JJ Bistro & French Pastry

This past weekend a few of us decided to go to JJ French Pastry.  Five of us to be exact.  It's been a while since I've been to this little pastry shop, so I was quite surprised to discover that a little remodelling of the shop had been done. 

When we arrived at about noon on Sunday, there was quite a crowd inside the shop.  In fact, almost every table was occupied.  We got one of the tables in the far corner and decided to look over the menu. 

But before looking over the menu, I decided that I need to look at all of the wonderful desserts that were in the chiller to the left of the front entrance.

Here are more desserts in the same case as those shown in the picture above.

Besides being pleasantly surprised about the remodel, I was also a bit surprised that JJ's had now started serving a few salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta dishes and pizzas.  The food was a mix of styles and ingredients.  Using ingredients from his native Laos as a basis for many of his dishes, "JJ" prepares the same dishes using French cooking techniques and flair.  Think of this as a Laotian bistro if you will.

Instead of ordering everything a la carte, we each decided on the #3 prix fixe menu, which gives you the following -- choice of pizza or pasta, a side salad, one beverage of your choice and your choice of dessert for US$11.50 (add an additional US$1.00 if your dessert is one of the chocolate pyramids, JJ's specialty).  I'd say that was a great deal.

(Note that the prices listed next to each dish are the a la carte prices.)

Here is the salad that we started off with.  It's a simple tossed green salad consisting of lettuce, tomato wedges, julienned carrots and cucumbers tossed with a ginger-sesame dressing.  Notice the waffle cut of the cucumbers?  How'd he do that?  I found the dressing to be quite tasty, and overall the salad was a refreshing start to the meal.

Here is the angel pizza (US$6.50).

This pizza was topped with beef satay (!), angel hair pasta, bell peppers, onions, spinach and mozarella cheese.  Interesting combination.

Next we have the ratatouille (US$5.75).

This dish originates in the South of France and each vegetable is normally cooked separately to enhance the flavors.  Be warned, that this is not a traditional ratatouille, but an Asian inspired dish "created with a French flair"  The key ingredient here should be eggplant (but it wasn't).  In addition to using the "required" eggplant, this dish substituted bamboo shoots, baby corn and red bell pepper for the usual zucchini, onions and tomatoes.  It was finished with a chili butter sauce and garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary.  Another interesting combination.

This was my dish, the classic fettuccini with chicken (US$7.95).

This is JJ's take on the classic fettuccini Alfredo.  In this dish here, fettuccini noodles are tossed with chicken, red bell pepper, eggplant and spinach.  It's then garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary and served with a parmesian cream sauce.  This was definitely not what I was used to, but the sauce here was rich in flavor, but a tad bit thin and "soupy".  In my opinion, I also felt that the portion was sized a little small.

A couple of other entrées were ordered, but I somehow neglected to snap photos of those.  And just how did that happen?

After the table had been cleared and we had rested for a couple of minutes, it was time for the procession of desserts to begin!  Served by JJ's wife, the desserts are what we really came for!  Served with a smile, we were in for the biggest surprise of all.

Here is the "frou frou au chocolate" (US$3.75).

My apologies.  I didn't eat this, but it's white chocolate mousse, strawberry (or raspberry) and apricot all hidden under that chocolate ganache.  Here's a cutaway view.

Here is the poached pear in red wine tart (US$3.75).

Here's the banana haupia (US$3.75).

And last, this was my dessert, JJ's signature, the chocolate raspberry pyramid (US$4.50; with raspberry US$4.75).

There are actually two different types of chocolate pyramids on the menu, well three if you count the bite-sized miniture ones. 

The first is the chocolate pyramid.  Constructed using chocolate mousse and chocolate cake, then finished with a dusting of bitter (extra brut) chocolate powder, this dessert is simply the most sinfully, chocolate-y dessert around.  The flavor is rich and intense -- slightly sweet and slightly bitter -- and the cake is moist with a perfect crumb. 

The second type of chocolate pyramid, adds an additional layer of flavor to this already richly flavored dessert.  In the middle is some raspberry sauce.  The raspberry flavor provides a tart edge and compliments the sweet-bitterness of the chocolate perfectly. 

To go along with the desserts, we had some coffee (US$1.50 including one refill) to wash it all down.

