J2 Asian Fusion

Overall, I’m not impressed. It recently changed it’s name, so don’t be confused when it’s called Le Cacao something or other. Similar to it’s sister restaurant «JJ’s French Pastry», this place has pretty awful service. It was slow and there seemed to be only one waiter and one hostess to help with all of the tables.
Also similar to JJ’s French Pastry, the prix fixe meals are a good deal. They have a 4 course or 3 course option. I got the 4 course option with the NY steak. Don’t be expecting some gigantic steak though — it was more like a thin chunk of meat. However, the steak tasted good, the mushroom soup was delicious and the lilikoi chocolate dessert was wonderful. Portions are relatively small so be prepared. My husband ordered the pork «rack» and it was nothing like a rack of ribs the way the waiter described it. It was basically a single pork chop.
In the end, it’s not worth returning when there are plenty of other good restaurants on Waialae Ave.

I’m on a mission. My goal is to review every restaurant on Waialae Ave. So this Saturday, I had lunch at the new Le Cacao Bistro. I ordered the Seafood ravioli, which was two ricotta filled ravioli layered in a ramekin topped with scallop and salmon pieces, 2 16 – 20 shrimp in a white cream sauce. Broiled until the mozzarella cheese melted and browned, then served with cheese-​y bread sticks. Also had their signature warm choco cake which came with a lilikoi sauce. The Rickster had the onion soup, served in a cute snowman-​looking cup. Smallish portions altho nice presentation. You won’t leave this place feeling stuffed. The food was fresh and good, the ambience very similar to JJ’s Bistro. Check, four down.

This place has formally been named Le Cacao Bistro. Its owned by the same people as JJ Bistro… but its like the worse uglier cousin of JJ. At first the 3 course meal seemed like a great idea. I ordered the fish pasta entrée. The pasta was undercooked, the sauce was probably literally watered down sweet and sour sauce. The crème brûlée, was watery/​soupy. It was not cooked. And the flavor was bland. At best the experience was bad and we were totally sad we spent the money to eat here. Also to know that its a very similar menu (and identical plate presentation) to JJ is kinda annoying. They definitely werent trying to come up with a fresh new concept.

To be brutally honest, this place was so deceiving… I love JJs bakery and assumed that the restaurant would be half decent, NOT! I was overwhelmed by the over-​priced and mediocre food.
I had a rack of lamb which wasn’t very RACK-​ish! It was more like two slices of meat. I was so upset to feast my eyes on this skimpy piece of meat that was WAY overpriced. My sister got a fish dish which wasn’t too bad but was also over-​priced.
Since we ate at J2, I heard they owners revamped the menu quite a bit. I highly doubt they were making any money because everything was over-​priced and the portions were for little people.
The one good part, and the reason why this restaurant received two stars is the desserts! OF COURSE, the desserts are from JJs =) Other than that…
food=2
ambiance=0
service=1
price=0
never again

Do not go to this restaurant if you’re hungry. I ordered the 3-​course meal, and I literally had to go home to cook myself a legitimate dinner. Not kidding.
Now called Le Cacao Bistro, my bf and I checked it out cuz we were curious to see how they used chocolate in their dishes. The whole restaurant is a bad mix of energies, from big Buddha décor to neon flashing lamps to silver Thai baskets, and some cheezy Asian music, coupled with a menu fused with Italian, Thai, and French flavors… you’re not quite sure what to order or expect. Maybe something with cacao, but there were like 2 options for that, cacao pork or cacao lamb…
We waited like 30 minutes for our side salad, which tasted ok, like a watered down thousand island. We waited another 15 minutes for our entrees, a baked ravioli thingy in a soufflé dish, and the shrimp scampi fettucini (I tried to stay safe ordering this). I had to ask if it really was a scampi cuz it had carrots and peas and like 12 fettucini noodles. The sauce didn’t taste bad, but the carrots weren’t cooked, and the peas were shriveled. Much of the dish tasted microwaved.
My bf had the ravioli thing, and he has no comment on it.
We were sure their desserts and coffee would be kickass cuz their specialty is the warm choco cake and café foods… But no. Failed again. The choco cake tasted microwaved, and really, there was not a whole lot of cacao flavor. We also had the crème brûlée, of which I took only two bites. The caramelized top was fine, but the crème part was a room temp custard. Kinda gross.
I’m not writing anything of this to be mean, just honest, in hopes that Le Cacao Bistro can improve their service, ambience, and kitchen. The young servers attempted to be nice and efficient, but not enough to give the place a second chance. It was definitely not worth my 2 hours and $ 40.
P. S. The Sprite was flat. They serve water in blue plastic cups. They give your utensils wrapped in a paper napkin after your food arrives. And the decaf coffee tasted like water.

