Category Archives: Rockpool Sydney

Following on the success of the first and second Cafe 1989, the bookings for third and final instalment of Rockpool’s Cafe 1989 for the year were looking very solid indeed. After a nice build up from 40 covers on the first lunch to 75 covers on the second, things were looking good with 90 already in the book a week in advance. It was going to be an “all hands on deck” kind of lunch.

So, when a couple of floor staff called in sick (very soft), your’s truly was asked to step in to assist the floor team. Having spent many a service in the Rockpool kitchen, but never on ‘the dark side’ of the pass before, I was sure this was going to be a wild ride for all involved… The result is that this blog is light on photos – it was pretty hard to get photos of anything at all really… 

The good news (besides lunch going without incident) was that I did manage to get a shot of all of the dishes (luckily caught the mussels with the iPhone).

Neil checking the Garlic sauce for the chicken, Phil washing a spoon. Exciting…

Roasted Beetroot with Goat’s Cheese and Saba

Phil plating up the mussels

Spring Bay Mussels and Salt Striped Trumpeter, Charred Bread and Rouille

Roasted Thirlmere Chicken with Blue Mountains Vegetables, Garlic Sauce and Potato Puree

South Australian Strawberry Shortcake

I did manage to capture most of the day’s service on video though. Here’s about a minute and a half compressed down to 30 seconds, with the best  cheesiest free music I could find.. enjoy!  Look out for the next cafe 1989 pop-up, sometime in February…

As another year wraps up and we’re all saying ‘I can’t believe this year has gone so quickly’, we thought we would give you a quick recap of the best bits from our blog… 

January 

Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth Opens

The year kicked off with the opening of our newest restaurant, Bar & Grill Perth at Burswood. Who would have known back then that RB&G Perth would be awarded 17.5/20, 2 Chef’s hats, Restaurant of the Year and Winelist of the Year in the WA Good Food Awards 8 months down the track… well, if you ask Neil he will probably tell you that he thought it was a lock.

February

Rockpool Floodlight Dinner

Straight off the bat for February was our Floodlight Dinner to raise money for the devastating Queensland floods. A combined effort between Phil and The Four in Hand’s Colin Fassnidge, it was a truly great evening.

Rose Bay Flood Relief Dinner

Later on in February was the epic Rose Bay Flood Relief Dinner – 5 restaurants set up along the Rose Bay promenade to serve 1000 guests. Over $850,000 was raised for the QLD flood victims – an amazing effort. And really – could you ever ask for a better table than that?

March

The Ultimate Dinner

It doesn’t get much better than this – Neil Perry, Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), Thomas Keller (The French Laundry), Andoni Aduriz (Mugaritz), Guillaume Brahimi (Bennelong), Phil Wood (Rockpool) and Catherine Adams (Rockpool) cooking you dinner. Well, maybe if they’re raising money for charity as well… This year’s Ultimate Dinner was the best yet, with over $280,000 raised for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

April

Ultimate Food!

Armed with our professional photos, we took an in-depth look at the Ultimate Dinner – the Chefs, the action, and most importantly the food… 

May

Noma, Copenhagen

Whilst we were nose to the grindstone here at Rockpool, Neil was off on his Northern Hemishpere holiday. He kindly sent us photos of all the nice places he was eating at, just to remind us that he was indeed “working” whilst away… Noma, in particular, looked amazing. Probably why they’re rated the best restaurant in the world..

Rockpool 1989 – 2011

We love nostalgia here at Rockpool. That’s quite lucky, because we’ve got plenty of it! When we came across some old photos, we didn’t hesitate at putting together a little photographic journey into the past.. I still can’t believe that this is the upstairs dining room Rockpool!

Burger Wars!

Organised by Time Out Sydney Magazine, Burger Wars pitted 6 of Sydney’s best burgers against one another… Pickle, or no pickle? Sesame seed bun, or no sesame seed bun? Whose burger would reign supreme, and which Chef would be crowned the burger master???

Saturday Afternoon at the Borough Markets

On what appeared to be the best summer’s day in London history (what? Blue sky?), Neil spent the afternoon casually wandering the amazing borough markets.. By all accounts, this is one of the best markets in the world. And after seeing this, we believe it.

The River Cafe, London

Neil’s gastronomic tour of London continued with a trip to the iconic River Cafe. This food made us all drool over our keyboards..

