rockpool
Posted on | September 22, 2007 | No Comments
i finally feel able to write about our dinner at rockpool last tuesday night.
we booked a way in advance and planned it for the final day of the gift fair: we would either be celebrating or consoling ourselves.
either way, it’s a legendary restaurant and one i’ve long wanted to dine at.
107 george st is an elegant heritage building, right in the heart of the rocks, sydney.
we got there right on 6pm (we like to eat early and take our time), as the staff were finishing up their briefing.
they let us in and seated us and we had a beer and a campari/soda to start with, while we absorbed the ambiance.
four things stood out immediately.
1. the modern metal and wooden chairs were AMAZINGLY ergonomically-shaped and comfortable
2. there was no artwork on the walls whatsoever…..all was simply white and dark wood and just one dramatic floral arrangement.
3. there was no music
4. the lighting was designed by an artist: muted, soft light, but somehow you could see perfectly.
we deduced that all this was done so that there would be NOTHING to distract your attention from the food, so we were already salivating when the menus were placed into our eager paws.
there was a choice of a ten course degustation menu, which i declined because of the amount of seafood on it (i am allergic).
and there was a five course menu with three choices in each course.
here is the menu:
Five Course Menu
with Selections in each Course
-
Please ask your waiter if dishes need to be changed for dietary reasons
-
Course 1
Salad of Beetroot “Several Ways” with Hazelnut and Orange Dressing
Hand Picked Crab, Pomelo and Peanuts with Lime and Chilli Dressing
Four Tastes of The Sea
-
Course 2
Seared Scampi with Macaroni, Artichokes, Cashew Nuts and Green Curry
King Prawn with Goats Cheese Tortellini – Pine Nuts, Raisins and Burnt Butter
Sauteed Sweetbreads with Chestnut Agnalotti – Celeriac and Apple Sauce
-
Course 3
Crispy soft Shell Crab with “Dtom Khaa” Foam
Twice Cooked Murray Cod with Caponata – Olive Tapenade and Black Olive Oil
Bass Groper Cooked in a Pot with Garam Masala and Coconut Milk
-
Course 4
Suckling Pig with Sweet Potato and Ginger Puree, Ginger Sauce
“Moroccan Style Lamb” Slow Cooked Best End Lamb Chop, Tagine of Lamb Shoulder, Almonds and Olives – Nut Stuffed Date
Stew of Snapper, Tasmanian Scallop, King Prawn, Clams and Pippies with Mussel and Saffron Sauce, Aioli ($25.00 supplement)
-
Course 5
Milk “Honeycomb” with Yoghurt and Strawberry Sorbet – Rhubarb “Sous Vide”
Chocolate Rice Crackle Mousse Cake
Passionfruit Souffle with Passionfruit Cream (Minimum preparation time 35 minutes)
Selection of Cheese (Available as an extra course, $10.00 supplement)
-
Coffee with Sweets
we looked and we looked and in the end, we handed our menus back to the waiter and said that we would be happy to be guided by the chef: would he/she please choose their favourites for us.
certainly…..would we like to know the chef’s selctions ahead of time?
no, we’d prefer to be surprised.
and so it was done.
now we could look at the wine list.
this was a heavy book stuffed full of goodies and we started with a bottle of bollinger nv.
i figure good champagne goes with absolutely everything….and especially with more good champagne, so we were quite safe there.
we had some freshly baked warm rye rolls with french butter that had been mixed with sea salt, to begin with. it was all perfect.
our first course arrived.
i had a salad of beetroot and i counted six ways that it was presented.
pickled, dried, glaze, powdered, greens and jelly.
it was stunningly simple and delicious and it looked simply amazing, all that colour.
maurice had four tastes of the sea and was just speechless from the first bite.
it took us a long time to eat a very tiny amount of food because the flavours were so complex and new.
second course: sweetbreads for me and king prawn for maurice.
again, we sat there marvelling over the flavours and the immaculate presentation.
