Rockpool Bar and Grill

Posted by: Jamoeesh | 11 December 2010, 10.42pm

If you are thinking of going here, you will not be disappointed as there is not a better restaurant in Melbourne to cater for all tastes.

Food:			Visit: Sat 11 December 2010
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Posted by: D&C | 29 November 2010, 11.26am

I have been to Rockpool a few times and it can be a very hit and miss experience with regards the food and considering the price you'd want the odds to be a bit better than that.
Booking in was delightfully easy - and was pleased that i did not have to pay a deposit or a set menu wasn't expected for that number of people - most other restaurants require it during the Christmas period.
A group of 15 girls went in on Friday night and some of us had a superb time and others a bit ordinary. I felt I was looked after very well on the table but others refused to tip at the end as they thought the service was appalling.
I had the duck for my mains and was very happy, where as some others had various pasta dishes and were very unhappy with their meals.
However at the end of the meal a young lady came over to listen to some of the unhappy ladies and i must say i thought she handled it very well. Everyone who had a pasta meal regardless of whether they complained or not - all got their meals for free - this did seem to make up for the lack of service and the dry pasta dishes.
I am a bit disappointed that some of the ladies said they would never return to Rockpool as i have had some fantastic food there.
My only other observation and suggestion to Rockpool would be to have a couple more wines under $50 as we know there is a huge mark up on the wines!
I however will return.

Food:			Visit: Fri 26 November 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: unpretentious | 26 October 2010, 9.59pm

Had a birthday lunch there recently and it was easily the best dining experience I had in a long time. The food was excellent (prawn omelette to share, t-bone medium no blood, eye fillet medium rare, onion rings and potato puree on the side, and devil's food cupcakes to finish). The steaks were excellent quality, succulent, and very well cooked. The condiments we tried with them - dijon mustard, horseradish cream, light-as-air bearnaise, harissa - were all excellent and actually enhanced the enjoyment. The side dishes were great too and there were many tempting ones to choose from. But what I especially loved was the service - friendly, attentive, and not a bit pretentious. They actually made us feel welcome from the minute we got there to the minute we left. We weren't forced to identify ourselves upon arrival (they clearly figured it out from the booking). Our need for wheelchair access was treated respectfully but without fuss. Other requests (the split dish, personal cutlery washed and returned)were handled graciously. This awesome dining experience left me feeling good for days and made me want to tell people about it (so now I have). This is one highly regarded restaurant that feels like good value. Will definitely be back.

Food:			Visit: Sun 10 October 2010 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Miss_pusscat | 15 April 2010, 3.50pm

My fiance took me to Rockpool after he proposed to me.
It was the perfect celebratory dinner!
They organised a special table for us and congratulated us throughout the whole night.
The service was great, i could not fault it. All our waiters were on the ball and knew what they were talking about. The waiter who assisted us with our wine selection was very impressive! He was very knowledgeable .
The food was great, spot on. We shared natural oysters, Four Raw Tastes of the Sea and King Prawns with Goats Cheese Tortellini for entree.
For mains we both had a Rib-Eye on the Bone (350g) with sides of mushroom, onion rings and greens.
Dessert we shared the Raspberry and Vanilla Mille Feuille.
All the food/wine was devine. Even when the coffees came out they were served with these little sweet corn puffs (very much like bliss bombs!).
All in all it was a great experience.
Yes, it is very expensive but it was well worth it. The servings of food were not small like you would expect in a top-end restaurant. They quite generous.
We will definately dine there again... as soon as we can afford it!

