Kailua is home to a new Portuguese eatery

Stumbling across recently opened Faria Hawaiʻi was a happy accident. I was in the neighborhood — specifically, walking back to my car after a tour at Mānoa Chocolate — when the eatery’s sign caught my eye. I hadn’t seen it before, so I went to check it out.

It was then I learned that my timing was everything — Faria Hawai‘i was soft opening in two weeks, so I’d best book a reservation.

Located on Kuʻulei Road in Kailua, Faria Hawaiʻi is still in its soft opening phase. While the eatery is the only Portuguese restaurant in Hawaiʻi, Faria Hawaiʻi chef and partner Kawehi Haug says the eatery is specifically a Pasifika Portuguese restaurant.

“We’re not trying to be Lisbon Portuguese, California Portuguese or East Coast Portuguese,” she says. “We are Hawai‘i Portuguese, and that informs our vision for the food and experience that we’re hoping to give our guests. Our menu is made up of family recipes created through generations of cooking and eating not just our own traditional Portuguese dishes, but also Hawaiian and ‘local’ dishes.”

Haug explains since her family is Hawaiian-Portuguese, food was always part of her culture.

“I’ve been working on this concept for about 20 years,” she says. “I wanted to invite other people to sit at my table and experience the community, warmth and hospitality that was always a part of family meals around my grandma’s koa table in Kailua.

“As a former food writer, I was struck by how important Portuguese food is to Hawaiʻi culture and the local foodscape; yet, Portuguese restaurants are all but unheard of in Hawaiʻi,” she adds. “I wanted to create a place that honors the Portuguese people’s contribution to our rich Island food tapestry, and to recreate the heritage foods of our Island Portuguese families.”

Fun fact: That koa table Haug mentions is now one of the tables in the restaurant.

The new eatery is intentional when it comes to attention to detail, whether it’s the ambiance or menu’s glossary page (more about that later). Be sure to check out the wall of candles, located on the right side of the restaurant.

“Catholicism is deeply entwined in Portuguese culture,” Haug says. “Though we are not Catholic ourselves, being Portuguese is almost synonymous with being Catholic. I wanted to honor that aspect of the culture in a couple of different ways in the restaurant décor. I did so with the rosary display at the entrance of the restaurant, but also with the saint candle wall.

“Saint candles in Catholicism are meant to honor those people who have gone before us as luminaries,” she adds. “As a playful nod to that concept, we designed candles depicting a few culinary luminaries that have and continue to inspire us as restaurateurs and food people. Though it’s meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, it is also a sincere tribute to our culinary influences. We will continue to add to the candle collection as time goes on.”

For the time being, though, you’ll see candles with photos of chefs like Sheldon Simeon, Alan Wong, Roy Yamaguchi and Andrew Le, among others.

Thank goodness Faria’s menu comes with a glossary to explain terms like piri piri — Portugal’s signature chili — and bacalhau, or cod fish. It made deciding what to order a tad bit easier, but everything on the menu sounded appealing.

These shrimp turnovers were the highlight of our meal. The hand-shaped turnovers boast a delicate, flaky, ultra-crispy interior with a creamy shrimp bechamel filling. It comes with a green dipping sauce similar to a chimichurri; it’s a mouthwatering blend of cilantro, flat leaf parsley, scallions, olive oil and garlic, according to Haug, who says the sauce is the eatery’s take on a traditional Portuguese herb sauce called molho cru.

Breads are baked in house and all of them are rooted in Portuguese baking traditions, according to Haug. This bread assortment was specifically curated to pair with the eatery’s dishes; if you order this basket, keep it on the table throughout your meal. You’ll probably use it to mop up some of the flavorful sauces.

Each basket comprises pao da lareira, bolo do caco and a sweet bread, along with two kinds of butter — sweet cream butter and an orange-hued Faria Bay butter, or a mix of bay leaf, butter, garlic and onions.

“‘Bolo do caco’ is a Madeiran flatbread that’s traditionally cooked on a hot griddle; we bake ours in the oven,” Haug says.

Meanwhile, the pao da lareira is a hearth bread, similar to an Italian focaccia. This one’s a bit heavy — it’s easy to fill up on — and the sweet rolls were my favorite of the three, especially when slathered generously with that Faria Bay butter.

Locals will love dishes like the salt and vinegar chicken wings ($14) and the Portuguese bean soup ($10). The crispy chicken wings boast a generous portion — each one is meaty — and the salty-vinegar flavor is balanced.

This Portuguese bean soup is more local-style and is a hearty blend of cabbage, Portuguese sausage, smoked ham and white beans. It even comes with pao de lareira for dipping.

While we didn’t order it, Haug recommends trying the sardinhas, or sardine skillet ($19).

“It’s a skillet of simmered tomatoes, white wine, garlic, olive oil and imported Portuguese sardines paired with bolo do caco,” she says. “It’s everything we love about Portuguese comfort food. It’s savory, spicy and rich without being heavy.”

Entrees range from dishes like pot roast ($26) and Madeira steak and fries ($31) to whole branzino ($45) and garlic pork ($26). We tried to order some of the more uniquely Portuguese dishes — Granny Pereira’s piripiri chicken ($24) and cod and potato gratin ($28).

The whole roasted chicken leg was coated in a piripiri spice rub, lemon potatoes and braised cabbage. While we enjoyed the textures in this dish — both meats and veggies were ultra tender — the chicken could have used a tad more salt.

This dish featured cod underneath layers of scalloped potatoes and topped with olives, eggs and fresh lemon. The moist, flaky cod absorbs all the lemony flavor, and the scalloped potatoes are perfection.

Save room for desserts, as the menu features several different dishes. The eatery’s signature dish is its pasteis de nata, or Portuguese custard tarts ($12).

“We hand-laminate the dough to create a super crisp tart shell that’s filled with an egg custard,” Haug says. “The tarts are baked at a very high temperature to create a charred, blistered top; that is one of the traditional, signature features of pasteis de nata.”

If you want something chocolaty and more indulgent, go for the bolo de bolacha. This biscuit torte is a layered dessert similar to a tiramisu, and it’s made with Royal Cream crackers, espresso and buttercream.

As mentioned previously, the eatery is still in its soft opening phase, and Haug says the team is grateful for the grace and kindness diners have shown them.

“We want customers to leave Faria feeling like they spent the evening at a friend’s house,” she says. “We want to feed them good food, pour them good drinks, extend to them exemplary hospitality and make them want to come back again and spend their time with us.”

CONTACT
Faria Hawai‘i
306 Ku‘ulei Road, Kailua
fariahawaii.com
Instagram: @fariahawaii
Open 5-10 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays
Parking available in public lots  

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.