Twist at Hanohano Room

We turned off our phones… stepped out of the elevator and glided down the hallway arm and arm. Passing through an arched entrance, we were submerged into a breathtaking explosion of the senses, a frozen moment in time, a decadent world that is HanoHano Room.
Flights of wine, what a concept, to be taken away, to a far off land, through the power of your palete and imagination. «Pardon?» I asked in my distraction, there was always the possibility that I heard wrong. When it was something so close to a compliment, the possibility became a likelihood. Then noticing the sassy smirk, and the cheesy backhanded comment that came after, I smiled inwardly, the sweet smile you make right before you spank a bad puppy.
While thoroughly enjoying their Ahi lollipops as this was the best thing for me since chocolate and peanut butter, I pondered how this should play out. So I decided to fight «Cheese» with «Cheese»!
And we raised our wines and clinked our glasses, my South American flights with her Italian flights of wine, «So,» I said. «Rebecca.»
“Bridget,” the blonde corrected me.
«Right,» I said. «Bridget.»
But the little shit didn’t bat an eye. «It’s alright,» she whispered, playing with her glass and watching the wine swish inside. «They’re very similar.» They weren’t. Like she knew I’d just been mouthing off and hadn’t been expecting that shit…
And that’s when I knew, she was special, and thus begin something special… however, like a fleeting falling star… not all special things are meant to last…
R.I.P. Relationship with Special Girl.
R.I.P. HanHano Room… I miss you!
R.I.P. Ahi Lollipops… I MISS YOU MOST!!!

Wow. Great food in an atmosphere with so much style. A real classy, jazzy restaraunt with spectacular postcard perfect views of Diamond Head and Waikikii Beach. Live music. Everyone I have brought here will say the same. The bullet fast glass elevator at night is a kool experience. A must see if you are in Hawaii. Well worth the price. You definitely get what you pay for here.

The glass elevator outside the Sheraton Waikiki goes to one place, Twist at Hanohano Room. I’ve only been up here for drinks. This place is not cheap. But they do have a happy hour on Champagne and wine «flights». Three ½ glasses done by region or theme. Something a little fun, different, and special. They present the glasses in a sort of candle holder like stand. Fun!
Best thing about this place? The view, the view, the view! It’s on the 30^th floor. You can see all of Waikiki beach from way up here, as well as a spectacular view of diamondhead. Bring your camera!

This is a 4.5 star review.
First time coming here so thrilled with what I’ve heard about the view. The elevator ride alone is worth the trip.
Once we disembarked, the view of Diamond Head just pops! Absolutely breathtaking vantage point that left me stunned. With only iPhone in hand, I had to take a picture, but it can’t do the justice (see pic anyway). You’ll just have to go there, if only for a drink at the bar, by all means a must!
We were seated down the middle to the right of the stage off the floor. The views kept mesmerizing us and we were thrilled with our choice to view the 8:30 fireworks off Magic Island! Live piano music filling the air.
As sunset melted behind the mountains, the automatic window shades immediately raised, evoking oohs and ahhs from the primarily Japanese tourist crowd.
Menu is broken down into 3, 4 or 5 courses. One of us ordered a 3-​course or one appetizer, one entrée and dessert. I opted for the 4-​course or two appetizers, one entrée and dessert. Our appetizers consisted of the Kona Lobster Bisque with roasted cauliflower and truffle essence; the Hawaiian Style Crudo hamachi with shaved fennel, sea asparagus and blood orange emulsion; and finally the Lemon Roasted Asparagus with fig balsamic, roasted baby beets, marcona almonds and aged parmesan. The bisque and the hamachi were spot on and delightful!
Entrees were the Alae Salt and Rosemary Grilled Beef with smoked cheddar and chive potatoes in a Merlot demi glacé; and my Warm Seven Spiced Duck Breast with gingered cranberries, baby arugula and honey pumpkin purée.
For dessert, we opted for the Chili Chocolate Catalan Cream of
brandied cherries and cinnamon sugar «churros»; and the Kona Coffee Strawberry Tiramisu with dark chocolate and marscapone. I particularly enjoyed the chocolate chips in the lady fingers, a nice touch. Most selections were in the mousse and pudding arena.
We decided to accompany each dish with the available wine pairings that were pleasant and complimentary. The port with dessert was one of the best I’ve tasted (and I don’t care for port), but it had a nice savory prune spice bite.
Service was attentive, old school and accommodating. Water never reached less than 25% (my component of good service). Portion sizes were ample, so I’m not sure what other reviews have griped about. Having the 4-​course with bread and lavosh, I was totally stuffed. Those with huge appetites should order the 5-​course. Good luck with that.
A perfect spot with a heavenly view. Food prepared and presented nicely. Vantage point for sunset and Independence Day fireworks is priceless! A must see for one of the most spectacular views on O’ahu!

