The Pearl

Wow! What a hidden gem…
Great food, good service and the prices are fantastic. Couldn’t recommend more highly!

4^th day of service. And it starts with the lavosh yummy! It’s always so crisp and buttery and of course you need to add more butter. Appetizer was salmon in a miso sauce with whipped crème cheese and topped with some ikura. I tasted a bit of wasabi in some of my bites which really elevated the flavor. Very enjoyable. Main entrée, roles chicken breast wrapped in bacon. tender juicy and delicious. Just the right amount of seasoning. The chicken was accompanied by fresh pasta and a blanched quarter of lettuce (it would have been better as bak choi or choi sum). Needless to say, I was satisfied. I look forward to going there again next week.

This week, 10÷8−10, is the student inspired menu. It was sooooo great. Appetizer: Marinated Ahi (w/​fennel salad w/​wasabi aioli, yum) & spinach with alii mushroom ravioli swimming in Mac nut pesto cream, double yum. Main: Bahrain Chicken Machboos w/​Spicy tomato sauce, raita & basmati rice, DAMN & Marinated Passion Orange Pork Belly on Bao. Pillow soft and yummy huge bao. Dessert: Tropical Sunset Trio, consisting of Mac nut pound cake (meh), pineapple sorbet that was the most pineapply sorbet ever, mango bread pudding with crème anglais & Banana Split featuring sliced glazed bananas, dark choc ice cream, strawberry ice cream using dehydrated strawberries and Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, topped with a delicious whipped cream and choc sauce. The choc ice cream, insane! But the strawberry ice cream — WOW! All said and done– once again, a perfect meal.

I finally got to cross The Pearl off my foodie bucket list! I know that you’re probably wondering why I would be pining to go to a student run restaurant located on the Leeward Community College’s campus-​but it has taken me over three years to get a reservation here! For one, they are not always open. When they are open-​they are usually all booked or serving only lunch.
The way The Pearl works is you have to basically stalk their website for the updated dates/​menu and then cross your fingers and call the number to leave a message. The one thing that they are pretty good about is calling you back with either a yes or no confirmation.
Somehow, I not only scored a table for four, but we also ended up getting seats on the special events night. The items are typically a la carte pricing but for our dinner it was a set $ 70/​per person menu and set pricing (with the option to do a wine pairing for each of the four courses, an additional $ 15 per person). As the capstone event for the class, the students were mentored by Chef Jon Maatsubara (formerly of Azure and Stage and now at Japengo in Waikiki) and took us through an impressive four course dinner + dessert.
CHILLED KAUAI SHRIMP described as cartone, wasabi oil, myer lemon, avocado, black garam crisp. Refreshing and light! One bite into this and we knew we were in for a good dinner. The plating was beautifully done.
ESPUMA which consisted of moonfish brandade, yukon gold, truffle, chive. When our server explained to us the premise of a traditional espuma (think liquefied potato shot through a whipped cream can) I was a little skeptical. Images of Marcel from Top Chef flooded my mind. Foam on my food? Oh no *cringe*. But alas, it was good! The fried yukon cubes at the bottom of the cup were a pleasant surprise-​providing a texture similar to croutons.
Forgive me-​I left this review in my draft box for too long and so I can’t vividly recall what the other entrees tasted like-​but know that they were pretty darn good ;)
«BLACK MAGIC» SPICED SALMON: sake braised spinach, prosciutto wrapped enoki mushrooms, ruby port & Chinese mustard sauce.
DUCK BREAST EN SOUS VIDE: Japanese pickled plum & spiced cranberry gastrique, taro-​brandy root purée, Hamakua alii kings, brussel sprouts.
APPLE BANANA DE LECHE: Maldon salt, chocolate chip.
My bf and I had the wine pairings which was a good amount of wine! The wines included Birichino Mavasia Bianca, Domaine Skouras «Zoe» Blanc, CF Euro-​Asian Riesling (I think we’ve gone back to this one for some meals at home), and Maison L’Envoye Morgan «Cote du Py.»
Overall, dinner at The Pearl did not disappoint!
Save the Dates!
Open October 30-​November 6
The Thanksgiving Buffet (only $ 25 per person) on November 19, 20, 21
Special Events Dinner — November 7 & 14
Call 455‑0528 for information and reservations (
)

This is the Best restaurant in Waipahu. Period.
Ok so it’s pretty much the only restaurant in Waipahu but that doesn’t detract from it. It’s open Wednesday to Friday and some special occasions during the school term.
After having tried it about a month ago I have eaten there roughly 75% of the possible days they are open due to the fact that my office is close by.
The pearl is the LCC culinary school training restaurant. The students try very hard, always meticulous but remember they are training, and you can feel the care in the food too. Noted the other day the use of black linens for our dark clothing attired guests –the sign of attentive staff.
The menu rotates every few weeks with a few different appetizers entrees and desserts. Water is French sparkling on the house. Appetizers are $ 6 – 7. Beverages are $ 2. Entrees $ 13 – 16. Desserts $ 5. No tax but please leave a decent tip. Remember it is CASH only.
It’s worth the trip out to LCC but make sure to call ahead. Seating ends at 1pm.

