For those with a sweet tooth, Red Ginger Café & Gift Shop offers Coldfyre Cookie Cremes. - Photo: Francine Murray

Come for the soup,
stay for the smoothies

By Francine Murray / Ka Wai Ola

REVIEW: Red Ginger Café & Gift Shop is tucked away in the bedroom community's Mānoa Marketplace. I was drawn in like a moth to a flame as soon as I glimpsed the day's special, homemade chicken mulligatawny. Nothing warms on a rainy Mānoa day like homemade soup, mmm good.

Upon entering the humble storefront, I was pleasantly surprised by the warm and inviting ambiance. It's décor of rich woods and fresh flowers, with contemporary touches of stainless steel, are like a fine boutique. The café is also a gift shop full of aloha 'āina, the eco-friendly treasures including stunning jewelry creatively crafted of recycled glass, organic candies and toffees by Madison and Marcela, candy by Yummy Earth, local teas in island flavors like Hawaiian Vanilla from the Tea Chest, and Teaposy, a line of organic tea that blossoms when brewed, turning into beautiful flowers.

The artsy aromatic beverages are comprised of silver needle white tea, one of the highest in antioxidants and infused with jasmine and other natural flavors, sure to delight all the senses. The walls are adorned in cute, colorful and trendy individually handcrafted bags and purses made from recycled juice pouches. Providing an attractive way to carry belongings, a livelihood for the crafters and saving the 'āina by reducing what goes into landfills, Red Ginger Café is the exclusive retailer of Encore bags in Hawai'i.

The café's magnetism is the fresh mea 'ai. “The food is what everyone comes for. ... We try to make unique specials every day,” the owner Melanie Kawai says. The family business serves sandwiches, soup, salads and smoothies made with organic or local ingredients. The Turkey Cranberry Delight is their most popular item. It can be ordered as a wrap or a sandwich, and is served with lettuce, tomato, organic carrots and clover spouts, dressed in cream cheese and topped with fresh cranberries. It was a delectable delight, and understandably a crowd pleaser. The hypnotic essence of chicken mulligatawny filled the room.

“My husband is the soup maker and we have a big following for our fresh homemade soups,” Kawai says. “It's a race for our customers to make sure they get some!”

The Red Ginger Acai can be made into a smoothie or a parfait. The tiny dark purple acai berry is packed with antioxidants, amino acids, fiber, protein and essential omegas. Blended with banana, strawberries and a splash of cranberry juice, this purple pleasure is a delicious treat, and the reason I'll keep going back. Choose your own parfait toppings from green Granny Smith apples, granola, dried fruit, honey, craisins, strawberries and bananas. The all-natural smoothies and parfaits are made with fruits and organic soymilk, no sherbet, yogurt or sugar.

If you have sweet tooth, the café serves Coldfyre Cookie Cremes, with organic Kona coffee in the Mocha Latte Kudasai and Kahuku bananas in the Macadamia Nut Banana Cookie Crème. The gourmet cookie sandwiches are delicious, and the owner of Coldfyre Cookie Cremes, Gerry Nakashima, shares the café's mission to support local businesses and farms.

Red Ginger Café, a Native Hawaiian-owned business, opened four months ago. So far, it's real good. Visit the café where aloha is served and healthy never tasted so good for some aloha 'āina shopping and natural nourishment. Phone orders are welcomed, call 988-0588.