Get it while you can! I was told by a server who has been working at the Hanohano Room for 39 years (!!) that corporate plans to convert that lovely space to a business/​executive club later this year.
The reason I went last night was to obtain a world-​class view of the full moon rising over East Honolulu. Got that, along with the majestic outline of Diamond Head and the moon reflecting off of Waikiki Beach. Clientele was 99% visitors, 98% of whom were Japanese. The place was about 60% full.
It’s a multi-​course dining experience. You pick the appetizer, entrée and dessert. The selection of options was appealing; something for everyone. I had the roasted asparagus, salt-​crusted beef and pistachio custard. My dining companion had the rock shrimp-​pumpkin risotto, duck breast and mac nut gelato. We both were «wowed» by our choices and liked the serving. My companion’s risotto was divine. I could have had a few of those and called it a night! Dessert fell flat; but it wasn’t a huge disappointment, I was happily full. Cost for dinner was $ 65 each. In the end, it seemed quite fair for the quality, portion size, view, setting and service.
As I said, the clock may be ticking on this place. Get there before it becomes a private Sheraton «club» space and the legacy of the Hanohano Room slips away.

Twist is an interesting name for this restaurant. You ride up this glass elevator that shoots you up over the rest of Waikiki. At night the lights of the city sparkle like so many stars. You arrive at a lobby area that is trendy but not garish. The hostess greets you. Its A-​OK so far. My guest and I arrived a bit early so we headed to the little bar there and had a couple of glasses of wine. We each had a «Flight» of wine. (three glasses of different yet complementary wines) This was looking to be a promising evening.
Ok fast forward. We get to our table. The view is spectacular! Our wait staff was very courteous. Except our waiter kept saying «My friend» which started grating on my nerves after the first hundred times. The menu looked tasty. I had this asparagus soup for an appetizer, the bouillabaisse for entrée and custard for desert. The soup was interesting and I liked it with the bread as a dip more than a dish on its own. The bouillabaisse was OK. The fish was dry and the shrimp was tough. The scallops were excellent. The dish also needed more sauce. My desert was good. The salty sweet pistachios nuts complemented the sweet fattiness of the custard. That made me happy. The review around the table was not so pleasant. Someones fillet minion was not cooked how they would like it. Other folks deserts were very disappointing.
All in all it was an OK experience. Maybe I am being too critical but if your going to spend $ 80 plus dollars per person the meal better leave you completely satisfied and not just a little.

Well this was surprisingly disappointing.
Hanohano Room used to be my hungrier half’s favorite place for fine dining. It is safe to say that we will not be going back there for dinner as long as it remains Twist.
I really don’t enjoy giving bad reviews. Especially like this. I understand that there is a lot of behind the scenes hard work that goes into menu planning and course design. So I hate to say that someone’s hard work sucks. But in this case, in my opinion, they need to start over.
The concept is almost a tapas style dining. You choose how many courses you want: 3 for $ 65, 4 for $ 80, 5 for $ 105. That’s per person. The plates are small square (tapas style) plates. The portions are even smaller. We were explicitly told that we would not be allowed to share a 5-​course, though from reading other reviews it seems like you can for a splitting fee. We were not given that option… we were just told no, we couldn’t do that, that’s not how it works. So I ordered a $ 65 3-​course meal. I’m not a huge eater, but I wasn’t even close to being satisfied by portion or flavor.
The concept was a disappointment.
The offerings sounded «interesting” – not interesting like «yay, I want to try this» but more like interesting «I need to be careful what I order.» Rightly so. Twist likes to be creative about spices. But creativity seems to swing and miss here. Again, my humble opinion.
While I didn’t completely hate everything, I didn’t like most of it. And we felt like we spent WAY too much money to be so disappointed with our food and our service here.
As disappointed as we were, we kept that conversation to ourselves. We only asked questions to our server about the new format and when he asked how we felt about it, we did tell him that we preferred the old Hanohano Room better. I will say that I got the impression that the servers that work here must field a lot of the same feelings we had. We don’t beat up on the staff for things that have nothing to do with them. But I sensed that our server had heard this a lot. He seemed so numb to our response when he asked for it. And reading other peoples’ feedback about staff that talk blatantly about them almost doesn’t surprise me. I can see that happening.
I hope for the longevity of this restaurant that has such a beautiful view, history, and such potential, they are able to fix where they have gone wrong and get back on track. You can’t make everyone happy, but you can try.

