Anicea Seiko Campanale and Hailey Berkey have been friends since they were 8-year-olds growing up in California, and although their paths diverged as adults, the two reconnected and partnered to create The Nook Neighborhood Bistro in Puck’s Alley. Consider yourself lucky if you’re in the ‘hood of Manoa and Moiliili. The rest of us would like to be closer.

Campanale was cooking at a lodge in Alaska when Berkey, who had already moved here, invited her for a look seven years ago. Campanale remembers the warmth of the outdoors and cooking up lobsters fresh out of the ocean, and was sold on the idea of moving here. After working at several local restaurants, the two were ready to branch off on their own, and after surveying the landscape, determined what Honolulu needed was a good breakfast spot.

That was then, and we now know many a restaurateur was thinking the same thing. I have been making the rounds of one breakfast site after another — I promise this will be the last for a while! — but the more the merrier, I say. Each one is so unique, and a great breakfast can give you a boost for getting through the most difficult day.

Taking her own circumstance into account, Campanale was enthralled by the idea of an all-day breakfast because, she said, in food service working nights and waking in the late morning was not conducive to going out and enjoying breakfast. So she said she doesn’t like the idea of cutting off breakfast at 10 or 11 a.m. At The Nook, you have the leisure of enjoying waffles and eggs Benedict until closing time at 3 p.m.

The restaurant is in the cozy spot that was formerly home to Kiss My Grits. Shabby chic fixtures and a bar counter topped with house-made scones and muffins of the day — with such combinations as strawberry-yuzu or lemon-dill with black pepper — give it a homey, neighborly vibe.

The menu is short and sassy, but even so, you’ll find yourself making many return trips, whether for new favorite dishes or because breakfast fare tends to be too filling to tackle more than a few dishes in one sitting.

While you’re studying the menu, they’ll start you off with a selection of Waialua Roast French-press coffee ($9), Kona Rainforest Blend lattes, cappuccinos or espressos ($2 to $3.50), artisan-blended T-We teas from San Francisco ($3), a house-made soda of the day ($4), or fresh orange juice ($4).

The Nook supports Hawaii farmers by using local eggs, milk, produce and meat that you’ll find in everything from a kale benedict to malasada breakfast sandwich filled with house-made Shinsato pork sausage and a fried egg ($6.50). The latter is for a small eater, or might be cut in half and shared with other entrees. After all, the "bun" is a malasada. It is among the restaurant’s bright spots.

And the growing gluten-intolerant lobby is making an impact as mochi waffles are starting to pop up around town as an alternative to flour-based waffles. It’s showcased here topped dessert-style with matcha powder, whipped cream and condensed milk ($10), or paired with mochiko Jidori chicken ($12.50) and drizzled with bacon-maple syrup on a platter large enough for two to share. The chewy waffle holds up well to the syrup.

I prefer savory to sweet breakfasts, so in nonwork mode would be most likely spotted ordering an omelet or scrambled eggs with breakfast meat over waffles and pancakes. But here I’d make an exception for The Nook’s pineapple pancakes ($11), topped with house-made caramel and bruleed pineapple that’s mellow, not acidic, sour or overly sweet.

Heading into lunch hour, there are selections "between bread," such as a wonderful Asian pear grilled cheese sandwich with sharp cheddar and caramelized onions on ciabatta ($9). There is also BLT fried pork belly ($13.50) on two narrow strips of open-faced baguette, which is tricky to eat as the microgreens and tomato all want to fall off the bread. Both sandwiches are served with a side of daily greens.

As a healthful complement to any of the above, there is a delicious kabocha-spinach salad ($9) sprinkled with Lehua honey-glazed pecans, sweet Ewa onions and miso vinaigrette, and a refreshing citrus shrimp salad ($14) of Waipoli butter lettuce topped with orange slices, dabs of goat cheese and eye-opening mint vinaigrette.

For all of Campanale’s creativity, there are those days when all you want is a simple egg dish, and you can get the basic eggs any way with bacon or sausage, for $8.50. The first time I visited for breakfast, I wanted nothing more than The Scramble ($10), three eggs with spinach, goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. My friends told me I was boring, but I don’t think there’s anything boring about something that made me feel so happy.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.