While visiting Kaua’i, our most high-class dinner was located in the city of Princeville. It was about a 45 minute drive from our hotel to The Westin Princeville, where Nanea Restaurant & Bar was located. It is very easy to find if you have any form of GPS. Parking is abundant without worry of validation, no specific designated restaurant stalls, or any other hassle of trying to find parking while dining. The walk from our parking spot was less than a minute if we had to gauge it by time/distance.
Alright, so for starters, Nanea Restaurant was on point with the ambiance. The candles were real and that alone increases my overall score for this restaurant. Not many places have real candles out anymore, most likely because the probability of fire increases, but it was great to have it/see it.
Secondly, the menu was OUTSTANDING! Reason: the entrees AND desserts had recommendations of wine that paired perfectly with the taste of the dishes. It brought out flavors that may have been too dull to taste without the suggestions of the menu.
We put the menu-wine-recommendation to the test and ordered a bottle of white wine, Selbach Riesling 2014, which tasted absolutely phenomenal. It almost didn’t last until our meal came but we conserved enough to try it with our food and yes, it complimented the meal perfectly!
As for our appetizer, we had Tuna Carpaccio with avocado puree, scallions, heart of palm, tabiko, and hawaiian black salt. Very thin slice of Ahi that melted in your mouth. No fishy taste (or smell!), just a fresh and raw experience, just the way fresh fish should be.
Our second appetizer was the Nanea Caesar which is Kailani Farms baby romaine, garlicky caesar dressing, white anchovy and herbed tomato crostini.
After our appetizers, it was time for the main dish! First was Landon’s: Grilled Chicken with Pasta served with tomato sauce, kale and parmesan cheese.
My dish was the Roasted Chicken with green olives, cherry tomatoes, confit fingerlings potatoes, and flavored with nanea spice chicken broth. Again, the wine complimented this dish very well. Usually fancy looking dishes don’t taste that great, however, this chicken was extremely delicious. We even took some home and had it later in the evening as a late night snack!
One of Mary’s favorites, pasta. She went with Seafood Fettuccine served with shrimp, scallops, fresh fish, hamakua funghi, tomatoes, sherry cream sauce, macadamia nut pesto, and grilled vegetable relish. Very flavorful!
Best part about our dinner, dessert! Landon got the Lappert’s ice cream with fresh berries, vanilla and chocolate ice cream.
Mary went with Kunana Farms Cheesecake served with kunana farms chevre, honey almond cheesecake, and lemon cream. I’m not a fan of cheesecake but Mary is the total opposite. She loved how the cheesecake was served in scoops instead of the traditional triangle cut. The lemon cream definitely topped off the taste!
Best of all, my dessert,l Nanea’s Signature Chocolate Macadamia Nut Lumpia served with chocolate ganache filling, and warm chocolate. This entire dish vanished.
When you’re in Kaua’i and really want to impress your significant other, Nanea Restaurant is a perfect spot to head to. If you’re staying in Princeville (ie. close by) then great, you should arrive early and take a walk around, there’s even a parking lot right before you enter The Westin Princeville Resort, and you can enjoy the view over looking the coast or even walk down to a beach. If you are staying quite far away like we did, enjoy scenic Kaua’i with a 30-45 minute drive. The food is worth it, the wine compliments each dish perfectly and on top of that, the menu is updated and has a date on the bottom of the menu when it was last updated which shows great responsibility on the staff and restaurant. It was 5/5 stars, definitely would eat here again.
Hours:
Breakfast (Mon – Sat) 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Lunch (Mon – Sat) 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner (Daily) 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Sunday Brunch – 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For more information on Nanea Restaurant & Bar visit here.
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Nanea Restaurant & Bar at Westin Princeville
3838 Wyllie Rd.
Princeville, HI 96722
Phone: (808) 827-8808
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