Royal Hawaiian, Laguna Beach, CA (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

F finky099 Tiki Socialite Orange County, CA Joined: May 15, 2012 Posts: 542	F finky099 Posted posted on Wed, May 22, 2019 11:50 PM Apologies in advance, this is longer than I expected but I wanted to give my insights since a lot of folks, including myself, want to know about the changes. I had dinner at the “new” Royal Hawaiian on 5/18. I had been to RH a bunch of times since it re-opened in late 2016 and was rather dismayed when I read the restaurant ownership was changing a few months ago and pretty pessimistic what it would bring, particularly in regard to the tiki decor and atmosphere. Overall, what I found was a disappointment, but not in the way I expected. It was surprisingly far worse. I loved what the Honakars had Bamboo Ben do with the RH to cover all the white walls after they re-opened in late 2016. The thatch and Lahala matting, some extra tiki’s, etc. The RH I liked had a large window display case of tiki mugs, many of which represented locations in SoCal, as well as all the mugs the RH sold. The interiors had a fun, escapist throwback atmosphere that was engaging and matched the high caliber tropical cocktail program the restaurant aimed for (drink quality was always hit or miss for me personally, but the selection was very respectable, as were their efforts.) The decor now: blue painted walls, much more open ceilings and dining areas,and actually a fair number of tikis and Polynesian/polypop art, including a lot from Bosko, OA, Smokin Tikis, as well as pieces of lower quality Indonesian “tikis with fangs”. Yes, there’s a highly palpable difference in aesthetic, but there’s still a heck of a lot more actual Tiki here than there are in some new bars opening around the country that call themselves “Tiki”. But, Don the Beachcomber this is certainly not trying to be. The place feels like it’s trying hard to be a part of the high-end OC dining scene with $30-$50 entrees, but still find some Polynesian aesthetic, but make sure a common denominator, older bourgeois demographic is comfortable there. And it certainly accomplished those things. Before going, I really expected to be put off by the change in decor, but, I found it to be calm and chill and couldn’t believe I actually liked some of what they did (I would prefer it unchanged, but since they were determined NOT to leave it alone, that wasn’t an option.) one exception: the huge TVs now in the bar area and the re-lining of the ceiling in the bar area with a bunch of circular ratan things that look kind of like fans(??). Why?? So, I was kind of shocked by the time our waiter took our drink orders that I wasn’t completely revolted by the interior decor changes. I didn’t hate it. Which was good, in retrospect, because it prevented my bias from blinding me to the food and drink, which is where the wheels fell off this bus to paradise. I’ll spare the food review, except to say the portions aren’t big enough for what they charge, nor is there anything particularly innovative on the menu, unless you’re still impressed by heirloom veggies or edible flower petals garnishing your mashed potatoes. I had the lobster tail and my wife had the seared ahi. Flavors were uninspired and nothing different than I’d expect at any other vanilla “American coastal cuisine” restaurant where an older, affluent demographic that doesn’t stray too far from meat/fish and potatoes and doesn’t have a clue about craft cocktails and localization of cuisine are happy to eat in relative comfort. That’s not meant to be a denigration of that restaurant demographic, either. That’s a heavy portion of the diners that Orange County RELIES on to support their establishments and help make their incredibly high rents, especially at the beach cities. It’s just a damn shame that kind of place took over the Royal Hawaiian. But let’s get to what we all really go for: The Drinks. Royal Hawaiian 2016-Jan 2019 had a pretty decent tropical cocktail menu that featured some classics: navy grog, painkiller, REAL mai tais, swizzles, their “famous” Lapu Lapu, and others. And if you ordered off menu they tried their best to accommodate, to varied success. But damnit, they tried. The cocktail menu has now been reduced to about 5-6 drinks: Royal Hawaiian Lapu Lapu, Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai, Pulu Killer, a Blue Hawaiian, and a couple drinks with tequila and vodka that had a vaguely tropical feel to their descriptions. The last entry in the drink menu is “Dealer’s Choice”, which the menu says is bartender’s pick, but if you “roll the dice”, you may get lucky and they’ll light something on fire- could be neat!? This drink selection would be scant but acceptable if ANY of the drinks were actually drinkable. My wife loves a Three Dots and the waiter said he’d ask the bartender if they could make it. If not, she’d see what came out of a Dealer’s Choice. The Pulu Killer’s combination of orange, pineapple, Hamilton Navy strength, and another rum intrigued me, so I swerved from the Lapu to try that first. Our waiter returned a short while later to inform us the bartender said “they didn’t have the ingredients” to make a three dots, so the barkeep was making the Dealer’s Choice. Ok. Fingers crossed for fire! When he returned, he placed a high ball down in front of my wife with a cloudy translucent drink engulfing a thick square of ice. Oh and there was a small sage leaf garnish in it. We’re always up for something adventurous and interesting flavors. This was not at all looking like a tropical libation. Even the color was mysteriously...dare I say, uninteresting. “What had they made?!” we wondered suspiciously. Well, we’ll never actually know. My wife sipped it. Sipped it again. Then passed it to me. What they hell was it? We asked the waiter but he said the bartender doesn’t tell them. They never do. O.K... My best guess is vodka with lychee. I guess they figured if it went into a martini glass it might be too “commonplace”?? But my wife LIKES lychee and she still didn’t want to drink this. So, we sent it back and asked for their signature mai tai. My Pulu Killer? Nice color, but I couldn’t taste the rum. See the bottom right side of the pic below with me smiling, not from the drinks, but because it was Date Night! Dealer’s Choice - don’t bother Pulu Killer So, then my wife ordered the mai tai. Full-on island style mai tai and really not well balanced. My wife tried but couldn’t get halfway through it. At this point we decided to stick to the bottles carbonated water and just get our drinks after dinner elsewhere. Needless to say, we skipped dessert, too. It’s disappointing that the new RH owners apparently have zero interest in continuing to be a place that could tout its tropical drinks and maintain the RH legacy. Had the drinks been good, I’d at least return periodically for dinner and stomach the overpriced, uninspired menu. As it is, I have doubts this place will be open a year from now. I’ll leave ya swinging with a handful of photos. Cheers! :drink: [ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:52 ] [ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:53 ] [ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:54 ] [ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:55 ]

