Rockpool Bar & Grill

 

 

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Address

Crown Complex,

Southbank, Vic

Australia

Phone

(03) 84681900

Opening Times

LUNCH:

Sun to Fri: 12 noon – 3:00pm

DINNER:

Mon to Sun: 6:00pm – 11:00pm

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

For him

Hot Starter

Grilled King Prawns, Split and Marinated $30

Beef from the Wood Fire Grill

Cape Grim Dry Aged 36 Month Old Grass Fed

Rib-Eye on the Bone 350g 72 days $60

Side

Sauteed Mushrooms $15

Desert

Hazenut Macaron and Banana Ice Cream Sandwich $20

 

 

 

 

 

For me

Cold Bar

Four Raw Tastes of the Sea $29

Salad

Wood Fire Grill Vegetable and Goat's Cheese Salad $19

Main Plate

Spicy Mussels and Saffron Stew with Wood Fired Grilled Seafood and Alioli $45

Desert

Muscat Beaumes de Venise Baked Custard with Tropical Fruit Salad $20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table for two on Christmas Eve

Friday, 24 Dec 2010 our annual holidays started at 5pm for 10 days.

I booked a table at Rockpool Grill and Bar Melbourne.

So many times we've walked pass it but never got a chance to give it a try.

Finally, we went inside the restaurant for the first time.

Wearing my newly received Lanvin for H&M dress in red, I was already in good mood.

Walked through the long hallway with many of the restaurant's wine collection, we were led to our table by a friendly waitress.

The restaurant is huge with many separate sections. It's like entering into another world.

On our left is the impressive open kitchen and grill; behind is the comfortable bar area, private room hiding somewhere secretly and in front of us are tables viewing the Yarra River.

Neil Perry's restaurant in Sydney on The Rocks has very minimum decoration, high ceiling, green big door and white walls.

I found that many fine restaurants do it that way nowadays, less is more interior design theory I guess.

Maybe the chef want their customers concentrate on the beautiful food rather than anything else.

Sorry, the search function is not working as I've  moved my previous posts from a blog with a different blog name.

Click HERE for my last visit in Rockpool Sydney back in 2008 .

Here in Melbourne the dining room is elegant yet contemporary makes it relaxed and enjoyable.

I must admitted I like this better. So the first impression was great!

Just for the atmosphere and it's excellent services, it wins my vote.

Thanks to Urban Spoon, I already wanted to recommend this place to people who loves to go to a romantic restaurant for celebration or a special day.

Before we came, I did a little research one their review and menu.

Unlike the Sydney restaurant which is well known for their seafood: lobster, clam and abalone with Asian cooking influrence.

The Melbourne restaurant showcase the beef.

From grass fed, grain fed and David Blackmore's Pure Blood Wagyu, and all beef is dry aged on premise.

Darling decided to give it a go even he doesn't normally order steak.
The beef was tasty,  moist and juicy. Great combination with the sauteed mushrooms side dish.

I highly recommended my entree; the four tastes of the sea.

Tuna, king fish, salmon, and squid with four different flavours.

Beautifully done, very fresh and I prefer in light seasonings.

In this way you can actually taste the freshness of the seafood rather than the sauce overwhelming the main ingredients.

For desserts, Darling had the giant macaron with banana ice cream in the middle.

I had the baked custard with fruit salad. 

Beautiful fresh produce food and everything was perfect. 

I couldn't stop taking photos, so wonderful to view and consume.

The food was delicious. The European staff was friendly, attentive, helpful and very knowledgeable.

The night was truly sensational and we couldn't be happier.

No wonder Neil Perry is an outstanding chef and also a successful businessman.

He's professional and well trained team make the whole dinner experience rememberable. 

Fine dining is not just about the food but also quality service.
I wish our Chinese restaurant owners could learned from restaurants like Rockpool

and there will be more pleased customers like myself eating in a Chinese restaurant with fine food.

Try the Rockpool recipes on their web or get Neil Perry's cook books in store.
I decided to cook at least one of his dishes from his book Simply Asian
I've got at home for quite a while now during the holiday.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

“The cornerstone of good cooking is to source the finest produce” – Neil Perry