Sunday, October 2, 2011

Aorangi Peak Restaurant, Rotorua

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This was probably one of the best rack of lambs I've ever had - perhaps second only to the Crown of Lamb at Vanilla Pod. Moist, succulent and rich in flavour, it is importantly not too gamey. The roasted potatos and simple brown sauce, and the simple garden salad, sets off this little beauty very well. Actually, simple is the order of the day here - here being Aorangi Peak Restaurant.



This little restaurant is perched at the top of Aorangi Peak just on the outskirts of Rotorua, New Zealand. Small and quaint, each table afforded a fairly broad 180 degree view of Lake Rotorua and the town down below.



The menu is simple and uncluttered - the restaurant seeming to opt only to serve a few good things rather than many not-so-good things. I can also vouch for their steak. Whilst a thinner fillet than would probably satisfy those of us more carnivorous, it definitely more than made up for it in taste, tenderness and reasonable size. That steak fillet definitely packed a powerhouse punch taste-wise. You could taste the marinate in every bite. Sorry no pictures, we absolutely inhaled that one.

We also had the clam chowder and mushroom soup. Of the two, I'd recommend the latter (perhaps Rotorua's just a little bit too far from the sea).






All in all, with its friendly service, quaint decor and french cafe music on the radio, I'd rate this as one of the best meals we had on our NZ sojourn. I'd definitely recommend this if you're in the area.