I was really looking forward to trying this place. I mean, all the guidebooks gave it good reviews, from Fodor's to Frommer's to the Kauai Revealed Guidebook. Looking online too, I was excited about the menu. Ahi Tuna? Wasabi sauce? Sounded like it would be a fantastic dinner.

Maybe I didn't read too deeply in, but the place wasn't quite what I expected. The guidebooks warned that it would be a long wait for the food...and it was a looooong wait, and then some. After what felt like a good long time, I saw what I thought was going to be my dish head my way, and promptly get deposited on the table beside mine. Several minutes later, I heard the waitress yell at the patrons. Why didn't they tell her she gave them the wrong order? As it turns out, I think they got my order.

Some more time passes, and I eventually got what I ordered. My first thought? Disappointment. The Pacific Rim platter was officially billed as Ahi Tuna with Tofu Potstickers glazed with Jungle Jazz mango grilling Sauce served on a bed of Silver Noodle Salad, Peanut Dressing, and Rice. What I actually got was a volcano of rice with several pieces of noodles with 5 pieces of cucumber and some pieces of potstickers and a piece of tuna as an afterthought. I guess at $21 a plate, I expected more. Perhaps it's from the excellent value that I had gotten from the other places, but I really felt gypped. Not to mention that the tuna glaze was seriously sweet, and that the tuna looked more like breaded chicken fingers and tasted like dried out cardboard. This turned out to be my most disappointing experience on the island yet.

After giving our order to the wrong table, getting mauled by mosquitos and paying $2 for a glass of lemonade that was 99% ice... The food had better make up for it. Unfortunately it didn't come close. The "seared ahi tuna" was seared... and cooked all the way through to boot, not to mention really quite small. The rice was clumpy and both the peanut and wasabi cream sauces were runny. Very much surprised given the consistent positive reviews I've seen elsewhere. An absolute rip-off at $18-22 a plate.

Considering across the street we could have gotten more Korean BBQ than we could have eaten, mosquito-free for $8? Yikes...

My wife and I loved Caffe Coco! It's not Chili's or Bennigan's or Applegate's. It's unique, local, a bit exotic. The outdoor dining area reminded us of our recent trip to the Philippines. We loved the mismatched furniture, the napping cat, the rock "floor." The service was friendly and relaxed. We ate lunch--my wife had a salad and an ahi tuna on focacia with wasabi mayonnaise, and I had an ahi wrap. Everything was excellent. I tried the ginger lemonade, which was very refreshing. All in all, a very enjoyable experience.