Rockpool is always on my short list of places to visit in
Sydney, as the food is always very good, the desserts are fabulous, and the wine and cocktail lists will impress anyone. While I still have yet to dine in the formal dining room, I continue to return to dine in the bar area, and have never once left not thrilled with the experience. You can read all my prior reviews below. This visit was no different, although it was for
dessert only.
Dessert
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| Beige ... but not boring. |
Our group opted for 3 different desserts, two people doubling up on one, and when the dishes arrived at the table I had to admit that they looked, um, a bit ... beige. We had light brown, white, and not much else. But these were anything but boring, each was an extremely good execution of what may have not looked extraordinary.
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| Creme Caramel. $23. |
Creme caramel. Not a particularly unique item, but, when you read reviews for Rockpool, people *do* rave about it. And for something so seemingly simple and basic to be featured for a long time on Rockpool's dessert menu, you know it must be a fairly stellar version, right?
One of my fellow diners ordered this, and I was amazed at how massive the slice was. Certainly one you could share. I didn't get to try it, but our server did say it was less sweet than you'd expect, and the diner who ordered this opted for the sommelier's suggested pairing of a sweet sauterenes to accent it.
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| Date Tart (off-menu). |
"Lorraine’s signature, silky baked vanilla custard with californian dates."
The date tart. The famous Rockpool date tart. For the unfamiliar, this was on the Rockpool menu for years, made only by their exec pastry chef, Lorraine, and made in very limited quantity (I think only one tart per day?) as it is so labor intensive. It followed Lorraine to her offshoot patisserie, where you can pre-order it by the slice or whole tart. It is no longer on the Rockpool menu.
However, I was chatting with the server about my favorite regular Rockpool dessert, the warm pudding with custard, that I thought was a staple and just rotated through which fruit is used with the seasons, when I learned that it is actually off menu entirely in the midst of winter. Sensing that I cared more about desserts than your average gal, she actually offered up calling over to find out if they just happened to have any date tart on reserve. Not on the menu, but, some nights of the week, they do actually have a few on hand, for the discerning guest in the know.
Now, I've heard about this tart for years, but I haven't actually been that excited about it myself. Dates just aren't my thing for the most part. And a tart? Eh. But I was drawn in by the exclusivity of it, and, well, if I was ever going to like a date tart, it most certainly would be this one.
It was ... ok. The vanilla custard layer was stunning, you can see it sorta oozing, but somehow holding its shape too. The top was lightly baked. I really have no clue how they do that. Below the custard is the date layer, soft and sweet, and, well, tasting like dates. Which I just didn't really love. I found this fascinating, and could tell the labor involved, but, as I just wasn't into the date flavor, it let me down a bit.
Luckily for me, one of my dining companions really liked it, and I really liked his, so, we traded, and I think we were both happier. I'm glad I tried this, but, definitely not my style of dessert. ***.
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| Slow cooked William Pear, Butterscotch and Creme Fraiche Chantilly. $22. |
So what dessert did I end up adoring? Yeah, the poached pear.
This was glorious. Simply, glorious. The pears were poached for 12 hours, first sous vide, and then butter poached. They were amazingly soft, rich, buttery, lightly spiced, flavorful, just, wow. I had no idea that a poached pear could taste that very good. The pears alone rather blew my mind, but the other elements of the dish were stars in their own rights.
The creme fraiche chantilly didn't have quite the tang I'd expect from creme fraiche, but, it was thick, rich, and a perfect compliment to the soft pears and the crunchy wafers. Speaking of those wafers, they weren't puff pastry like you'd find in a mille-feuille, even though it sorta looked that way. Instead, they were more like ... caramelized ginger snap? While a bit hard to eat without making a mess, they added a crunchy element that I really appreciated. And then, the butterscotch, not too sweet, thin but not runny, and the final element that just tied it all together.
This dessert had everything going on, complimentary flavors and sweetness level, a variety of textures, and, it just ate really, really well. I savored every last bite of it, and would get it again in a heartbeat. I was so, so very pleased my other diner was willing to swap with me.
****+, although honestly I don't know what would make it a perfect *****, I see no faults.
Update Review, February 2018 Visit
It took me several years of visiting Sydney before discovering Rockpool Bar & Grill. But once I did, it took near top place on my "Must Visit" list. I've reviewed it twice before, always dining in the bar rather than full restaurant, and this visit was no exception. Feel free to start with those reviews for discussion of the setting, concept, etc, as those were unchanged on this visit (
original review,
2016 update review).