I came here a few months ago and I wasn’t impressed. I went on a Sunday right at noon and the restaurant was empty. They have a decent amount of items on their menu but it’s a bit on the pricey side.
We order an appetizer, entrée, and a noodle dish. The appetizer was basically spring rolls and that came out okay. The noodle dish was a deep fried noodle basket with seafood. The seafood had no taste and it seem like the noodle basket was sitting around too long because it was stale. For the entrée, I had baked duck. The dish was super salty and there was nothing wow about it.
The service was good and the presentation of their dishes are excellent. But that’s not enough to keep me coming back. I didn’t bother to order dessert.

I’ve been to the bakery side a few times and haven’t been super impressed lately. We stopped by J2 when we saw that it was finished being remodeled. The food isn’t anything spectacular… We ordered the french onion soup, mushroom appetizer, side salad, SE asian fettuccine, pepperoni pizza and shrimp scampi. I’ve gotta say, My favorites were the soup and salad. Both pastas were just okay. The seafood was cooked perfectly, but the small portions and lack of creative flavor was too overwhelming.
Even the desserts weren’t that great. I tried the crème brûlée brulee and the haupia dessert. The crème brûlée was good, a little too thick for my taste, but the haupia dessert was just weird. It had frozen corn in it…
The service was pretty lacking. I think they must be just trying to get back on their feet. They had one server to wait the entire restaurant. He forgot a drink order, brought a salad without giving us utensils to eat with, didn’t refill our water. the poor guy… I feel bad for him. Towards the end of the meal a small asian woman was peering through the door-​window from the kitchen for a good 2 mins. awk…

Six of us went before Fathers Day, which should have been crowded, but wasn’t. We all selected the prix fixe dinner of four courses, and no one was disappointed. Brought our own wine. They quickly offered a bucket of ice for the white and were quick to uncork and pour. We were pleased with the smallish portions. A cup of corn chowder with crab, very adequate salad or other appetizer such as crab rangoon, and main course with starch and vegetables. Presentation was delightful. For dessert they offered items on the menu such as molten chocolate, or we could select from the display case.
Not sure where the «fusion» in their name comes in, but we were extremely satisfied. Service is not la-​dee-​dah, but then neither is the price. Dollar for value? This is one of the best bargains in town.

Just came home from the Thursday Ethiopian meal.
I’ve never eaten at the restaurant before tonight, so I have no idea what the normal menu holds, but the injera was tasty and the plates were overflowing with goodness.
I would happily return, and would be even happier to order the food to take out, as the service was a bit slow. I believe there was only one cook for a full restaurant, though, and with the right company a two hour dinner can feel like no time at all.
We ordered a vegetarian plate and two different chicken plates, but they had run out of one of the chicken dishes, so we ended up with a second veggie plate. We also had a small sample of one of the beef dishes. All were quite tasty, but it will be the vegetarian plate which brings me back.
For those who have had Ethiopian in other places, the spicing is a bit mild. For those who have never tried it, I would place it near medium for spiciness. I’ve added a photo or two, and also suggest that you tke a look at these reviews for background on the venture.

Reluctantly underwhelmed. We had duck, fish and beef, and the same sauce seemed to be used on each. Waitstaff was young, but fairly attentive. Green tea mousse was a big disappointment; could not taste any tea at all, and one of my dining companions compared it to Cool Whip.

