Category: The Rocks

Get up close and personal with Sydney Harbour Bridge only at The Rocks. As a bonus, you will also see Sydney Opera House at the other end of Circular Quay.

Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar

Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar Review:

We were walking down Circular Quay when one of our close friends saw us. He is responsible for overseeing a dramatic change in Appetito, a restaurant in an iconic building at The Rocks. They revamped their menu and hired a new chef, Luigi – not to be confused with that fictional plumber. I had the pleasure of trying it out for the first time (although I still need to fully pay for it ^_^).

As the name suggested, their menu is predominantly pasta and pizza. They also have a few main courses and weekly specials.

Pane All’Aglio – $8 – Garlic butter sourdough bread baked in house daily

You might want to skip this if you are eating the pizza as it’s the same in-house-made dough. If you don’t, then I would suggest you to order it. It is one of the better garlic bread I have ever tasted. It was crunchy and fluffy at the same time!

Risotto Pescatora – $34 – Calamari, prawns, mussels, clams, in a light tomato sauce

They cooked their risotto al dente, as any proper Italian restaurant would. They also gave a generous serving of seafood on the plate.

Scaloppine Ai Funghi – $34 – With a selection of truffle and field mushrooms & smashed potatoes

Thinly-sliced veal with mushroom sauce is probably one of the more common dishes in Italian restaurants or pubs in Australia. At first glance, this dish looked just like another one of those. Things got astronomically exciting when you actually tasted the sauce. The depth of flavour was amazing!

Asparagus Gratin – $13 – Lightly browned with melted cheese

When I saw the ‘melted cheese’ description, I was imagining something like potatoes sprinkled with raclette. I don’t think the cheese was melted at all on this occasion.

Spaghetti Bolognese – $15 – Kids menu

One of the simplest way to judge a kids menu for us is whether or not the little one want to share it with us. All I can say is he would not even let us touch it!

Cocktail of the Week – The Pink Lychee – $17.00 – Vodka, Lychee Liquor, Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice & Sugar

I. Absolutely. Love. It.

There is really nothing more to say about this drink.

The final verdict for Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar

The revamped menu from the new chef at Appetito hit the spot for us. I really love the scaloppine. I would definitely come back for it. Also, I would want to try their pizza and compare them with the more established pizza joints in Sydney.

Did you know?

Appetito have a bar above the restaurant (or on the street level to George Street). They also have a few stylised function rooms.

Rating for Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $150 for two plus one

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

100 George Street, The Rocks 2000

+61 2 9247 1920

http://new.appetito.com.au/coming-soon/

Aug 31, 2017
Sake Japanese Restaurant

Sake Japanese Restaurant Review:

We had a birthday celebration this week and I wanted to have an Omakase dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Omakase is a Japanese term that is loosely translated into ‘leave it up to the chef’. So, instead of choosing from the menu, we let the chef choose our meal for the night. We went to Sake Japanese Restaurant at The Rocks on this occasion.

Sake Japanese Restaurant used to have Omakase on its menu. However, they are no longer offering it. Luckily, on this occasion, we were granted a slightly modified version of Omakase – in which the chef have already decided in advance what we will be having on the night. The price was $125 per person.

Omakase Menu from Sake Japanese Restaurant

Pacific Oysters – with Japanese salsa (ponzu, sweet garlic, tomato salsa)

Each of us got three oysters with three different dressings. Half of the table chose the sweet garlic and the other half chose ponzu as the best one for the night. Despite offering the freshest tasting oyster, the tomato salsa dressing was dead last.

White Soy Snapper – thin slices of sashimi snapper, sesame seeds

The serving of sashimi (9 pieces for 2 people) was quite generous on this occasion. It was quite the perfect continuation of three servings of oysters.

Tuna Ceviche – Lemon dressing, coriander, jalapeno, tomato, crunchy fried onion

The menu listed jalapeno as one of the ingredients. However, this version of ceviche wasn’t spicy at all. Instead, we got this sour-tasting tuna with quite a lot of crunchy onion.

