Orbit ~ Sky City Auckland

So tonight, my last night in Auckland, I decided to spice up my life as a single and take myself out for a nice Saturday night dinner.  I thought that this might just be the perfect opportunity to try my hand at what might look like a food review.  Nothing too professional, just pretty much going over some of my thoughts about the overall experience.

Initially I walked into the tower to check out the view, when I realised that just a trip to the top was going to be $28.00 I decided to check out the menu and see if it was a reasonable idea.  I asked the receptionist, Chris, to look at the menu’s and heard him tell a few other people in the meantime that they were all booked for this evening.  I decided that it never hurts to ask, and felt like a celebrity when he said that there was a reservation in Orbit for me at 5:30! I knew it was meant to be!

I got 45 minutes on the sky deck to watch the sunset first.  This was about 220m up, and a really incredible view of Auckland and it’s suburbs. 

Now, to the food!

To start, a simple Ciabatta baked fresh daily with three spreads: 

• Herbed Butter - This was at a perfect spreading temperature, and the herbs were chopped just enough that you could still taste them with each bite.  It was nice because you didn’t have to spread the butter too thick to get the taste of the herbs on the bread.
• Rosemary and Olive Oil - This was nice but the olive oil was slightly over powering.  Might have been more nice if the oil was infused with Rosemary instead of just having a few leaves floating.
• Olive Tapenade - This was very nicely balances, and quite a bit more thick then some of the others I have had.  This made it really easy to pick up with the knife, and therefore, was rather enjoyable on the bread!

Wine:  Triple Black Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 - This was gooseberry that meets Red Capsicum/Pepper with a Green Apple Finish… delightfully refreshing!

My Entree/Appetizer was Seared Sumac Crusted Tuna Loin with shaved fennel, pickled daikon salad and lime macadamia dressing, and let me tell you it was AMAZING.  The lime and macadamia dressing was drizzled around the plate and had a very interesting honey like texture.  The salad on top was seasoned beautifully to really enhance their flavour and make them a real part of the dish.  With the fennel being placed on top of the tuna, it had infused it’s licorice flavour just beautifully.  The tuna had been seared perfectly showing deep pink in the middle and only a little heat on the perimeter.  The sumac gave the tuna a slightly woody flavour, that went absolutely beautifully with the sweetness of the dressing and the slight spice of the green salad. 

Wine:  Astrolab Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 - A great accompaniment with this dish.  Much more crisp than the first wine, but the lime flavour coming through on the finish made for a great pairing.

After that amount of food, I gave my palette and my tummy a short break and took an interlude with a 2009 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir.  The wine was fairly acidic (or “assertive” as the wine list suggested) with an oakey finish.  It was a very light Pinot with not as much body as what I am used to; so I made sure to order a New Zealand Syrah (Shiraz) with my next course!

My Entree/Main was a Roast Hawke’s Bay Lamb Loin on castilian (spanish) potato with buttered broccolini and red wine jus - and it was delectable!!!

I asked for the Lamb Medium-Rare, and it came out just overdone, but never-the-less I decided to sink my knife and fork into it and see if maybe the chef knew something I didn’t.  The Red Wine Jus was an absolutely perfect consistency with a definite flavour of the roast drippings.  It was reduced beautifully with enough liquid for the spanish roasted potatoes to soak up.  The broccolini was cooked nice and crunchy, and although the lamb was slightly over-cooked for my preference, the slight seasoning on the outside made out for a nice piece of New Zealand lamb. 

Wine: Trinity Hill Syrah 2006 -A perfect match to dinner.  Rich oak with plum and licorice on the nose, and a rich burgundy in colour.  This wine starts on the palette with flavours of dark cherries and finishes with some soft spice. 

Finally, onto dessert.  Now, I guess with four glasses of wine and a little bit of excitement I forgot to take a picture, but my Pavlova with feijoa and quark mousse, tangy apple compote and cinnamon chantilly was a great ending to my meal.  I had an Earl Grey Tea alongside and experienced this multi-layered dessert.  The Pavlova itself looked like a nest with two round circles on top of each other.  The Feijoa and Quark mouse was inside of the nest, and topped with the cream and an elegant strip of white chocolate coated in cinnamon.  The nest was placed gently on top of the apples, and it was very interesting that apples and cinnamon go so well together, yet were so far away from each other on the plate.  This made you actually cut through the crunchy pavlova to get some of the cream, the cheesecake like mousse and the apples at the bottom.  The pavlova, for me, spent just a little too long in the oven, normally I like a nice crispy outside with a little more ooze in the middle, however, the bottom of the nest was beautiful.  This dessert was a great end to the meal, and that pairing of cinnamon’s and apples really made you end on a soulful note.  

All told I would rate this whole experience probably an 8 out of 10 on my perfectly imaginary scale.  With the lamb and the pavlova being two of the major components, and slightly overcooked, I had to dock a couple of marks.  However, the service from both Chris (the receptionist) and Ben (my waiter) was unbeatable.  And that macadamia and lime dressing that went on the sumac seared tuna is something I will absolutely never forget. 

This restaurant is reasonably priced considering the quality of the food, and the cost of just going up the tower.  If you are thinking of spending the $30 to climb, you might as well spend another $20 (or so) to dine!

And please always remember to Savour Your Experience!

Cheers!