Hippy Gourmet Episode #88 – Kiahuna Plantation Resort & Plantation Gardens Restaurant! Featuring Chef Kirk Lowe

Arriving in Kauai from Maui, we could see how incredibly lush the island is, from the mountainous northern part of Nepali coast, to the beaches in Poipu, Kauai is truly the Garden Island!

Kauai is so green with sprawling mountains that drop directly into the deep azure sea. White sandy beaches, protected coves around each bend of the road and the smell of hibiscus all hit you at once in one captivating expression of Ahhh!

Staying at the Kiahuna Plantation, part of the Outrigger resorts on Poipu Beach on the western side of Kauai we discovered the true laid-back essence of Hawaii family-style! The amazing part of this resort is that it’s like staying in the middle of a botanical garden, right at the edge of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! They offer two-bedroom, condo-style rooms many that have an upstairs area with a balcony view of the ocean, a very large living room and even a fully equipped kitchen! So if you like flowers, greenery, the sound of the ocean gently brushing up to the shore, and rooms that are set up to accommodate families that like to cook- this is definitely the resort for you!

We are greeted by Executive chef Kirk Lowe, a San Francisco Bay Area native who came to the Plantation Gardens Restaurant in Kauai, in Hawaii to bring his seasoned background to their kitchen. Kirk’s early influences at his grandfather’s Chinese restaurant in San Francisco gave him is inspiration to work in gourmet cooking, and to bring warm and delicious recipes to make people smile.

Chef Kirk’s first dish for us is something very special indeed, this is one of his signature appetizer recipes that he brought to Kauai, and it is beautiful! Seared Sea Scallops on a bed of Shitake Mushroom Mashed Potatoes, garnished with a Papaya Salsa a Pea Coulis and fresh Tabiko (or Flying Fish Roe) Phew! …the colors of this compete head on with the flowers outside!

Then Chef Kirk whips up one of the Plantation Garden’s most popular dishes, Steamed Opakpaka with Garden Veggies and a Miso Glaze! Chef Kirk shows us a more traditional and extremely healthy way to prepare this steamed Opakapaka (which is a kind of Snapper – light and flakey) Yum! What makes this dish sparkle is a combination of freshly sliced Ginger, Dark Sesame Seeds and the sizzling addition of hot Peanut Oil just at the end of cooking.

We’re also fortunate in this episode to meet Gana Maheshwaran, the Resort Manager at Kiahuna Plantations, who takes us on a tour of this breathtaking property that includes acres and acres of blossoming flowers, Koi ponds and beach activities of all kinds!

Much Mahola to Chef Kirk and Plantation Gardens, the food is as spectacular as the surroundings of Poipu beach in Kauai!