Apologies in advance, this is longer than I expected but I wanted to give my insights since a lot of folks, including myself, want to know about the changes.
I had dinner at the “new” Royal Hawaiian on 5/18. I had been to RH a bunch of times since it re-opened in late 2016 and was rather dismayed when I read the restaurant ownership was changing a few months ago and pretty pessimistic what it would bring, particularly in regard to the tiki decor and atmosphere. Overall, what I found was a disappointment, but not in the way I expected. It was surprisingly far worse.

I loved what the Honakars had Bamboo Ben do with the RH to cover all the white walls after they re-opened in late 2016. The thatch and Lahala matting, some extra tiki’s, etc. The RH I liked had a large window display case of tiki mugs, many of which represented locations in SoCal, as well as all the mugs the RH sold. The interiors had a fun, escapist throwback atmosphere that was engaging and matched the high caliber tropical cocktail program the restaurant aimed for (drink quality was always hit or miss for me personally, but the selection was very respectable, as were their efforts.)

The decor now: blue painted walls, much more open ceilings and dining areas,and actually a fair number of tikis and Polynesian/polypop art, including a lot from Bosko, OA, Smokin Tikis, as well as pieces of lower quality Indonesian “tikis with fangs”. Yes, there’s a highly palpable difference in aesthetic, but there’s still a heck of a lot more actual Tiki here than there are in some new bars opening around the country that call themselves “Tiki”. But, Don the Beachcomber this is certainly not trying to be.

The place feels like it’s trying hard to be a part of the high-end OC dining scene with $30-$50 entrees, but still find some Polynesian aesthetic, but make sure a common denominator, older bourgeois demographic is comfortable there. And it certainly accomplished those things. Before going, I really expected to be put off by the change in decor, but, I found it to be calm and chill and couldn’t believe I actually liked some of what they did (I would prefer it unchanged, but since they were determined NOT to leave it alone, that wasn’t an option.) one exception: the huge TVs now in the bar area and the re-lining of the ceiling in the bar area with a bunch of circular ratan things that look kind of like fans(??). Why??