All in all, the food was a bit of a mystery.  In some aspects is was OK.  In others, it was just a little too fusion for my tastes.  This is not to say that it wasn't enjoyable because it was.  The portions were a little on the small side though, but given the price, it was still a bargain.  In my opinion this is still a pastry shop, or café, first and foremost.  JJ's is the perfect spot for friends to meet for a cup of coffee, some wonderful French-style pastries, and some good relaxing conversation.

UPDATE:  05/01/05

Here's a not too good cutaway view of the chocolate raspberry pyramid from JJ's.  This is being posted at the request of Augustus Gloop and Julia.

When I was there this past weekend, JJ had made a huge chocolate pyramid for another customer.  Here's the pyramid as it sits on the table waiting to be boxed.  I really wanted to eat that one!

JJ Bistro & French Pastry
3447 Waialae Avenue
Telephone:  (808)739-0993

JJFrenchPastryMenu
Requires Adobe Acrobat

Comments

[MrsT]

Yum, yum .. yum..!

[MrsT]

Wow!! and new header again..!!! wow!!

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

These were indeed yummy. Stay tuned for the commentary (I'm working on it right now). And yes, I'm trying a lot of new headers. I'm going to let my readers vote for their favorite one on Friday.

[jupiter]

This is too funny. I have a post on JJ in queue and our pictures loook almost identical. How did you like it? I haven't gone since they were at Pearl Kai shopping center!

[AugustusGloop]

Mmm mmm... I like the bemused look on the waitresses face too! =)

The poached pear tart looks good. And what--no cross-section shot of the chocolate pyramid? =P

[Min]

Wow!Beautiful waitress! Great looking food pictures as usual=)

[marion]

cream, corn, pasta...how can you name this "ratatouille"???
I have to say: I'm French and in shock right now

[MrsT]

Lovely review.. Reid.. :)
I would have loved it.. :)

[sharlyn]

Wow, they have come a long way. This post brings back some great memories. My wedding cake was from JJ...it was the pyramid cake in the shape of a real wedding cake. Yummy!

[Julia]

Ooh, the chocolate pyramid looks and sounds to-die-for. Like AG, I was also hoping for a pic of its cross section.

[MBS]

Double wow. I've always liked JJ's and their foray into the lunch biz looks interesting.

Is their fusion common in Laos? I think most people in Hawaii are used to the Japanese-European or Vietnamese-French style of fusion food. Perhaps the taste too unique and people need some time to get used to it.

[Gail]

Hmmmm, that angel hair pasta looks suspiciously like broken up ramen noodles. The food sounds good and the photos are very nice. I want the pear tart!

[stacey]

hi reid! i return from hawaii with a blista from my poor feet that aren't used to wearing slippas :) the food at JJ's LOOKS great... I am super stuffed...just for fun, I will give you a rundown of all the places i ate. Zippys ala moana, bento place in ala moana food court, curry house (mccully), coffee or tea (mccully), u hungry? (kapiolani and atkinson), chun wah kam (twice!!... actually had 3 big boxes of manapua and some porkhash), bubbies,Panya (used to be in mccully and just a bakery but opened up a restaurant next to genki sushi at ala moana), waiola, kahala zippys, pho 1 (kapiolani by ala moana), eggs n things!! wow, all pauuuuu

[Cheryl]

oh man.... the sight of all those beautiful pastries lined up those neat lil rows just makes my mouth water. the chocolate desserts look fabulous. geez, if i was there, i know i wouldn't be able to resist trying ALL of the chocolate pastries. i'm a total sucker for desserts. am dreaming of a molten chocolate cake right now. primarily the one at Bakerzin! Reid, not sure if you've been there. but the next time you come here, you have to drop by Bakerzin. Their cakes and pastries are to die for. i mean it! check out their website: http://www.bakerzin.com/

[Suebob]

JJ's remodel? What about da Ono Kinz remodel? The page looks great!

[clare eats]

hey Reid!

I think the pastry looks great... pity you can post a choc pyramid ;)
But the rataouille...? Doesnt look like any ratatouille.... i know..... isn't is supposed to be in a tomato sauce with egplant and capsicum...?

[MBS]

I've had that chocolate pyramid before. It's ONO! =)

I think the food looks great, particularly the "ratatouille".

