Introducing the Executive Business Lunch at Orchids Halekulani

Orchids Lunch with a View

Orchids at Halekulani may be best known for their amazing Sunday brunch, but they also serve lunch during the week. They have recently introduced an Executive Business Lunch menu that will rotate monthly and feature new seasonal dishes throughout the year. Available Monday through Friday, the Executive Business Lunch offers a two-course prix fixe menu with a choice of appetizer and main course or main course and dessert. The experience is designed to be enjoyed during the lunch hour, which makes it perfect for business meetings and client lunches.

Hawaii Mom Blog was invited to taste the inaugural menu showcasing a selection of Orchids favorites like the vine-ripened Kamuela Tomato Soup and the signature Orchids Burger. Although I was stuffed from the delicious meal, I just couldn't resist Halekulani's heavenly Signature Coconut Cake. 

If ordering the Executive Business Lunch, all guests at the table must order the prix fixe menu. While the full Orchids lunch menu is still available, the two menus cannot be combined. You can easily call the hotel to make dining reservations or use Open Table. 

Two-Course Prix Fixe $52

Vine-Ripened Kamuela Tomato Soup

Crab Salad New York Croissant

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana

Gnocchi Portofino

Orchids Burger

Catch of the Day

Halekulani's Signature Coconut Cake

Gelato

Orchids at Halekulani Hotel

2199 Kalia Road

Honolulu, Hawaii

(808) 518-2019

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Orchids Sunday Sparkling Brunch

Halekulani's Sunday Brunch at Orchids has been a long time family favorite to celebrate special occasions and now it has gotten more sparkling! Gone are the plexiglass partitions, but what remains is the impeccable service and quality of food that you know comes with your experience at the Halekulani Hotel. The award-winning brunch has been enhanced with additional carving stations, a weekly seafood creation, ice cream sundae bar, selections from Halekulani Bakery, and two glasses of your choice of prosecco, mimosas, kir cocktail or sparkling cider.

Hawaii Mom Blog was invited to a media event to experience first hand the new Orchids Sunday Sparkling Brunch and it was a wonderful and delicious experience. The open air restaurant is bright and elegant with gorgeous views of the ocean and Diamond Head which makes for the perfect setting to enjoy your Sunday brunch. 

When I brunch with my family at Orchids, my husband and I like to begin with coffee and prosecco or a brunch cocktail and the kids have juice (our fave is POG). We put in an order of eggs benedict for me, pancakes and waffles to share, and a soup of the day with our server before making our first trip to the buffet. My husband likes to begin with all things seafood which includes offerings of freshly shucked oysters, chilled jumbo shrimp, and deep water snow crab. My daughter usually opts for a made to order omelet and hits the pastry selections while my son fills his plate with an assortment of sushi, poke, bacon, and sausage. I like to start with fresh fruit and a couple of the chef prepared salads. On the second trip, we usually visit one of the grand carving stations which now offers Waimanalo Raised Suckling Pig, Prime Rib, Pineapple Glazed Baked Ham, Sage Roasted Tom Turkey, BBQ Beef Brisket, and a Seafood Selection. We end with several trips to the dessert station which looks like it has expanded triple fold since my last time there and features Halekulani's signature coconut cake and custom ice cream station.

Prepared salads and charcuterie

Omelet Station

Expanded Grand Carving Stations

Seafood Medley

One of the many petite pastry shop treats

I love the sparkling feature of brunch!

My first plate. Pacing myself.  Enjoyed spicy eggplant salad and spicy poke with some breakfast meats and fruit.

Second plate included delicious salmon and ahi maki sushi, beef brisket with veggies, and custom kimchi ramen from the Ramen station!

You can order pancakes and waffles for your table, but this was for me.

Do not miss the Halekulani popover with Poha Berry Jam! 

I ended my brunch with so many sweet treats!

The legendary buffet has something for everyone to enjoy and combined with the excellent service will make for a remarkable brunch experience. The cost for Orchids Sparkling Sunday Brunch is $105.00 for adults and $55.00 for children 5-12 plus tax and gratuity.  

Orchids Sparkling Sunday Brunch (9:00am – 1:30pm)

Halekulani Hotel

Call (808) 923-2311 or (844) 288-8022 for information.

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ORCHIDS SPARKLING SUNDAY BRUNCH: Honolulu’s most legendary brunch just got more…Sparkling!

Halekulani, Oahu’s most acclaimed luxury hotel just steps away from Waikiki beach, today announces an enhancement to its award-winning Orchids Sunday Brunch, featuring additional carving stations; a weekly seafood creation; a house made ice cream and sorbet bar; selections from Halekulani Bakery; and prosecco and sparkling cider

According to Executive Chef Christian Testa, standout Orchids brunch items include the carving stations with prime rib, crispy skin Waimanalo raised suckling pig and sage roasted turkey; a shellfish station that includes freshly shucked oysters, snow crab legs, and chilled poached shrimp; an action station sushi bar with made-to-order nigiri sushi and handrolls; and an assortment of fresh poke, sashimi and fresh seafood. Guests can also choose from a variety of salads using locally-grown produce, Japanese breakfast items with soba and ramen stations.

 

Orchids features classic brunch dishes as well, such as eggs and omelets made to order; eggs Benedict; buttermilk pancakes; Belgian waffles; a selection of freshly baked breads and pastries from the Halekulani Bakery; and the signature Halekulani popovers with poha berry jam.

 

A tantalizing array of desserts include the signature Halekulani coconut cake; petit fours; French macarons; seasonal specialty desserts; specialty cheesecakes; cookies; and an ice cream bar with rotating selections of house made ice creams and sorbets, toppings, sauces and custom ice cream sandwiches.