So, I was kind of shocked by the time our waiter took our drink orders that I wasn’t completely revolted by the interior decor changes. I didn’t hate it. Which was good, in retrospect, because it prevented my bias from blinding me to the food and drink, which is where the wheels fell off this bus to paradise.

I’ll spare the food review, except to say the portions aren’t big enough for what they charge, nor is there anything particularly innovative on the menu, unless you’re still impressed by heirloom veggies or edible flower petals garnishing your mashed potatoes. I had the lobster tail and my wife had the seared ahi. Flavors were uninspired and nothing different than I’d expect at any other vanilla “American coastal cuisine” restaurant where an older, affluent demographic that doesn’t stray too far from meat/fish and potatoes and doesn’t have a clue about craft cocktails and localization of cuisine are happy to eat in relative comfort.

That’s not meant to be a denigration of that restaurant demographic, either. That’s a heavy portion of the diners that Orange County RELIES on to support their establishments and help make their incredibly high rents, especially at the beach cities. It’s just a damn shame that kind of place took over the Royal Hawaiian. But let’s get to what we all really go for: The Drinks.

Royal Hawaiian 2016-Jan 2019 had a pretty decent tropical cocktail menu that featured some classics: navy grog, painkiller, REAL mai tais, swizzles, their “famous” Lapu Lapu, and others. And if you ordered off menu they tried their best to accommodate, to varied success. But damnit, they tried. The cocktail menu has now been reduced to about 5-6 drinks: Royal Hawaiian Lapu Lapu, Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai, Pulu Killer, a Blue Hawaiian, and a couple drinks with tequila and vodka that had a vaguely tropical feel to their descriptions.
The last entry in the drink menu is “Dealer’s Choice”, which the menu says is bartender’s pick, but if you “roll the dice”, you may get lucky and they’ll light something on fire- could be neat!? This drink selection would be scant but acceptable if ANY of the drinks were actually drinkable.

My wife loves a Three Dots and the waiter said he’d ask the bartender if they could make it. If not, she’d see what came out of a Dealer’s Choice. The Pulu Killer’s combination of orange, pineapple, Hamilton Navy strength, and another rum intrigued me, so I swerved from the Lapu to try that first.

Our waiter returned a short while later to inform us the bartender said “they didn’t have the ingredients” to make a three dots, so the barkeep was making the Dealer’s Choice. Ok. Fingers crossed for fire!

When he returned, he placed a high ball down in front of my wife with a cloudy translucent drink engulfing a thick square of ice. Oh and there was a small sage leaf garnish in it. We’re always up for something adventurous and interesting flavors. This was not at all looking like a tropical libation. Even the color was mysteriously...dare I say, uninteresting. “What had they made?!” we wondered suspiciously.

Well, we’ll never actually know. My wife sipped it. Sipped it again. Then passed it to me. What they hell was it? We asked the waiter but he said the bartender doesn’t tell them. They never do. O.K...

My best guess is vodka with lychee. I guess they figured if it went into a martini glass it might be too “commonplace”?? But my wife LIKES lychee and she still didn’t want to drink this. So, we sent it back and asked for their signature mai tai. My Pulu Killer? Nice color, but I couldn’t taste the rum. See the bottom right side of the pic below with me smiling, not from the drinks, but because it was Date Night!

Dealer’s Choice - don’t bother

Pulu Killer

So, then my wife ordered the mai tai. Full-on island style mai tai and really not well balanced. My wife tried but couldn’t get halfway through it. At this point we decided to stick to the bottles carbonated water and just get our drinks after dinner elsewhere. Needless to say, we skipped dessert, too.

It’s disappointing that the new RH owners apparently have zero interest in continuing to be a place that could tout its tropical drinks and maintain the RH legacy.

Had the drinks been good, I’d at least return periodically for dinner and stomach the overpriced, uninspired menu. As it is, I have doubts this place will be open a year from now.

I’ll leave ya swinging with a handful of photos.

Cheers!
:drink:

[ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:52 ]

[ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:53 ]

[ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:54 ]

[ Edited by: finky099 2019-05-22 23:55 ]

Post #795312 by finky099 on Wed, May 22, 2019 11:50 PM