Rockpool bar and grill @ Hunter St, Sydney

This post is a bit late but yay! no more exams and with that, there is nothing better than wanting to experience some exceptional fine dining. A friend of mine really wanted to try Rockpool Bar & Grill by Neil Perry as he heard a lot of good feedback on the steaks and so with that he made a reservation for a few friends to come along and join in for a treat.

I had no real expectations of Rockpool, as expectations always lead to disappointment. The only expectation I had was to be amazed and that is what happened. I was absolutely amazed. When you walk from the foyer into Rockpool, there is a whole new demeanour, going from ordinary boring brown foyer to a low lit high class restaurant with a tinge of purple lighting. The marble pillars and high roof of the restaurant is mesmerising which resulted me in being constantly distracted but it.

Now to the main purpose of this blog, the food! =9

Warm salad of wood fire grilled quail with smoked tomato and black olives

The quail was cooked really well, but I believe the best part of this salad was the smoked tomato, it had a unique taste which just exploded in your mouth.

Butter lettuce, avocado, tomato and jalapeno chilli salad

It was a simple salad with a buttery texture, unfortunately I couldn't quite taste the jalapeno chilli.

Cured Ocean Trout with Ratatouille and tomato vinagrette

A delectable mix of saltiness from the trout and sweetness of the ratatouille. It was very nice and light entree, and set a great impression for all the food of the night.

Roasted pork belly and pork loin with crackling and candied fruits

Even though Rockpool is famous for there steaks I chose the special of the day which was the roast pork and that ended up being a great choice. The pork was nothing that I can properly describe but was definitely close to heaven in my mouth. The crackling was very different to normal crackling, it was softer yet still as crispy. Even though the pork was awesome, the candied fruits was probably one of the worst things I/we had ever tried. I expected something a bit sweet to go with the pork, yet it was really strange. A mixture of spiciness and bitterness.

Full blood wagyu 220g

This was the most expensive steak on the menu costing $115, and it was quite amazing. It was cooked to medium - medium rare and was seasoned well. It required minimal amount of chewing resulting in a melting sensation. This was the reason my friend wanted to go to Rockpool.

Scotch fillet 220g

Same seasoning as the wagyu, however due to the different cut different taste. It was chewier which is expected but still a great steak.

Hand cut fat chips

Kipfler potatoes sauteed with wagyu fat and rosemary

Both the sides we chose were potato based and were beautiful. They both were crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the inside. The Kipfler potatoes had a wonderfully infused taste due to the wagyu fat and rosemary. The salt on both potatoes made them great with our mains.

Mango sorbet with yoghurt cream brandy snaps

This was my friends dessert and he loved it. But for me it was average, only because I don't like yoghurt, but the mango sorbet was delicious!

Warm rubarb, strawberry and almond pudding with vanilla sauce

This was my other friends dessert, and this was nice aswell. It was quite a cold night when we went to Rockpool so this dessert fit the occasion. This was my first time trying rubarb and it was a delightful suprise of a sweet sensation. The vanilla sauce reminded me of a warm custard.

The Ciampini - Chestnut meringue and ice cream sandwich

Best dessert of the night. When I saw the name of the menu, and saw what came out I was confused since I didn't see the ice cream. Then, as I started making my way through the dessert I was pleasantly suprised. It was literally spoonfuls of goodness!

The overall experience at Rockpool Bar and Grill was great, especially with there exceptional service and great food (despite the candied fruits). A great place for a fine dining experience, and considering there house rules you won't be disturbed whilst eating.

Good food, Good times!

Tray-baked Chicken and Dressed Potatoes

Every so often I enjoy making a nice home cooked meal for some uni friends and for recipes I always turn to 'Jamie's 30 Minute Meals'. This book has yet to fail and everything in it is easy, cheap and lovely to eat.

 

 Tray-baked chicken with dressed potatoes and salad

The original recipe states to use skinless chicken breasts, but I find that breast pieces are too dry, so I used chicken thigh fillets. Therefore, in this case I allocated 2 thigh fillets, per individual.

Tray-baked Chicken

Ingredients (Serves 5)

Dried oregano/oregano leaves

Sweet Paprika

Butter (approximately 100g)

10 chicken thigh fillets

2 lemons

600g cherry tomatoes on vine (I couldn't find those so I used 2 punnets of boxed cherry tomatoes)

10 rashers of bacon (if possible get on the striped/streaky part - if not then cut the bacon in half so that the middle bacon is separate from the bacon streaks.)

Rosemary

Method (I did this in 2 batches)

1. Wash the chicken thigh fillets and remove any fatty parts.

2. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Preheat oven to 120 degrees Celsius.

4. On a large piece of greaseproof paper, sprinkle a good pinch salt & pepper, along with dried oregano leaves and sweet paprika.

5. Roll the chicken thigh fillets in the flavours.

6. In a large frying pan drizzle over some olive oil and a knob of butter (around 50g)

7. Add the chicken to the hot pan and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden on both sides.

 

8. While chicken is cooking, get a nice roasting tray and quarter 1 lemon and 1 punnet of tomatoes and chuck them on the tray.
9. Using tongs, arrange the chicken on the tray and a lay/wrap a piece of bacon around each piece of chicken.
10. Still using the frying pan, add sprigs of rosemary to fuse with the juices in the pan and pour over the chicken in the tray. 
NOTE: If there aren't any juices left in the pan add more butter (50g).

11. Cook in the oven for at least 15-20 minutes, ensuring that the chicken is cooked through.

Finished product! =D

Dressed Potatoes

While the chicken was cooking I started on the potatoes.

Ingredients (serving 5)
2 sweet potatoes
4 small to medium potatoes (white-washed ones)
Half a lemon
1 fresh red chilli
Bunch of coriander
100g of feta cheese

Method
1. Peel and wash the potatoes,
2. Cut the potatoes in chunks and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with half a lemon.
3. Wrap in cling-wrap/film and microwave on full for 15 minutes.
4. Check the potatoes are cooked through, and using tongs squeeze over the lemon.

5. Using a fork, crush all the potatoes together, leaving it a bit chunky.
6. Finely chop coriander, chilli and feta cheese and add to potatoes.
7. Mix all together.

To finish off I made a basic salad with a salad mix, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and corn.

Dinner is served!

Good food, good times!