 

With this enhancement, two glasses of prosecco, mimosas, Kir cocktail or sparkling cider are included.  Restaurant patrons are provided with complimentary validated parking.

 

The award-winning brunch is available on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The restaurant requires resort casual attire.  Tank tops, beachwear, exercise attire or flip flops are not permitted. For reservations please call (808) 518-2019 or book online at OpenTable.

 

About Halekulani 

Since its re-introduction in 1984 as one of the world's finest and most acclaimed independent luxury hotels, Halekulani has received more than 500 awards, most recently placing on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2023 Gold List of best hotels and resorts in the world, Travel + Leisure’s 2022 T+L 500 list, as well as Travel + Leisure’s 2022 World’s Best Awards list of the best resorts in Hawaii. Freshly reopened following a comprehensive renewal project, Halekulani is home to La Mer, Hawaii's longest, consecutively ranked AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Restaurant, Orchids, House Without A Key, L’Aperitif, Lewers Lounge, Cattleya Wine Bar, SpaHalekulani, and the new Earl’s Pool Bar. For over twenty years, Halekulani has maintained a strong commitment to arts and culture in the community through exclusive alliances with Oahu's most iconic cultural venues. Halekulani is operated by the Hotels and Resorts of Halekulani, a brand management division of the Honolulu-based Halekulani Corporation, which also oversees the Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani. Halekulani is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and is aligned with Tokyo's legendary Imperial Hotel. For further information, please visit www.halekulani.com.

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Introducing the Cattleya Wine Bar at Orchids at the Halekulani

 
Grab your girlfriends, your co-workers, or your significant other and bring them to the new Cattleya Wine Bar at Orchids in Waikiki's Halekulani hotel for the perfect girls' night out, pau hana, or date night.  With both communal and private tables, the Cattleya Wine Bar is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a global selection of wines by the bottle or glass.  The featured wines are complemented with a light tapas style menu that is influenced by Orchids' Mediterranean theme.  You can experience Waikiki's best kept secret Monday through Saturday from 11:30am to 9pm and on Sundays from 4:30pm to 9pm.  

Gem and I were invited to experience Cattleya and I have to admit I was looking forward to it ALL WEEK.  The Halekulani is one of my favorite hotels in Waikiki and I always enjoy the beautiful ocean views from Orchids.  We started with a sparkling rose from Franciacorta, Italy - an ideal selection as we toasted to the beginning of the weekend.  From the tapas menu we had the Hamachi Crudo, Charcuterie Plate, Bruschetta, Ahi Tostada, Kona Lobster and Kahuku Shrimp Gyoza, and the Truffle-Parmesan Fries.  We also enjoyed a couple of handmade pasta dishes off the Orchids' dinner menu.  The dishes were flavorful and top notch.  We loved the gyoza so much we got a second order.  

The highlight of the evening was trying a unique red - the Jeaune by Chateau Musar; an unoaked blend of Cinsault, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards of Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.  Cattleya's extensive selection of wines by the glass allows a novice like me to expand my palate as I had never had the opportunity to taste of wine from Lebanon before.  The Cattleya Wine Bar also offers the Coravin system which gives guests the ease of tasting world class wines without committing to entire bottle.  Featured selections were from Kenzo Estate, one of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley.

A huge thank you to Bonnie at Halekulani for the delicious dinner and wines at the Cattleya wine bar.  We had an amazing time with real laughs and talk - the best way to enjoy an evening. 

Gorgeous setting for light tapas and wine.

Charcuterie Plate - cacciatorini salami, mortadella, speck parmesan and fontina, smoked gouda dip, olives, baby carrots

Bruschetta - roasted Tuscan bread, kamuela tomato basil, garlic, fresh oregano, extra virgin olive oil 

Ahi Tostada - sushi grade ahi, tabasco-lemon dressing avocado puree, wonton tostada

Kona Lobster and Kahuku Shrimp Gyoza - spicy ponzu sauce

Risotto ai Funghi Porcini - Porcini Mushroom, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Basil,
Mozzarella, Parmesan Cheese, White Truffle Oil

Lasagnette - Fresh Chef Pasta, Kahuku Prawns, Scallops, Avocado, Lightly Spiced

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Afternoon Tea at the Halekulani

Recently Honolulu Magazine listed the Halekulani as one of the best afternoon teas in Honolulu.  So naturally, favoring all things fancy, I had to go!  The Halekulani offers three types of tea service daily from 3pm in their Veranda and at Orchids.  Seating is limited on the elegant Veranda so if you don't arrive early enough, you may be seated at Orchids, which is just as beautiful with open air seating and ocean and diamond head views.  

I was lucky enough to have afternoon tea twice this month, once at Orchids and the second time on the Veranda.  The menu is the same with the exception that the Halekulani blend is not offered at Orchids and they use the same settings from the restaurant.  You'll get the floral tea cup settings on the Veranda.  Other than that, it is the same fine selection of teas.  I highly recommend getting the blueberry rooibos iced for these hot summer days.

Afternoon tea is such a relaxing and refined experience and to share it with family and friends makes it unbeatable.  One of the better ways to end any day. 

   

Halekulani offers three tea services: classic, champagne and celebratory.  Also on the menu, coffees and wines.

You can smell the fragrant teas before making your selection.

The scones and muffins are paired with amazing housemade Kula strawberry preserves and lemon curd.

The tea smells wonderful.

The tea spread is visually stunning.

The decadent desserts.

The savory sandwiches.

The gorgeous view from Orchids.

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