I haven’t had a fine dining for a long time so I’ve decided to motivate myself by going to Thyme Restaurant. I have enjoyed this restaurant from when it was called«The Dining Room» so hoped everything stayed the same. The place was nicely lit with a lovely sound of piano being played at a corner. My friend and I started to feel good. I had the Duo of Angus Beef($ 36), which had Angus fillet and double cooked short rib. The fillet was wonderful with soft creamy mash and sautéed Spinach. Deep fried onion ring was simply amazing with the fillet. Wasn’t too sure about the short rib as it did not have enough presence — touch too chewy and salty for me. My friend ordered Yoghurt and Herb rubbed Wairoa Chicken Breast($ 29.5) but was slightly disappointed as it did not have all the flavours. It was salty and none of the yoghurt and herb flavours came through. Accompanied pumpkin mousse did not complete the dish I guess. I was astonished by the cocktail though — This Caipirinha(The classic Brazilian cocktail made with Cachaca, fresh lime juice and sugar served over crushed ice $ 16) one was amazing with just enough sweet and fresh flavour. I had to stop myself from getting another glass! It was a wonderful evening which made me feel a little better :)
Liam W.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Auckland, New Zealand
I’ve been to Thyme just the once, and I wasn’t staying at the hotel at the time. No, I was actually there with a bloke from work who is a part-time luthier who built some guitars for the guitarist that sometimes plays in the Spencer’s lobby. I was told he was the best, so as a guitarist myself I was keen to sit down and have a listen over a drink. He certainly was an excellent player — on occasion I go back just for a drink to hear him — it’s a shame he isn’t better known. But on this occasion after a while we decided to sit down at Thyme and actually grab a meal. As it was a very quiet night, the service was impeccable. They had enough staff for a full restaurant but were only serving two tables, so the dinner service went off without a hitch. The food was also pretty decent — grabbed me a nice cut of angus beef with a merlot and I enjoyed it very much while our guitarist jammed away in the background.
Katie C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Auckland, New Zealand
Thyme Restaurant is part of the Spencer on Byron hotel. It’s an elegant dining room upstairs from the hotel reception and there is often a piano player there in the evenings for background music. The whole experience from start to finish is very smooth. A hostess greets you at the entrance and takes you to the table, pulls out your chairs and places the napkin on your lap(if you’re not expecting this it can be quite a shock). The wine is poured at the table, not at the bar and the service is incredibly attentive. When we went it was their first night on a new menu so there were a few hiccups(like they forgot our breads and dips) but overall it was a really lovely experience and I can’t wait to go back there for our wedding dinner!