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| A Lovely Feast. |
For this meal, I dined with one other. Our plan was to just have a lighter meal, given our earlier indulgences. That said, we also did plan to get fish & chips and dessert, so, take "lighter" with a grain of salt here.
We were interested to try out fish & chips at such a high end place, and of course, I wanted to introduce her to the signature dessert. We threw in some cocktails/mocktails, and a random starter to complete the meal.
It was very good, particularly that starter. Dish of the night. I'll gladly return, and even considered a return visit during my limited remaining time in Sydney (as did she, saying, "Can we go back this week?")
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| The Raging Bull. $24. |
"Buffalo Trace Bourbon is stirred with Tenuta Tamburnin Vermut, Cherry Heering and Hellfire Bitters. Served with a new season Drunken Cherry."
Cocktails at Rockpool always sound good, are full of complicated ingredients, and yet, tend to leave me fairly dissatisfied.
This one was no exception. It sounded like it would have a lot going on. I expected bitter, I expected spice. I expected to taste bourbon.
Instead, it was a very mellow drink that tasted more like fruit juice. Yes, somehow, it tasted like fruit juice, and not much else.
It did have a large, juicy cherry in the bottom (hence the little bowl on the side for the pit), but, even that cherry didn't soak up booze, so "Drunken Cherry" it really did not seem to be.
Not that it tasted bad, but it certainly wasn't good, and $24 was steep for such a boring cocktail.
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| Grilled Figs with Stracciatella, Almonds and Parma Prosciutto. $29. |
This came from the Hot Starters section of the restaurant menu, a rather random choice on our part, and something we kinda added on because we felt strange just ordering fish & chips to split.
Wow. It was amazing. Dish of the night, no question.
The base was a pool of perfectly ripe, runny stracciatella (e.g. the base that burrata is made from). It was creamy, gooey, and quite delicious on its own, even better when accented with the oil and balsamic that were drizzled all over it. I would have been quite happy with just a bowl of this cheese, perhaps with some bread to slather it on.
But the grilled figs are what set the dish apart even further. Three very large, juicy, grilled figs, with incredible smoky flavor. I'm not sure how how they got just so much wood smoke flavor into those figs, but it was incredible. It made me want to try the other wood fire grilled items that Rockpool specializes in (like the seafood). The figs were topped with thin pieces of prosciutto, which literally melted into the hot figs, enveloping them in a thin layer of salty, slightly porky, goodness. Much like the stracciatella/oil/balsamic, the prosciutto topped figs alone would have made for a great appetizer.
Finally, almonds. Little chunks, roasted, crunchy. Not what I would have ever thought to throw in, but I loved the crunch they added.
I adored this, although I still think it would have worked fine as two separate desserts. I'm one for creating "perfect bites", and even when I combined different combinations of this, I found that I didn't really want the cheese with the figs & prosciutto, as it tended to mute the flavors. Still, wonderful, I'd gladly get it again, and hands down favorite dish for both of us.
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| Shoestring Fries. $6. |
Since we were ordering fried fish, we wanted a side to go along with our fish & chips theme. We had a choice of the
thicker hand cut chips that I have had before, or thin shoestring fries. We could have had our potatoes other ways too, as a potato puree or sautéed with Wagyu fat, garlic, and rosemary, or we could have gone for fried onion rings instead, if we wanted fried, but just something different.
We opted to try the shoestring fries, mostly because they were an item I hadn't tried yet.
The serve was large, a big bowl of thin crispy fries. They were ... aggressively salted. "Is it just me, or are the fries a tad too salty?", my companion inquired. I told her they were more than just a tad too salty. And I appreciate salt level!
They were fine though. Freshly fried. Crispy. But, just thin fries.
I had a few and planned to not touch them again, until I made an amazing discovery. Fries dunked in stracciatella. Yes, really. We had lots of extra cheese, with no figs (or bread or anything) to go with, and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. I really liked the combination, and the cheese helped balance the salt.
I probably wouldn't get these again though.
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| House Ketchup. |
As with
the onion rings I had my first visit, we were served a pot of housemade ketchup.
I didn't use much, since I preferred to dip my fries in either the stracchiatella or the sauce from the fish, but it was fine, slightly curried. Now that I knew to expect the curry, I liked it more than my previous visit.
