Grand Café & Bakery

After returning to Hawaii from my trip to Singapore, I was on my way to the post office to collect my mail.  I noticed a couple men standing outside the old Wing Coffee Building, and I saw that it had been converted to a restaurant.  Looking in through the window, it seemed to have drawn quite a nice sized crowd, so I made a mental note to stop by here one day for lunch. 

Grand Café and Bakery has been open for a little over a month or so, and judging by the crowds, they've been doing some brisk business.  When I arrived with a friend, we were told the wait would be about 10 minutes for a table (actual wait time was 15 minutes).

While waiting, I decided to take a look at the baked goods in the chiller up front.  There were cakes, danish pastries, cream puffs and other goodies....  I spotted one that I wanted to try, and decided that if I had enough time left over, I would order some dessert (I didn't have time).

The friend that came along had the meatloaf (US$7.75).

The individual bacon-wrapped meatloaf was served with a red wine reduction and was made using ground beef, pork and veal (!).  I was told that it was very delicious, though the portion was sized a bit small.

I had the Grand Café Reuben grill (US$7.75).  I had really wanted to have the chips (Utz potato chips), but unfortunately, they were already sold out.  Instead, I had to settle for the cole slaw.

The Reuben sandwich was filled with lots of meaty corned beef, a bit of sauerkraut and Russian dressing.  It was all topped with some nicely melted Swiss cheese.  The rye bread was nicely toasted and had a wonderful flavor without being too buttery.  The corned beef, for the most part, was lean.  In fact, a great thing was done with this sandwich.  When I opened it up to have a look, the lean slices of corned beef were on top, with the fattier pieces below.  It made it easy for me to remove some of the fatty pieces of corned beef for a slightly "healthier" sandwich.  The cole slaw here was great.  Not being a cole slaw fan, this was extremely fresh tasting and contained very little mayonaisse or vinegar.  It was actually refreshing.

Since it took a while for us to be seated, for us to place our order, and for our food to actually arrive, I was out of time and could not order the dessert that I was hoping to.  Instead, I took it home with me so that I could have it after dinner.

What did I get?  The chocolate cake (US$4.00).  When I inquired at the counter, I was asked if I was going to eat this alone.  "Of course," I replied.  The gentleman at the counter looked shocked.  He explained that most people "share" the desserts, Well, he obviously didn't know me!  He then offered that the chocolate cake was made with pure chocolate, not cocoa powder.  I was immediately impressed, and happy, that I had made such a wise choice.

After dinner, I attempted to eat this huge slice of chocolate cake.  It was three layers high, with an equal amount of chocolatey frosting.  The cake was moist and dense, and because it was made with real chocolate, it was very chocolate-y, but not at all sweet.  It was by far, the best chocolate cake that I've ever tasted.

According to some information on the menu, the Grand Café and Bakery was originally founded back in 1923.  Many of the recipes used in preparing the food date back to this era.  The food here is excellent, and a pretty good value considering the quality of the food, the atmosphere and the service.  This is definitely a place that I'd continue to visit for years to come.

Grand Café & Bakery
31 North Pauahi Street
Telephone:  808.531.0001

Comments

[MrsT]

Np.. Reid.. :) anything for good food review.. ;)

[daffy]

I admire how you seem to be able to take so many photos in restaurants with ease. I often get the evil eye when I try to do so! But on the other extreme, sometimes they give me more food =)

[AugustusGloop]

Looks yum! It's actually kinda more fun staggering your photos from your commentary. Makes us look at the food a little more and try and guess what it is! :-P

[Trisha]

Hi there, I came across your website and think it's great! I live on Oahu so it will really help to decide where to eat on a Friday night :) I will also add your blog to my links because I want to support anything local. Come by and visit my blog sometime ok? Thanks!

Trisha

[babe_kl]

whoa... no need commentary cos those pictures already painted a thousand words :p hehehehe yum yum

[Cathy]

can't wait to hear about that cake!!

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

Thank you for having patience with me. =) It's updated now.

Hi AG,

Thank you. =)

I hope you enjoy the review. The food here is great and I'm definitely going to go back for more. The menu is really short, so I'm planning on trying everything on it.

Hi Trisha,

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for the compliments on my site, and I hope you find it helpful. I know that you're probably aware that there aren't very many late night dining options in Hawaii. If you know of some, please let me know. Thanks again for stopping by and I'll be sure to check out your site as well.

Hi babe_kl,

The food was very delicious. My favorite part was actually the chocolate cake that I took home for dessert.

