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Honolulu Cafe is one among many Hong Kong style cafes that offers set meals during what is known as “tea time” for decent prices. Most of these meals include a free hot drink, or you can upgrade to a cold beverage for a small fee. Tre and I used to frequent Honolulu for their late night specials, but haven’t returned for a while because the quality of food and cleanliness was slipping. We noticed Honolulu Cafe had gone through renovations, so we figured we’d pay them a visit.

(Above: Baked fish fillet in cream sauce.)

The cafe has expanded quite a bit, but still feels relatively the same. We were seated in a booth near the kitchen. I was squeamish after noticing some stains on the wall next to us. I guess some things never change. The dining room wasn’t the only thing that expanded, so did the menu. There were many items to choose from including sizzling hot plates, which they didn’t offer before.

Tre had the curry beef brisket on rice and I ordered a baked fish fillet over rice and cream sauce with cheese, plus two iced lemon teas. Tre’s curry beef brisket was decent: the slightly sweet thick curry sauce was served on the side and had small chunks of carrots, broccoli and onions. The beef briskets were cut into small pieces and were surprisingly tender.

My baked fish fillet was heavy. The fish was battered and fried first then baked (they cheated on this one). The rice was drenched in thick cream cheese sauce with a few pieces of mushrooms and scrambled bits of egg. The best part of the meal was the iced lemon tea: sweetened with corn syrup, topped with slices of lemon and soaked in crushed ice. Refreshing.

(Above: Hong Kong style iced lemon tea. Served properly with crushed ice.)

Our bill including taxes and tips came to just under $16. We didn’t get charged extra for the iced drinks, which was a bonus. The service was severely lacking as expected, and the food is average. Honolulu Cafe needs to keep working on their cleanliness, though.

Perfect for: a late night alternative to Denny’s for the drunken and weary.

The Details

3340 Kingsway, Vancouver
604.438.8632

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