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| Fried Fish with Sauce Gribiche. $22. |
The fried fish was on the Small Plates section of the bar menu, however, our server warned us when we ordered it that it wasn't really a Small Plate, and really was an entree. Since we were sharing everything, and only ordering one starter, one side, and this, we weren't worried, but, it did turn out to be too much food (particularly as we wanted dessert).
The portion was 4 full pieces of fried fish, perched on top of a crispy potato slice, all on a mound of gribiche sauce, with a lemon wedge on the side.
The fried fish was decent. Moist enough white fish inside, fairly flaky, not fishy, well coated in batter, crispy. It was a touch too oily for my tastes though.
It looked like there were 5 pieces, with the base piece thinner, perhaps a different type of fish. I snagged that one as my second piece to try something different. My companion was clearly a bit jealous as it was obviously more crispy. It made a serious crunch sound when I cut into it. But ... I was confused. I knew it was thin and so I didn't taste much fish, and it was really oily, worse than the previous piece, but ... something didn't seem quite right. On my second bite, i figured it out. It wasn't fish! It was a slice of potato, battered in the same batter, fried crispy. A pretty awesome move on their part really, but, again, just too oily for me.
The gribiche was fine, although fairly mild, not much flavor to it.
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| Warm Rhubarb and Strawberry Pudding with Vanilla Sauce. $26. |
This dessert was certainly part of the reason I was at Rockpool. But unlike "normal Julie", this is a case where it really was only a part of the reason. Its a fabulous dessert, but, I've had such amazing other dishes at Rockpool that it doesn't entirely rule my decision to go there. I'll say it was ... 60% of the reason :)
This is a signature dish, and one that is always on the menu, just with different fruits. This time, it was actually the exact same as my previous visit at similar time of year:
strawberry rhubarb, which did disappoint me slightly, but still, I couldn't wait to introduce my dining companion to this dish.
It really is unlike any other dessert I've ever had, anywhere. You've read my reviews of it twice before, but to recap: a base of pound cake that soaks up everything else, a layer of stewed fruit, and then ... light and fluffy souffle pudding, with a brulee top, and crispy bits of almonds, garnished with powdered sugar.
It arrives without the vanilla sauce, which is poured on tableside, in a moderate quantity. The rest is left behind to use as you wish (and, use it you will!).
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| Warm Rhubarb and Strawberry Pudding: Close Up. |
It is massive. It looks, well, entirely unfamiliar. And as you dig into the layers, it doesn't make any more sense, unless you know what to expect. I loved watching my companion take this all in.
The brulee top was my favorite element, caramelized, crispy, and the bits of candied almond added a nice crunch. I wanted more of them.
The souffle was light and fluffy, not eggy, perfectly risen. Rather incredible, really. The fruit I didn't care for though, the rhubarb was too tart, the strawberry too sweet. I also never really want the cake layer, and this time, there was shockingly little of it, just a tiny, tiny little bit in the very center, so, for that I was glad.
I still loved the vanilla sauce, and, given how full I was, it was the only thing I could really fit into my stomach at that point anyway.
This didn't come together for me as well as it had in the past, but it was still a very unique offering, and I liked the warm dessert, the textures, and, well, that vanilla sauce.
Update Review, December 2016 Visit
On my last visit to Sydney,
I discovered Rockpool Bar & Grill on my final night in town, and really wished I had found it sooner. I had an amazing meal, which, you can read all about
in that review. So on my more recent visit to Sydney, it was no question that I'd return to Rockpool Bar & Grill.
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| Drinks, Bar Food, Dessert! |
I visited on a Saturday evening, and again was able to snag a table in the bar area by arriving before 6pm. From the bar, you can order anything off the regular menu, or the bar menu, and mix and match as you please, which we did.
My dining companion and I split an appetizer from the main dining room menu, some small bar dishes, and of course,
dessert.
The food was good but not as mind blowing as
my previous visit. The service was as awkward as last time, in a way where you could tell they were trying to be non-invasive and polite, but just came across as strange. The cocktail menu was fascinating, and the wine and liquor lists scary, as there were items like a single cocktail for $475, and glasses of wine for $350.
I'm glad I got in another visit, and I'd still gladly return. And one of these days, I'll have to visit the real dining room, and perhaps get a real entree ...
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| TUXEDO #4. $22. |
"Neil Perry’s Barrel Select Patron Tequila stirred down with Hendricks Quinine Cordial, dry Italian Vermouth and a touch of Apricot Brandy. Savoury and contemplative."
