Top 10 Restaurants of Australia

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Number 9 - Rockpool

Cuisine: Modern Australian/Contemporary

Location: Sydney, NSW

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Head Chef: Neil Perry

Neil Perry entered the food industry first through managing Sails restaurant in Sydney. From there he progressed to the kitchen apprenticing under chefs such as Damien Pigolet, Gay Bilson, Stephanie Alexander, Steve Manfredi and David Thompson¹. His first success came in 1986 when he opened Blue Water Grill in Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, a restaurant that he says produced “simple food...and had a lot of Asian influences. It was just meant to be a beach experience.”²

Today Perry manages a consortium of restaurants and catering businesses across Australia under the Rockpool group as well as consulting on the Australian airline Qantas's international menu. He has authored numerous recipe books and is a frequent celebrity chef on TV.

Number 9 in our list of the top ten restaurants of Australia is Neil Perry's Rockpool. Turning 21 years old this year Rockpool represents an iconic fine dining destination of Australia. With Neil Perry busy running the rest of the Rockpool Group's food empire the restaurant has fallen from recent heights where it was in the World's Top 50 Restaurant list from 2002 through to 2008 and once had 3 hat status in the SMH Good Food Guide.

Showcasing high quality Australian produce that is ethically and sustainably sourced, with a focus on seafood and beef, the menu contains many Asian influenced ingredients and textures that are combined true to Neil Perry's philosophy of “balance and harmony”. Highly professional service ensures Rockpool will continue to be a mainstay amongst Australia's best restaurants.

Sample Dégustation Menu*

Sterling caviar on prawn toast
Queensland spanner crab with heirloom tomatoes, avocado, celery and lemon verbena
Chirashi zushi of kingfish, bonito, prawn and squid
Green lip abalone, red braised thirlmere goose, chicken crisp and fine noodles with xo dressing
John dory and scampi with macadamia, bamboo pith, scampi broth and tofu made at the table
Eight treasure quail with yam and ginger fondant, tea egg and chinese pepper reduction
David Blackmore's wagyu scotch fillet (score 9+) with old skin stir fry, snake beans, soy milk skin and hakka nam yee sauce
Coconut sorbet with coconut jelly and raspberries
Black forest; dark and white chocolate with cherries and kirsch
Coffee and petit fours

See more menu information >

*Please note the provided menu and prices are only an example and may change at anytime, please refer to the restaurant's website for up to date information

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References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Perry
http://www.miettas.com/Content/Chefs/Greatauschefs/Neil_Perry_1999.html