Number 8 wire — Restaurant in North Island

Bait & Switch. We ate here based on the high reviews and felt duped. Have they changed chefs or owners recently?

Atmosphere - The atmosphere is tired. Everything is a bit worn around the edges. I’m not of fan of dead animals on the wall and plastic plants, but if you are … you will feel right at home. Also up the stairs you can see a card table with binders in the loft area. Really? Clean out uncles closet, please. Not nice to look at.

Food - Basic. My husband had the venison and it was cooked properly, medium-rare but was not the best we have had on our holiday. The vegetables- carrots and potatoes, were overcooked and on the mushy side.

I had the chicken with mushrooms and mashed potatoes. The chicken was unflavorful and dry but had an unpleasant mushroom sauce to try to cover this up. The potatoes were bland and tasted like they were out of a box with too much butter - on the scale of a tinfoil TV dinner.

Our server did check on us and when I said I did not like my dinner he did offer me another entree. I chose the mushroom risotto with chicken. Mistake number 2!

The mushroom risotto came out in 10 minutes which means it was NOT fresh. A risotto takes about 20-30 minutes to cook. This risotto tasted like fettuccine cream sauce (which is on the menu) with mushroom soup, mushrooms and shaved Parmesan cheese. The Parmesan cheese shavings were the freshest part of the meal.

Wine List - small and basic.

Service - service was efficient. The problem is the food.

I can honestly not fathom the high reviews. We paid our bill, left, and had a much better experience at another nearby restaurant.

The food at this restaurant lacks attention to detail, as does the atmosphere. I’ve eaten at many places in New Zealand and this is most dissatisfying.

I would...

It would be easy to overlook this place from the outside, but the food makes it worth seeking out. I’m going to rate this very critically, as the food is excellent. Presentation was great. I had the pork belly entree: it was extremely delicately cooked. The mash that came with it was creamy (texture) and light. The jus (more like a brown gravy to me) let this dish down very slightly, as it was just a tad strong for the very delicate pork belly. I give it a 4.5 stars. For mains we had the venison and the Scotch Fillet (see pics). We ordered them medium-rare and medium, respectively. They both came out a little purple, so the scale is similar to the US. For other parts of the world, you may need to adjust accordingly. Both cuts were extremely good. The mushroom sauce let the fillet down a little, as it was a bit light on texture and heavy on cream. Fortunately, the steak was not drenched in it. Again, 4.5 stars for the Mains. The crème brûlée was not up to the same high standard as the other courses: the texture was not perfect. I’d give it 3.5 stars. There’s a decent wine list, although it could do with a good Cab to accompany the steaks. I give the list 4 stars. The service is to a high standard and extremely friendly. My only quibble is that our empty glasses were left on the side of the table from the Entree until dessert. One aspect of the service that is unique: the menu and ordering is done on a small tablet. It works pretty well, although the interface could be more polished. I give it 4 stars. Lastly, the decor and ambiance were understated and simple. Background music was unobtrusive and of the Barbara Streisand/Carpenters variety. I’d rate these aspects 4 stars. Overall, a pleasant surprise in downtown Rotorua and an excellent...

I walk in, told them table for 1. They had a table for two that was dirty. I was asked if I minded waiting while they cleaned it. No problem, it made sense to seat me at a smaller table instead of taking up a large one. I was handed a mini tablet and told the menu was on it, and that they would get me a glass of water. Another couple came in and the other two top table that was empty (but dirty) was next to me. They did the same thing with having to clean the table before they were seated. I noticed the waiter bringing them water, reviewing the menu with them, discussing wines, etc. All the while I sat there with nothing. I finally got their attention for water, but still no one came to take my order. Again, I finally flag down the waiter to ask my questions to which he stated it can all be input on the tablet and he placed my order on the tablet and left it with me. They do have an option on the tablet to call the waiter over, but after seeing the service the table next to me received, I did not realize they literally use it like that and I was only told that the menu was on it. I was not told to order from it. They had a special on a blackboard, but nothing on the tablet mentioned the specials, so how are you supposed to know? I then called the server over to get my cheque and was told that I go to the counter at the back of the restaurant to pay, so no reviewing the bill for accuracy before paying. The food was good, but I noticed other tables not being cleared of dirty dishes, so marked the atmosphere down a bit too. My experience was so far off from what others posted, I thought I...