Food:			Visit: Tue 13 April 2010
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Posted by: vy00 | 28 January 2010, 12.54pm

Go into Rockpool with an open-mind. We dined at Rockpool before I had read some of the reviews and have been very surprised by the negative rap this restaurant has received by other diners. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

At first glance the menu is slightly confusing. I recommend that you simply choose dishes that jump out to you...I know it sounds clich? but follow your gut.
We began with Rockpool s signature cocktails which were immensely powerful and nothing too special. After taking our order our waiter efficiently delivered a plate of homemade bread. Absolutely beautiful; soft and warm in the middle with a lovely crunchy crust and smeared with a light creamy butter. We ordered the grilled prawn dish and the baby octopus with pesto, cherry tomatoes and olives. The flavours were crisp and clean, the seafood fresh and of a superb quality, exactly what you would expect at a fine dining restaurant. Our mains were a duck confit with mango and the 350g grass fed rib eye. The duck and mango was a unique contrast that most definitely worked. The steak cooked perfectly with a lovely smoky taste, the meat was tender and melted from the bone. We also ordered a side of potato puree, fluffy and smooth, and organic carrots, sweet and summery in flavour. It was a shame that we missed out on dessert as we were running late to the tennis. The entree and main were excellent.

Service was polite and efficient. The restaurant has a very masculine and modern presence which is topped by the flames of the grill bursting from the kitchen. It was really enjoyable to watch the chefs prepping and cooking.

I would definitely return to Rockpool, regardless of any special occasion. I thought the entire dining experience was superb and excellent value for money.

Food:			Visit: Mon 25 January 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: preeevans | 29 November 2009, 9.03pm

I just went to Rockpool with my girlfriend for her birthday and we were both very excited after all the rave reviews we have heard.

It wasnt bad, it just wasnt great.

Sitting down cost us $24 (Sunday night cover charge - $12pp). So by the time we had ordered 2 drinks, we had spent over $50.

We ordered mains, which were more expensive than as stated on the menu. (the prices on the menu were the entree size version).

The food was ok. The service was fine (not great, but not bad).

For just over $150, two serves of pasta, two side dishes, and a beer and glass of wine... seems pretty steep for something that was just OK.

Food:			Visit: Sun 29 November 2009
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Posted by: guest_100 | 12 September 2009, 10.55pm

Having heard so many good things about Rockpool I really had some high expectations for the place. The ambiance was nice, however the whole place was a little too dark for my liking, made me felt rather uncomfortable. We ordered the raw fish belly and slow cooked egg on brioche with red wine sauce which was really delightful. The steak I ordered was nice, however my partner's one looked really distasteful and seemed like it was burnt. That was a little disappointing for a restaurant with the reputation of cooking great steak! service was excellent though. Overall it was good, but wasn't great.

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Posted by: Hungree Molly | 31 August 2009, 7.26pm

In Melb for a wedding weekend & were very pleased to squeeze in a late night munch while wandering Southbank...
Delicious parmesan crumbed artichoke
Mouth watering prawn salad
Perfect savoury bloody Mary
Respectfully attentive service
Great access for wheelchair users, got a little glimpse into the kitchen - such quiet chefs!

And I didn't have to write a novel to say my bit. Good reading the other reviews tho. :)

Out.

Food:			Visit: Fri 28 August 2009 Mealtime: supper
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Posted by: ketapel | 19 August 2009, 12.05am

The entree was tasty, Steak was tender, and dessert was satisfying.
Overall a good experience, though don't come here expecting a grand experience. Simplicity is the theme here.

Food:			Visit: Wed 19 August 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Eddicat | 20 January 2009, 7.37pm

This surely has to be one of the most ambitious restaurant ventures I have seen in Melbourne. Has Neil pulled it off? I think so - just, for now.

My wife had booked the two of us for a birthday celebration as I had been pining to sample Perry's version of the ultimate steak experience. We arrived via the Crown Towers lobby, which I would recommend if you're squeamish about the gaudy casino - you can pull up in a cab right out the front of the hotel even if you're not a guest. Anyway, right from the start we were relaxed about how things might pan out, being acutely aware of the mixed reviews the over-hyped restaurant had received. We were led to our table after an inaudible, smile-less greeting from the young staff member and, as is often inexplicably the case nowadays, we were quickly left to our own devices without being asked if we would like something to drink. OK, well we are getting used to that kind of treatment in Melbourne now so no big deal. Five minutes later the waiter came back and, when asked politely for a verbal on the available beers, he had to rack his brain before I ended the awkwardness with a request for a Stella, which I guessed they'd have.