Quality of food: tasty
Quantity of food: small portions
Waiter service: needs improvement (slow, forgot to bring a dish, did not clear away dishes from appetizers)
Ambiance: mediocre
Price: whoa!
Take this for what it’s worth and spend your hard-​earned money elsewhere.

Wouldn’t come back.
The food is bland. We had the tom yum soup, green papaya salad, chicken satay, j2 special noodle, and poached opakapaka. The only thing you really taste is just spiciness. No real flavor under the spicy. The broth on the fish was good but the fish had a fried consistency not poached.
Service sucked. Took the guy over half hour to clear our plates. He even brought the next course and didn’t clear the previous plates.

The less ornate sibling of JJ Bistro, this restaurant seems almost austere by comparison re ambiance. It is as plain as the the Bistro is cleverly decorated. The portions are small and rich with a plating presentation that is outstanding. The staff is great and very personable. They also have the four course dinner option, but lack the diversity of desserts just steps away. You can use your Bistro internet coupons here and no one gets excited — they will do all they can to please customers. They need to work a little harder to bring it up to the level of JJ’s for a nicer dining atmosphere and move away from the institutional look that is a little daunting. I believe it will pull together soon. While we will try it on and off, it will probably be JJ’s where we end most of the time. It is a win-​win.

J2 is the full-​fledged sibling of J.J.‘s next door and I have to say, I was rather disappointed by it. It is by all means a decent establishment with a good food options and service, however I certainly wasn’t wow’ed by anything I dined on there.
The menu is certainly influenced by French-​Vietnamese cultures and features some rather bold flavors in their arsenal. Despite that, I felt the chef toned it down and that left me wanting for more. The soups are good and hearty, however when the waiter notes that it is on the hotter side, it definitely is! The appetizers are nice, but rather lacking inspiration and items I could certainly find anywhere else. The entrees are good, I opted for the oodles of noodles which was nice and and the fresh vegetables certainly added flavors.
The restaurant reminds me of a friend’s dining room, opulently using marble and traditional lighting. It can be rather quiet or rather lively depending on the crowd. The reception desk being in the back of the establishment certainly threw me off.
Service is good with the wait staff being attentive and knowledgeable about the menu which is certainly its high point. The establishment is also BYOB so head on over to Tamura’s up the street for a bottle. Parking can be a pain on peak nights as they don’t have their own lot.

I’ve been there for lunch twice now (I had some groupon’s) and I love the décor! The food is ok…
I enjoy the large granite-​looking tables with plush chairs and the overall look of the place.
The pricing for lunch is very decent and they have two pre-​fixe options. The soups have good amounts of meat or seafood but it tastes more like water with added chili, so it’s a little uninspiring. I tried the J2 special noodles which is basically pad thai and the first time it was too dry with not enough sauce, so this second time I ordered it with extra sauce and it came out not as dry as the first time. The dessert list is small, at least for lunch and I wasn’t really wowed by it.
The server was nice, but both times forgot something and never apologized or knowledge that she forgot something, which can be disheartening.
I ran out of groupons, so I think this is the last time I’ll be there.

So disappointing overall.
The Price for Teeny Portions was an insult.
Service was good, that’s why it gets One Star.

