Vue (Auckland)

I dined at the Vue Restaurant for pretty much the entire week during my stay at the Mercure Hotel in Auckland. Situated at the top floor of the hotel building, the restaurant has a fantastic view of the harbor so make sure you get yourself a table next to the window.

The lamb rack was generous in portion and well cooked, but make sure you ask for the fish of the day before making a decision. The vegetarian pasta was a bit strange with fried asparagus on top of the cream sauce. The sundae dessert was satisfying.

Details:
Vue Restaurant
8 Customs Street East 
(Top Floor, Mercure Auckland) 
Auckland Central
http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-1721-mercure-auckland/restaurant.shtml

Quay (Sydney)

To celebrate my partner’s birthday, we treated ourselves for dinner at the Quay Restaurant. The view from the restaurant was fantastic, as was the attentive service.

We went for the tasting menu and the night went through some highs and lows. The slow cooked pork belly in broth and the Angus beef were excellent, while the XO (sauce) sea dish was a bit too strong. The reputed snow egg dessert would have been an excellent note to finish the meal, but the jersey cream that followed was just too rich.

Details:
Quay Restaurant
Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal
The Rocks, Sydney 2000
http://www.quay.com.au/