i adore sweetbreads and i don’t want to know what part of what animal they come from, thankyouverymuch.
third course: i had the murray cod and maurice had the bass groper.
his was ladled out of a lovely mauviel copper pan, right there at the table…..i want a whole set of those things, badly.
around this time, my dear dear husband actually said to me: i always thought you were a great cook patti…..but that was BEFORE THIS.
again, we were eating incredible combinations of flavours and textures and every single thing worked beautifully.
by now we were getting a little low on bollinger and the young belgian sommelier drifted over to see what we would like to do.
i got the heavy wine list back and we told him we would be flying the next day AND we had very definite ideas about dessert wines we wanted to taste AND we didn’t actually know what we were eating next.
he already knew: madam is having the lamb and sir is having the suckling pig. (this very much impressed me: when all the staff know exactly what is happening with all the customers, then you have the key to a great restaurant).
well, could he suggest something fabulous for us? a half bottle? what would HE like to drink if he was having lamb and pork?
he said the moss river cab sav, with absolutely no hesitation……so we ordered it along with a glass of chateau d’yquem 1999 and a 2003 mt horrocks cordon cut riesling to come later.
the second we drained our champagne flutes, he was there with the moss river and as soon as it was poured, the fourth course was placed in front of us…..with accompanying salad greens and potatoes baked with a crispy parmesan topping and plenty of cream, in yet another mauviel pan.
i wish i’d brought a capacious bag with me; i could have started my mauviel collection already.
the moss river wine was the sublimest wine either of us have ever tasted.
it was indescribably smooth and rich and fine.
it had the softest mouth feel i’ve ever experienced.
we were actually a little bit emotional over how lovely it was.
when the suckling pig was served, they spooned some “ginger foam” over it…..maurice said it was like a ginger-flavoured cloud, wispy and light and delicious.
by this time the dining room was completely full….we had been too absorbed in the food to notice arrivals.
at one stage i looked up and watched the floor staff for a few minutes.
fourteen of them, all in beautiful black suits, swooped across the dining room in perfect timing, nobody rushing, nobody standing around, nobody conferring and nobody writing anything down on little scruffy notepads.
every one of them knew exactly what was happening at every second of the service….it was truly impressive.
i’ve never had such beautiful service in my life….and i’ve had a few glamorous meals at starry establishments in bali.
this was a whole new level.
this was service from people who prided themselves on exceptional service, knew what they were doing and CARED about what they were doing.
we had a little pause to finish our beautiful moss river wine and not hurry over it; and finally, our desserts arrived: passionfruit souffle for me and the chocolate rice crackle mousse cake for maurice.
mine was simple and perfect.
his was structured, clever and incredible.
both were delicious.
and the wines, o my lord the wines…….
we shared them both.
the chateau d’yquem was like flowers and fruit and honey and golden sunshine on a summer’s day.
the cordon cut riesling was paler and different, but just as wonderful.
we were besotted with them both.
cordon cut is a tricky little technique when the winemaker cuts halfway through the stem above the grapes at a certain stage of maturation: it starves the grapes of water and forces the sugar levels up….but it can go horribly wrong of course.
this one is made by a lady winemakerin south australia.
we had tasted it (another year of course) at a dinner party in 1999 and we are still talking about it….so when we saw it on the menu we HAD to have it.
we were offered tea and coffee and declined both: we were both getting full and it was already 9.30.
they brought us some beautiful petit fours, all made in house: little macaroons, divine rich truffles, passionfruit marshamallow pillows dusted with confectioner’s sugar, and chewy caramels wrapped in cellophane.
i wish i’d had a cup of tea with it now.
our enormous bill came, to which we added a lavish tip…..those waiters were worth ever penny and we all like to encourage excellence.
we strolled out into the mild sydney spring evening filled with the sort of warmth and joie de vivre that good food and wine brings.
and we are already making plans to visit tetsuya’s next year.
Comments
Leave a Reply
