Something new: Over Easy

July 13, 2016

Grant Shindo,

Brunch in Kailua, the nexus of the island’s brunch-iverse, is about to get even better. Over Easy, a new restaurant focusing on fresh local fare by a pair of Alan Wong alums, opens today on Kuulei Road by McDonald’s.

The restaurant is located right off Kuulei Road in Kailua next to Leahi Health.

The restaurant is right off Kuulei Road in Kailua next to Leahi Health.

Chef-owner Nik Lobendahn has a strong culinary pedigree. He’s cooked at Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room and Michelin-starred Ame in San Francisco and was most recently executive chef at Kapolei Golf Course. Jennifer, his wife, also worked in Alan Wong’s kitchen for a while. Their vision was always to open a brunch spot with sweet and savory dishes. Fast forward to now and with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, they’re open for business.

The potato and eggs dish ($13) looks like an eggs benedict and contains the trappings of one but is instead a silky potato puree draped over a soft poached egg on French bread and topped with bacon. Highly recommended.

The potato and eggs dish ($13) is a silky potato puree draped over a poached egg on French bread and topped with bacon. Highly recommended.

We tagged along with our friends at Honolulu Magazine for a sneak peek.

One of the dishes Nik is most proud of is the Kailua eggs ($12). When testing out dishes for the Over Easy menu, he substituted kombu and bonito with bacon and cabbage to create a riff on a classic dashi. To this broth he adds sriracha and sherry vinegar for a light, flavorful broth that is poured over Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice.

In the Kailua eggs ($12), the kombu kelp and dried bonito of a classic dashi are swapped out for bacon and cabbage. Dashes of sriracha and sherry vinegar make for a light, flavorful broth that’s poured over Portuguese sausage, OK Farms eggs and rice.

The brunch bowl, a tasty dish of avocado, soft poached eggs, house-made yogurt and tomato jam, comes with a beautifully baked sourdough bread. Years ago Jennifer brought back a sourdough starter from San Francisco and has been feeding it ever since.

According to Nik, the bread is one of the components to their dishes that took the longest to perfect. Hundreds of iterations later, this sourdough that is mild in flavor and has excellent texture completes the brunch bowl.

The sourdough took hundreds of iterations to perfect, says Nik. It’s mild in flavor with excellent texture.

The custard French toast ($13, half-order $8) was outstanding. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal mixed into the batter gives it a nostalgic sweetness that doesn’t need syrup, although there’s pure maple syrup on the side.

Once you cut into the custard French toast, there's no turning back. The warm, thick custard sandwiched inside each mildly sweet slice is heavenly. I found myself sneaking extra bites between dishes because it was so tasty.

Once you cut into the French toast, there’s no turning back. The warm, thick custard inside each mildly sweet slice is heavenly. I found myself sneaking extra bites in between tasting other dishes.

If you like savory, the fried chicken sandwich ($11) is the meal for you. The breading reminds me of a fried oyster you'd get in a po'boy in New Orleans; crispy, seasoned and a little bit of heat.

If you like savory, the fried chicken sandwich ($11) is for you. The breading reminds me of a fried oyster you’d get in a po’ boy in New Orleans – crispy and seasoned with a little bit of heat.

In suburban Kailua there’s pretty much always parking nearby. For Over Easy, park either along Kuulei Road or in the municipal lot behind McDonald’s.

I'd recommend parking in the municipal lot. I decided to park on the street and ended up three blocks away. Meters on the street max out at one hour, so I had to go back and feed it.

I’d recommend parking in the municipal lot. I opted for street parking and ended up three blocks away. My meter maxed out at one hour, so I had to go back and feed it.

Today through Friday, the restaurant is open from 8 a.m. until 12 noon. Starting Saturday, July 16, it will open daily except Mondays from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. With only 42 seats, they can’t take reservations, so if you’re going plan on the early side. My prediction is that this will be the hottest brunch spot in Kailua very soon.