Today, we spent the morning boogie boarding on Pine Tree Beach again in Hanalei, then visiting Pu’u Poa Beach in Princeville in the afternoon.

In the evening, Mountain Man and I were able to go out on a date night and enjoy the delicious local cuisine at a restaurant called Bar a Cuda in Hanalei.

I found this restaurant on yelp and was very impressed with the high praise it received for many different types of dishes.  They are a tapas restaurant, and boast a full bar  as well.  One of the reviewers commented on how she was seated at a table next to Pierce Brosnan when she ate dinner here.  No such luck for me.  🙁

We were told we had to wait 30 minutes for a table, so they suggested ordering a drink and waiting in the beautiful courtyard outside.  I ordered the Gin Blossom and Mountain Man order the Goldy.  The Gin Blossom had basil leaves and lemon mixed in and the Goldy had  organic rye whiskey, earl grey tea, lemon and honey in its mix.  Both drinks were good, but I preferred the Gin Blossom. Whiskey is a bit much for me.  But, Mountain Man loves it.

We also ordered the Mediterranean olives to snack on with our drinks.  Needless to say, the 30 minute wait seemed like 10 minutes.  I think all restaurants should have a lovely courtyard, fun drinks and appetizers to make the wait for their guests enjoyable.

These were the dishes we ordered.  They were all amazing.  I would say the scallop and risotto fritters were the best if I had to choose only two. 🙂

We started with the shaved zucchini salad.  There were roasted hazelnuts sprinkled over this unique salad with thin shavings of mozzarella cheese in the mix as well.  SO good.

These risotto fritters were some of the tastiest tapas ever.  It appeared to be fresh risotto mixed with cheese, then deep fried.  I guess its difficult to go wrong with these ingredients, but Bar a Cuda has mastered this one.  It really was such a surprising treat.  HIGHLY recommend.

Scallops are one of our most favorite foods, so when we saw this on the menu, it was our top choice.  So delicious.  I have enjoyed bacon wrapped scallops before, but this one was cooked into the scallop at the top.  It added a great crunchy texture to complement the moist, perfectly sauteed scallop.  The lentils added such a unique flavor to the scallop and bacon.  The flavor mix was divine.

So, so yummy.  These black tiger shrimp were cooked to perfection and had the yummiest sauce brushed on them garnished with fresh spring onions.

The chocolate pot de creme (I think this was the name), was a perfect ending to an absolutely delicious date night dinner.  The cream was so rich with just the right amount of chocolate, and it was topped off with a fresh macaroon that tasted as if it had just come out of the oven in their kitchen.  Need I say more?  Order this one.  You will not be sorry.

Thank you Bar a Cuda for a perfect dinner with a wonderful atmosphere.  We loved the breeze coming from the Hanalei Bay drifting through the restaurant.

We highly recommend eating at Bar a Cuda the next time you are in Hanalei.  You will absolutely love it.