Brunch at Cane & Taro

Another brunch place we visited while in Maui was called Cane and Taro. One couple went the day before and raved about it so a few of us decided to try it out. They are again part of a chain, like Duke's is, but they belong to the DK group... 

The restaurant is located in Whalers Village...lots of shopping and home to several of the bigger hotel chains. Ladies...there is a gigantic LV store near this location...but the selection was still a little disappointing. There are lots of other shops here as well (Quiksilver, Tommy Bahamas, Billabong, ABC, Crocs, Swarovski and even Haagen Daas), perfect to stroll through after a big lunch.

Another example of weird sauces...just like at Joyeaux Cafe, Tobasco, ketchup and mustard are all expected for brunch, as are the salt and pepper. But the soy sauce? Wow...and there was a hot sauce there called cholula hot sauce, which is a hot sauce made in Mexico.

Since we already had the Loco Moco once at CJ's we though we would try it here again, to see if there were differences in the way it's made. And boy, are we glad we did. Instead of the potatoes that CJ's serves, the gigantic patty sits atop a plate of white rice, and is topped with two sunnyside up eggs, and then piled high with crispy onion shoestrings, and yes...all bathed in yummy onion gravy. Very decadent and filling.

After having tried the Saimin at McD's, I wanted to try it here too. The noodles are served with both kamaboko (fish cake) and shoyu-braised (soy) pork. One thing I liked about this saimin over the McD's one is that the egg is poached, and not scrambled and cut into strips. The broth is then ladled over it all, and topped with a generous sprinkling of nori and green onions. 

They had another version of the Loco Moco here...a "healthier" version made with fish. It still sits on top of rice, with two eggs of your choice. Instead of the onion gravy though, it comes with something more akin to hollandaise sauce...so healthy factor goes out the window!

But by far, the MOST non-healthy option is their French Toast. It really belongs in the dessert section of the menu. It is made with Hawaiian sweet bread, stuffed with fresh-fruit cream cheese, and then rolled in a coating of macadamia-nut crust. The whole thing is then deep fried, and served with a gigantic blob of whipped coconut cream. There is also a small bowl of berry compote in case it's just not sweet enough! I don't know how anyone is expected to finish this...