2016 S El Camino Real
San Clemente, CA 92672
(949) 276-6657
http://www.hapajs.com
Our lease for the apartment is up in July. I like our apartment in Irvine. The only thing I don't like is that they do not allow dogs. You all know how much I love animals. Dr. P is allergic to cats, so we've been wanting to have a dog (or two, even three?) so bad. We decided to go down to San Clemente to see some places on Sunday. Dr. P goes to San Clemente to surf all the time, and he really likes the beach vibe at this small town. But before we go see houses, we gotta fill our stomach first.
I did a quick search on the internet, and found most of the eateries in San Clemente are Mexican fast food or pizza places. Then I found Hapa J's, a Hawaiian restaurant. From the pictures on their website, it looks like a nice sit-down restaurant. Yup, we are going there for lunch!
They have lunch special everyday of the week from 11am to 3pm. They also have a few weekend specials. The friendly owner greeted us with a big smile. He dresses like a surfer dude and talks like one, too. Dr. P felt right at http://www.eileenlikestoeat.com there. haha....
Edamame
Our waitress brought us some salted edamame soy bean when we sat down.
Primo Hawaiian Lager ($3.00) / Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Mimosas ($3.50)
Their draft beer is only $3. Dr. P had to have one. He was in the mood for something light and got a glass of Primo beer. Lilikoi Mimosas is normally $5, but on Sunday it's $3.50. I love it! It tasted just like bubbling passion fruit juice, only you get a buzz as an extra add-on. haha....
Mini Luau Plate ($9.50)
Kalua pig, pickled mango, coconut haupia, lomi lomi salmon, rice, mac salad.
Dr. P ordered a weekend special, Mini Luau Plate. This plate has appetizer, salad, entree, sides, and dessert all on one plate.
Lomi Lomi Salmon
Lomi Lomi Salmon was made with fresh chucks of salmon mixed with tomato. The mixture was almost creamy in a way. Seasoning was heavy, so it was best eaten with rice. Dr. P likes it a lot.
Kalua Pig
Kalua Pig is a Hawaiian style pulled pork. It was flavorful and very tender. We saw other customers ordered Kalua Pig Quesidilla, and it looked super tasty.
Macaroni Potato Salad
This is not your ordinary macaroni salad, this is Macaroni Potato Salad. It tasted like potato salad and macaroni salad mixed together. It tasted lighter, tastier, and had more texture than your regular mushy macaroni salad.
Pickled Mango
I have never had Hawaiian Pickled Mango. Why didn't I discover this earlier? Absolutely love it! It was a little sour, a little sweet, and a whole lot of yumminess.
Coconut Haupia
Coconut Haupia (Hawaiian pudding) tasted like a sweet coconut silky tofu. I could eat 10 pieces of this!
Spicy Poke Bowl ($5.99)
Sashimi grade ahi cube cut & mixed with our sesame seasoning and drizzled with our spicy aioli sauce. Brown rice with tossed greens.
I ordered lunch special Spicy Poke Bowl, and asked fr brown rice and green salad. The salad had a really yummy dressing.
Spicy Ahi Poke
Spicy Ahi Poke had big cubes of ahi tuna that was seasoned perfectly. One bite consisted of ahi tuna, chives, green seaweed salad, and the super delicious spicy aioli. I couldn't get enough of it.
We love this restaurant. The chef here definitely is talented. It was a cute place with very laid back atmosphere. The TVs on the wall had surfing video on. Service was friendly and warm. Dr. P can't wait to take his friend who's from Hawaii here next time after a surfing session. I, also, can't wait to go back again to try more of their delicious Hawaiian dishes.
[ad#ad-unit]
Please don't move from Irvine! I'll miss your reviews of all the local restaurants here!
ReplyDeleteAwww You're so sweet! ^^
o woah, what a neat finding! refreshing in every way! why does it have to be so far away? :( any luck with nest hunt?
ReplyDeleteNope, we're still looking.
I want to go look around that area again as an excuse to go back to Hapa J's. haha....
wow, this place was a pleasant surprise, loved it! Can't wait to go back! :)
ReplyDeleteLet's go back soon!
Eileen, I was always allergic to cats but 5 years ago my sister found a stray all-white kitten and brought it over to my house. I have never been allergic to him and he has brought me so much joy---he's my first-ever indoor cat and follows me everywhere and sleeps with me. I don't know much about cats----could it be that I'm only allergic to cats that are not all-white? When I go to the animal shelter to visit their cats I start sneezing right away, but never with my all-white kitty. Any ideas why? (maybe Dr P won't be allergic to a all-white cat?)
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting!
I have no idea what is the reason, but I think that cat was meant to be yours!!
First time leaving a message here.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
good luck on house hunting.
Welcome, Zoe!
Thank you thank you. ^^
I heard that people are not allergic to cat fur...they're allergic to cat saliva. So if you have a breed of cat that does not lick its fur, then you will not be allergic to it. Not all cats lick their fur to clean themselves, so if you can find one, Dr. P should be ok.
ReplyDeleteI heard otherwise.
I heard it's not the hair, but the dander.
Hmmm I'm going to do a search on the internet now.
Jumpcut, there must be another reason why I have never been allergic to my all-wite cat because he licks himself a lot. I never knew that its their saliva that people are allergic too. I should go-line and research why this kitty has never caused me to sneeze (maybe he has magical saliva? hahaha).
ReplyDeleteThis is what I found:
Cat allergen is not actually cat hair, but a protein present in the dander and saliva of cats. The allergens become airborne as microscopic particles which, when inhaled into the nose or lungs, can produce allergic symptoms. Cat allergen is particularly sticky and is carried on clothing.
We discoverd Hapa J's on Mothers' day - they did a really decent job. I figured that any place that does a good job on a holiday is worth going back to. We have several times and it's a new favorite.
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed our lunch there.
Gotta go back soon to try more of their delicious food!