Rockpool Bar & Grill

We really enjoyed our dining experience at Rockpool bar and grill. We went for a birthday celebration and I had booked for Friday night 9.15pm. The restaurant had a lovely ambience and romantic dim lighting which we really liked. The waitress was friendly and helpful when we explaining the menu. The only negative would be that we were served cold slice of bread. The second piece we got was lovely warm and fresh. We orders 2 eye fillet steaks — one aged more than the other. We decided to skip entrée and ordered 2 sides — Mac and cheese and a roasted pumpkin. Next time we would order greens instead of 2 heavy Sides. They both tasted lovely with the Mac and cheese a winner. The steaks were really nicely cooked to medium rare, flavour some and we loved every minute we were there. We couldn’t fit in dessert which was a shame but because it was a birthday, my partner got given a lovely cupcake with a candle on top. That was a lovely touch to end the wonderful dining experience. Highly recommend a visit if you’re looking for a lovely evening or special occasion. Also do let them know when you’re booking if it’s a special occasion :)

We were lucky enough to receive a Rock Pool voucher of $ 100 for our engagement. We ordered entrée & main, but must of ordered a side or two too many as we couldn’t finish it all. Was a bit of a shame to leave behind some unfinished steak as it was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. A bottle of wine & $ 300 later we left. Although I was full, I couldn’t help feeling guilty for wasting food as we passed a homeless man near Flinders station.

So far on entry very suductive and welcoming
Seating staff very apealing
Waiters absolutly charming and helpfull. drink menue very substantial. Great wines food menue would be pleasant to most tastes. We will see what the food is like ive ordered pork belly ribs and duck
On the arrival of our mains. what we ordered is exactly what we received ;pork ribs, and duck.
Any rxtras where exactly that extra at an additional cost.
All up expensive night for what we received though food was nice. found parts of the duck not cooked completely. Other than this all was ok.

Once again, Rockpool impresses!
I’ll get a negative out of the way. The hostess who sat us, brought us to a table right next to/​in front of a servers working station. I hate sitting next to them. They are noisy, brighter than the rest of the restaurant, and lack intimacy/​ambiance. I advised her that I didn’t like sitting next to the server stations, and she looked at me blankly and motioned to the table right next to it. The rest of the restaurant was relatively empty at this point. My look must have said it all, as she said «let me see what else I can do». She then sat us one table away from a servers station, on the opposite end of the row of tables. So apparently, she couldn’t do a lot. I felt she was dismissive, and really didn’t give a shit. The hostess is the sole reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. What a horrible person to have as the starting lineup of your restaurant.
However, our experience improved after the introduction of our server, and our interaction with the Sommelier. Servers still seem to sound like they are reading a script, as descriptions and «lessons about beef» are dished out at every table without any personalisation or variation. I suppose the upside is this creates consistancy.
We enjoyed the last bottle in stock of a vintage of one of our favourite reds. While that was decanting, we had a glass of champagne and some oysters. I’ve said it before, I love the classic steakhouse martini, Grey Goose with Blue Cheese stuffed olives. This is not an option here though, and a it’s a shame, borderline a sin.
We shared the sashimi sampler, a wagyu t-​bone with an (un)healthy bowl of bearnaise sauce, and several sides. The mac and cheese is to die for. The onion rings were soggy, and we sent them back to be replaced by a healthier vegetable side.

Had a bad experience at dinner at Rockpool this week… waitress and manager both treated me like I was lying when I told them the burger was great but the onion rings were oily. Ignored the compliment and then questioned whether I knew what an onion ring should taste like.
I call this ‘guest-​blaming’ and it’s a damn shame that it happens. Way too often than it should.
It all started with the waitress asking how the food was, 2 minutes into the meal.
«The burger’s great. The onion rings are oily. Each bite all I can taste is oil.»
I soon wished that I had said nothing about the $ 9 side dish.
«Well they are cooked in oil.»
Woah.
Then she argued with me for the better part of 3 minutes while I was taking bites of my burger.
I just wanted a nice burger with the odd munch of a side dish.
The manager eventually comes over and continues the discussion while I eat the second half of my burger. I wasn’t aware I would have two additional guests enjoy my burger with me, bite by bite.
Ben the manager made it no better.
I will continue to eat at the always friendly Sydney Rockpool. It ain’t broke.
Perhaps Ben the Melbourne Manager should also visit up there to learn how they look after customers so they always feel welcome. It seems to be a fine art.