Anyway, we marvelled at the extensive menu for quite some time but my heart was already set on molluscs and red meat, so we ordered a selection of Pacific (Coffin Bay and Tasmanian) and Sydney Rock oysters followed by the 750gm rib-eye to share. What a fantastic taste sensation it turned out to be! The oysters were superb, as we have grown to expect (and love) in top restaurants in Aus but the rib-eye surpassed all expectations. Perfectly cooked to our liking (medium-rare), it was expertly sliced at our table, served to each of us in equal portions - the bone was offered and accepted gleefully by myself. The charred surface of the steak belied the juicy, melt-in-the-mouth experience that came with each bite and the wonderful flavour that encouraged us to chew ever so slowly and savour each morsel to the last.

Sides were ordered too, maybe some beans and an exquisite cauliflower gratin that was probably the tastiest accompaniment I have ever come across. Must get the recipe for that one! Desserts were run-of-the-mill for this level of establishment and I really can't recall what we had - the meal prior has probably nudged it from memory.

Anyway, aside from the indifferent service and overly-dim lighting, which didn't bother us but will irk a lot of diners, we thought that Rockpool Bar and Grill was an exceptional dining experience and we will definitely return. I think that Neil and his staff do have room for improvement in acheiving the overall vision however and it's obvious that the sheer scale of his new venture could make things difficult to manage. We wish him luck and hope for our sake he succeeds!

Food:			Visit: Fri 17 October 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: jesswah | 6 January 2009, 8.22pm

Rockpool is Melbourne's premier restaurant. Service is top class. I ordered the t-bone steak and it was a large-size portion full of flavour, succulent and, all in all, one of the best steaks I've had. My partner had a seafood dish which was great also. Wine list was good. A great dining experience.

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Posted by: gb00 | 5 August 2008, 11.30am

We all ordered steaks as it's the specialty. I'd say my steak was good although ruined slightly as I'd asked for medium and got medium rare. The waitress gave me my companion's order twice. The service was competent but clinical a bit of warmth would've been nice.

We were seated in the side room with the large square tables. We were a party of six which meant that there were 2 people on two sides of the table, and one person each on the remaining two sides. They felt isolated all night sitting on their own and it wasn't conducive to easy conversation. It was also a bit cold, so I wouldn't recommend a table in the side room if you can help it.

The sides were disappointing. Very, very ordinary cooked vegetables, absolutely nothing special at all. Desserts were nice but nothing special again. It may sound a bit picky but for these prices, the meal should be memorable. Exiting the restaurant, the main room looked great and felt like it had more ambience and I wouldn't mind giving it another go in the main room and ordering something other than steak. But really, the killer was the location - having to navigate the casino and the food court, it didn't feel special to come to Rockpool at all.

Food:			Visit: Tue 5 August 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: wil4 | 22 July 2008, 12.31pm

With friends having dined at Rockpool before it was highly recommended and we were looking forward to a night of good food and service. We received neither of this. Our entree was quite good. We ordered steaks and 4 side dishes to share for mains. When the steaks arrived I was given a steak I didn't order. I was not asked if I wanted it replaced. We then sat there for 10 minutes or more with our steaks waiting for our sides and sauce which finally arrived. Of course by then our steaks were cold. We received no apology and the staff then seemed to totally avoid us. A very beautiful but overhyped restaurant with very disappointing service and food.

Food:			Visit: Sat 19 July 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Gab Beats | 8 July 2008, 3.21pm

After three phone calls to remind my husband and I to be there on time for our booking at 6pm, we turn up at 5.55 pm on a Friday night and get sent away for being early!

Started with a vodka and lemonade. Fancy glass... pity it was flat. Sent it back, second one was semi flat.

Entree was ok however not worth the price.

