Restaurant Week: JJ Bistro

It's Restaurant Week in Honolulu, but, alas, Umami hasn't made it to d.k. yet!    But he and Trish did go check out JJ Bistro and French Pastry, which was running a four course prix fixe for $24.70.  For that price, you get . . . 

Sweet pea soup with scallop.  Cute little bowl/mug of soup.  The soup was thinner than you would expect, but with a delicate pea flavor, with hints of butter, and a scallop.  As it turned out, one cute scallop per bowl/mug.

Choice of appetizer.  Trish and Umami normally coordinate their orders to get as many different dishes as possible, so this is appetizer #1 . . . manila clams.

Appetizer #2 was the Bake Lobster Avocado:  lobster on French bread croutons with a sauce that was almost a cross between a guacamole and salsa.  A little of the sauce went a long way for the lobster, plus some sprouts for crunch.  Good fun.

Seafood Brioche

Inside the Brioche

Entree #1:  Seafood stuffed Brioche, served with leek, Shiitake mushroom, red bell pepper in chef's special black pepper cream sauce.

Entree #2:  Baked Lamb Wellington:  Rack of lamb with bell pepper & Cheese wrapped in puff pastry, served with side pan seared potato and black pepper cream sauce.  This was an interesting dish.  Umami is not normally a lamb fan (because sometimes the taste can be a little strong), but couldn't resist.  It's a neat little dish, worth trying.  Oh, if ordering the restaurant week special, this entree costs $5 more.

Dessert Case

Now, the interesting thing for this special is that you get one dessert with the meal, and one to take home!  Though you can eat both there.   Plus, a little baby creme brulee as well.  So, doing the math, that's six desserts between Umami and Trish!

From left to right:  Iced Drop Framboise, Red Velvet Cake, Creme Brulee.

Sorry this is so dark!  From left to right:  Chestnut cake (very delicate chestnut flavor, reminded Umami of the chestnuts from Shirokiya), Chocolate Pyramid (intense dark chocolate flavor that was awesome with coffee . . . they also have mini pyramids ($1) and raspberry chocolate pyramids).

It was a veritable dessert fest!

The restaurant does a smaller scale prix fixe menu daily; it's worth checking out:  www.jjfrenchpastry.com.  It's always fun to try a lot of different things, and the Restaurant Week special is a great excuse to do so.  And . . . six desserts . . . !!  Check it out.   

JJ Bistro and French Pastry 
3447 Waialae Ave 
Honolulu, HI 96816 
Tel(808)739-0993
Fax(808)739-0991