More than a decade since launch, Rockpool – obsessed with provenance and execution – still remains one of the city’s best prospects for a steak.
There’s a sense of occasion that comes with a booking at Rockpool that starts from the moment you find the long entranceway hidden within Crown. Candles flicker along its length, and a glance to the left reveals haunches of beef ageing gracefully within their coolroom. The presentation and cooking of prime cuts are graceful too, whether you’re itching to go large with Coppertree Farms rib-eye on the bone or spring for highly marbled David Blackmore full-blood wagyu, its richness and savoury depth enhanced by the kitchen’s dry-ageing process. Condiment service? Included, of course, extending to a range of mustards and a perfectly balanced béarnaise. Is it all about the steak? Not quite. Better to go hard on entrées, where Busselton octopus, kissed by the wood fire, takes a star turn in a composed salad with punch from salsa verde, and duck-liver parfait is piped with precision over golden brioche toasts. White tablecloths, skilled waitstaff and formal wine service bring the old-school, but like the beguiling rum and Dubonnet New Fashioned cocktail suggests, Rockpool is still very much for the here and now.
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