Mains were ordinary. The crab pasta tasted like salt balls. The silverside was ok, nowhere near 5 star. One giant whole carrot served with a piece of meat...

Luckily we filled up on bread!

Happy birthday to me.... Obviously dessert was elsewhere.

Food:			Visit: Tue 8 July 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: FARMAG | 19 February 2008, 2.03am

After watching Neil Perry on Foxtel, followed the fit out of his Melbourne restaurant also on Foxtel and heard wonderful reviews from my sister & husband who raved on about the wagyu we set off, a group of 4 in excitement only to find that we were not overly impressed as we were hoping:
Firstly we expected a hefty outlay and were prepared to pay as long as the food was great, we also anticipated that Rockpools would make it on our list of favourite restaurants, not to be the case...
1. The fit out was lovely, the lighting far too dark, we could not read our menus and had to wait for some time to grab the attention of our waitress to change the table lamp, ambience too busy for my liking, far too many staff on, waiters and chefs (viewed from the open kitchen)2. The wine list was exceptional, although very expensive, we settled for an $80 bottle of shiraz
3. The service considering there were many waiters was average, it was hard to grab the attention of our waitress when needed
4 The meat was ok, we all decided to go with the beef as it seemed to be the speciality of the restaurant and was heavily promoted: the fillet beef outdid the wagyu (melting in the mouth, no!) and the t-bone steak (I've had better at home!), disappointing considering the price tag, the New York cut was good. The sides, were nothing special, onion rings were dry, the potato was ok as were the mushrooms.
5.Three of us decided on entrees which were the octupus and the sardine fillets, which were good however overly priced, you can get the same at a bistro
As an avid diner and cook and having dined at many restaurants in Melbourne, the experience was disappointing.

Food:			Visit: Thu 7 February 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: jlee | 17 February 2008, 4.42pm

I've heard so much about Rockpool that I finally decided to take my partner there for a meal to see what all the hype was about.

The food was delicious. For starters my boyfriend had the king prawns & goat cheese tortellini and I had the sashimi. Both were fantastic.
For mains we had the seared snapper and duck confit, which again were both excellent. The only thing that was a disappointment was the side of onion rings I ordered, which was over garnished with salt that by the second mouthful I could no longer taste anything but that and the hot chocolate I had for dessert. The hot chocolate was not hot chocolate, it was milk warmed up.

The atmosphere was very warm and lovely. The service, like many other reviewers have commented, left us wondering. Our waiters was extremely snobby and left me feeling like I should somehow have not been there. He was very unattentive and in the end we had to wait 35 minutes for him to finally notice us so we could ask for the bill!

I hope that they really work on their service because when you are paying $300+ for a meal, I would like to see someone crack a smile.

Food:			Visit: Thu 7 February 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Registered user - name withheld | 20 October 2007, 7.30pm

I rarely write reviews, but after reading the generally poor reviews on this page, I thought I'd offer an alternative view, and perhaps give an insight into why this restaurant is so highly regarded.

Perhaps with the passage of time, they've sorted out some of the teething problems at Rockpool B&G, but the fact that they've just announced a B&G to open in Sydney, suggests those believing (hoping?) for an early closure are off the mark.

I took my wife out for her birthday on Thursday, and these are my thoughts by category:

Food (and Drink)

We ordered "table water" and gin & tonics to start. We were offered a choice of gins and found our drinks made with Bombay Sapphire to be excellent (although my wife prefers lime to lemon slices). The bread served was a wholemeal sourdough and was delicious.

We ordered the "Four Raw Tastes of the Sea" (apparently also on the menu at Rockpool Sydney) and the soft shell crab salad with lime and walnut mayonnaise as starters. The four tastes (king fish, ocean trout, yellowfin tuna and scampi) were excellent, very subtle flavours, but that allowed the freshness and quality of the fish to shine. It was also quite substantial. My wife and I split each "taste" and the portions still felt adequate.

The soft shell crab salad was less impressive (it was likeable, though in no way outstanding). The crab didn't have sufficient flavour and became a little dominated by the batter it was fried in. The dressing was OK, but nothing I wouldn't expect at most semi-respectable restaurants.