June

The Best Feedback Letter… Ever!

Yeah, so no photo for this one, but I guarantee that you will not read a better feedback letter in your lifetime! If only they were all like this…

Making Butter by Hand - Rockpool Sydney

Butter. It comes from the dairy section at your supermarket, right? Ever wondered how hard it would be  to make it yourself? Read on….

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Neil popped in to Heston’s newest restaurant in London, where he’s been turning long-forgotten recipes into modern day classics. Love the Meat Fruit c.1500.

Buvette, West Village, New York

Across the Atlantic and on to NY, Buvette is one of the cutest restaurants we’ve seen – and the food looks pretty damn good as well! Neil was given the tip by US Chef magastar Mario Batali, who joined he and Sam for lunch.

Making Bread by Hand – Rockpool Sydney

When the kids down at Rockpool decided that they would start making their own sourdough in-house, we had to get down there and blog it. Making bread is a true labour of love… If you’ve ever wanted to know the effort that goes into making your own sourdough, take a look right here.

July

Eataly, New York

After returning from his holiday research trip, Neil handed over the rest of his snaps which included his trip to Eataly – 20,000 square feet of Italian gastronomic goodness in the heart of NY. The photos don’t do it justice – the place is huuuge.

The Sorrentine Peninsula, Italy

As if we weren’t feeling a bit left out of the whole “eating our way around the globe” thing yet, B&G Head Chef and Pastry Chef Khan and Catherine sent us snaps of their Italian holiday. The first edition sees them travelling through the Sorrentine Peninsula, a place of incredible beauty and delicious food… 

Naples, Italy

Part 2 of Khan and Catherine’s journey was up the coast to Naples, and then on to the outskirts of Rome to the Osteria di San Cesario, and the kitchen of the legendary Anna Dente.

Rome, Italy

The final installment of Khan and Catherine’s journey, where it’s all about pizza and gelato. If that’s not heaven then I don’t want to go!

August

Rockpool Menu Circa 1996

Remember I told you we love nostalgia? When we found an old menu in the attic at Rockpool it brought a tear to our eyes, and not just from all the dust we also uncovered in the process. Stacked with Rockpool classics, the prices are practically bargain basement for a 3 hat restaurant nowadays..

Rockpool’s City 2 Surf Wrap Up

Ah, yes, Team Rockpool’s finest hour – well, actually only a couple of us managed to crack the hour mark, but we all tried our hardest and in the process raised a whopping $206,262.00 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Apart from raising money for our favourite cause, it was a pretty fun day after we got to the finish line. Bring on 2012!

Rockpool Truffle Dinner Teaser

So when Neil and Phil decided to go all out and serve more truffles that we’ve ever seen to just 15 lucky diners, we pulled out our iPhones and got snapping. With the pro photos ‘being developed’, we gave you a little tease… who was that masked chef?

September

Rockpool Sydney Winter Truffle Dinner

With pro photos in hand, we could really delve into what was without a doubt the most extravagant dinner we’ve ever seen. 1.5kg of Tasmanian truffles for just 15 lucky diners… the smell in the kitchen was intoxicating!

Truffle Hunting in the Southern Highlands

You’re probably think that chef’s are obsessed with truffles, right? Correct! Whilst some of us were punishing ourselves by running to Bondi (all in the name of charity), some lucky staff from B&G Sydney took a trip to the Southern Highlands for a spot of truffle hunting..

Spice Temple Melbourne Hunan Dinner

The first of the Spice Temple Melbourne Regional dinners was the Hunan dinner – and it was a great success. Rather than the usual spectrum of cuisines at ST, Neil focused in on the Hunan Provence – think spicy hot, home-style cuisine without the Sichuan numbing.

October

Spice Temple Melbourne Imperial Dinner

Spicy T’s second regional dinner was the Imperial Dinner – dishes from between 221 BC and 1911 AD. With colourful names such as ‘Playful Dragon and Phoenix’, ‘The Most Delicious Dish under Heaven’  and ‘First Ranking Official Pork’, the question we had was would these dishes stand the test of time?

