the restaurant experience is ruined by the hotel's negligent reception. when you walk into such joints, it's not just the restaurant but also the whole luxury shebang that unsuspecting folks expect, but one can almost visualize this hilton's mostly hapless staff chortling at the suckers who harbour such delusions. auckland's "5 star" hotel service standards are notoriously dodgy or even absent, and hilton tries to outdo langham (now called cordis) in trying to provide as hollow an experience as possible upon entry. if you feel service deserves such short change, why work in the hospitality industry at all ? lack of staff ensures that the one person at the entrance is running all around to "manage" the incoming vehicles, and if you do manage to speak to him, expect some quick hurried replies. as for pleasantries like "how are you, sir?" or an inviting smile or even some impossibly atrocious thing like a pampering welcome, forget it. we found free parking right in front of the hotel, so yeah a massive triumph there.
they've installed who looks like a college student at the restaurant reception. again zero niceties of welcome or a smile - just checking the name and leading you to the table - like a train conductor doing the checks. at-the-table service was better, by a young french gentleman who also recommended a 2014 peregrine pinot noir the slim mouthfeel of which had such beautifully concentrated richness that no other pinot noir in our recent tastings has bested this. the same brand's 2017 rose, also seconded by him, was delightfully refreshing without undue sweetness.
fish has the advantage of 180 degree views of the ocean and a wonderful deck to enjoy the superb waterside views. the restaurant however betrays its name by having only one proper pan-finished/grilled/baked fish dish on the main course (the others being fish-'n'-chips, and a clam presentation). radical tip to staff - we know nz , aus and uk love fush-'n'-chups from ages but please try leaving out such heart-rending nostalgia on a formal restaurant menu.
banana prawns as appetizers were excellent in their ripely tropical yet mellow flavour and tenderness, but a nice lady in our group was served a pathetically small 'helping' of kingfish tartare, as an appetizer, that had phantom flavour. my companions were happy with the cooking of the lamb main, and my chicken main was superbly tender by its sous-vide treatment but secondary layers of flavours - for example sauces or seasoning - to further lift the dishes were found wanting. desserts, from an adventurous lemon-'n'-poppy seed cake, frozen yoghurt and olive oil, to a strawberry-white chocolate number to a banana-tapioca pudding, were all enjoyable. a three course meal costs a reasonable $80 per person. if they fire the managers all over this place and replace them with people who know how to treat patrons, then this 'hilton' brand may get some much-needed value back.