The $12 glass of Soave we shared during our starters was an inspired choice by the sommelier. Beautifully floral on the nose, with a delicate fruit flavour, it complemented the fish perfectly.

The main course meat, however, was where the kitchen truly shone. My wife ordered the leg wagyu, which was simply outstanding (certainly not sliced, or cold, as other reviewers have suggested). The combination of flavour and mouthfeel that only the highest quality wagyu can provided was a pleasure we are unlikely to forget in a hurry. Given the cost of wagyu, $49 for this steak seemed a bargain too.

I ordered a 350g aged grass-fed sirloin served minute steak style. Producing a perfectly charred, smoky minute steak rare is no mean feat, but it was pulled off perfectly here. This was probably the most flavoursome piece of steak I have ever eaten (and I've had my far share of quality steak). A little pricey at $55, but worth it for me.

The accompanying sauces and condiments(horseradish, bearnaise, a choice of mustards) were very good, but entirely unnecessary. Oh, and neither steak had carried any noticable fat.

The sides were very good too. A spicy (harissa) pumpkin, yam and yoghurt dish was excellent, while the cauliflower and potato gratin was very moreish.

An Italian sangiovese/cabernet blend, at $23 the most expensive still wine by the glass, was a stand out, full of complex spice notes and great length. My Mclaren Vale shiraz/grenache was good value at $11, but paled in comparison to my wife's selection.

Desserts were, by comparison, a let down. Again, as with the aforementioned salad, they were likeable, but not quite what you expect from such a decorated establishment. There was nothing really wrong with my apple tarte tartin, served with vanilla bean ice-cream, but I couldn't help but feel that it had been done before, and better.

My wife's praline mille fuille was better, the praline was particularly delicious, but something let it down - perhaps the desserts need a bit more imagination.

The glass of Torbreck's The Bothie we shared at $8 represented great value, but would struggle to stand up to some of the richer dishes (as it did even with the mille fuille)

SERVICE

In a nutshell: competent, knowledgable, but lacking a little confidence. In my experience, the best service just "knows".

ATMOSPHERE

Rockpool B&G is beautifully appointed, luxurious and comfortable. For mine, it was ever so slightly too dark and the combination of slightly oversized chairs and tables meant it felt that I was a little further from my wife than usual, but these are minor quibbles.

All in all, I would thoroughly recommend Rockpool. Go into with open eyes. It is a little more expensive than some others in town (although I think we've been spoiled in Melbourne, and that may be about to change), and it is primarily about the quality of the produce. The food is rarely fancy, but it is also (in my limited experience) rarely short of excellent.

Food:			Visit: Thu 18 October 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: mullsy | 27 July 2007, 3.55pm

Three of us dined here yesterday for lunch.

Disappoinment No 1. There was no wagyu available as they were waiting on their next delivery 2 days later. My two dining partners opted to share the 750 gram rib-eye on the bone and I decided on the 450 gram rib-eye. For the $$ we were paying, we should have been far more impressed. My partners were very disappointed with their steak; there was far too much fat served by the waiting staff as 'steak'. Given that the steak is already pre sliced (like in Paul A's review - I don't get it either), you would think they would choose not to serve you great hunks of fat... maybe it's to justify that you're getting your 750m grams worth. Either way, this fell short of the mark. My steak was tender, cooked perfectly and of course cut for me, but worth $60 when its served on its lonesome, other than a pretty lemon wedge? I've had better steaks for half the price, including sides, which leads me to disappointment No 2.

As we chose not to order starters, we ordered up on the side dishes. Unfortunately they were unremarkable; the carrots were carrots, boiled and tossed in butter; the cauliflower and cheese was more cheese than cauliflower and the onion rings (which so many reviews have said are a must) were OK. The highlight was the sauteed Brussels sprouts with bacon, onions and burnt butter. Homely and delicious.