Steamed Prawn shumai – spicy ponzu

The prawn shumai was arguably the strangest Japanese shumai skin I’ve ever seen. Instead of the usual ‘wrapper’, we got noodles wrapping around the prawn meat. The shumai went pretty well with the spicy ponzu. Each of us only received two shumai.

Scampi Tempura – amaze ponzu, red onion, jalapeño, coriander

If they served scampi, I usually ordered two at most in a Japanese restaurant, due to scampi’s more premium nature (in price) compared to the other meat. I was pretty excited that each of us got three scampis. On one side, I thought having a scampi as tempura was quite a wasteful avenue as I would rather eat them as sashimi. However, the scampi tempura that they presented was close to perfection. It was probably one of two highlights of the night.

Caramelised Miso Toothfish – den miso, aji amarillo, shimeji

This was the only dish on the night that truly amazed me. There was that ‘oh my, what was that I just put into my mouth?’ moment. It was probably one of the best fish I have ever tasted. The toothfish’s texture was super smooth with slightly sweet taste.

Nigiri Sushi – tuna, scallop, seared salmon belly, kingfish belly, tamago, red snapper

There were Six beautifully laid out nigiri sushi on the plate. Each one of us got a whole plate for ourselves. I am quite happy with this arrangement, although it might be a bit too much for our partners.

Dragon Egg – Dark chocolate, passionfruit, chocolate mousse

There was a touch of theatrics when they poured the liquid nitrogen onto the dragon egg. Personally, I felt that the dessert was a tad underwhelming. However, my little one had no issue devouring it.

When you cracked it open, you could see another layer of chocolate encasing the passionfruit and chocolate mousse.

Additional:

These two are not part of the Omakase, but we ordered it separately. The edamame as the opening course (would have been nicer if it was an amuse bouche.. but no -_-). The chicken teriyaki is for my little one who still could not eat degustation.

Edamame – $9 – lightly salted soy beans in the pod

Chicken Teriyaki – $29 – sweet teriyaki | bok choy | spring onions

The final verdict for Sake Japanese Restaurant

We had an enjoyable evening at Sake Japanese Restaurant. The portion was also enjoyable, meaning I wasn’t too hungry nor too full.

Did you know?
Sake Japanese Restaurant charges 10% fee on top of your bill when you are in a big group of 10 or more. If you happen to reduce the number to less than 10, they still put that charge on top of your bill.

Rating for Sake Japanese Restaurant:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $125 Omakase

Place: 9.0 / 10

Details:

12 Argyle Street, The Rocks NSW 2000

+61 2 9259 5656

http://www.sakerestaurant.com.au/

Oct 7, 2016
The Cut Bar and Grill

Review:

When people talk about the best steakhouse in Sydney, you will always hear The Cut Bar and Grill as one of them. That’s why when a group of friends from overseas came to visit and wanted to try the famous Australian steak, I dared myself to take them there. It was sort of a gamble for me as I personally haven’t tried it before and I would really hate to have over-hyped and overpriced steakhouse.

There were eight of us and was one day before New Year’s Eve. I actually did not expect to be able to get a seat at The Cut. However, long story short, we were seated (and possibly the most underdressed bunch ever set foot in the restaurant).

As if the square boxes on the menu are not clear enough for you, I’ll make it clearer: when you are in the restaurant, ORDER A STEAK!

They have quite a large range of cuts with marble score ranging from 2 to 9+ (translate: If it is cooked properly, it is so friggen’ good!).

Côte de Bœuf – $145 – 1kg Grasslands Grass Fed served with two sides and two sauces

This steak is (supposed to be) designed for two people. It also comes with two sides and two sauces – that’s a $30 value!

When the steak arrived, it was eye-catching, looked juicy and perfect.