November

Victor Churchill, Woollahra

We took a look at one of our favourite shops of all time – Victor Churchill, where meat is taken to a whole new level. Vegetarians be warned – clicking through may turn you back into an omnivore..

per se, New York

Another stop on Neil’s culinary tour was at per se, one of the worlds greatest restaurants. These guys are at the pointy end of fine dining, and the food looks incredible.

Next, Chicago

The final post about Neil’s 2011 trip was from Next, the new restaurant by Grant Achatz of Alinea fame. What these guys to is pretty unique – they choose a theme (at the time Neil visited it was ‘Paris 1906′, an homage to Auguste Escoffier), cook the same menu for 3 months (they refer to it as a ‘season’), and then go back to the drawing board and come up with a brand new theme. We loved their Next Opening video… oh, and you buy a ticket as if you were going to the theatre – so if you don’t turn up, you miss out and pay in full…

December

Rockpool Pop-Up Lunch – “Cafe 1989″

Rockpool swung its doors open for lunch for the first time in almost 3 years with a $75 3-course menu inspired by the food of Chez Panisse. Prawns, suckling pig, cherries.. can’t go wrong!

Eating out in Hong Kong pt1 

Part 1 of Neil’s Hong Kong blog was all about yum cha and Chinese barbecue – two of our favourite subjects. Throw in a five star hotel and we’re hooked!

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All this plus recipes galore, Qantas stories, awards, Neil barbecuing a Kiwi in the name of national pride, photo shoots, more travel stories, random videos, a new book, a few give-aways, a master class or two… it’s been a big year for the Rockpool blog! Looking forward to 2012, bigger and better, and we’ve got some veeery big news to break just around the corner.. Stay tuned!!

Following on the success of Rockpool’s first Cafe 1989 pop-up lunch, the question was being asked as to how Neil and Phil would top their previous effort. How does one surpass prawns with braised zucchini and tomato, suckling pig with peach and beautiful cherry tart as a finale?? If you answered ”with beautiful Victorian asparagus and hollandaise, slow cooked lamb with braised peas, and a cracking stone fruit crumble”, then indeed you would be correct.

With a fully booked restaurant, I snuck in again to take some shots for posterity’s sake… and to have a taste for, you know, quality control purposes…

A delicious pile of the Rockpool bread, freshly baked and cooling.

The asparagus en place in the drawer, ready to hit the boiling water.

Canapé:
Soft boiled egg, brioche, kurobuta prosciutto

A tasty little starter this one… quality:check.

Blanched asparagus drizzled with a little olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper

Adding the hollandaise to the blood orange segments

Entrée:
Green asparagus with blood orange hollandaise

Summer on a plate, even if the weather isn’t playing along here in Sydney.

Carving the slow-roasted lamb. Richard Gunner grows premium beef and lamb on his farm down in South Australia and has won many awards for his produce.

Main:
Richard Gunner’s pure bred Suffolk lamb – roast and confit, with braised peas

Lamb, peas, garlic, mint… need I say more.

Not sure what was going on here, but we’re thinking of running a ‘give this photo a caption’ competition..

Dessert:
Apricot crumble with peach ice cream

Hard to beat a crumble really, especially with awesome early season stone fruit!

This Friday is our last Cafe 1989 for the year, but we’re promising more in Feb next year. Stay tuned to our facebook page and Neil’s twitter account for updates.

Last week Rockpool swung open its doors for lunch for the first time in almost 3 years – that is indeed a long time between lunches. The occasion was Rockpool’s first pop-up lunch under the name “Café 1989″, 1989 being the year that Rockpool opened.

So what’s it all about? Inspired by Chez Panisse, the iconic Californian restaurant, Neil has set out to create a more casual dining experience. Just good, simple food, cooked well and served with the hospitality that Rockpool is renowned for. And for $75 for canape plus 3 courses, it’s a bargain. 

We’re calling it a pop-up because this is not going to be a regular fixture – just whenever Neil is available, with three dates penned in for December and maybe a couple more in February next year. Here are some shots from last Thursday’s lunch…

Pre-lunch preparation (clockwise from top left): beautiful radishes about to be sliced; peaches bubbling away in balsamic vinegar and pork fat; prawns being cleaned and butterflied; and zucchinis braising in olive oil over a low heat..