The Pearl is a gem. Great service, setting, and food. A friend enjoyed Caesar salad (made at table), swordfish and pork loin. Nice portions, presentation, and taste. No additional salt needed. The total check was unbelievably reasonable. I had to make sure it was correct! Highly recommend. Go soon before people find out about this first class restaurant.

The Pearl is a HUGE step away from the busy academic life at Leeward Community College. As an upscale buffet, the Pearl offers a wide verity of entrees to satisfy every costumer.
Run by the culinary students of LCC, this place has it all. From great appetizers and entrees to fine wine and desserts. Fell in love with the mahimahi and eggs benedict.
The service is great! This place definitely shows how awesome the LCC culinary program is doing. Keep it up LCC students!
DID I MENTION THAT THIS THE ONLY PLACE ON CAMPUS WHERE YOU CAN LEGALLY DRINK ALCOHOL? 2 THUMBS WAY UP THERE!
If you are ever plan on trying this place, be sure to book in advance. They only accept reservations.
Unilocal 365: ⁰⁰³⁄₃₆₅ **I keep forgetting about the time difference! I’m about an hour late right now, but at least its within the 24 hours of my last review right? Haha! Keep it up Unilocalers!**

I love going to the Pearl when it is open. I am a student at LCC, & I always look forward to eating there. It’s a really good buffet, food cooked by students, and also the workers are students from the Culinary Program. First time I ate there, IT WAS AMAZING! The buffet consists of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Who knew it was going to be fancy, and yet the food tastes so good! And for all of the food it costs ONLY $ 25! I wanna go there again when the semester starts. Great place to eat at for a small price!

Who knew food like this could be found hiding in the back of the LCC Admin building? Got to finally check this place out last week and man, what a pleasant surprise! LCC culinary, whatever you’re doing, keep it up because this was mighty impressive.
Our appetizer was a very VERY good calamari dish. Very nicely seasoned, crunchy breading, and the calamari was cooked perfectly. It was tender enough to cut with my fork with little effort and not greasy in the slightest.
For entrees we tasted 3 different dishes… Lamb, Phở Shortrib, and a Chicken & Hamakua Risotto dish. The Shortrib and Chicken/​Risotto dish were outstanding. I never would have even thought to use Phở flavoring that way, but it turned out very very nicely on the shortribs. Out of the three the lamb (the one I ordered… of course lol) was only one I would say wasn’t that great. Comparatively small portion size… small amount of lamb for a LARGE amount of onions. (Although the onions that were cooked with figs were VERY good!) and these 3 raviolis that were… well…not too great.
The dessert… now I rarely put my fork down after tasting something… but the dessert was so damn good that after taking a bite I set my utencils down and just kinda went «oohhhh yeaaahhhhh». I’m pretty sure I had a totally stupid expression on my face, but it was THAT good.
The service was great, the food was outstanding… but ahh would I love to redesign the interior of the place. Quite outdated and needs to be as contemporary and sexy as they food coming out of the kitchen! It’s so not up to par with the quality of the food or the service its almost a shame!
Either way, outstanding job LCC students. Can’t wait to go back for more! 5 stars for you, no doubt!

I had the extreme pleasure to dine at The Pearl tonight. I first saw it through the Monocle on my Unilocal app. When I asked Cely H. about it, she informed me that it is the restaurant run by the culinary students at Leeward Community College.
We found out about a special dinner that The Pearl was putting on for their student’s Final Exam. We made our reservations days in advance, as they sell out quick! Infact, our options for seating times were 7PM and… 7PM. Haha.
As we started walking to the school we pasted an individual in Chef’s garb. He asked if we were going to the dinner at The Pearl. When we told him that we indeed were, he politely escourted to the dinning room. We were promptly seated, despite being a bit early.
In short order we met our servers (that’s right, plural) and had water and edamame in front of us. We never felt rushed, but neither were we ever left waiting for the next course. As soon as I would set my chopsticks down, one of our servers would be there to take our plates, and another server would bring the next course. Always followed immediately by a server coming to tell us about the course and finally another server to pour my wine while telling me a bit about it.
Moving on to the food. Each course was prepared by a different chef. The wine pairing were done by Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya. The meal started with an Amuse Course featuring fish in a strongly flavored citrus sauce. Very good, if a bit much.
The Appetizer Course was The Pearl’s take on the California Roll with Black Tiger Shrimp. This was delicious and perfectly prepared. It was paired with a Spanish white wine designed specifically for sushi. I normally HATE white wine. But this white was great!
The Salad Course was amazingly well put together. The Chef responsible for this was an artist with alot of attention to detail. The salad was seared ahi sashimi in a garlic caper sauce. I never would have thought to put garlic and capers on seared ahi with arugula. But that’s because I’m not a genius like this Chef. This course was paired with a Rose. It didn’t do much for me and tasted a bit weak.
The Entrée Course was a beef tenderloin dish with udon noodles and ali’i mushrooms in a roasted garlic demi jus. I really enjoyed this course, although I honestly thought that the sauce’s flavor reminded me of Doritos. Not that there is anything wrong with Doritos. Lol! Seriously, the beef was cooked to pinkish perfection. The mushrooms had great texture and the udon noodles were properly cooked. This course was served with a hybrid Petite Sirah. A dark red wine that was seriously complex. If I see it out in town, perhaps at the Liquor Collection, I’ll certainly pick a bottle up!
The Dessert Course was was tempura fried ice cream. Beautifully covered in criss-​crossed chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis. A blackberry, a blueberry, a raspberry and a few slices were on the side with some homemade whipped cream. Afterwards our server brought out some Wailua coffee in a french press. I WILL be buying some of this coffee for home. (Sorry Kona, I still love you too!)
All in all this was a great evening and I home that we can do it again next semester!

