2014: Off to a good start!
It's the new year and we had much to celebrate! Not only did it bring an end to a very difficult and tumultuous 2013, Mr. and I also celebrated our 4th date-aversary (the anniversary of our first date) on January 1st. However, being vegan can be quite a challenge when it comes to fine dining. That is, until I saw that Roy's Restaurant in Waikiki offers a vegan prix fixe menu!
Roy's is one of our favorite restaurants and we love love LOVE the chocolate souffle. So the fact that the Waikiki restaurant has a vegan menu was very exciting! When I called to make reservations, they informed me that it's offered everyday but only at the Waikiki one. So, into Waikiki we headed!
The first course was a cauliflower "chowder" with basil truffle emulsion and grilled crostini.
The first thing I noticed was the smell of basil. The "chowder" was more liquid-y than real chowder, which makes sense since they don't add cream. It was actually a little sweet. And when we dipped the grilled crostini into it, the saltiness added a nice flavor.
The portion may look small but it was actually a good size.
The second course was Hamakua mushrooms with grapes. Before it came, we wondered if it was going to be one big mushroom or a salad.
When I first got it, I ate each thing separately. On its own, it tastes... different. I recommend having one mushroom, one grape and one greens for each bite. Together, they taste better. This wasn't my favorite. I preferred the hoisin sauce to the grape sauce.
The main entree was a ravioli with eggplant and hearts of palm.
This was really good. It had a bunch of veggies including zucchini and tomatoes. The flavors worked really well together.
For dessert, we had a coconut-vanilla panna cotta with mango sorbet and mango, lime and jalapeno salsa.
The jalapeno was a surprise flavor in the salsa, in a good way. I enjoyed the mango sorbet over the panna cotta, and Mr. was the opposite.
But the real dessert was our favorite chocolate souffle. We know it's not vegan but it's the best souffle ever and we felt we could treat ourselves. This souffle takes 30 minutes to prepare so we ordered it with our dinner and it came out at the perfect time.
Once we tried eating one each and that was not good. So now, we share. And it's a good thing too because it's quite filling.
We both noticed that after eating the vegan food, we felt satisfied. But after eating the souffle, we felt suddenly full and heavy. You know that feeling where you're so stuffed that you just want to lie down? We imagined the souffle sank its way to the bottom of our stomachs. It's a feeling we haven't had since going vegan. But we don't regret the souffle since it's our special dessert that we have once in a while and it was for a special occasion.
We took time during dinner to reflect on the past year. Only a year ago, we had no idea what was in store for us - cancer and all that goes with it (surgeries, hospital stays, radiation therapy). We know it has made us appreciate life and realize that it's short, we don't have forever and we should make the most of it now. Thus, we also experienced some wonderful things in 2013 - honeymoon, skydiving, time with family and friends!
In 2014, we hope for good health, strength, faith, and living life to its fullest. For me personally, I hope for a new job that fills me with excitement and purpose. I'd like to stop worrying so much and take each day step-by-step. I hope our kids continue to thrive and grow. And I'd like to concentrate on spending time with those who mean the most to me and not waste it on those who could care less.
Cheers!