As we had just cracked our third bottle of shiraz, we decided to share some cheeses; three for $28 and disappointment No 3. I thought they were playing a joke on us! We almost needed a microscope to find the cheese. Each cheese had its own accompaniment, one of which came with stale pistachios. Yum. I buy better ones from the bulk bin at Coles. Maybe Neil could do the same.

The wash up... $460 for three and if you exclude the three $60 bottles of shiraz, we're still talking over $90 each for food that should have been a lot better than it was. Needless to stay we concurred we would not be visiting again in a hurry.

Food:			Visit: Fri 27 July 2007 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: litlone | 19 July 2007, 11.25am

Went out to dinner with my Dad and as he's a chef I thought he'd love Rockpool, (my pick of restaurant this time)
We ordered the steak for two and extra side dishes, which was really well cooked. The waitress was outstanding and we were both very happy. The atmostphere was quiet as it was early in the evening which was perfect. Compared to The Point (as far as steak goes) I don't know which one's better!

Food:			Visit: Tue 26 June 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: GJW | 21 May 2007, 1.22pm

We booked for nine people. All of us thought the food was very good. Although one thought his steak a bit small for 450gms. Considering the other reviews, I did think the service was a bit slow sometimes, but overall it was good considering they had a lot of wait staff. No one at our table thought that the meal was expensive considering our location, all in all a very good night.

Food:			Visit: Sat 19 May 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: EMD | 27 April 2007, 1.13pm

Being Sydney-siders we had been looking forward to dining at the new Rockpool in Melbourne since its opening.

The experience didn't start off that great when the staff refused to make a cocktail not on "the list" - all that was required to make our request was to add a shot of espresso to their standard cocktail. Not to worry - the food would make up for it surely! Sadly this wasn't to be.

I admit my meal was divine - crusted ocean trout cooked medium rare as it should be. However, my friend ordered the whole King George Whiting which arrived raw along the bone. The staff member we called over (not our waitress) tried to tell us all their fish is cooked rare but in my experience this usually only applies to oily fish (certainly not whiting) and in any case there's a pretty big difference between rare and raw. None too happy, the plate was taken back to the kitchen after which time our waitress came back to confirm the meal was indeed raw and she did seem genuinely apologetic. They offered to put the rest of the fish under the grill to actually cook it this time but we were now pretty much over the whole experience. One thing on their side is that they took that meal off the bill - rightly so.

There are so many other great restaurants in Melbourne I would pick over Rockpool Grill anyday.

Food:			Visit: Thu 26 April 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: BobC | 26 April 2007, 5.02pm

I read previous reviews for this restaurant before heading to Melbourne for Anzac day and was very nearly put off by them. I am pleased I decided to eat there after all. The service was exceptional, staff were very friendly,always attentive to our needs and professional in their application. The food was excellent, fresh flavours and quality presentation.The atmosphere was the best I have experienced in a restaurant. Highly recommended!!!

Food:			Visit: Wed 25 April 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: HD | 7 April 2007, 10.41am

The food at Rockpool was fantastic, however the portions were tiny, even for a girl. Lucky I filled up on the bread they handed out before the main course otherwise I would have still been hungry.

I was tempted by the spaghetti bolognese advertised on the board outside Rockpool but when we got inside, it wasn't even on the menu.

I ordered waygu, which was very tender, but should be for the price you're paying. I just wished there was more of it!

The atmosphere was fantastic mostly. Nice, dimly-lit, quiet location but then we had a noisy table of 10 seated right next to us for the last half of our dinner which made it a bit hard to hear each other.

The staff were ok apart from telling us we should have made a booking before turning up. The thing is we weren't sure about where we were going to have dinner that night to celebrate my birthday.

Food:			Visit: Mon 2 April 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Paul A | 30 November 2006, 3.23pm

Visited Mid November with a group of eight for a Birthday and were totally disappointed and will never return. Melbourne has far superior restaurants for half the price. I gather my experience was not a one off from the reviews below and if things don't change fast then Rockpool wont last 12 months.