This place is great but hard to catch open. run by students
they do a great job and the food is tasty. lunch only

Nice décor. Friendly staff but obviously students. The students had a nervousness about them but it was charming. My waitress was trying really hard to make us happy.
The food was good. Almost gourmet. It needed a little more refinement but was a great effort.
Ambiance was clean and comfortable. Stemware and linens were tasteful.
Overall, it was a good value.

Joshua C. introduced me to this delightful place about a year ago? He’s known to have great finds. My intial dining experience was excellent. I had no expectations and so it was a very pleasant surprise to be dining at what appeared to be an upscale restaurant in the middle of LCC? The venue provides a soothing environment: window views of Pearl Harbor, simple décor with a modern flare, tall celings, white linens, and attentive wait staff. I had my first taste of Ratatouille here and it was délicieux!
Every menu item I ordered here so far has been excellent. Receiving 5 star dishes for only $ 14.95? You gotta be kidding? What a deal! Want couture for a fraction of the price? Dine at the Pearl for lunch. You will not be disappointed. And their buffets are very good — $ 18.95, not bad at all.
The last time I came here was for their April buffet. I left on cloud 9 b/​c I just devoured my new found favorite dessert — chocolate/​macadamia nut filled patry puffs topped with a cold chocolate hard shell! They were AWESOME! You normally don’t take doggy bags home but there were soooooooo good that I had to take some home for later! Joshua was able to sneak me a container out of there. Woohoo!

Pearls are often metaphors for something rare, fine, and admirable (thanks Wikipedia). This restaurant is all that, a true gem in an area dominated by saimin (not that I don’t love it) and fast food. The Pearl is LCC’s culinary school restaurant (yes, LCC has a culinary arts program) and I can say it’s unflinchingly one of the best places to eat lunch, not just in Central Oahu but island wide. There’s always a fear that sharing secret spots might cause them to be over run, but I doubt many people read my postings (so to you lucky few who stumbled across this, enjoy).
The only negative about the place is that it’s only open three days a week, only for lunch, and only for a few weeks a year. Check out the website for the menu and dining schedule. Don’t expect to eat here unless you make reservations. The dining room is nicely appointed, quiet, and has a great view of Pearl Harbor. The Contemporary Cuisine students take turns running the front and back of house and do a commendable job in both areas.
The food (and it’s affordability) is what really sets this place apart. Expect items like Fennel Crusted Salmon with Ratatouille, Saffron Red Pepper Jus, then be amazed at how it tastes and how its offered at $ 14.95. Twice during the semester buffets are offered and you’ll salivate like a Pavlovian puppy over the menu and the way-cheaper-than-you’d-expect $ 18.95 price.
Note that they don’t take credit card, so stop at the Library (ATMs) on your from the parking lot if you need cash. It’s a little tough to locate. The restaurant’s on the same level as the parking lot, one building to the right of the library. Walk makai along the rail that overlooks the courtyard and you’ll eventually see the restaurant on the right. Look for a brick entry with a sign over it. (Um, you might want to ask them for directions when making your reservation, not my fault if you get lost, lol).
To those who’ve been hiding this place, I’m sorry, but it’s only fair that we share. I would want to know.
To those who’ve never been… I won’t cry if you don’t go, or completely ignore this post (in fact please do). But, if you’re fortunate enough to get a seating and love it, I’ll expect a compliment at the very least. :)
—-update 3÷15÷08−−−
Having eaten here about six times now, I prefer the plated lunches to the buffet (which is still a great delicious deal). It’s just that the regular dishes are amazing. I recommend calling them to get a faxed menu of what they’re serving when. The Torchon of Lamb and Smoked Salmon Carpaccio were incredible (especially for $ 14.95 and $ 5.95…I’d pay twice that for these dishes). Just a note about the service… it’s very friendly, but be patient, these are students who are studying both front and back of house. Don’t be surprised if five or six people come by to ask «How is everything?» :)