Nice view. Tip — go during the daytime because @ night you see your reflection. Validated parking is provided.
We only had dessert. Decription was better than execution.
Wine flights offered were not interesting to us.
Nice ambiance though.

Located on the 30^th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki, the all-​glass windows of the Hanohano Room offer unobstructed, panoramic views of the city. It’s absolutely breathtaking.
My dinner selection was a choice of 2 appetizers, 1 entrée and 1 dessert. I made the mistake of not reading the food descriptions thoroughly and everything I ordered — with the exception of dessert — was very saucy. I was disappointed. I do not suggest ordering this combination: scallops (mine were gritty — i think sand was still stuck to them!) zucchini blossoms and onaga. Thankfully, my dinner companion allowed me to taste what she ordered — a combination I would’ve been happier with: eggplant with goat cheese, kona kampachi, rosemary beef.
We both ordered the Tiramisu for dessert, which was delicious. My friend also ordered a cappuccino with dessert and what was served was basically a cup of warm milk (no foam in sight) with a dash of espresso. I was like, «don’t try to fool me! I used to slang coffee!» She sent it back and they remade it proper.
I’d like to clarify that my food review is really only 2 stars but the awesome view and friendly wait-​staff bumps Twist up to 3 stars.

Solid.
That’s how I would describe the food at Twist, formally known as the Hanohano Room.
Our group of 8 had as appetizers:
Lemon Roasted Asparagus
Diver Scallops
Lobster Bisque
Caesar Salad.
Entrees:
Alae Salt and Rosemary Beef
Pine Nut Crusted Lamb Chop
Vanilla Poached Onaga
Seven Spiced Duck Breast
Shellfish Cassoulet
Desserts:
Lemon and Vanilla Custard
Kona Coffee Tiramisu
Guava Sorbet
Toasted Almond Mousse
All the dishes were good or great EXCEPT for the Onaga dish. Within our group it was universally agreed that the vanilla sauce for the fish was far too sweet. I cannot recommend this dish.
Value?
Based on just the food, no. BUT, if you factor in ambiance, location, spectacular view from the top floor of the Sheraton, and the soothing live music, I believe the price point was where it needed to be.
Also, in this age of Super Sized Fries and 64 ounce Big Gulps, I suppose the average John Q. Public would deem the portions too small, but for me and my friends, the amount of food seemed just right. For those with bigger appetites, I suggest splurging and ordering the 4 or 5 course meal. Or just fill up on the delicious, FREE bread they generously provide.
Too pricey for every day eating IMO, but a great alternative for special occasions.

