A restaurant above the rest

Skyline Rotorua general manager Bruce Thomasen in the newly refurbished and rebranded Stratosfare restaurant. Photo / Ben Fraser

Not content with having some of the best views in town, Skyline Rotorua has created an emphasis on "kitchen theatre" as part of a $2 million revamp of its restaurant.

The newly rebranded Stratosfare Restaurant was unveiled to guests this week - the result of more than two years of planning and several months of hard work. At a special launch event, 2014 Masterchef winners Karena and Kasey Bird from Maketu were among the chefs running cooking demonstrations.

Skyline Rotorua general manager Bruce Thomasen said the focus had been on creating an innovative experience which included chefs cooking made-to-order cuisine.

He said it redefines the parameters of what is considered buffet, taking the concept to new levels.

To coin a new phrase, the "A'la buffet" experience includes kitchen theatre, marketplace feel and cooked-to-order options, encouraging diners to have a little bit of everything.

He said the upgrade was the "last piece of the puzzle" of the overall upgrade, which included the development of the winery, zipline and mountain bike tracks.

"We wanted to create a restaurant the city can be proud of."

The restaurant was last upgraded in 2003, so Mr Thomasen said it had been a long time coming.

"We did a lot of homework with the team looking around world-class kitchens."

He said they already knew the location of the restaurant and it was important for them to create a dining experience to match that.

Mr Thomasen said there had been a real focus on making sure the best equipment was sourced for the new fitout, which included more than $400,000 spent in the back of house with a kitchen upgrade, a new tidal mussel tank and a meat aging fridge that displays the meat sourced from Mangatu farms.

The views have also been enhanced with the old windows replaced with double-glazed glass, which also gave better clarity and allowed less framing.

"You didn't get the big panoramic views before."

Other changes included a special bar area so people could mingle for a pre or post-dinner drink. The menu is still buffet, but people can select cuts of prime meat which are cooked in front of them, Mr Thomasen said.

Mr Thomasen said staff were looking forward to working in the revamped restaurant.

"The team are loving the change and getting involved with the new dishes. The chefs love the opportunity to expand their creativity."