The ambiance was odd, to say the least. The semi-open patio and dining room look out over the unbeatable vista of the Pacific Ocean. From certain sections of the patio, guests can see pools where dolphins play and put on shows. Unfortunately, today was overcast, with rain threatening at any moment, so the vibrant blue of the ocean was subdued to a mere blue-gray. The seating arrangements were less than optimal for a group of five. We were not able to sit at one of the normal tables, but instead had to make due with essentially a couch, some chairs and a coffee table. Leaning over a coffee table just below the height of my knees is no way to eat a scone.
While the furniture and decor were very clean, modern resort-ish with a hint of classic island themes, the background music was retro 50's lounge music, including that eternal elevator classic, "The Girl from Ipanema," which is now stuck in my head, thank you very much. Had the Kahala gone all the way with the retro 50's theme, including the furniture and the uniforms of the waitstaff, it would have been far less discordant to hear Frank Sinatra singing "Witchcraft" while I waited for my tea.
We all ordered the "Classic Tea," which included a choice of savory sandwiches plus scones, mini desserts, and a choice of tea. The tea selection was limited and a little disappointing to me (but likely just fine for a normal person). The Kahala uses standard off-the-shelf Harney & Sons teas. No custom blends. Harney & Sons teas are good, solid choices, but I was disappointed that all of the teas were blends and flavors that I could buy from the supermarket at home.
I opted for the Caribe, a blend of black and green teas with strawberry and guava flavors. I chose the Caribe because it was the only one of the ten teas offered that I hadn't already tasted (or actually own). Another of our party went for the Yellow and Blue, a blend of chamomile, lavender and cornflowers.
The Caribe was quite nice. It was exactly the way I like my flavored blacks, with the primary flavor being the tea, and the fruity notes being only complements to the tea. The strawberry was more noticeable than the guava, but that may be because guava is naturally a more mellow flavor.
The predominant flavor in the Yellow and Blue is chamomile, with the lavender and cornflower providing undertones. It is a grassy, rather than sweet tea. I tend to like it with about a teaspoon of honey per 12 oz. cup, which I find brings out the cornflower tones a little more.
If I sound disappointed so far, that's because I have not yet talked about the food. The food was superb. The clotted cream had just the right balance of sweetness and creaminess. The lilikoi preserves managed to be both tart and sweet. They gave us berry and chocolate scones; I would have preferred a plain scone to appreciate fully the natural flavors of the lilikoi preserves.
The savory sandwich choices were an interesting combination of classic British tea sandwiches and island flavors. A flavorful mushroom turnover used locally grown Ali'i mushrooms. The egg salad sandwich was on macadamia nut bread. The ham sandwich came with Machengo cheese and parsley butter, along with a hint of some sort of pickled local vegetable. For all their flavor, however, the savory portions could have been about a half-size larger. The sweet scones combined with the astoundingly sweet desserts left everyone feeling over-sugared. I would have happily sacrificed the second scone for more of the tarragon chicken salad with grapes and endive or the rare roast beef with herbed mayonnaise.
The deserts were the only other part of the Veranda tea experience that followed through on the 1950's retro theme of the music. The Kahala pastry chefs dug back into classic 1950s cookbooks for a surprisingly light and fluffy white cake with coconut flakes and custard filling. I found the bright blue macarons with curaçao ganache filling to be teeth-achingly sweet, but others at the table liked them much more. The frangiapane tart with pineapple and a dark rum glaze was a hit all around.
Overall, it was a thoroughly charming experience, with some room for improvement. Simply replacing the chocolate chip scone with a plain scone would have tipped the balance of flavors away from overwhelming sweetness. Someone who is not already a tea addict would find the tea selection less dull than I did.
So, should you find yourself in Honolulu, and don't want to spend the money for the far more expensive tea at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, the tea at the Kahala is a reasonable alternative.
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