From the moment you step in the glass elevator for the amazing climb to the top of Waikiki, to your last bite of your scrumptious desert melting in your mouth, you will leave here with a sense of satisfaction in your stomach and your soul… well, OK, maybe that soul part is a bit much, but seriously, it doesn’t get better than this.
Their menu format makes ordering a cinch… 3 course, 4 course or 5 course. Pretty simple. The fun part is just figuring out what you want. Each night their menu features a theme of one of 7 different Islands. On Friday night, ours was Majorca, Spain, our waiter explained that they also feature Key West, the Seychelles, and others which escape my memory at the moment… we chose the wine pairing with the 3 course, and literally, left completely satisfied. It is pricey, but it’s perfect for special occasions.
We started with a Key West Mojito, appetizer was Stuffed Crab and Artichoke Heart for her, Rock Shrimp Consommé for me. Entrée consisted of pine nut crusted lamb with Minted lemon pesto, carrot and Maui goat cheese purée for me, seven spiced duck breast with gingered cranberries, baby arugula, and honey pumpkin purée for her. Topping it off, she had the Tiramasu, and I couldn’t resist the Key Lime Mousse… it was incredible on a bed of pecan-​pie filling. We shared all of selections for maximum effect and had plenty, considering often times entrée’s from high-​end dining experiences like this can leave your stomach want for more. I was surprised to get two rather large lamb chops for my entrée… and they were truly tender as butter. I must say the duck, however, gave the lamb a run for it’s money, so to speak.
To finish the evening we were treated to a pair of pianists that played some old classics that were tastefully performed from the stage. Very nice ambiance. The sunset here in the summer time is probably best, when the sun is farther west than south. We got to see some color in the sky, but the sun in December is pretty far south and is blocked by the makai end of the restaurant which lacks the floor to ceiling picture glass found on the Diamondhead and Ewa sides, so we didn’t truly see the sun setting, but it was still nice. Diamondhead seemed to fill the view when we walked in, making me second guess my decision for the sunset side, but it was well worth it.
Parking is great– free valet, with customers choice for tip.
December 2009, they are doing some serious renovations to the lobby/​entrance area of this resort, so ask the valet for specific walking directions on how to get to the glass elevator to the restaurant and save yourself some walking. It’s not intuitive.
Hostesses and Waiters all performed graciously and professionally and were unobtrusive yet efficient. We also received a 15% off coupon for our next visit. Expect to spend around $ 200 for two, before tip. Overall, a great experience for a special occasion.

My boyfriend surprised me with a romantic dinner at Twist at the Hanohano room (30^th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki) for my birthday. I can’t believe some of the Unilocalers gave this place bad reviews! This was a fabulous experience!
First off, the view is breathtaking. We had an early reservation so it was nice to see the view transition from late afternoon to sunset. Service was great, and they do make a yummy key lime mojito (a good judge of bartending skills-I’ve had many bad mojitos).
We opted for the 3 course meal with wine pairings. We had the crispy crab and artichoke heart appetizer as well as the gazpacho consommé. Very creatively done! The gazpacho was clear yet somehow very flavorful with bits of rock shrimp and cucumber gelatin cubes. Seven spice rubbed duck breast and pine nut crusted lamb chops were our delightful entrees. The bf thought the lamb was the best he’s ever had! Although it looked a little too alive for my taste it was perfectly cooked and yummy. The duck breast was equally delicious, especially the pumpkin purée. We were cutting both the entrees with butter knives, so you know the meat was tender!
The kona coffee and strawberry tiramisu were heavenly. I didn’t expect to enjoy the key lime mousse but that too was very tasty. Thicker than what I’d expect for a mousse, and the caramelly pecans at the bottom were pleasantly salty-​sweet. The wine pairings were perfectly matched to each course, and the portions were perfectly sized. We left completely satiated and with happy mouths, but not too full to prevent us from hitting a couple spots after dinner.
The prices were pretty commensurate with the experience. I’d totally recommend Twist for a special occasion, romantic night, viewing of fireworks, or anyone needing to score major points with their significant other.

I’m not going to lie, I’m shocked that this place has such a low rating. My man commented just last night he was dreaming about the lamb from here. We loved every bite of our meal, and every sip of wine.
We went for the 3 course plus wine pairing, and yes, it was expensive, but we were prepared for that. Plus, we had spent about the same amount at the Top of Waikiki and were completely disappointed so the meal here made up for any sadness. Ask for a booth on the sunset side, it will take your breath away.
First course: Lobster bisque, ceasar salad. Bisque was divine, very rich and creamy. I didn’t eat it all for fear I wouldn’t be able to eat my meal. It was paired with Robert Dolan Chardonnay, which was a perfect buttery companion to the lobster. Ceasar was good, pretty standard in my opinion, paired with an RD Sav Blanc, nice and crisp providing a clean finish.
Second course: Alae salt and beef (filet mignon), Lamb. Both were perfect, cooked to a beautiful medium as requested and served with chive and cheddar potatoes. Filet was paired with a Cab Sav, nice and peppery, not overbearing. Lamb was paired with a merlot that added just a touch of bitterness to the mint and blackberry sauces. The potatoes were okay, a bit too neon green, but still tasted alright.
Third course: Cheesecake. Very good, rich and creamy. The almond brittle was a perfect bit of crunch. Paired with a late harvest reisling. Very sweet, almost too sweet for the cheesecake, but still a nice after dinner drink.
—
The bar area also does flights of wine, three 2 oz. glasses for a reasonable price. We tried two flights and both were good, though there were certain tastes we weren’t fond of and certain ones we really enjoyed. The bartenders are friendly and will share great information with you, as well as entertain you a bit with their stories. The only downside to the bar area is that it’s on the Diamond Head side so at night, there aren’t a lot of lights or anything to look at really. Before sunset it’s quite pretty.