However, we seriously doubted that it was 1kg… or the fat was probably burned down by the 650ºC Broiler. In the end, we felt that one of us could finish this easily by ourselves.

Signature Upper Cut – $65 – 400g 4-hour slow roast F1 Wagyu Standing Rib

The 400g was ordered by our other friend. However, the funny thing was that it looked bigger than our 1kg steak!

I did try the steak from my friend and it was pretty amazing. My friend even said that this was “The Best Steak in my life”.

Flat Iron Steak “The Butchers Cut” – $43 – 250g Rangers Valley Pure Black Angus MS 3-5

It looked pretty sad and small on that big plate. However, we have to consider that it’s only 250g.

Sauces – $4 – Bearnaise, Chimichurri, House Steak Sauce, Mushroom, Shallot Red Wine Bordelaise

I was actually quite intrigue with the chimichurri, but in the end we opted for House Steak Sauce and Bordelaise. I liked the house steak sauce better than the bordelaise.

Whipped Potato – $10

Cauliflower, Blue Cheese Dressing – $12

These two were the extras we ordered with our steak. We were also considering Rocket salad (my favourite vegetables), but the blue cheese dressing eventually got my vote.

Roasted Button Mushrooms, Thyme, Smoked Speck – $13

It’s a nice and quite complex mushrooms side dish.

2013 Yellands & Papps Vin de Soif Grenache Mataro, Barossa Valley – $59

They have a good range of wines. My friend selected this for the group.

The final verdict for The Cut Bar and Grill

My guests were very impressed with the quality presented at The Cut Bar and Grill… and I agreed.

Did you know?

For those of you who got outvoted into this restaurant, they do have non-steak dishes as appetizers and mains. They also have a selection of desserts.

Rating for The Cut Bar and Grill:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $43 – $145 per steak

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

16 Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney 2000

+61 2 9259 5695

http://www.cutbarandgrill.com/

Jan 21, 2016
Quay Restaurant

Rating:

9 / 10

10 for its Snow Egg!!

Taste: 9 /10

Price for Degustation: $210

Place: 8.5/10

Review:

Quay Restaurant is officially Australia’s best restaurant of 2010. It captured the crown from Tetsuya’s, which plunged on the world’s rating. One of its strengths was the restaurant’s location. It sits atop Sydney’s best spot with vintage view of both the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

We were indulged in eight exquisite tasting plates – with an additional appetiser, petits fours, and coffee and tea of our choice, from Sydney’s infamous chef, Peter Gilmore. We also specially requested to have their legendary Eight Texture Chocolate Cake since it was not on the degustation menu. There was also four types of sourdough bread that you could have as a side.

Amuse-bouche – Truffle and Consomme

This is the chef’s welcome plate. I am not sure what was in it or how the waiter exactly pronounced it, but this tiny plate packed up massive punch. Unfortunately for me, it tasted better than most of the entrees for the night.

Smoked eel & sea scallop pearl, horseradish

The name didn’t really reflect all of the ingredients of this plate. On top of the dish were two purple flower petals and edible silver foil. The next layer was the smoked eel and a ball of sea scallop pearl with a hint of horseradish sauce at the bottom. It was a simple and beautiful dish in a shell-like plate.

Salad of pink turnips & breakfast radishes, violets, olives, pine, resin, balsamico

Definitely my least favourite plate of the day! Basically, it’s a plate full of colourful vegetables in a bed of goat cheese. Granted that they must be the freshest and most exciting vegetables I’ve tasted, but at the end of the day, they’re still vegetables and I don’t like them. The goat cheese saved my day since it brought in flavour into the plate.

Gentle braise of pearl oyster, southern rock lobster, shaved squid, tapioca, lettuce heart, oyster cream, pea flowers

Our next entrée was a plate full of mashed up seafood. The seafood flavour was too rich to my liking and the vegetables did little help to neutralise it. There were slices of scallops that did not seem to be on the menu. It would have been much better if they would go easy on enhancing the seafood taste, since individually the seafood was excellent.

