It also boasts arrays of beautifully presented and quality desserts, enough pana cottas, creme brulees and chocolate mousses to make any sweet-tooth, myself included, want to go back for seconds, fourths and fifths.
It offers exceptional service, with its friendly and professional staff bending over backwards to ensure you are well catered for.
The restaurant at Skyline Rotorua has always had a reputation as one the city's greatest restaurants but, with the revamp and new title, Stratosfare's reputation is set to skyrocket even further and put Rotorua on the world's culinary map.
Stratosfare is open seven days a week.
-The food is of the highest quality. There is an abundance of cuisine from across the world. Be taken to the Mediterranean with a range of fare including artisan breads, cured pastrami, feta cheese, stuffed vine leaves and marinated artichokes. Or you can take a trip to the Pacific with fresh seafood, and Asia with steamed won tons, Chinese dumplings and dim sum. Each style of food is accompanied with plates traditional to the region of the dishes' origin, from the rustic terracotta pots of Greece to the bamboo plates of Asia. Being a lover all things Italian, I tucked into the Mediterranean fare, while my friend had the venison cooked how she wanted it. All quality dishes are made with quality ingredients. For dessert we went a bit wild, tasting the pavlova, raspberry panna cotta, cherry tarts and tasty crepes - most of which came in petite individual plates, perfectly presented.
-The service was excellent. From the moment you stepped off that gondola you were made to feel like royalty, or at least an A-list celebrity that had a Porsche and Ferrari parked in the garage of your three-storey mansion. While selecting your food, the friendly chefs were there to help recommend dishes to your tastes and the waiters regularly made sure you're catered for.
-The drinks were divine. Their cocktails are whipped up by a renowned barman, who has worked around the world and won a treasure trove of awards. I had the strawberry daiquiri, which went down a treat, while my friend had a tangy and refreshing Mojito. I hear their wine, locally sourced, is top notch.
-The prices are a little on the pricey side but are good for a high-end restaurant. Given the amount of food you get, and the quality of that food, it works out much cheaper than some swanky Auckland restaurant where you would pay $40 alone for a palm-sized steak. Prices for an adult are about $64, but are cheaper for annual gondola pass holders and come with a gondola ride. Children can dine from between $29 to $39.
-Overall Stratosfare offers a hands down top-class culinary experience. It will take you on a gastronomic journey and is the perfect place to take someone special.