For a cocktail, I went with a selection from the Seasonal Favorites section. It jumped out at me instantly, as it had both Tequila and Gin (or, so I thought. It turns out, I just didn't parse it properly "Hendricks Quinine Cordial" is actually a cordial made by Hendricks, and I read this was "Hendricks gin and quinine cordial", doh!) So, no gin.
I also didn't taste tequila at all, which makes even less sense to me now that I know it wasn't gin either. The flavors were strong, very alcoholic, but not harsh exactly. It certainly wasn't what I was hoping for though.
The glass it was served in was very precious looking. Etched glass, small in size. One side was coated with something on the outside, that I think was apricot peel? I'd guess some kind of citrus, like orange actually, but that doesn't match any of the ingredients in the cocktail. It was confusing, really. Was I supposed to lick it off, a la a salted rim on a margarita? It was chewy, and kinda like sawdust, not particularly appealing. Really strange.
I wouldn't get this again.
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| Fried Calamari with Romesco (half-portion). $31. |
We picked a starter from the regular menu, from the "Hot Starters" section. Since we were sharing it, the kitchen split it onto two plates, so this is only a half portion.
Salt and pepper calamari is a staple on the Qantas first class lounge menus in Sydney and Los Angeles (catered by the same executive chef, Neil Perry), so I've had it many times. While the version in LA didn't impress me, the one is Sydney is part of what made me declare
the Qantas F lounge food some of the best food anywhere in Sydney, and remains the best salt and pepper calamari I've ever had. I was very eager to see what the full service restaurant could do with fried calamari.
The answer, unfortunately, was lackluster. The calamari was cooked ok, it wasn't rubbery or anything, but the light breading didn't seem to coat it very well, and was falling off in many places. It was just pretty meh.
The calamari was served on top of a bitter radicchio slaw of sorts, too bitter for my liking. The romesco was fine.
Overall, very meh, and I wouldn't get this again. Pricey for a lackluster dish.
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| Kinkawooka King Prawn Cutlet with Aioli. $8. |
For my "main", I went with an item from the Bar menu, small plates section, rather than a real main from either menu.
The reason was simple: I had been snacking in my hotel executive lounge right before, and I just wasn't very hungry. Add in an appetizer and plans to get the awesome, large, dessert, and I wanted something small.
I really was eying the prawn po-boy, but, I knew that would be sizable, and wanted something smaller. Thus, the prawn cutlet it was, sold as individual patties for $8 each. I hoped it would be somewhat like the
amazing crumbed fish burger from the Qantas lounge, just, without the bun and lettuce.
The plating of this was really funny. Our first dish was from the main restauarant menu, and was plated accordingly. I knew the bar food usually looked a bit more rustic, but still thought it would be pretty. This was ... yup, a cutlet, a wedge of lemon, and a puddle of aioli, all just popped on a plate. No extra garnish, no embellishment. It really made me laugh.
The cutlet was fine. Very crispy, not oily, good breading. The prawn inside was firm but not chewy, not mushy. Fine, but, a bit boring on its own. It seemed like it belonged inside a fish burger, which, I think the po'boy would have been.
The aioli on the side was ok, good enough garlic flavor, but not super rich and creamy.
Overall, this was all fine, executed well, but, boring. It made me wish I ordered the po-boy, with a brioche bun and flavorful mayo instead.
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| House Made Chorizo Dog with Jalapeño Hot Sauce. $18. |
From the bar menu, sandwiches section, my dining companion went for the hot dog, at
my strong endorsement from my previous visit.
It looked incredible, and she said it was the best hot dog she had ever had, which, well, is exactly how I felt when I had it before.
I took some of the jalapeño hot sauce for my cutlet, and mixed it with the aioli, and it was incredible. Spicy and fresh, it combined perfectly with the creamy aioli, and gave my otherwise fairly bland dish some serious kick. This jalapeño hot sauce is magic, and really should be bottled up and marketed!
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| Warm Rhubarb and Strawberry Pudding with Vanilla Sauce. $23. |
And finally, the real reason I was there. Ok, that isn't quite true, I know Rockpool has great food and cocktails, but it was
my memory of the warm pudding with vanilla sauce, made with blackberries last time, that I just couldn't get out of my head.
