Feast on fresh, ‘local kitchen’ fare

Mix Fruit Pancakes ($15)

From its bright, airy interior to its scrumptious menu offerings, Café Morey’s is a delight to behold. It’s named for Morey Tatemori, vice president of EKC International Hawaii Inc., who says that this cheery eatery aims to feature “local kitchen dining,” meaning it’s appealing to the kamaaina palate and always fresh and delicious.

“The Morey’s fried rice is one of the most popular dishes,” Tatemori says. “It’s made with spinach, mushrooms, corn, onions, green onions and our secret sauce.”

Add some protein with optional egg, barbecue chicken, kalbi or garlic shrimp.

On the sweet side of things, find pancakes and baguette French toast.

“Mix Fruit Pancake ($15) is another popular dish,” he adds. “It’s made with our secret pancake recipe.”

It’s topped with a medley of fruits, including kiwi, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries and more.

Savory menu selections, aside from Morey’s Fried Rice ($10), include a variety of Benedicts, scrambled egg offerings and other specialty plates.

Morey’s Fried Rice ($10), with one egg (additional $1.25) and five pieces of garlic shrimp (additional $6)

“The smoked salmon and crab Benedicts are our most popular Benedicts,” Tatemori says.

It’s not just the food that shines here. Café Morey’s drink menu, filled with colorful lemonades and libations, rivals its entrées in looks and flavor.

“The popular drinks include the bloody mary — it’s not too strong because we don’t use a bloody mary mix, we make our own, it’s more natural — and Island Mimosa ($8), which is made with lilikoi and mango with sparkling wine,” Tatemori says.

“Our lemonades are popular, too. We make our own lemon syrup from fresh-squeezed lemons and add our homemade simple syrup.”

Island Mimosa ($8), Island Pina Colada ($9.50)

When discussing Café Morey’s proprietary recipes, it’s clear that Tatemori takes pride in the attention that’s paid to the detail and freshness of each dish.

“We don’t use products that are already made,” he explains. “No MSG — sometimes, it takes a little bit longer to serve the food, but we make everything to order.”

Tatemori says he’d like to add some special people to the Café Morey’s team.

“We are hiring. People can call or come pick up applications,” he adds.