Hi Cathy,

The cake was wonderful. I heard it's based on a traditional chocolate layer cake recipe and is made using real chocolate. No Dutch-processed cocoa here. The cake, even with all that frosting and filling, was not sweet at all. It's now my favorite chocolate cake. =P

[MrsT]

I love reuben sandwiches .. Reid.. :) because of the sauerkraut.. :)
The chocolate cake looks fab..!! and now i know.. my spouse would love it.. ;)

[Julia]

Hi Reid,

Don't know about the meatloaf, but I think the piped whipped potato looks so tempting! I'm crazy over whipped potato, and that looks so pretty and creamy. :)

[AugustusGloop]

Great review Reid. And I suppose that chocolatey goodness was one of the driving forces behind your IMBB choice hey? ;-)

Never heard of a Reuben sandwich before, but I do like corned beef!

And I like that first pic of the two passersby staring at the window menu. Sense of deja vu... :-P

[MBS]

Wow, this place looks ONO. Nadine Kam (honolulu star bulletin) profiled it as well. She thought the food was good, but the service was below average.

Btw, did you know your weblog was listed in the food edition of Honolulu Weekly? Grats!

[Linda]

I love this food blog, Reid. Great to have the ono lookng food pictures to go with your reviews. You must work near where I do, as you've been to a lot of the same downtown eating places I've been. Have you tried Che Pasta?

[Clinton]

Reid,

Not being too much of a sweet eater, this chocolate cake does resemble the one from RJ's in Beverly Hills owned by Robert Wagner the actor. It was probably the most richest chocolate cake I've ever eaten and I definitely do know what you're talking about as it being sinfully decadent. The Reuben sandwich is also making my mouth water...Nothing like good tender corn beef with sauerkraut on rye bread. M-m-m-m-m!

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

I loved the chocolate cake too. I've been back once already just for the cake! =P

Hi Julia,

Doesn't the whipped potato look good? I forgot to ask how it was, but I'm sure that it was really light.

Hi AG,

Yes, it was...that and the fact that I really like chocolate, especially dark chocolate, desserts! Reuben sandwiches are nice, but I can't eat them all the time, especially since they can contain quite a bit of fat.

Hi MBS,

I don't normally like to read reviews by others as it can sometimes set false expectations. The service here was OK, but not great. She might have visited when it first opened. After talking to a couple of friends, the service was really bad during the first couple of weeks.

I saw that write up in the Weekly. Thank you. I'm just too modest to post it up on this site here. Besides, I've been trying to stay away from any sort of coverage, I'm media shy and I really don't want any of my friends/family to discover my hobby!

Hi Linda,

Welcome to my blog.

I do work in Downtown, right near all of these wonderful lunchtime dining spots. I've been to Che Pasta many times, although mostly for business lunches. It would seem a bit inappropriate for me to whip out my camera in the company of business associates, wouldn't you think? I'll try to go there one day with a friend or two, so stay tuned for a write up.

Hi Clinton,

If you don't really like sweet cakes, then this is the one for you. It was rich and moist without being overly sweet. I'm like you in that I really like a nice Reuben sandwich with tender corned beef...nothing like it, as you said!

[jupiter]

Wow this place looks awesome. Both the meat loaf and the reuben sandwich look delicious. And I LOVE chocolate...that cake...drool!

[Reid]

Hi Jup,

The meatloaf and the Reuben sandwich were great. I'd come here just for the chocolate cake...in fact, I thought of eating the whole thing the first time I saw it! =P

Next time you're in town, perhaps we can have cake and coffee here. My treat!

[samanie]

great review! last time we went to grand cafe, we had the meatloaf and reuben, as well! they were both deeeelicious! when i went back a second time, i met the manager. she was such a friendly woman, and even offered us free dessert of lemon meringue pie and the chocolate cake! it was wooonderful!

[Reid]

Hi Samanie,

Welcome to the blog!

Lucky you were able to get a free slice of chocolate cake. What I wouldn't give for that. I've never tried the lemon meringue pie as I've never seen it. I must be going too late. I've tried quite a few other dishes here and all were quite good.

Thanks for stopping by!

BTW...the manager is nice, isn't she? She's always so friendly and pleasant. Maybe that's why it's always busy.

[MBS]

Hey Reid,

have you revisited this place? If so, how was it?

[Reid]

Hi MBS,

I've visited this place off and on for a few months, and although the food was great, they had major problems with the service. Therefore, I am not going to recommend this place to anyone.

I'm not sure if things have changed since they hired a new manager, but even if they did, I still wouldn't go back.

[milgwimper]

Ok I don't know how I missed this post, but I can guess. Anyways I...I...I am Speachless over that chocolate cake. Oh my goodness I would *licking chops* uhuh where was I? Oh yes the cake looks quite delicious!

[Reid]

Hi Milgwimper,

The chocolate cake WAS delicious. Now that the pastry chef has quit working here, I'm not sure how good the baked goods are. I will not be visiting this place again after many, many visits with poor service.

[MBS]

So she DID leave. Wonder where she went. Find out for us, Reid!

Btw, is she a local girl?

[Reid]

Hi MBS,

I heard that Samantha Choi is at Nico's at Pier 38. I'm not sure if she is local, but I can try to find out... =)