Phil using a razor to score the rolled suckling pig. The pig was first brined, then stuffed and rolled, cooked overnight in the combi oven sous vide, then chilled, scored, re-tied and finally deep fried for super crispy skin. Simple…

Riccardo putting the finishing touches on the cherry tarts…

Probably behind the knife and the calculator, a smart phone with Twitter is the most important tool for the chef.. or maybe Neil and Phil were just texting each other…

Pre-service briefing with the floor staff.

The Rockpool sourdough – honey and spelt – freshly baked and served as a single loaf to share with the Rockpool butter…

Canapé
Queensland Spanner Crab, Toast, Tabasco Mayonnaise, Peach Leaf Jelly

A lightly aerated mayonnaise with Tabasco with sauteed spanner crab meat and peach leaf jelly - very subtle flavours and a great start.

Tom all concentrationon the grill. 

Entrée
Spencer Gulf King Prawns with Zucchini and Smoked Tomatoes 

Zucchinis braised with olive oil and garlic, smoked tomatoes with olives, grilled king prawns finished with vinaigrette. A beautiful, simple starter.

A little bit of deep fryer action…

And YUM! Crispy suckling pig!

Main
Suckling Pig with Balsamic Peaches, Cashews and Braised Cavalo Nero

The aforementioned pork with peaches poached in balsamic vinegar and pork fat, with braised cavalo nero and parmesan.

Applying a few final touches before the dishes leave the pass…

Dessert
Australian Cherries and Tasmanian Elderflower

 A simple tart of cherries, frangipane and an elderflower sorbet.. a great finish.

If this has tempted you a little, there are two more pop-up lunches this year on the 9th December and on the 16th December. Call Rockpool on (02) 9252 1888 to book.

Yes that’s right – for three dates in December, Rockpool Sydney will once again be swinging open its doors for lunch. Neil will be rolling up his sleeves in the kitchen along with Rockpool Head Chef Phil Wood to cook more casual fare, all inspired by world renowned California restaurant Chez Panisse. This is going to be a great and unique way to experience one of the world’s finest restaurants. 

What to expect? 3 courses of casual Italian/French Provincial cuisine, using the best seasonal produce.. all for $75pp plus beverages. That, friends, is a bargain. Expect to see suckling pig, late season milk fed lamb, whole joints of beef and veal… whatever is best on the day.

The lunches are being held on the Thursday 1st, Friday 9th and Friday 16th December. After a little breather in January, the lunches will continue in February – dates will be announced here or via our facebook or Neil’s twitter. For bookings for the December pop-up lunches call Rockpool 02 9252 1888.

This is one of those real iconic Rockpool dishes – it’s been bouncing on and off the menu at Rockpool for years in some variation or another. What I love about this dish (besides John Dory) is the combination of the rich, spicy tomato and cardamom sauce with the tang of the yoghurt – many a bread off-cut has been smothered in this after service! The tomato and cucumber salad give this dish a very summery feel, perfect for the warmer weather that’s almost upon us.

This dish may seem daunting, and it’s certainly a step up from beginner, but well worth having a go. The tomato and cardamom sauce can be made in advance and will keep in the fridge for a week or two, but you should really make the pastry on the day. You can use other fish – leatherjacket, snapper or mulloway all would work well, just ensure that they are thin fillets. The flat grill on your barbecue is also a perfect place to cook the fish (you might be able to fit them all on at once) – just make sure the heat isn’t too fierce.

John Dory Fillets Seared in Indian Pastry with Tomato and Cardamom Sauce

Serves 4

4 x 180g John Dory fillets, skin off
Clarified butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons Greek-style yoghurt
1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into 1cm chunks
2 vine ripened tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice
Small handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
80ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice from ½ a lemon

Tomato and Cardamom Sauce
150ml vegetable oil
2 brown onions, finely diced
50g ginger, finely diced
10 garlic cloves, finely diced
Sea salt
6 cloves, roasted and ground
8 cardamom pods, roasted and ground
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
8 vine ripened tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice

Indian Pastry
1 cup plain flour
½ cup wholemeal flour
Pinch sea salt
1 egg
100ml yoghurt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
10ml water

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To make the Tomato and Cardamom sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-based pot. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and a pinch of salt. Lower the heat and cook very gently, stirring occasionally, until the onions caramelise, about 1 hour. Add the spices, cook for a further 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and cook down until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

To make the Indian pastry, combine the two flours with the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, yoghurt, oil and water. Mix with a fork until it forms a sticky mass, then tip out onto the bench and knead for 5-10 minutes or until smooth. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour as you go, but don’t make the dough too dry. Allow the dough to rest for 40 minutes, then divide into 4 balls. Roll each ball out as thinly as possible on a lightly floured bench and lay each pastry sheet on a sheet of baking paper. Place one fillet of John Dory on each pastry sheet and cut around it with a sharp paring knife. Flip the pastry and fish over and put back onto the baking sheet, so that the fish is now on the bottom and the pastry on top.

