite. With awesome local musicians, and good food, don’t forget to save room for dessert because they have the best. But make sure to make reservations for they are always booked and not able to accommodate.

Johnny Valentine awesome! We wish he could play longer. Every table is taken when he stops playing. I'm sure you'll be able to bring in more revenue for Veranda. Also, your staff is great. Host Sandy, server Cinaliza, sushi chef, very friendly and appreciative.

I thought this place was fantastic. The view is wonderful as you look out to the beach and ocean and there's a cool, light breeze in the evening. The hotel/resort feels upscale, I had a collar shirt and shorts and felt a little under dressed for the evening, but it is beautiful. The room outside the Veranda felt classy and had live entertainment. We only had the charcuterie and drinks, which were very good, but I can't comment on the rest of the menu. The only criticism is the service was slower than what we would like. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a relaxing spot to enjoy some light food, wine, and conversation.