Some kind of pudding seems to always be on the Rockpool Bar & Grill menu, the fruit variety just switches out seasonally. For our visit this time, it was strawberry and rhubarb. Just like blackberries, rhubarb isn't a favorite of mine, but, I was willing to take the gamble.
I'm glad I did.
The dish arrived looking exactly like it did on my previous visit. The server poured vanilla sauce over it table-side, and left us the rest, just like last time.
The dessert was warm, fresh from the oven. The base was again a cake that I was ambivalent about, and above that was a layer of stewed strawberries and rhubarb. I didn't care for the fruit choices though, as I expected, sweet, tart, and mushy, and I could have easily just done without it entirely.
But on top of that was the magic soufflé like layer. Light and fluffy, yet creamy and custardy. With a slightly crispy caramelized brûlée top. And then lots of vanilla sauce. That layer, with the extra sauce, is where the magic is. Seriously, it is like the best soufflé ever, yes, better than
my favorite Cafe Jacqueline, then also combined with
creme brûlée, one of my favorite desserts, for that extra crispy top. And, don't get me started about being left with a little pot of crème anglaise, which I obviously didn't let go to waste.
Even though I knew what to expect this time around, it still was a pretty stunning dessert, and still unlike anything I've had elsewhere. Sure, I could care less about the cake and didn't like the fruit, but it didn't matter, this was a really excellent dessert, and I can't wait to try it sometime with a fruit layer that I actually like!
Original Review, February 2016 Visit
For our final Saturday night in
Sydney, Ojan and I decided to finally re-visit Rockpool Bar & Grill. We went the first time during our first visit to Sydney, and I have a vague memory of sitting in the bar eating a burger, but I don't recall much else. It clearly didn't leave an impression.
So why return? Well, Rockpool Bar & Grill is one of Chef Neil Perry's places in Sydney, and
I rather adore his food, even when it is served at the Qantas First Class lounge in the airport. Neil Perry's "flagship" establishment is Rockpool, where only a 4 course $150 or 8 course $185 menu are served. The place sounds fantastic, has been three hats by the Good Food Guide for years, but, we weren't up for such an extended (and pricey) meal.
So Rockpool Bar & Grill it was. Now, the name of this place, combined with the fact that it is an entirely separate establishment from the flagship Rockpool, might lead you to believe that this is, um, a casual bar and grill. It is not, unless items like "Warm Salad of Wood Fire Grilled Quail with Smoked Tomato and Black Olives" or $290 full blood wagyu steaks are your idea of casual bar food. The dining room is a formal affair, with a huge menu focused around seafood and steaks. Reservations, made in advance, are required. It has a coveted two hats from the Good Food Guide.
But the other side of the establishment is actually a bar area (albeit a fancy one), with a more casual menu. While still very upscale, the bar menu is a bit less expensive, and more importantly, no reservations are taken. If you arrive on the earlier side, getting seated is no problem.
So, let's review: "Rockpool" could mean any of 3 establishments: Rockpool, the degustation only flagship down the street, Rockpool Bar & Grill Restaurant, a la carte but formal and high end, and Rockpool Bar & Grill bar area, which is where we headed.
Now, I have to give a bit more context. I had been advocating for visiting Rockpool Bar and Grill pretty much the entire time we were there. Ojan never wanted to go. He also didn't remember it being great, and had no reason to want to go get bar food, or go somewhere fancier, when we could just keep eating casual delicious thai food. I wouldn't say I dragged him there exactly, but, he was certainly not excited, particularly when I told him we were going for hot dogs, onion rings, and dessert.
It was excellent, the best meal of our trip. The food was good, service attentive, and dessert incredible. While my first visit wasn't memorable, I won't forget a couple dishes from this visit for a long time. Ojan talked about it frequently afterwards, wondering why we waited until the end of our trip to go there, mourning that we hadn't gone sooner so we could go multiple times during our trip (he really did propose going there the next night, our final night in Sydney, but, alas, not open on Sundays). We'll obviously return.
There was so much appeal to Rockpool Bar and Grill for me. Bar dining really is ideal for me, particularly at a nicer place like Rockpool Bar and Grill. You get the amazing food (and opportunity to order dessert from the full menu!), but don't need to get quite as dressed up, and can go without a reservation. Service is more casual, the atmosphere is more relaxed, etc. Sure, you miss out on amuse bouches and other little extras, and it isn't the same as fine dining, but, for me, I'd generally rather be comfortable than have all that.
The Setting
