Koko Head Cafe, about 35 minutes from the Ko Olina Beach Villas, is an island style brunch house with Top Chef Lee Anne Wong serving eclectic dishes seven days a week.
After graduating from The French Culinary Institute, Chef Wong jumped into the restaurant world. She immersed herself in New York’s fusion cuisine – working for several years at Marcus Samuelsson’s Aquavit, later serving as an integral part the opening staff at Jean Georges Vongrichten’s Chinese venture, Restaurant 66. She has also cooked and staged in kitchens all over the world, including The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter’s of Chicago, Nobu, The Four Seasons, Trio, Casa Oaxaca in Mexico and Cap Jaluca in the British Virgin Islands – picking up global flavors and techniques along the way.
Chef Wong brought her culinary skills to an even wider audience when she appeared as a cheftestant on Season One of Bravo’s Flagship Series “Top Chef.” A fan favorite, Wong’s fusion of flavors took her to number four in the competition. The show’s producers saw her innate talent and media experience, and brought her on as the crucially important Supervising Culinary Producer on Top Chef, and its spin-off Top Chef Masters.
Koko Head Cafe serves up comfortable brunch fare with an Asian flare at reasonable prices. Ever tried bibimbap? It’s a signature Korean dish that literally means “mixed rice.” Here Wong creates a breakfast version of the dish that includes bacon, Portuguese sausage, heritage ham, kimchi, soy-mirin shiitake mushrooms, ong choy, sesame carrots and bean sprouts over crispy garlic rice. Top that off with an egg sunny side up, and you’ve got Breakfast Bibimbap.
Ricotta in the pancakes gives them a slight tang and keeps them extra moist. You can choose between Hawaiian-style or applewood smoked bacon and creamy black pepper maple.
This is a popular spot, so come early or be prepared to wait – they do not accept reservations. For more information, visit http://kokoheadcafe.com/.
