It’s been eight years since a breakfast buffet was last available at The Surf Lanai in the Royal Hawaiian hotel.

Bringing breakfast back has been just one of many initiatives started by the Royal’s executive chef, Colin Hazama, since he was awarded the position a year ago. At age 33, Hazama became the youngest executive chef in the hotel’s 88-year history and brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to his work. The restaurant’s menu has been revamped, and so has that of Azure, in collaboration with chef de cuisine Shaymus Alwin.

Hazama also launched his Fanta-Sea dinner series combining dinner with a next-day farm tour to introduce visitors, as well as locals, to the sources of the food enjoyed, to promote greater appreciation and stewardship of land and sea. (The next Fanta-Sea event is June 24 and 25, with dinner at Azure and an excursion to Wing Sing Seafood.)

The chef’s advocacy for isle farmers is also reflected at the breakfast table. On the surface it is about eggs and hash brown potatoes, which is true at most breakfast haunts. But in addition to locally sourced eggs, those three-potato hash browns contain russets for crispness, Yukon Golds for sweetness and taro for a flash of color and local flavor.

A la carte breakfasts start with some basics to get your day off to a pleasant start. It’s hard to beat the beachfront setting that, on a lazy weekend, makes you forget all the week’s stresses and projects yet to be completed. Even something as simple as a muesli parfait ($14) of Greek yogurt, macadamia nuts, banana slices and mixed berries feels like a treat, as does steel-cut oatmeal ($12) with dulce de leche, raisins and bananas Foster.

Of course you can order classic eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon ($22), or eggs in any style with a choice of smoked bacon, ham or Portuguese, country breakfast or chicken sausage, plus choice of hash browns or pandan lemongrass rice.

Side orders and a quintet of “The Royal Treatment” house specials such as smoked Scottish cedar-plank salmon on a bagel ($19) and wild blueberry pancakes ($18) round out the menu.

Now, this is where things get interesting, as the menu also introduces a hybrid concept I don’t see often. If a one-entree breakfast doesn’t quite hit the spot, you can opt for the buffet. which includes an a la carte selection. As part of the buffet, pick one of six “Royal Treatment” dishes. It’s the best of both worlds for those who can’t resist trying a little bit of everything.

The upscale buffet is not the pig-out fest offered at many a hotel. Each item is carefully considered, and while some might miss a raw bar, there’s enough food to keep your belly full long past lunch.

It starts with fresh fruit and baked goods such as scones, muffins, minibagels and moist, flavorful banana bread. But before you devour all that bread, consider a dessert add-on of The Royal Bake Shop banana bread French toast ($16), the banana bread covered with a thin, crisped layer of egg and topped with macadamia nuts, bananas Foster and Koloa rum. I don’t have as much enthusiasm for desserts as when I was younger, but I love this.

Also available on the buffet line are those three-potato hash browns; Scandinavian smoked salmon; miso soup; scrambled eggs with topping options of white cheddar, tomatoes and chives; and a waffle bar with toppings of whipped cream, fresh strawberries and bananas Foster, Naked Cow Dairy butter, maple syrup and chocolate and coconut sauces.

“Royal Treatment” options range from classic eggs Benedict to the Royal Loco Moco of fork-tender, juicy port wine-braised short ribs with sunny-side-up egg, or a crab omelet with avocado, spinach and mozzarella.

And I can never resist the allure of omelets. Here, the version called “The Works” features three kinds of sausage with onions and white cheddar.

For the Instagram set, the Pink Palace Pancakes are a stack of five natural-color guava-raspberry pancakes with balsamic strawberry relish and coconut-kaffir cream. Definitely one to make all your social media friends envious. Yes, for one morning, your life will be better than theirs.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com. For more photos from this week’s restaurant go to takeabite.staradvertiserblogs.com