GREAT EATS HAWAII: SEED RESTAURANT

Sunday, December 28, 2014

SEED RESTAURANT

SEED RESTAURANT

HONOLULU, HAWAII

SEED RESTAURANT

1137 11TH AVENUE, SUITE 104

HONOLULU, HI 96816

808-732-1137

HOURS: Daily 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

www.seedhawaii.com

I like Seed Restaurant and what it is doing and stands for. This is a "Justice" restaurant that is staffed with survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, homelessness and other challenges. While I do not know their personal stories, I can say that the staff made us feel welcome, at home and valued. Everyone was friendly and smiling thanking us for dining there before and after our meal. The freshness of the menu was explained by our waitress. She took time to tell us that the restaurant uses the freshest ingredients and makes every dish to order. If you have a food allergy or don't like something on the menu, she explained that they will do whatever is possible to accommodate you. She went onto tell us about the Daily Specials which included fresh fish, steak and a Juice of the Day that was a Watermelon Mint Frostie. Both me and my daughter went for the Watermelon Mint ($5.25). My daughter said it was "refreshing". I tasted the mint a bit more than the watermelon but thought it was good. We ordered the Chili & Chips ($7.95) for the table to share. The presentation was beautiful with the purple organic chips and chili topped with cheese, sour creme and red and green bell pepper. The chili was really tasty but a bit sweet. The waitress explained that it was meatless and filled with beans, lentils, tomatoes, corn and other ingredients plus a little brown sugar. We loved the Chili and Chips but added some of the hot sauce on the table to balance the sweetness. The Portabello Tofu Sandwich ($12.95) should be called the Tofu Portabello Sandwich because the majority of the sandwich is Tofu. The Tofu patty was huge while the Portabello mushrooms were almost nonexistent. The Tofu was dusted in Cajun spices and very dense. My wife who ordered the sandwich thought it would be more of a large Portabello along with a little Tofu. If you love Tofu you will love this sandwich I think. If you love Portabello then order something else. The Baked Fries served with the sandwich were pretty mushy and had no crunch at all. I prefer a crispy french fry so these were not my favorite. I ordered the Bacon Avo Turkey Burger ($12.95). The burger was delicious but there was absolutely no Avocado in the burger or on the plate. I did not miss the Avocado as the burger was full of flavor. Kinda tasted like Turkey Meatloaf with cheese and bacon. The salad was fresh but drenched in too much dressing. My daughter ordered the Ahi Wrap ($13.95) and almost finished it all. The Ahi was cooked to a perfect medium rare. This was a very good Ahi Wrap. While there were a few misses on the food this trip, I would eat here again and again. I like being able to help a good cause and people who are working hard for an opportunity to better their lives. The people working here on this day were awesome and I would have never thought any of them had any problems. All they seemed to care about was the restaurant and the customers which is better than most places we visit where employees only care about themselves.