Brunch has got to be my favourite meal of the day. It is anywhere from mid-morning to early afternoon, so I can sleep in and take my time. There are always so many choices, from sweet to savoury, from fluffy pancakes to cheesy omelettes. But most of all, it is because I can indulge myself as much as I want and not have to worry as I will have the whole afternoon and evening to burn it off. Ideally?.
With that in mind, I can not NOT have brunch when I am in holiday mode.
After a quick search, Island Lava Java popped up a few times with pretty high ratings and there was our winner. It is located in the strip of downtown Kona, right across from the ocean. So if you get seated close to the railings, you will get a breathtaking view of the ocean. We tried to get a table near, but most of them were reserved when we went. Bummer. Nevertheless, we were still accompanied by the gentle ocean breeze and lovely weather.
Funny side story -There was this sign at the entrance where it said something along the lines of “we reserve the right to charge 18% gratuity fee on parties of 8 or more. Mahalo!” Since it was in cursive font, my friend read “Mahaha!” at the end and thought that was a bit of an in-your-face and evil welcoming note?.
My first order was the luau omelette and a coffee float. The reason for the ‘first’ was because we actually returned for brunch on another day, not that I had a huge appetite.
My coffee float was legit with rich Kona coffee taste and a hint of sweetness from the vanilla ice cream. I just have one complaint – this was the ugliest ice cream float that I have ever had?, can they make it look just a bit more appealing? The ice cream was like an uneven blob bathing in mud. I’m sure they have those ice cream scoops, at least put a little more effort into spooning out a smooth round ice cream ball for presentation.
My omelette was stuffed with juicy kalua pork and fresh pineapple covered in cheesy goodness, and the egg part was very tender as well. Yummy! Rustic potatoes was not bad and nothing too special about the Portuguese sausage.
My boyfriend had the waipi’o stack breakfast – beautiful presentation and very colourful.
My friend chose Belgian waffle breakfast ‘Island style’ – very fluffy waffles. The coconut syrup added a nice island touch.
My other friend ordered roasted veggie omelette. I didn’t take a picture because it looked the same as my omelette on the outside. But it didn’t taste as good as mine. She had also asked for no goat cheese, except they still put it in?. Hmmm, maybe it got lost in transmission, but that showed their attention to detail needed some improvement.
My second order at Island Lava Java was drag it thru the garden and lava java shake.
I loved my shake?! It was Kona coffee ice cream with espression and milk. Maybe because it was highly caffeinated, but it was absolutely delicious. It had a perfect silky consistency with rich, slightly caustic and delicately sweet flavour. Mmmmmm…
The garden croissant was more filling than it looked – egg, ham, and cheese along with fresh tomato, avocado, and arugula. Healthy and delectable at the same time.
I haven’t tried their dinner so I can’t say for all, but I would recommend this place for brunch at least. Their servers were friendly. The food was fair priced and overall tasty, and their location was a bonus.