The waiters were comical and seemed to have no training at all.

One of the head waiters managed to hurly a pot of sauce onto a girl at another table (it flew of the plate and out of the pot about 4ft) in a twirling motion that was meant to impress the big spenders at the table, but didn't.

We had to guide our waitress (and roving others) through the night, prompting her 3 times for a wine list which came 40 minutes after we sat and after we had ordered our entrees. Virtually every meal was given to the wrong person, many drinks were spilt (I sat with a puddle of drinking water in-front of me most of the night) dishes were cleared while people were still eating and they seemed to have no real grasp of the menu. Abalone was Aboneee and Coffee was served at the exact same moment as dessert. At the end of the night it had a real feel of will you hurry up and leave the staff have to get home or go out?

Now the Food!

Entree for myself was good but not mind blowing. We shared the oysters natural (you should be shot if you cant get this right) and I had a seafood (thai inspired)soup that had a great broth but the seafood was over cooked. My wife had the homemade goats cheese tortellini with prawns, the pasta was great, the seafood again overdone.

Mains!
This is a steak restaurant? any number of pubs in South Melbourne kill them in this department. Try the Railway or O'connels.

The Wagyu was only available in leg steak, so 3 of us opted for the aged rib eye and one went for the wagyu leg. My rare medium rib eye came minus the bone (so much flavour stolen there) cold, rather thin and already pre sliced into about 6 strips. I have never anywhere in the world been served a pre sliced steak, and I don't understand the reason. There was flavour there but to me the steak had been slaughtered coming out cold, flat, sliced and off the bone.

My friends wagyu leg was nice (more due to the quality of meat) but again came served cold and cut up. My advice visit a butcher or David Jones who sell wagyu and cook it yourself tetsuya style.

Deserts were forgettable, my fancy custard slice was on par with something from a cheap ackland st cake shop and all the desserts and most of the meals smacked of pre-papared.

Should you go? No! put $200 on the tables at crown then catch a cab , like down the road to a place like termini in st kilda where you will find great food, service from passionate food people and real value for money.

I noticed John Lethan from the Age News paper visited yet has not done a full review, only mentioning the seafood soup and the gratin as great! perhaps he is giving them some grace in the hope things pick up.

Rockpool - Much hyped and Massively disappointing.

Food:			Visit: Tue 21 November 2006
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Posted by: Tufties | 10 November 2006, 1.28pm

We dined on Cup Eve, full of expectation but sadly disappointed by the experience. The room is very dark and already a little knocked about in places (our "leather" tabletop was stained, there was a tile missing in the bar area etc.)

The menu is excellent - a wonderful range that makes it very difficult to choose. We all ordered fish dishes as mains, together with a selection of side dishes, and they were all very good. Dessert was disappointing - the choices were not as interesting and they didn't really "match" with the main choices. The ones we tried were not particularly memorable. The wine list had some good selections by the glass.

Most disappointing of all however was the service. It simply didn't reflect the quality you expect given the prices you are paying. A constant stream of different staff, erratic periods of time between service (for example, the dessert menu given to us literally before a member of our group had finished the last mouthful of her main yet a 25-minute wait until we could order). Just lots of examples of the type of service you would expect at your local pub dining room, not in a restaurant of this league e.g. staff not even seeing us from our table to the door at the end of the night - just looking up from where they were and saying "see you later". Lots of "did you like that?" type questioning. And basic things like clearing dishes away before they were finished, giving dishes to the wrong person etc. Interestingly, they also appeared to have ample staff working yet seemed unable to keep up.

It was simply not good enough - I think you can experience much better service and food that is at least equal to what is being offered at any number of other restaurants in Melbourne.

Food:			Visit: Mon 6 November 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: millipea | 2 November 2006, 9.50am

Good food, but the service will leave you asking why you've bothered. Neil Perry had better pick up his staff's game, or expect to be closed by Christmas.

Food:			Visit: Wed 1 November 2006 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere: