Last night, we joined the Hermans and Storks for dinner at The Rockpool. Since they are very aware of my blog, they were really excited to see all the things I do for a food post. So therefore, I was allowed to blog about Rockpool at a dinner setting this time which is great because with the bill we racked up, there is a lot to show you!

More than half the bill is made up of wine. Did I hear you say “Alcoholics”? The wine was the Rockford Basket Press – unsure what year. Steve did the ordering! If you need to check it out, its the $190 bottle. It was alright – the wine tasted a little too coppery for my tastes.

We start off with crusty bread and duck fat butter.

Have you ever had duck fat butter? I wouldn’t know it if I ate it. All I know is it was really tasty. I layered it on.

Prithi and Chloe ordered the Seared King Prawns with Goats Cheese Tortellini, Burnt Butter, Pine Nuts and Raisins $35. At first bite, the burnt butter is the most apparent. Next, I tasted delicate dumpling skin, all moist as goat cheese spill out of it. It was very tasty. Prithi said it reminded her of Christmas!

You must wonder who Michael is after all this mention of Prithi. Here is a picture of the love birds.

Jay had the Warm Salad of Wood Fired Grilled Quail with Quinces, Pecans, Endive and Watercress $33. The salad was really crunchy with the endives and pecans. Jay mentioned the quail was pink inside. The bones were crunchy but too sharp to swallow and too difficult to spit out. Dilemma. He might have expected something like the crispy duck found in Bali where you could eat the whole duck. I guess thats the only complaint.

Michael had the Charcoal Roast King Prawns, Split and Marinated $30. Michael mentioned that it is slightly spicy with Chilli over it. He devoured them quickly with his hands. He was kindly given a towel to wipe his hands after the entree.

Steve ordered the Jamon (Spanish dry cured ham) – from top to bottom: Joselito Iberico Jamon, Jamondul Serrano Jamon Reserva, Trevelez Serrano Jamon and Fratelli Galloni Parma Proscuitto with Pickles $35. Isn’t it beautifully presented?

I ordered the Sautéed White Rocks Veal Sweetbreads and Marron with Persimmon Relish, Candied and Pureed Cashews and Watercress $35. I love marron and take every opportunity to order them. This time, however, I found the Marron a little too dry. The sweetbreads are done slightly differently to how I normally have them (deep fried). This time it is sauteed. It tasted caramelised – like the cashews that are sprinkled on top of the dish. Michael, Steve and Chloe tried sweetbread for the first time. Michael says it tastes like Chicken. I told him what it was. He blinked at me for a few seconds. I love the persimmon relish that goes over it. That was my highlight.

We had so much MEAT.

Prithi ordered the Wood Fired Grilled White Rocks Veal Cutlet $60. I had some. I enjoyed it a lot more than my own main. It was really soft and juicy in the middle. Smoky on the outside. She mentioned it is the BEST veal she has eaten in a long time!

Michael had the David Blackmore’s Dry Aged Full Blood Wagyu Rump $90. I’ve had this before. Its is far juicier than its Sirloin counterpart.

Jay’s Free Range Chicken, Butternut pumpkin, Roasted Squash and Bread Salsa $39 was ‘phenomenal’… just really flavoursome through and through.

Steve had the most expensive steak on the menu, the David Blackmore’s Dry Aged Full Blood Wagyu Sirloin $119. Aged for 15 days, the flavourful 200g of meat disappeared off Steve’s plate in no time. I’ll quote him ” The steak is GOOD and I liked it. Probably the best steak I’ve ever had. ‘ At $119 a serve, it better be one of the best steaks you’d ever have, Steve!

His wife, Chloe, had the Cape Grim Dry Aged 36 Month Old Grass Fed Fillet $55. Chloe loves her steak and Rockpool so this must be a highly recommended item. If I was wiser, I would have had a smaller piece like this too.

I had the Cape Grim Dry Aged 36 Month Old Grass Fed T-Bone $49. I love meat beside bone. It is always much more tender and juicy. Unfortunately I was so filled up with the sides that I had no space for this. I had it packed and ate it today. Still too much. Look at the size of it. It was enough for 1.5 meals! Lots of flavour!

Charcoal Oven Roast Pumpkin and Sweet Potato with Burnt Butter and Garlic Yoghurt $12.
I can taste why this is Chloe’s favourite. I don’t normally like sweet potato and pumpkin but this turned creamily into mash in my mouth. Must be the butter and yoghurt. Highly recommended.

Here’s a blurry picture of Potato and Cabbage Gratin $11. I liked it but some weren’t a fan! Layers of potato and loads of butter. Tasty but I couldn’t taste the cabbage.. I guess thats a good thing.

As predicted, we ordered the Mac and Cheese $11 with its special, secret four cheese sauce. So lovely, so rich and definitely morrish. This is Prithi’s favourite. Highly recommended.

My favourite however is the Sautéed Mixed Mushrooms $25. It had all sorts of exotic mushrooms in there – shitake, oyster, King oyster and others I might not recognise. It was sauteed in a hint of garlic that I love. Sometimes you bite on a bit of burnt garlic and it leaves a delicious aroma in your nose. LOVE.

The Cauliflower and Cheese Gratin $12 was a creamy delight. Chloe had a bit that was undercooked though however , it appeared that the rest of the dish was okay. Maybe its just that small bit. Not recommended for the lactose intolerant.

Finally, we have the Potato Puree $9 that is obviously Steve and Chloe’s favourites. (We ordered two serves.) It was really fluffy and tasty.

So full. So full… but strangely, there is always room for dessert.

I ordered a Petit Four – the Devil’s Food Cupcake with Mascarpone Cream  $6.50. It’s not Petit but this time I thanked God for a bigger serving. I LOVED IT. It was so soft and fresh..and there was a cooling effect from the icing on top. It was like eating chocolate clouds! Yummmm. I could eat a few more.

Chloe had the Blood orange sorbet with campari jelly $12. Looks absolutely refreshing, doesn’t it? I did not taste it so I cannot comment. I am surprised Jay did not order this since he loves Campari so much.

The passionfruit pavlova $21 is to die for! The tangy passion fruit pulp went so well with the balls of cream that sat on top a perfectly baked pavlova. The meringue is soft and the outside is beautifully crisp. Such an elegant dessert. It was huge. You must should share unless you want to turn into a pig.

Hand model: Steve Stork

The cashew and sesame chocolate bark $8 we shared would have been great with coffee. I could tell the quality of the chocolate was really good. Perhaps next time they should caramelise the cashews on it. That would have gone really well.

With all that food, Steve was ready to curl up and sleep.