Butter poached coturnix quail breast, chestnuts, truffle, milk skin, and walnuts

The main course came in with a bang. Beautifully cooked and glazed quail breast was laid in a bed of chestnuts and a truffle with some nutty sauce. On its own the quail was pristine. Juicy, chewy, and yummy flavours all rolled into one. Combined with the nuts and truffle, it became unbelievable. One of my friend described eating it as ‘ I’m having my out-of-this-world moment’. It was just surreal.

Poached Blackmore wagyu fillet, Tasmanian wasabi, morels

The second main course was also breathtaking. Lightly poached marbled wagyu fillet accompanied by soft Tasmanian wasabi tasted extremely chewable and juicy. The soft meat was complemented by nice green spinach and green peas puree. I was amazed by the softness of the meat.

Braised Snapper Fillet (alt. Slow braised Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil)

The pig jowl was in the degustation menu but we opted for the alternative Braised Snapper Fillet. Perfectly cooked fish fillet with white cucumber and tasty yellow sauce with a garnish of spinach. Although it was the least interesting of the three, the fish was very good. The alternative menu looked equally crackling.

Jackfruit Snow Egg

This one was made famous by the show Masterchef. Full-on gastronomy in action! It was an egg-shaped meringue with custard filling. Covering the egg was burnt caramel and sprinkles of powdered sugar. The glass’ base was filled with jackfruit granita (shaved ice with jackfruit flavour). This was a real stunner. You had to ‘crack’ the egg as if cracking a real egg. Then the soft egg whites would stick to the skin with ‘egg yolk’ dripping out of the egg. Taste wise? Heavenly refreshing!

Preserved wild cherry compote, coconut cream, chuao chocolate crumble, milk meringue crystals

This was supposed to be the heavy hitter that replaced their legendary cake. Presentation wise, it was great but it didn’t quite capture my tastebuds. The compote was excessively sweet. The combination of coconut and chocolate base was two of my least favourite dessert ingredients. We thought it was too heavy to be the last dish of the day.

Eight Texture Chocolate Cake

This one was out of the menu but we ordered it to fulfil our curiosity for Quay’s legendary cake. First it looked like a block of plain chocolate cake. Then melted chocolate was poured on top of it and created a concave into the cake.

Café Latte and Petits Fours

As a closure, there were café latte with 4 pieces of hazelnut chocolate and Bailey amaretto chocolate.

The final verdict: Quay totally deserved the title of this year’s best restaurant because of its innovative array of menu. Snow egg and Quail breast were my highlights of the day. I reckon they are much, much, better than the legendary Chocolate Cake. Decoration wise, the restaurant looked a bit out of date, but with a view like that, nobody would complaint.

Did you know?

As with any other ultra-famous restaurant, Booking is a necessity. You will not get a table if you just walk in – unless if you are Brad Pitt, I suppose. So, please book months in advance.

Unlike in Tetsuya’s, we actually did not meet Peter Gilmore in person.

Location:

Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, NSW, Australia

http://www.quay.com.au/

+61 2 9251 5600

Nov 1, 2010
Four Seasons Wedding Banquet

Four Seasons Wedding Banquet Experience

This week, I’m not gonna make a verdict on a particular restaurant, but I’m gonna tell you my experience of eating at my friend’s fantastic wedding Banquet (Congratulations Caro and Joel ^_^) that was held in Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney on the 23^rd January 2010.

As you can see from the menu above, the dinner was a three-course dinner with cakes and coffees at the end. There is also a choice of red, white, and sparkling wines to choose from. The courses are alternated between guests.

My first course of the night was Antipasto plate. Basically, it’s a plate full of veggies with prosciutto, bocconcini cheese and “carpet slipper” (Italian translation) bread. I couldn’t comment on the prosciutto because I gave it away to Jerry, but the cheese was fabulous. It was perfect bite-size, soft and yummy… Just what I need to build my appetite!

