I don't get to Waikiki much, but one of my friends recommended that I try this spot. Interestingly, parking at the nearby International Marketplace parking lot wasn't ridiculous, about $16 for maybe a couple hours. But I digress.
An elevator ride down and a short jaunt later, we got to Basalt. Since my friend and I went on Independence Day for lunch, the place was fairly empty. Figure either tourists were still enjoying the sun or had 4th of July plans elsewhere.
Small breakfast menu here, but a diverse one. The Charcoal Buttermilk Pancakes ($20) would have been an intriguing option if I had more of a sweet tooth.
Full bar right next to us, and a wine cellar in the back of the building.
Everything starts with coffee. Basalt's custom house coffee blend is delicious and comes from Hawaiian Paradise Coffee. Not too strong, not too weak, just right. Bottomless coffee for $5 in Waikiki is pretty reasonable.
I instead opted for the Crab Cake Benedict ($28), which had two plump crab cakes, each on a hald English muffin and kale, topped with hollandaise. It came with a side of "sidewinder" potatoes and ketchup.
Delicious crab cake, with generous amounts of crab meat and a bit of panko breading for crunch. Properly made hollandaise. Potatoes seasoned perfectly, with pillowy inside. However, one of the few times I've ever had an overcooked poached egg. No runny yolk made me a sad panda.
My friend easily picked the better dish, the Pork Hash Loco Moco ($22). A bed of white rice, pork hash patty, two sunny side up eggs, and a unique soy-mustard gravy. That soy-mustard gravy paired perfectly with the pork hash patty. The Chinese pork hash in loco moco form is something I never would have thought of.
Excellent service overall. Our server made sure the water glass stayed full.
While the overcooked poached egg affected this experience, Basalt is a great spot to get a good meal in Waikiki. 7.75/10
No comments:
Post a Comment