One late morning in Waikiki,  my fiance and I were on the hunt for breakfast food, but having trouble finding a place. We arrived at Il Lupino right at 11a.m. when they stop serving breakfast. Fortunately, they were kind enough to accommodate us. The restaurant seemed to be a nicer place – crisp white linens, with very professional and polite service. I would guess that their evening ambiance would warrant business casual or a nice summer dress. We weren’t dressed up at all, but daytime is always more casual, and I saw some other people in beach gear at neighbouring tables. They have a nice little outdoor patio that seemed to comfortably fit all breakfast guests.

PicsArt_il lupino pancakes My fiance ordered the Buttermilk Pancakes  ($14). They were served with fresh berries and maple syrup. The pancakes were deliciously soft and fluffy – much lighter and airy than most. He really enjoyed them, and I really enjoyed the bite (or two) that I stole off his plate.

PicsArt_il lupino benedict
I ordered the Salmon Benedict ($17). My dish was delicious. Granted, I am a bit biased, because smoked salmon and eggs benedict are two of my favourite foods, but am confident anyone else who likes a good eggs benny will like this too. The eggs were poached exactly how I like them – just enough to cook the white and keep the yolk runny. I liked that they put a slice of tomato between the salmon and the English muffin. It really set it apart from the other salmon bennys I’ve had at other restaurants. It was served with sauteed potatoes, seasoned simply with butter and a bit of salt.
We were impressed with the food and service enough that we came back for breakfast again.

PicsArt_il lupino waffleOn our second visit, my fiance ordered the Belgian Waffle ($12) with fresh berries and whipped cream. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with hot-off-the-griddle Belgian waffle. It was just as good as the pancakes the previous day. PicsArt_il lupino fruitI ordered the fresh fruit plate ($12) and a side of toast ($2.50) – sadly, they were out of whole wheat, so I had to settle for white toast, but that was only a minor setback. The fruit plate was bigger than I anticipated and beautifully presented. It was half a papaya with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. There’s not much I can say in terms of cooking skills for a plate of fruit, but I can say that the fruit was fresh, sweet and refreshing.
We never ate there for lunch or dinner, so I’m not how the food, prices or value is during that time, but for breakfast – Il Lupino = win.

Food: mini5forks

Service: mini4andahalfforks

Value: mini4andahalfforks

Ambiance: mini4andahalfforks

OVERALL: 4andahalfforks

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