At the other side of the table, they had Prawn & Green Pea Risotto as the entrée menu. I couldn’t really comment on that besides it looked green and prawny.

After a few speeches from everyone plus the MC trying to dance or something, the main course was served. This time, I got the Beef Tenderloin in Red Wine Sauce. It was served on top of garlic potates and spinach (I guess). And lucky enough, I had the most perfectly grilled beef of the night (after talking with other friends on the table). The beef was cooked medium-rare, just to my liking, so that it still leaves the juicy and tender taste.

Again, at the other side of the table, they had Paper Bark Smoked Lamb Rump, which I could only take the picture of.

After the dance and a lot more picture-taking sessions, comes the dessert for the night: a White Chocolate Cheesecake with Berry Compote & Almond Tulip. The cake was a combination of the sweet and fruity.

Alternate dessert was Sticky Date Pudding in Butterscotch sauce that they said was really, really sweet.

Then, the best attraction of the night came in after dessert, the wedding cake. This was not just an ordinary cake; it was The Infamous Croquembouche. Croquembouche, as the French said, means ‘Crunch in the Mouth’. You can literally crunch it then had it melt away in your mouth at the same time. Croquembouche is made of a cone of profiteroles threaded together in caramel with sugar coating and fruits. On the second picture, you will be able to see the glassy golden texture of the caramel on the profiterole.

The night was closed by an assortment of chocolates and coffee of your choice (or more Wines if you could still walk)…

Additional Information:

Four Seasons has a fantastic lounge that serves daily Crème Brulee. You get a different kind of crème brulee each day (or so they say). It’s really good and also a good place to just chill out after a day’s work.

Location and Time of Visit:

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

199 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

Feb 4, 2010
Pancakes On The Rocks

Rating:

7.5 / 10

9.5/10 for The Ultimate !!

Taste: 7.5/10

Price Range: $11 – $25

Place: 8/10

Review:

One of the best features of Pancakes On The Rocks is that it opens 24 hours, 7 days a week!! In Sydney, where everything closes after 5 (or 11 for pubs), it is a very good place to go if you can’t sleep at night ^_^ However, if you go there on weekends, be prepared to queue up for around 30 – 45 minutes.

In terms of the food, they provide the best range and tasting for restaurant that open 24-hour, from pancakes to beef ribs. As their most-commonly ordered food, you can choose between buttermilk or chocolate pancakes. Normally, you would be presented with 2 stacks of pancake with flavour of your choice. As a personal favourite, I usually choose Bananarama if I want to eat the pancake. However, most people that I know choose Blueberry Heaven. I would suggest you to share the pancake with your mate because they are huge!

If you go to pancake to have dinner, I would suggest you to order their Beef Ribs. The ribs are so tender and juicy. You can easily cut through the meat as if slicing a sausage. The ribs are served in tangy barbecue sauce with a side dish of potato wedges and salad. I’d suggest you to add sour cream and sweet chilli sauce for the wedges.

There is one particular menu that stands out above the rest, The Ultimate. They are not called The Ultimate for nothing, it is the best crepes (I know the irony being in pancake store) that I have ever tasted! You are presented with two perfect-sized crepes filled with crème cheese with a hint of sultanas. They are served with raspberry coulis topped with vanilla ice cream and a strawberry.

Additional Information:

Pancakes on The Rocks is located at the heart of Sydney’s most famous suburb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocks,_New_South_Wales). All of their restaurants are finely decorated with wooden floors and southern feel.

Other range of food you can order there are Savoury crepes and pancakes, gourmet pizza, salads, and breakfast pancakes. They also provide kids menu for your children.

Location:

4 Hickson Rd, The Rocks, Sydney

http://www.pancakesontherocks.com.au/

02 9247 6371

Jan 21, 2010