The Hanohano room take place on the 1^st & 3^rd Saturdays on the 30^th Floor of the Sheraton Waikiki Hoel.
It provides a great view, but is not that exciting of an Asian party.

Had the breakfast buffet.
A famous chef once said that a sign of a good cook is how well he can cook eggs. I would like to add that a sign of a good breakfast buffet is how well the scrambled eggs are prepared.
The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly. Not runny, but not overcooked either. It’s easy to make one or two orders of scrambled eggs well, but to prepare large portions for buffet style takes practice and skill. The remainder of the buffet is mostly standard fare, bacon, eggs, sausage, potato au-​gratin, cereals, cold cuts, cheese and fresh fruits. The fresh fruits are sweet and almost overly ripe, perfect. A few other items cater mostly to Japanese tourists like miso soup, natto and a few other things I have no idea what they are, but the Japanese were eating them.
The server will also bring out fresh croissants and made to order omelets upon request.
Pricey at $ 28 but at least you get a nice view to start the day.

The view at sunset is breath taking… WOW!!!
on Fridays you get a sunset + fireworks!!!
I went for Vday and had the Vday special course… paired with champagne.
I loved everything about the meal… it was great!!!
My favorite part was the Lobster with asparagus and caviar. it was soooo good.
The lobster was nice and tender, the asparagus was cooked in a cream like sauce and when paired with the caviar it was perfect!
Then there was steak… didn’t really think much of the steak… it was good but the lobster made me full.
Then desert was a chocolate mousse cake with strawberries and pistachios.
If they had the lobster on the menu i would go back…

So my friends and I went to the Hanohano room not knowing that they had recently renovated to Twist. We got a price shock when we sat down as the least amount of money you can spend is $ 65 for a 3 course meal and we couldn’t even split a five or seven course meal since they charge a ridiculous amount like $ 20 to split each plate. After much debating we decided to just leave as there were better restaurants that we could spend half the money on.
As we were discussing where to eat downstairs a guy from the Hanohano rooms comes and begs us to come back to the restaurant because he promises us excellent service and we can eat at the bar which has a similar menu but everything is ala carte. We decided to go back up and the waiter proceeds to kiss our ***.
We got the crudo, the ceasar salad and the seared ahi along with all the desserts comped, he just brought them out without us even ordering anything. I think the crudo with the kona kamapachi was the best, but it didn’t really impress me too much. The ceasar salad and seared ahi were just ok. The waiter did give great service though.
For the entrée, my friend ordered the cheese platter (which is worth it), I ordered the soup (which was pretty good), and my other friends ordered the filet mignon and the spiced duck both of which were alright, nothing too note worthy.
The free food did brighten my mood but I still would never go back there unless they change the menu.

We ate at the restaurant. We didn’t do anything at the club. The food was OK. Not very kid friendly and not good for big parties for dinner. I wouldn’t go there on my own but since it was a big family event we went. The view is amazing we could see sea turtles coming up to take breaths all over the ocean. It was beautiful. If you haven’t gone you should at least go for the view.

The Hanohano Room has a great view of the ocean and sunset. It’s on the 30^th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki.
It was a little stuffy in there. The service was good, but was a little on the slow side. My wife ordered some kind of Asian-​style prepared fish. It was pretty good. I cannot remember exactly what I ordered, but it was fattening and only okay tasting. The place is a little pricey too.
If you want a great view of the ocean, then you might want to eat at the Hanohano Room.

This was awhile back, but I had these white chocolate covered strawberries for dessert and OMG… I can’t forget about them. It’s probably been almost 10 years… and I still remember them!
Anyways, as for night life here. It’s okay. I like how it’s very mellow on week nights. Weekend and event nights are okay… but many tourists and well… okay…I’ll end it here.LoL.