Heat the tomato and cardamom sauce in a small pot until just warm. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato and coriander leaves. Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick pan with a good amount of clarified butter. When hot, reduce the heat to low and gently add the fish to the pan pastry side down. Season the fish with a little salt and cook until the pastry is golden brown.  Very carefully turn the fish over and cook flesh side down until the fish is just done. Remove the fish from the pan, set aside on a warm tray and repeat the process with the remaining fish.

Spoon the tomato and cardamom sauce onto four plates. Place a tablespoon of yoghurt over the sauce on each plate and gently place the fish on top of the sauce.

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl with some sea salt and pepper and use this to dress the cucumber salad. Spoon the salad over the cooked fish.

The Rocks, Sydney - it’s fair to say that there’s a bit of history down there. After all, it was one of the first parts of Sydney settled when the First Fleet arrived. Currently one of Sydney’s tourist hot-spots, The Rocks hasn’t always been 5-star hotels, museums and over-priced Ugg boots. The Rocks was once upon a time a slum, complete with brothels, opium dens, illegal booze and street gangs - one of which who went by the name of the ‘Rocks Push’. The Rocks Push were involved in running warfare with other street gangs in Sydney (anyone else smell an Underbelly plot here?) from the 1870′s to the 1890′s. Theft, assault, kidnapping, -  they were tough times. If you’re interested there is some fascinating reading to be had on ‘The Dirt on The Rocks’ blog… 

I would definitely be enjoying a dozen oysters for $4 followed by the duck liver pate for $2! And without a doubt for mains I would be having a steak (if only to sample ”the chef’s choice of tender cuts”!) for only $3.95 - with veggies! So I’ve just eaten 3 courses and I’ve still got 5 cents left from this crazy looking ten dollar note (remember them?). And live entertainment Tues-Sat – what more could you ask for?? If this brings back any memories for you, let us know in the comments!

This is a dish that is as Rockpool as the Date Tart or Stir-Fried Omelette. Now that the weather’s warming up around the country it’s time to get back into the salads – we reckon this would make a fantastic shared starter or an accompaniment for your next barbecue. Make sure you buy the best quality tuna you can get (fish markets might be your best bet). If you can’t buy the Chinese sesame paste (available from Asian grocers) you can substitute tahini instead.

Korean-Style Tuna Tartare

Serves 4 as part of a shared banquet

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200g sashimi grade tuna, cut into batons
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into julienne
1 carrot, peeled and cut into julienne
¼ cup shredded Chinese cabbage
Pinch coriander leaves
1 tablespoon roasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 egg yolk

Dressing
1 tablespoon Chinese sesame-seed paste
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 small knob ginger, finely diced
1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
100ml sesame oil

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To make the dressing, first mix the sesame paste, soy, vinegar, ginger and sugar together. Stir until the sugar dissolves, add the sesame oil and allow set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavours mingle.

In a mixing bowl combine the tuna, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, coriander leaves, pine nuts and half of the sesame seeds. Add the dressing and mix well. Transfer the salad to a serving plate, make a small indent in the middle and carefully place the yolk into the indent. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and serve.

Download Printable Recipe (PDF)

“In fine, the truffle is the very diamond of gastronomy”
Jean Antheleme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825

Yes, Brillat-Savarin, the great French gourmand and author, had it right almost two hundred years ago. This humble ground fungus, tuber melanosporum or Black Perigord Truffle as it is commonly known, is unlike anything else in the world of gastronomy. Fetching up to $2,000 per kilo depending on quality and the season, they don’t come cheap – but by goodness, they are worth it. That is why when I heard about the Winter Truffle Dinner at Rockpool featuring 1.5kg of these opulent little beauties, to be served to only 15 fortunate guests, I felt compelled to put my hand up to volunteer my services in any way possible. Some may say I was loitering like a seagull waiting to be thrown a chip, but I maintain I was there for posterity’s sake – to be able to bring the evening to you, our worthy blog readers… the things you do, I guess…