[Mr_Me]

Hey, great idea posting the PDF menu in addition to your review! It really helps to look over the menu of a place before you go there.

Hope that you can do this with future reviews...keep up the awesome work!

[fish fish]

Lucky you!! The ganache and pyramid, makes me sooooo envy now~ Heee, I think I want to try both pyramids. :P

[Trisha]

Alright that's it- I have to go and try that place. Now...gotta find someone to go with...

[Trisha]

Hey! It's on Waialea Ave?! I live close by and I never knew they were there. Wow.

[Reid]

Hi Jupiter,

Haha! How funny is that? The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular. The desserts though...that's a completely different story.

Hi AG,

That bemused waitress is the owner/chef's wife! Don't they make a great team? I was going to take a cutaway of the pyramid, but it was too delicious, I couldn't pull myself away from the plate.

Oh well, I'll just go back this weekend and have another one! =P

Hi Min,

Thank you! =)

The food is so photogenic, isn't it? And so is the shop owner's wife.

Hi Marion,

Thank you for visiting my blog.

It was a bit of a shock to me as well, but then he said it was fusion, so I guess it was OK... =(

Hi MrsT,

I'm sure you would have. I'll be sure to bring you here if you ever visit Hawaii.

Hi Sharlyn,

Welcome to my blog!

WOW! You had a wedding cake from JJ's? Your guests must have love it. It's probably the best chocolate dessert that I've had in a while.

Hi Julia,

The chocolate pyramid is to die for. It's probably one of my favorite desserts.

It's settled. I'm going back this weekend so I can take a cutaway picture for both you and AG to drool over. =P

Hi MBS,

I don't know if fusion cuisine is common in Laos, but JJ did his training in New York. I believe he started as a dishwasher at Maxim's.

The food did look interesting, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. I'm not really into fusion I guess.

Hi Gail,

I think it was ramen noodles too if you ask me. I have to check with JJ when I go back there this weekend. The desserts are the best, so much better than Cafe Laufer. Thanks for the comment on the photos.

Hi Stacey,

I hope you had fun in Hawaii. It sure looks like you ate at quite a number of places. What did you think of the food? Maybe next time, you need to visit JJ's for the desserts.

[Reid]

Hi Cheryl,

Oooh, thanks for the link. Everything looks so good. I'll definitely have to try that place the next time I'm in Singapore! =)

I love desserts too, expecially well made ones. Even though the food here at JJ's was nothing to write home about, it's the desserts that make this place special and worth visiting.

Hi Suebob,

I'm in the process of remodelling too. Hopefully, the new loook with be with me for a while. I'm planning on working on a couple more logos, then putting them up for vote. Which ever garners the most votes, will become my permanent logo.

Thanks for the compliment! =)

Hi Clare,

Yes, you're right about ratatouille. This one is Asian inspired. I don't know why he chose to use that name for the dish though.
Believe me, the pastries are much better than they look! =P

Hi MBS,

The chocolate pyramid is great isn't it? Did you have the one with raspberry? While the ratatouille looks good, it was just OK flavorwise, and the portion was quite small.

Hi Mr_me,

Thank you! I'm actually planning on posting all of the menus that I have, so look for a lot of the posts to be updated. I'm also going to categorize them by location and cuisine, so look out for that as well. =)

Thanks again!

Hi fish fish,

The desserts here are to die for...and I know you like desserts! The one with the raspberry sauce was great. I like the contrast of sweet and tart! Mmmm! I'm going back for another one this weekend. =)

Hi Trisha,

If you do visit JJ's let me know what you think. The food is OK for the price. If you do go, you definitely have to try the desserts. =)

[clare eats]

Hey Reid?
Did you ee they Matcha mousse Cake I had on my blog? That wa Awesome too :)

Have you decided what you want from Oz yet?

[stacey]

hi reid! i liked the food, as always :) i suppose i did get a couple new things, at curry house i got a tako ball curry, which i never had before. it was alright but i suppose i'm not a good critic like you. I also got furikake mahi mahi and "you hungry?" which was ok too, I think I prefer other stuff at "you hungry?" ... they have good laulau. Probably my favorite thing (and I get this EVERY time I go there) is the beef lemon salad at Pho 1. It's rare beef, sweet with lemon... ono! Also, I love chun wah kam, but they were out of my favorite, taro manapua :)