I think that Melbourne food is generally overrated. I don’t think that Melburnians are particularly astute in their culinary tastes. They tend to lavish praise on the ‘so-​so’, it’s really about the occasion and not the food. So, the Chefs of Melbourne can get away with a lot. So, that brings me to Rockpool. It’s a well known brand from a highly publicised and well known chef. I went with my wife, expecting something special. The place was near empty when we arrived at 6pm. The hostess placed us at a four seater, adjacent to one of the work stations. Why? The place was empty and there were two seaters available. She enquired as to why we didn’t like the location. You don’t get that sort of reaction in the best restaurants. You are whisked away to a much better location, no questions asked, and with a smile. Well, we got the first and missed the second. Our waitperson was pleasant but inaudible in her explanation of the menu structure and did not smile. In fact I never saw a single wait person smile the whole time. We chose the Tastes of the Sea — $ 34 to share, Crispy King George Whiting with Crazy Water — $ 49, Spicy Mussel and Saffron Stew — $ 49 and a side of Button Mushrooms Sautéed with Garlic and Pangrattato — $ 15. Small in size, the Tastes of the Sea, was of average quality. A lot going on, but nothing memorable. The mussels were few (3), the shrimp and calamari burnt and the stew of a salt content enough for a year of normal intake. The Whiting was fried no better than what you would find in the local chip shop and whomever dreamt up the ‘Crazy Water’ (a tomato salsa) to accompany the fish must have been hallucinating at the time. The Mushrooms gained the only passing grade for the night, aside from the bread. We past on desert, having already forked out $ 155 for perhaps one of the worst meals we have experienced for quite some time. My wife had complained to our waitperson who took it all on the chin but clearly needed to report said complaint higher up the chain of command. With apologies abundant we received a rather large paper bag within which was a food box — one of those you see coming out of the Chinese take out places. I couldn’t wait to check it out, so we left the restaurant and opened the gift just outside the entrance. Nestled inside the box were eight, rather small cellophane wrapped caramels of the kind you will find in any 7 Eleven. We were not of a mind to enjoy the caramels so we disposed of them in the nearest rubbish bin.
My wife and I have travelled extensively and eaten in many restaurants. For the service, the price and the food quality Rockpool is below average but clearly not for Melburnians as the place seems to fill up.
Maybe we were tainted because of the table move. I hope no one hocked a loogie into the saffron stew!
Neil, you need to do a lot better for a reputation that promises so much.
Oh, and by the way, I was born and raised in this fine city, although I don’t live here anymore.

We had the wagyu beef and it was fabulously done despite it leaking more blood than usual for a medium rare treatment. The sides we ordered — roasted pumpkin and sweet potatoes, brochhioloes and onion rings — complemented our mains very well. The fish dishes (writings and flathead) were great — tasty and well prepared.
Love the extremely extensive wine list. We had the French syrrah which went very very well with our topside steaks.
Desserts did not disappoint too. The chocolate donuts and the chocolate moouse rice cracker were great ways to end the delightful evening dining experience.
The wait staff were very efficient — sometimes to the extent that it felt mechanically expedient without too much personal connection involved

Service is first class! I have to say I enjoyed the entrée a lot more than my steak (main). The oysters were succulent, the scampi on watermelon salad was light and refreshing and the abalone pasta was so tasty.

I always make it a point to visit the Rockpools in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Now that the AUD’s gone down more than 20% against the SGD, the price is almost reasonable :)
Server was really friendly, but she did not come across as being as knowledgeable as we’d like.
Got the T-​bone done medium, which came out a little more cooked than usual. Pace of food being served was just right, even though it seemed the servers were really busy scurrying around.
Had the 2012 Massena 11^th Hour Shiraz, which needed time to air, but turned out to be really good!

We had a corporate lunch event here. The staff were well organized and attentive. The food was also very good. Good steak, but somewhat fatty for a filet.
I would come back here for food or to host another event. The private room is somewhat private, somewhat quiet, but not completely isolated. During lunch the restaurant wasn’t too busy so it was completely workable.

Dined and dashed at the Rockpool winebar on my lunch break so I can only critique their bar menu which boasts fairly priced small plates and substantial mains ranging between $ 6 to $ 40.
Bookings aren’t required so it’s nice to know there’s a classy venue along Southbank you can get a table on the fly.
I ordered the cured ocean trout served on bruschetta as a starter. I was a big fan of the pickled onions despite it being a simple dish no bigger than my thumb.
For my main, I went with the wagyu beef bolognaise & hand cut fettuccine. The sauce was tasty, the natural sweetness of tomato juices were evident, it complimented the A-​grade beef and the pasta was devine.
An honorary mention for nailing the perfect sauce to pasta ratio.
I couldn’t pass up the chance to try their hand cut chips with house ketchup and onion rings as well. I preferred the onion rings, the batter was light and crunchy with tasty seasoning.
The basis of the restaurant’s appeal is the fact that every true Melbournian knows that Rockpool (and Neil Perry) are the pride of the Australian culinary universe.
The only flaw I have to call out was regardless of how many wait staff in white coats were walking around, we had to flag down service to order another round of drinks.

