It started to rain on my way to Kailu and I was so worried it would be raining there. But it was sunny! I arrived in Kailua at 12pm and headed over to Boots and Kimo's upon a director's suggestion for good food. The place was SO packed and there were several groups waiting outside to eat.
Apparently they have some of the best macadamia nut pancakes on the island, but since I couldn't eat that, I ordered the Korean Chicken. I decided to order take-out and it was still a 30 minute wait for the food. I picked up drinks across the street at Safeway while I waited for the food.
YUMMY!! The Korean Chicken was SO GOOD. Crispy and juicy and soy-saucy. The only bad thing was that the chunks of thigh meat still contained little pockets of fat, so I had to dig those out before eating. The rice was also good, but the mac salad was pretty mayo-y and tasteless. But yeah, I can see why they are so popular.
From Kimo's I walked over to Lanikai Beach which is a little over 2 miles away. Lanikai Beach is supposed to be one of the best beaches in the world where the sand is fine and soft. The bus only comes every hour which is why I walked to the beach. The route is quite nice, and it goes through residential areas that are a combo again of fancy houses and more rundown residences. You pass Kailua Beach as you walk uphill to get to Lanikai Beach. The view of Kailua Beach was wonderful.
Kailua Beach
Small island off the coast of Kailua. Lots of people kayak to there.
After a long walk I finally made it to Lanikai Beach! It was really beautiful! People had talked about how the beach is disappearing, which is totally true. There are public access ways now that just hit water, no more sand. This is because people built sand walls that, because of the currents, are causing the sands to disappear.
I snorkeled for a while and checked out the coral, but it was not nearly as impressive as Sharks Cove. Though there were more fish than at Turtle Bay. I hung out in the water a lot but then clouds started coming in.
And then it started raining! And it wasn't stopping, so I high tailed out of there and started walking back. Unfortunately there was no shelter!
By the time I walked to Kailua Beach, the rain had stopped. I was drenched from walking in the rain and decided to change back into my regular clothes. By the time I got out, it was super sunny again!
The hill where I took the shots of Kailua Beach. Past this hill was Lanikai Beach.
I was pretty tired so I decided to start heading out of the beach area to get some food. I planned on going to Uahi Island Grill which got really good review on Yelp and supposedly had some vegan mocha cake. The route to get there was another mile away from Kailua Beach Park but I was determined. Before starting on my walk I stopped off at Kalapawai Market just for some cold water and to sit down for a while since I had been on my feet since the rain started. The market was selling burgers that were being BBQed right there, made to order, but I really wanted that vegan cake. After a good mile walk in very hot sun, I got to Uahi Island Grill, but it was CLOSED! As in there was paper covering all the windows as though it had gone out of business. Another group of people had wanted to eat there, so it took them by surprise too. Ugh, I was so sad. I called up Peter to figure out if there was anywhere else I should try in this area. Turns out nothing was particularly appetizing to me from what we talked about, so I decided to go to Formaggio Grill on the recommendation of the same director. He claimed they had some great fries and I wanted something greasy and salty after all my walking. Luckily the restaurant was only half a mile away.
It was pretty empty in Formaggio because of the off-hour (3:30pm) so I got great service. It was pretty dark in the restaurant but the air conditioning was a welcomed relief. I ordered the truffle oil french fries with pepper and a special tapas that was an antipasto with salami, pickled veggies, boiled egg, flatbread, and whole ground mustard.
It was pretty empty in Formaggio because of the off-hour (3:30pm) so I got great service. It was pretty dark in the restaurant but the air conditioning was a welcomed relief. I ordered the truffle oil french fries with pepper and a special tapas that was an antipasto with salami, pickled veggies, boiled egg, flatbread, and whole ground mustard.
The plate of fries was HUGE. Granted it cost $8, but totally worth it. The truffle oil (I don't think I've ever had truffle oil) was SO tasty. It was sort of like olive oil but a little stronger.
Mmm, hot, crispy, peppery, with parsley and truffle oil. I ate the WHOLE plate (it took me like 1.5 hours to do so)
Antipasto tapas - I was impressed with the pickled veggies which were refreshing. Also the flatbread was really tasty.
I thought it was kind of weird that the egg was a bright orange color. It was very good with it's slight pickled flavor, but still, a little weird.
Needless to say I was stuffed. I took my time eating since I was not in a rush and because I really liked those fries. I read Dune while eating as I've become a pro at eating alone in restaurants so long as I have a book. It's only been two weeks and I've already read like half the book between times on the bus when I can read (and not get car sick) and eating meals.
I hopped on the bus and made my way back home. I got home around 6:30pm and was exhausted from walking so much in the sun/rain. I mostly vegged out, ate a little food around the house, and then slept.
Such beautiful beaches!
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