Date of Visit: 15 January 2012
Location: SkyCity, Auckland City
Website: http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/Restaurants/Orbit.html
Cost: $30 pp
High tea at Orbit is not for those afraid of heights. At 190m above the ground, this high tea is surely the highest high tea that can be found in Auckland. However the location of the high tea is probably the biggest draw card of the occasion.
A friend and I came here to check out one of the 'Big Three' high teas in Auckland. Parking was easy as we just parked in the SkyCity carpark (complimentary for all Orbit diners). Arriving at 2.45 pm for a 3 pm reservation, we headed straight up the Sky Tower to the Main Observation Deck. We were lucky as it was one of the few sunny Sunday afternoons that Auckland had seen in a little while.
The tea selection was average. A choice of six teas were offered of which one could purchase at every chain supermarket if they wished. I had the Lively Lime and Orange Fusion Black Tea which was quite good. The tea menu looked like it had aided a few too many patrons in choosing their teas, and had black smudges on it which evoked the question, surely it is not too hard to print out new menus?
Overall, the food selection was good, though nothing unexpected or surprising. The lemon tart was very good, the lemon honey having just the right amount of tartness. A slightly odd aspect was the savoury tart made with sweet pastry, not a particularly good combination!
Dining is strictly for one hour for Orbit High Tea, and the attentive service ensures that you are conscious of this. Because of the short sitting time, service is prompt and efficient. Once our tea orders had been taken the high tea quickly appeared from the kitchen. Once the high tea had been consumed, the plates were quickly removed and replaced with the bill.
The seating of Orbit is arranged around the windows to make the most of the revolving restaurant, making one complete turn in one hour. We had a window table which was fabulous! The only let down here was the china. My dining companion's saucer and the sugar bowl had small chips out of them. Not only is this a health hazard (it is generally understood that chips/cracks harbor more bacteria/germs) but it just looks tacky. Generally when you pay to eat at a restaurant you would expect that they would serve you using un-chipped china
Overall, high tea at Orbit was a good experience. Come here on a sunny day to enjoy the amazing outlook over Auckland. This is arguably the best value high tea in Auckland as it includes parking, entry to the main observation deck and high tea all for the cost of $30.00. Without the view and the atmosphere created by the revolving restaurant however it could have been a very average High Tea experience. The biggest let down was the chipped china (described above). When you come here, make sure you utilise the free parking and head down to Wynyard Quarter, up to Albert Park or check out the Auckland City Gallery after your reservation. My friend and I agreed that this would also be an amazing dinner location...
Service: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Tea: 3/5
Atmosphere/Ambiance: 5/5
Layout (of restaurant): 4/5
Setup (of table): 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
