Happy anniversary husband.  Two wonderful years and I can’t wait for the next two hundred together.  Or however long.  Zorba’s choice of Rockpool at Crown Perth was a fitting place to celebrate our anniversary.

Walking into Rockpool is Hollywood. A long corridor lined with candles in glass urns makes you feel like you are about to enter somewhere special.  And you are.

Spicy Bloody Mary

The five star service is attentive, efficient, friendly and unobtrusive.  I mean, when you are having an intimate dinner, the last thing you want is a string of waiters constantly asking, ‘is everything alright?’.  I feel like saying sometimes, ‘it was until you interrupted my train of thought and our conversation, go away and let us enjoy our meals in peace.’  This is not the case at Rockpool.

We started the night with a bloody mary cocktail each ($18).  It packed quite a bunch with a bit of heat and lots of spiciness. I had to eat the celery garnish to cool my mouth and it was crunchy and fresh. I then at Zorba’s celery too (I have a low chilli tolerance). It sure woke me up from champagne lull that was starting to set in.

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The gorgeous bread was still warm and the fresh butter was really creamy.  I love freshly baked warm bread.

Delicious red

Choosing a wine was difficult. The wine list is very comprehensive – there are five pages of just Sangovese wines! The sommelier offered to assist with a wine choice. I described my ideal red wine – smooth, velvety, quite a bit of body like a Shiraz, but little or no tannin. He deliberated for a few minutes, flicking back and forth through the wine list, before finally recommending the Timaeus, a Grenache blend from the Barossa in South Australia ($80).  The recommendation was spot on, after it opened up and breathed for ten minutes or so. Zorba kept commenting on how delicious the wine was.  There weren’t many wines on the list under $50, plenty well over $100, and more than a few over $1000.

For starters we both shared Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare with Moroccan Eggplant and Cumin Mayonnaise ($34) and Warm Wood Fired Quail Salad with Roasted Peaches, Endive, Watercress and Pecans ($33).

Yellow Fin Tuna Tartar

You know what I am going to say, right? Yes, they were both delicious.  The tuna was fresh, light, and I loved the smoky eggplant with the Middle Eastern flavours.

The quail was exquisite.  The skin was slightly charred outside and the meat carried the wood fired flavour and was so juicy. So beautiful with the roasted peaches.  The quail was an absolute standout dish.

Wood Fired Quail

We were offered more bread and butter; yes please thank you very much.

For main course, we shared the Grain Fed 300 Day Dry Aged Rib Eye 450g on the bone ($75) cooked medium rare with a side serve of potatoes cooked in Wagyu fat with rosemary and garlic.

Rib Eye

The Rib Eye was served cut up on a board and it was amazing. It just melted on the tongue – so tender and cooked perfectly. Zorba loved it.  I actually cringed when Zorba ordered the potatoes cooked in Wagyu fat, but when I tasted them, I was so happy he had.  They were crispy on the outside and creamy inside with a subtle beefy after taste.  They were yum and hard to stop eating.  When the cut Rib Eye was eaten, Zorba and I both eyed each other off for the bone. In the end, because it was our anniversary, I surrendered and let him take the bone for a good old gnaw. I promptly excused myself to use the facilities and left him to enjoy his caveman urges.

What a satisfying meal. One Rib Eye was definitely enough for two people to share.

The friendly waitress asked us if we were celebrating a special occasion and I explained it was our anniversary.  Next thing you know, we were given a complementary chocolate devils cupcake – yum, thank you Rockpool.

Chocolate with peanut butter ice cream

For dessert, I couldn’t go past the chocolate mousse with peanut butter ice-cream.  OMG, heavenly.  The peanut butter ice-cream was slightly salty, creamy, and peanutty in flavour, as you would expect. The salty ice-cream with the sweet and rich mousse that was light and delicious was a perfect marriage.

Our bill came to $311. If we didn’t drink cocktails and red wine, it would have been $100 less.

Verdict:  Yes it’s expensive, but for our special occasion, it was worth it. I was so full at end of the night. A fabulous experience with first class friendly service. I couldn’t fault it. Very impressed.

FACT FILE

Rockpool Bar and Grill
Crown Perth
Great Eastern Highway, Burswood WA 6100
Phone : + 61 8 6252 1900
info@rockpoolperth.com