IF a stack of warm pancakes, slathered with butter and maple syrup on a Sunday morning, is your idea of heaven, you haven't earned your wings until you've been to Beau Soleil Bakery & Cafe. Beau Soleil offers
a slice of heavenThe original Beau Soleil, which has a loyal following in Kaimuki, opened its Manoa bakery last September. Lately, it has expanded to become a neighborhood cafe serving breakfast and lunch, and the pancakes are absolutely to die for.
Choose a carmelized apple pancake topped with sweet apple compote -- no syrup required -- or pumpkin pancakes topped with crunchy, salty-sweet praline butter ($4.50 for three). Of the two, I'd give a slight nod to the pumpkin version, but both are delicate -- made with eggs and wheat noodle flour milled especially for Beau Soleil -- and light as the hair on a chinchilla, if you can imagine that.
I thought I'd regret ordering eggs plus pancakes and that I'd never be able to finish both. A taste was all I needed. Quicker than you could say "Hallelujah!" those pancakes were gone.
Beau Soleil is the creation of the wife-husband team of Holly Hadsell and Moumen El Hajji. Their approach in Kaimuki has homespun appeal, like having a few friends over for a cozy lunch or dinner. Guests bring their own wine, sit back and relax.
They wouldn't have it any other way in Manoa, although the new bakery and cafe is a hipper establishment, like those corner coffee hangouts one finds scattered throughout old neighborhoods in Portland and Seattle. The Beau Soleil Bakery & Cafe opens from 6 in the morning with -- besides pancakes -- bagels ($1.25 to $4.50), huevos rancheros ($5.75) and frittatas ($6.50). Crostini, or toasted French bread, is topped with pesto-scrambled eggs and served with fresh fruit and baked potatoes for $4.50. An omelette is filled with a thin layer of smoked salmon and goat cheese ($6.50), which is a bit heavy first thing in the morning.
FOR lunch, there are several wonderful sandwiches, large enough to be shared by two for the budget conscious. The one that caused the most excitement, divided eight ways among my fellow tasters was the Cuban pork loin ($5.50), topped with caramelized onions, Provolone and habanero mango chutney.
Tasters also went ga-ga over the salmon burger ($6.50), a patty topped with tomatoes, 'Nalo greens and capers and served on an onion bun. But then, how can anyone go wrong with salmon? The real surprise was that a basic like the tuna melt ($5.25) also won cheers. This had the bite of spicy pepper Jack cheese.
Beau Soleil also offers a choice of three salads for $5.25. I settled on a salad of black beans and corn, arugula with gorgonzola and hummus, the Middle Eastern chickpea spread. I could live on this combination every day.
Manoa will have to wait until May for dinner. Holly said there will be pizzas, pastas and a bruschetta menu, with items running $12 to $20. She said they'll probably close early for dinner, by about 8 p.m., finding Manoa "is a sleepy little town."
Depending on the menu, Manoa could well prove them wrong. Residents are already waking up to breakfast.
Beau Soleil Bakery & Cafe: 2970A East Manoa Road
Hours: Bakery open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Breakfast offered 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to noon Saturday. Lunch 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Brunch 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
Prices: About $7 per person
Call: 988-1336
Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:
To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com-- excellent;