We’ve always made it a point to visit so-​called the best steakhouse in any cities we visited. In Melbourne, Rockpool got our attention. To be able to compare steaks from various steakhouse around the world, I will always order the highest grade ribeye. Unfortunately, the $ 119 Blackmore Wagyu ribeye (marble 9+) at Rockpool was an utter disappointment. I’ve had Blackmore Marble 7 and 8 several times at other places and they definitely falls into the category that ‘melt in your mouth’.
Hence, we definitely not expecting anything less with Blackmore Marble 9+ at Rockpool. I thought the waiter took my order wrongly but He confirmed that Rockpool only served Marble 9+ ribeye.
Service was average. Took abt 20 minutes to get the menu, another 10 minutes to take our order, and another 30 minutes to get our food.
Morton is still top on our list. Maestro in LA is average. Prime@leMeridienin Kuala Lumpur never let us down.

I came here a month ago for the first time for a girlfriend’s birthday and was so impressed we decided to come back for mine. During Christmas it’s super hard to get a booking however they don’t take bookings for the bar area where we decided to eat.
The menu isn’t as extensive as the main area but I’ve had the Wagyu bolognese which was delish and this time went for the minute steak which I can’t get over how tender the meat is! Especially for minute steak. For dessert had an affagatto and was definitely the best affagatto I have ever had. The ice cream is DELISH and so is the coffee.
Back to the steaks I’m thinking about going there again in the future just to have one! Perfectly cooked and seasoned with great options for sides. Great vibe and atmosphere for catching up with mates! Love love love it

Great restaurant spoiled by acting cheap! When you have a $ 500 bill for dinner for 4 one does not expect a 1.25% surcharge for paying by credit card. There are three reasons for cc surcharges: you are a small mom & pop store and cc fees eat into your slim margins, you are a street trader and can’t afford the banking set up fees or you want to have more cash receipts for some reason only known to your accountants. Which is it Rockpool?
$ 70 400gm steak that was just OK was massively overpriced, wine selection great but only average vintages and also overpriced. Salad good, charcuterie good (overpriced). Petit Fours are not petit fours but cupcakes — ask to see them before you order them.
Staff smart and efficient. Spoken English not strong with all the staff made ordering and questions a little difficult. My wife is allergic to molluscs, we had to explain what a mollusc is and how that is different from a crustacean. Not what I expect I a high end restaurant, especially one, ironically, called Rockpool.

We ended up here for Sunday lunch as we had to cancel our 3 week in advance booking, due to bad weather, driving and a sporting event all coinciding to delay us past our booking time.
Let me say this in the end was a good thing. I suspect that Rockpool would have been very noisy and busy if we had eaten on the Saturday night. The food great and the service impeccable we enjoyed ourselves immensely. My only niggle was the duck, it was a tad cold and not very moist. But a small complaint as the rest of the food of which we ordered far too much was great. The deserts especially divine and the free sample of desert wine to help us decide a deal clincher. We will visit again, but probably on a Sunday for lunch, because it is easier to get in.

Yum wayu burger, the octopus is very flavorful and fresh and I’m not a mac and cheese person but this one was great the cheese sauce was super tasty! delish.
Service is great, if you seat at the bar section (it’s basically the same thing as the restaurant, u wouldn’t be able to tell) and you can pick from both menus.
A bit pricey but u get quality and service!

I am a carnivore, through and through and you probably can imagine my delight when rockpool was on the company client lunch agenda!
Coming into the restaurant, you are greeted as if you are the most important person in the place, although the establishment is cratered with patrons. Sitting down, the familiar ‘cow’ menu is provided along with a superior wine list. To my delight, the boss ordered a fine white along with a Cabernet.
Our clients were excited about the steak choices and we proceeded to order our appetisers (grilled seasoned prawns, gnocchi, and other delights) and I ordered the fillet, RARE. I must admit, the appetiser was amazing and the steak, tender and on the mark, perfectly rare.
Overall, a true baseball home run by rockpool! And oh yes, the client meeting went superbly well too!