Wanted to try J2 since we really love JJ’s Bistro which is 2 doors away. Décor is nice, Asian, but the check in desk is located way in the back, so it felt a bit awkard that we had to walk to the back of the restaurant to tell them that we had reservations.
Their menu has a section for Soup Du Jour, Appetizers & Salads, Oodles of Noodles, A La Carte, Pot Du Jour and 4-​Course Meal Special A (19.95) or B (24.70) We decided on Special A which came with the Soup of the Day, Tom Yum w/​chicken. It was very nice and tasty which came in a little clay pot with a lid. Had shredded chicken and little cubes of veggies, nice start. For the appetizer I selected the Le Crêpe Euro-​Asian Style J2 pancake with ground pork and served with mixed greens. The pancake was folded in half and crispy on the outside with bits of ground pork, another nice taste sensation. For my entrée I went for the J2 Special Noodle w/​shrimp, very similar to pad thai but slightly different noodles. For my dessert, I picked the decadent chocolate cake with chocolate sauce and fresh rasberries (this dessert takes 10 min. to bake) It was similar to a chocolate cupcake with chocolate sauce poured over and topped with rasberries. Not as rich as I thought it would be but good enough to end the night with.
Service was good, waiter kept my glass of water full, they quickly took away the empty plates. The waitress knew the menu well and could answer all my questions. A bit noisy, you can hear all the conversations around you, not to many tables for 2, mostly made for parties of 4 or more. Bring your own wine since no liquor license.
I would definitely go back, but don’t go on an empty stomach, portions tend to be small. Emphasis is more on presentation than quantity.

Surroundings are very ZEN and exotic. Food was so so, but nothing exciting. I felt like the portions were adequate, not generous. I felt very healthy eating there. . they do use very fresh preparations and the portions not huge, so you do not walk out STUFFED. I personally like places that throw alot of food at you (hey, I’m a midwestern gal). If you want a whimsical place to go and have quiet conversation, and eat dainty portions (first date?) this is the place for you.

Wow, this is going to be a tough rating. Considering that I truly enjoy JJ’s Bistro, however I found J2 to be uninspiring. I’m not sure what the chef is going for with J2 fusion, but it doesn’t seem that the chef is too sure either.
Majority of the dishes that were recommended by the helpers were the types that had a European flair to them, which had a cream sauce or crêpe included in the dish — which takes me back to JJ’s Bistro. All other dishes seemed to be ordinary Vietnamese dishes that had a really nice presentation but no flavor, aside from adding your own condiments such as hoisin, schiraccha, or garlic chili sauces.
The desserts weren’t awe inspiring either, for instance we ordered the green tea mousse which was still frozen when served.
Needless to say, we’ll hold off on going back and just stick with going to JJ’s Bistro that we know we’ll enjoy and are more than happy to pay the price for.

The one thing about grand openings thats great is the fact that it’s typcially cool to bring your own alchy, assuming you imbibe enough, this will soften the blow of the inevitable: long wait for food and unknowledgeable staff. That said, I came prepared as always!
We started with a couple of the popular appetizers of the night, recommended by our waitress — the J2 crispy roll and two seasons shrimp (both 7.95). Looking back at the description of the two seasons shrimp I’m a little confused, it was more like a summer roll but is described on the menu as a soft and crispy shrimp tempura roll. FYI there wasn’t any tempura or anything fried that I could identify in that dish. The crispy roll was definitely a hit. What’s not to like about a fried lumpia/​spring-​roll stuffed with marinated pork, taro and vermicelli?
We also sampled all of their soups: shitake broth, yum yum and the pot le creamy. It may have been because of the serving vessels used:
but unfortunately the yum yum (tom yum) and the creamy (essentially yum yum with coconut milk added) were lukewarm. boo. But tasty. A little on the salty/​tangy side but would be delish piping hot.
Next we shared J2’s Special Noodle, essentiallly their pad thai, decent — could’ve used lime and a little more spice (or an offer of siracha or chili sauce condiments on the table) but the noodles were just the right texture for me, a bit on the firmer, chewier side.
The baked salmon was your standard panang curry, this could’ve also used some heat but the salmon was cooked nicely, not overdone. We were tickled that they formed the rice into the shape of the famous JJ’s pyramid — nice touch.
Of course, the best part of the meal was the chocolate pyramid! This was the first time i’ve tried the much-​raved about dessert, we tried the raspberry version — lots of oohs and ahhs over that.
J2 is worth another try, their four course meal special is a pretty decent deal (19.95 with main dish noodle or rice dish OR 24.95 for a four course meal with an alacarte main dish). Next time i’ll be sure to bring a bottle of siracha along with my liquor though!