Gastronome

Red Carpet waffles

Red Carpet waffles

YOGURSTORY
815 Keeaumoku St. Honolulu
Phone number (808) 942-0505
website yogurstory.com

Brunch is easily my favorite meal of the day. Seriously, it makes for the perfect weekend ritual: You sleep in, then indulge in a big, leisurely meal.

And this might sound incredibly basic, but probably one of my all-time favorite brunch items is eggs benedict. So in a continuous quest to find the best eggs benedict, I don’t think I have found one that tops what YogurStory has got to offer. For starters, YogurStory has a whole section of its menu dedicated to the dish, with different varieties that include Classic (with Canadian bacon) Kalua Pig, BAE (seared pork belly, poached eggs and a bacon hollandaise), Pope (with roasted veggies, a pesto balsamic and a pesto hollandaise), and Crab Cake (comes on a taro roll instead of an English muffin).

I went with Smoked Salmon, which came with smoked wild salmon, spinach and asparagus. It’s complemented with a pesto hollandaise, a lighter, slightly tangy iteration of the original.

It’s still a substantial meal, but it is a lighter option than the standard benedict, which means you’ll have room to sample more. YogurStory’s menu largely incorporates local and Asian influences, with other dishes including Pulehu Kalbi & Eggs, a Hurricane Rice Bowl featuring kim chee fried rice and K-Town Chicken & Waffle with Korean chicken atop a Belgian waffle. There’s also a variety of loco mocos, skillets and more.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict CHRISTINA O'CONNOR PHOTOS

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict CHRISTINA O’CONNOR PHOTOS

While YogurStory might be best known for its brunch, it’s also got a lunch menu — filled with salads, sandwiches and burgers — that’s not to be overlooked. Its Lox & Bagel offers generous pieces of its tender smoked salmon, alongside capers, sweet onions, cream cheese and mixed greens.

Another great thing about brunch is that it seems to be the one meal where it’s considered acceptable to have both savory and sweet items at the same time.

YogurStory has made its name on its sweeter items and has a variety of decadent waffles and pancakes. You’ve probably seen Instagram photos of its purple Ube Pancakes. I’ve yet to try that (I hear it’s delicious, but to be honest, it just doesn’t look appetizing to me), but its Red Carpet waffles are not to be missed. This rich red velvet waffle is complemented with a smooth dollop of taro cream cheese — probably the best cream cheese flavor I never knew I wanted. Then it’s topped with crumbles of red velvet cake and drizzled with chocolate. Other waffle creations include the Dolce De Leche, with a pecan crunch, banana and whipped cream, and Chantilly featuring chocolate mousse, cream puffs, chocolate sauce and macadamia nuts.

Be warned, though, that the waffles and pancakes can be incredibly sweet. My recommendation is to go with a friend, order your own entrees, and then split the waffles. You might have to retreat into a food coma for a bit afterward, but you will regret nothing.

ONE-BITE REVIEWS WITH PAIGE TAKEYA

My boyfriend, Blake, has a great interest in novelty fast food. He was totally that guy who tried the Cheetos Chicken Fries from Burger King (he didn’t like them), and he was also really sad recently that he missed Arby’s foray into pork belly.

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I say this so you, dear reader, understand that it was a level-one priority for him that we travel to the nearest Taco Bell to try the Naked Chicken Chalupa the day it came out.

On paper it sounds pretty dubious. It’s your standard taco filled with tomato, lettuce, cheese and avocado ranch sauce … but the taco shell is made of fried chicken.

I was having flashbacks to the KFC Double Down (which Blake, of course, thought was great) at just the concept of it.

But he had to get it, so we did.

It was … actually not bad. In fact, it was pretty good.

The chicken patty is crispy, spicy and just the right size to dodge feeling too unhealthy. The taco’s simple, light contents provided a refreshing counterpoint to the rich “shell.” And that avocado mayo sauce should be put on more things.

I was forced to confront the strange reality that if you made me eat another one, I would, without a fuss.

2017, amirite?