Inspire Restaurant at Spire Hotel, Queenstown, New Zealand:
The Inspire Restaurant at the Spire Hotel is a quaint little place that seats a maximum of twenty-four people. Minimally designed, the small space is compensated with a mirrored wall that makes the room feel larger than it really is. A large window separates the dining area and the kitchen, providing an interesting experience of seeing the kitchen staff in action. However, the novelty wears off soon enough as many times throughout the dinner, I felt like a fish in a fishbowl with the feeling of being watched for most of the evening. So much for privacy and intimacy!

We sampled their tasting menu with paired wines: Cured salmon and Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad for starters, Smoked rabbit foie gras mousse, Twice cooked pork belly, and Crispy roast duck for the main course. For dessert, they served us Vanilla pannacotta and Chocolate mousse. The presentation was wonderful and creative but the food was comparably average and didn’t compare to the food from Bunker Restaurant or Wai Waterfront Restaurant. The service was friendly and fast enough but it lacked the professionalism you would expect in a five-star hotel like Spire.

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After dinner, we were asked to move into the bar area for our coffee and cognac, so they could close the restaurant. After a long, leisurely dinner, I felt like we were kicked out.

Inspire Restaurant at Spire Hotel was a nice experience but it only ranked between bombastic and not.

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