We recently had friends visiting home for Christmas from the States and before they could fly back, a group of us headed to Rockpool for a nice farewell. As soon as you step through the doors, tucked away in a quiet corner of Crown, far from the flashing lights and sounds of the casino floor, you feel like you’re in a separate place entirely. It’s quiet and the lights are low, if not possibly a little too low.
We were seated at a large table in the most comfortable chair I’ve ever seen in a restaurant and promptly had our water filled. Our friends arrived soon after us and we ordered a round of drinks, starting with a mix of cocktails and beers around the table. Our Moscow Mule cocktails were delicious and as we perused the menu the very friendly wait staff offered any help if required. Wine was ordered along with our meals and before too long we had a table full of food in front of us.
Most of us ordered steak and I personally had the grass fed rib eye, which was perfectly Rare and worth every penny. We all ordered sides that were quite large in size and were passed around the table for everyone to share. My personal favourite was the mac & cheese, which I find hard to resist any time I see it on a menu. We couldn’t finish our sides, so we could definitely have ordered less of them, especially with large steaks to polish off. You could easily share two sides between three people, depending on what you ordered.
As we all sank into our chairs, ready to fall asleep, the offer of dessert perked us all up. We didn’t have room for it, but how could we resist? I ordered the chocolate bark, purely because I didn’t think it would be too big (I was wrong!) and the crème caramel that was also ordered at our table was just as large. We ordered a few espresso martinis to finish off the night, which were disappointing, especially at $ 25 and not tasting like there was any espresso in them at all.
Just when we thought we were done for the night snacks of candied corn puffs were brought out to nibble on, which pretty much just tasted like cereal, but were irresistible nonetheless. When it came time to pay the bill we were pleasantly surprised with the price and I left feeling far too full, but eager to come back again.

Ate here with friends for (my) first time. Overall, I loved it. Service was superlative. Food was excellent. Wine list is beyond description good.
So, why didn’t I give it 5 stars? I eat in many places around the world, and I just can’t get past the prices I’m finding here in Aus on this trip. It’s not that things aren’t good — they are! But these prices are crazy.
That said, here’s what I had… I started with an Alaskan King Crab salad. Although it could have used a bit more crab meat, the meat was fresh and fabulous.
My main course was a wagyu beef t-​bone cut, cooked very rare (by my request). The meat was lovely dark and crisp on the outside and red red red in the middle, just as I like it. The seasoning was spot on. Just the right amount of salty goodness on the outside without being a salt bomb.
All three of us dining went with beef main courses, preceded by varied entrees. So, I paired our food with a lovely tempranillo wine from Spain’s Rioja region. The sommelier provided useful tips to his wine selection, and I went with one of his suggestions. It was a fabulous example of the grape. Lovely cherry fruit character with a bit of mocha and vanilla to go with it, balanced with a food-​friendly acidity that I love.
I rarely order dessert, but on this occasion I had a lemon curd doughnut dish that was positively fantastic.
Sounds amazing, right? Still just 4 stars? Yeah, sorry. I know it is the market around here that drives these prices, but it is plain too much. Wish I could say otherwise.

Really lovely from start to finish.
I’ve been here twice, once for a fancy-​shmancy work lunch and the other for a flash cocktail and a hamburger.
Visit #1: Entered the lovely restaurant and we were whisked to our table with a view of the Yarra. I sat down with the men at the table in my understated, black dress– and before I could even think about putting my serviette on my lap a waiter was in the wings with a black serviette being replaced with the standard white as to not get lint on my dress. I was already very impressed. For lunch, I opted not for the de rigeur steak and went for the herb and parmesan crusted hapuka. Yum, a really delicious fish (not unlike halibut.) We had a few sides of vegetables, and I especially liked the pumpkin and sweet potato with burnt butter. We had several bottles of wine, and they were very nice, and I can only expect wildly expensive. The service was very good and it was a very enjoyable meal. And, we rubbed shoulders with Eddie McGuire and James Packer– as you do.
Visit #2: The main goal here was a burger… As a former San Francisco resident, I was intrigued by the mention of the oh so acclaimed and savoury Zuni burger and pickles. The atmosphere was again lovely, and we walked right in on a Friday night to sit at a table near the bar. Our waiter was excellent, and I started off the evening with a refreshing gin and tonic. Had a bowl of the chips– they were okay, but not as crispy as I would normally like. The burger was very nice, but almost too big. It was very yummy and the bun was good, but a little undercooked since I did ask for medium-​well. I’ll ask for it to be «well done» next time, as I don’t like a really runny burger. All in all it was very nice, and I certainly be back.
For all visits, take a look at the balance sheet before coming in to dine!