Before we move onto the dinner, let’s quickly delve into what truffles are. Truffles are a fungus that grow in the soil underneath certain trees – oak, hazel, and beech among others. Truffles are seasonal, only appearing during the winter months. Previously the only way we could get truffles here in Aus was to have them flown over from France during their winter, meaning we would enjoy fresh truffles here in summer – but completely out of season. However, in the last decade or so some smart people decided that surely we could grow them here – and since then they have been popping up in Tasmania, WA, Victoria, and NSW – in Oberon, the Southern Highlands, Orange, and in and around Canberra. You can probably tell that truffles require a cold winter – but equally crucial is a hot, dry summer, much like the Mediterranean climate that they are native to. So successful have they been that total annual truffle production in France is actually dropping, whilst here in Australia it’s rising. Next thing you know we’ll be making better wine than them too…

How do you describe the aroma of a truffle? This is where it gets a little difficult. Not all of the common descriptors are particularly attractive. Earthy, woody, rich, old socks, petroleum…yep, the last two are real winners! But to be honest, the smell of a truffle needs to be experienced to be understood – it is so alluring and pervasive, incomparable to anything else. And truffle oil, which is usually synthetically produced, just doesn’t do the truffle any justice at all.

So, back to the dinner… Neil and Phil hatched the idea a couple of months ago – this was going to be an extravagant dinner featuring the world’s most prized ingredient, served in one of the world’s greatest restaurants. Having myself cooked in kitchens around the world for the better part of 12 years, I have never, ever, seen this amount of truffles in my life. The 15 lucky diners were about to be treated to a dinner that would surely live in their memories for a long, long time. True to form, Neil and Phil didn’t stick to the tried and true path, instead opting for an Asian tilt on most of the dishes – and in doing so came up with some of the most unique dishes I’ve seen. The entire dinner was cooked upstairs in the Rockpool test kitchen (not the worlds’s most glamorous or functional kitchen) but provided the perfect space to serve the dinner. So there we were, Neil Perry, Phil Wood, Sarah Swan (Neil’s PA, former XO exec. chef, and loitering partner in crime) and myself – all squeezed into the test kitchen with the intoxicating aroma of 1.5kg truffles thick in the air! It was bound to be a night to remember.

Neil giving the guests the run down of the dinner

Yves Cambeborde from Le Comptoir, Paris, and Guillaume Brahimi

Neil and Phil in the Rockpool test kitchen

After the guests arrived and were seated they were treated to one of the Rockpool classic canapés – Sterling Caviar on Prawn Toast. This was the last non-truffle dish they would eat all night…

First course

Truffle congee, bamboo pith, preserved eggs and truffle ketchup

As a taste of things to come, this one set the bar pretty damn high. A textural feast, the truffle congee hiding home-made tofu, bamboo pith, smoked bacon, and preserved eggs, all topped with finely julienned truffles. Phil had adapted the truffle ketchup from Mrs Beeton’s Mushroom Ketchup recipe – tasting it was literally like a savoury explosion in my mouth. Umami had just been taken to a new level. It was flavour country. Population: me.

Second course

Abalone, drunken pigeon, truffle and potato salad

The ‘drunken’ method of Chinese cooking is exactly what it sounds like – heaps of booze. The alcohol is usually represented in the form of Shao Xing wine, which can be purchased from any Asian grocer for under $2 a bottle. However, when you decide that you’ll eschew the cheap stuff  and cook with a $1,200 bottle instead, you’d be hoping that it works! (Said bottle can be seen in our ‘truffle dinner teaser’ post.) This dish was a triumph: the slow-cooked, tender abalone cut into (generous) strips. The pigeons cooked in a vac bag at low temperature with the top-shelf wine, salt, ginger, shallots and truffle shavings to absolute perfection. The juices from the bird and the cooking liquid combined to make the most amazing broth. The potatoes were also slow cooked in the bag with truffle shavings, the whole dish assembled and grated with more truffle. Luckily for Sarah and I, someone mis-counted the plates (there was one extra) so rather than let it go to waste we dutifully took one for the team. Wow.

Third course

Truffle infused egg, rich man’s brioche, Jamon Iberico and shaved truffles

This dish has been featuring on the Rockpool menu during the truffle season – and can only be described as lavish, or perhaps as a heart attack on a plate. Rich man’s brioche contains only flour, egg, sugar, yeast and butter – omitting the milk you usually find in brioche recipes, resulting in a richer bread. The brioche was grilled (in butter) until golden and sat on the bottom of the plate. A truffled egg was fried (in more butter) until just set, then layed over the brioche and was given a generous sprinkle of grated Reggiano. Jamon Iberico, the world’s best and most expensive ham was sliced thinly next to the egg, then the whole dish shaved with truffle. To finish, a small quenelle of truffle butter (I must mention at this stage that Phil likes to cook with butter) was perched on the egg. That, is about as good as it gets. Have a couple of these and forget the taxi – book yourself an ambulance for the ride home.

Fourth course

Salt baked chicken in mourning, celeriac and truffle mille-feuille with kra-chai and truffle vinaigrette

The night’s crowning achievement was undoubtedly the chicken – said to be ‘in mourning’ due to the truffles under the skin giving it a black appearance. The chicken legs were removed and set aside and the crown was stuffed with truffle slices underneath the skin, wrapped in lotus leaf (a Chinese preparation that imparts the distinct hay-like aroma of the leaf), then wrapped in a salt crust and baked. The thighs were de-boned and stuffed with a truffle mouse and cooked sous vide at a low temperature then seared until golden. The truffle vinaigrette was made from reduced Madeira, Banyuls vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and truffle dice – the tastiest dressing I’ve ever tried. On the side was served a golden mille-feuille of celeriac, studded with thick slices of truffle. Kra-chai, or wild ginger, usually finds its home in Thai dishes. Here, it provided a bit of zing to lift the richness of the dish, then the whole lot was shaved with more truffle. A stunning dish, especially presented on the black plates.

Neil displaying the salt baked chicken to the guests

The lotus leaf wrapped crown under the crust

Dessert

Truffle trifle

Was this dish going to be as nice to eat as it was fun to say? You bet. Chocolate sponge, chocolate truffle ganache, hazelnut foam, cookie crumbs topped with truffle ice cream. It was deluxe.

Phil back downstairs in the Rockpool kitchen plating the dessert

All in all, it was a successful and fun night. The guests were in the expert hands all night of Rockpool Restaurant Manager Folpmer Houwert, with their wines carefully selected and served by Rockpool Sommelier Emma Plumridge. Everything went as smooth as silk, and the guests had a great time.

Honestly, I felt lucky just to be part of the evening, even in a official taste tester/plate wiper kind of way. Watching Neil and Phil, two chefs at the top of their game, using an ingredient that is normally financially out of reach for most chefs in such imaginative ways was something. Not only that, but working with these guys is downright fun! I figure that I’ll be lucky to see that amount of truffle in one place ever again – if I do however, I want to be sure that my name’s on one of those place cards on the table.

A big congratulations to our Sydney restaraunts following the SMH Good Food Awards last night at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney. The who’s who of the restaurant industry turned out for probably the most highly anticipated night of the year, with the much prized toques up for grabs.

Rockpool Sydney upheld its two hat status with a 17/20, along with Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney maintaining its two hats with 16/20. The big achiever was Spice Temple Sydney being awarded its second hat and a score of 16/20.

Rockpool Sydney

“The city doesn’t have many genuine dining institutions, but after 22 years at the forefront of Sydney gastronomy, Rockpool is certainly up there…”

Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney

“Neil Perry is the consummate meat master, from his crowd-pleasing wagyu burger in the bar to the mighty 31-day, dry-aged, full-blood wagyu fillet in the restaurant proper. But there’s more to RB&G than beef.”

Spice Temple Sydney

“Underneath his wagyu-laden Rockpool Bar & Grill, Neil Perry has created a modern sultry space where the heady flavours of China’s western and northern provinces are combined with the very finest produce. There’s craft, variety and refinement even.”

Congratulations also go to all the restaurants who walked away with a chef’s hat (or two, or three) and of course all of the individual award winners, especially Peter Gilmore from Quay, a well deserved winner of the Chef of The Year.

We’re looking forward to the Perth awards in a few weeks time!